Iconic photo of Hot Shots

I can’t stop looking at this photo. I am biased, having been a Hot Shot for five years, but to me this is an iconic photo of a Hot Shot crew. It shows a fire crew and flames, but the flames are friendly and controlled. Taken by Kyle Miller, it shows the Wyoming Hot Shots at the end of a shift on the 2016 Snake Fire on the Wyoming/Colorado border.

I can imagine that these tactical athletes are tired, but feeling good about what they accomplished over the last 16 hours — together — and are hoping for another good day tomorrow. They are happy to be resting and decompressing with their buddies.

On their Facebook Page they described the photo:


“Thursday throwback to one of my favorite fire pictures. I recently saw a post asking what being a wildland firefighter means to people. This to me is what it’s about. The camaraderie you have with your crew. The nights spent out at a remote spike camp, sitting around a campfire after a long shift talking like you haven’t been around each other 24/7 the whole summer. Jokingly complaining about how awful the line, food, coffee or hike in or out was, but looking back and being satisfied with the progress the crew has made.

“More and more I feel like firefighters are being told they’re glamorous, adrenaline fueled heroes doing an extremely dangerous job, battling the forces of nature and more and more inexperienced firefighters are believing it and thinking that’s what this job is about. It’s sad and about as far from the truth as you can get. It’s all about teamwork, camaraderie, and a few clear, calm decisions to solve evolving problems.”

Fire in Laramie destroys 9 structures

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Above: video posted to Facebook by OceanDylan Andrew.

Nine structures were destroyed Monday morning in a wildfire on the southwest side of Laramie, Wyoming (map). Pushed by strong winds, the fire spread through Wade’s Mobile Manor and burned about four acres of vegetation before being knocked down by firefighters.

Wades's Mobile Manor
File photo of Wades’s Mobile Manor. Google Street View.

Woman sentenced to four years in prison for starting two fires in Wyoming

She was arrested in Pennsylvania and initially charged with starting six fires in the Moran, Wyoming area

Above: Flagstaff Fire on the Bridger-Teton National Forest near Moran, WY. Credit USFS

(Originally published at 2:41 p.m. MST January 12, 2018)

Stephanie Joy Nicole Dodson, 45, of Everett, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on January 2, 2018 on two felony counts of timber set afire. Ms. Dodson was arrested in Pennsylvania. She received 53 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised probation upon release from custody, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment and $105,712.68 in restitution to the United States Forest Service.

Ms. Dodson was charged with eight felony counts related to various fires that investigators believe she started between August 14, 2016, and August 29, 2016, in the Buffalo Valley Region, six of which she started on August 29.

In exchange for dismissing six felony counts, Ms. Dodson pleaded guilty to starting two fires, the Pacific Creek Fire in Grand Teton National Park on August 22, and the Flagstaff Fire on August 29 in Bridger Teton National Forest. The Flagstaff Fire was by far the most serious due to the property threatened and the number of resources used to extinguish the fire.

A dozen large wildfires within 70 miles of Missoula

Above: Wildfires in Western Montana, July 25, 2017.

(Originally published at 10:30 a.m. MDT July 25, 2017)

Residents of Missoula, Montana are used to the impacts wildfire season brings to the area. Occasionally the area is inundated with smoke for days or weeks at a time.  Today at least a dozen large wildfires are burning within 70 miles of Missoula. Most of them are south or east of the city so the northwest wind predicted today will blow much of the smoke from the fires away from town.

missoula smoke
Photo from a camera at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, showing some smoky haze in the air at 8:45 a.m. PDT July 25, 2017.

The national Incident Management Situation Report groups fires by Geographic Area and lists those Areas by priority, and within each Area the fires are listed by priority. The Northern Rockies Geographic Area, identified as the highest priority today, is comprised of Northern Idaho, all of Montana, most of North Dakota, and relatively small portions of Wyoming and South Dakota.

fires Northern Rockies Geographic Area
The 12 highest priority fires in the Northern Rockies Geographic Area, July 25, 2017. “Ctn” means it is a full suppression fire. “Comp” is less than full suppression.

Today’s report lists 21 large fires in the Northern Rockies with 18 of them being in Montana. The first 10 priorities are in Montana and 8 of them are in the western part of the state.

The two that are in the eastern part are the top two priorities in the Area:

Lodgepole Complex of Fires: 250,000 acres, 16 homes have been destroyed. Firefighters are making good progress. Over the last 48 hours the only large growth has been on the northern end near Lake Fort Peck. More information.

Buffalo Fire: This is a new fire reported July 24. At last report it had burned 2,000 acres and is near the Wyoming/Montana state line. An Incident Management Team from Alaska that was staged in the state has been assigned.

Fires in Eastern Montana
Fires in Eastern Montana, July 25, 2017.
Lodgepole Complex of fires
The north portion of the Lodgepole Complex of fires. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:52 a.m. PDT July 25, 2017. The red line was the fire perimeter at 9 p.m. MDT July 23, 2017.

Below is some information about a couple of fires closer to Missoula:

Lolo Peak Fire; 1,090 acres 17 miles southwest of Missoula and 10 miles southwest of Lolo. It was active Monday and Monday night on the north, west, and south sides, spotting across a drainage and advancing to Lantern Ridge.

Sapphire Complex comprised of Sliderock, Little Hogback, and Goat Creek fires: 20 to 31 miles southeast of Missoula. All three fires were active Monday, primarily on the east and southeast sides. Combined they have burned 4,539 acres.

An executive order signed by the Governor of Montana Sunday will enable the state to mobilize National Guard helicopters (Blackhawks and CH47), some firefighters, and kitchens. It also makes it possible for local governments to access the Governor’s emergency fund if they have enacted their own 2 mil levy.