The second and third words in today’s news release from the Twitchell fire in Utah are “lightning caused”. After choosing to use a “Monitor/Confine/Contain” strategy for two months and watching it grow to 33,687 acres, you are no longer allowed to use the term “lightning caused”. That is a rule we just invented. “Human allowed” is more accurate.
The fire started on July 20 from lightning, but it could have been suppressed on July 27 when it was 600 acres, or on July 22 when it was 47 acres, or on July 21 when it was 7 acres.
Below is a chart showing the fire growth. It does not include the additional 10,000 acres added over the last few days. HERE is a link to a map showing the fire progression through September 18.
More information including a map of the Twitchell fire from Wildfire Today on September 21.
Does the large fire growth on September 15th correspond with the back burn they set the same week?
The 16,000 people in the Sevier Valley, downwind of the fire, have been forced to inhale the plume of smoke smoke pictured above for 6 weeks now. On many days, ash and cinders rain from the sky. That’s a lot to swallow from a fire which in the words of the regional forest supervisor was allowed to burn to produce “scenic vegetation mosaic effect”. I agree the forests need to be rid of the fuel buildup, but to to burn 60 square miles of aspen, spruce and Douglas fir, growing on very unstable volcanic soils, risk 30 miles of a major east west transportation route (I-70) and a large power line corridor, and in the bargain imperil the health of a imperil the health of 16000 people on such a whim seems a bit over the top. The fire’s blow-up in September was not hard to foresee. It’s always very windy and dry here in August and September. Before they decided to play green thumb with fire this time of year, those who made the decision should have taken into account that there would be two to three months of wind and heat to contend with while they hoed and weeded in very rugged country. The surprise is not how big the fire got, but that’s it not a lot bigger, and hasn’t burned down a couple of small foothill communities here.
Agreed. Fire is a natural process in the non-natural western wildlands.
At what point do we ADD community safety, firefighter safety, resource protection, and costs to the taxpayer BACK INTO the discussion of PROPER wildfire risk management?
I don’t know all the statistics of this fire first off, but with the monitor tactic being used that must mean that there is a reason that the fire hasn’t been suppressed! Which raises the question why does anyone want to suppress wildfires since they are a natural part of the ecosystems of the Forest!