Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Month: July 2014

Suspected California pot-grower charged with starting Nicolls Fire

Author BillPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

A second California man suspected of running an illegal pot-growing operation has been charged with igniting a wildfire, this time in the Sequoia National Forest.

Edgardo Fournier was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday and charged with cultivating thousands of marijuana plants, damaging forest lands and starting the Nicolls fire, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Fournier allegedly ignited the blaze when he learned that other men working on the grow planned to kill him, according to court documents. Fournier told investigators he was fleeing other men on July 11 when he decided to light small fires with a cigarette lighter to stop the pursuit, The Bee reported.

The fire eventually grew to more than 1,600 acres and could incur millions of dollars in damages.

The same day the Nicolls fire ignited, California authorities say that Freddie Alexander Smoke III allegedly started the Bully Fire as he was driving a truck to a marijuana grow he was tending.

The Bully Fire has burned 12,661 acres and destroyed 21 structures. A body of person was also later found within the fire perimeter.

UPDATE: Carlton Complex fire mostly contained, hundreds of homes lost

Author BillPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

UPDATE 3 p.m. MDT: The Okanogan County Sheriff is now estimating that at least 300 homes were destroyed by the Carlton Complex fire, according to Inciweb. That number is double the initial estimate of 150.

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The massive Carlton Complex fire in north-central Washington was declared 55 percent contained this week as cooler temperatures and rain gave fire crews a reprieve from two weeks of hot, dry conditions..

The fire has burned 250,489 acres — that’s nearly 400 square miles — and is believed to have destroyed hundreds of homes. At least 7,000 residents in Okanogan County are still without power after the fire; efforts to restore power have been stymied by rain, The Seattle Times reported. Power was expected to be restored in some areas by Friday. 

Take a look at aerial photos of the fire’s destruction

Nearly 3,000 personnel have been assigned to the complex, which is made up of four lightning-started fires that ignited on July 14. The fire has become the largest in state history — surpassing the Yacolt Burn of 1902, which killed 38 people and burned more than 230,000 acres. The Carlton Complex has triggered a federal disaster declaration, which will allow the state to access aid funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

There are reports that at least one firefighter has been injured — he suffered second degree burns on his leg after he stepped in a hole filled with hot ash. At least one person, 67-year-old Rob Koczewski, died of a heart attack while digging line around his home to protect it from the fire. 

Carlton Complex fire perimeter.
Carlton Complex fire perimeter.

The Chiwaukum Complex, just to the southwest of the Carlton, ignited on July 15 and is made up of three fires that have collectively burned around 12,255 acres. It is 25 percent contained.

Although that fire has not been as destructive as the Carlton Complex, it got a lot of attention when it first ignited two weeks ago, and sent up a massive smoke plume that could be seen from Seattle.

 

Red Flag Warning: July 25, 2014

Author BillPosted on Categories Uncategorized
Red Flag Warning, July 25, 2014.
Red Flag Warning, July 25, 2014.

Warnings for elevated wildfire danger were issued Friday by the National Weather Service for areas in Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

The Red Flag Warning map was current as of 8 a.m. MDT on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this site. 

 

 

Northwest Colorado wildfire burns 20,000 acres

Author BillPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

The Alkali fire in northwestern Colorado rapidly burned 20,000 acres in less than 24 hours as of Thursday, and remains the only sizable wildfire to hit the state this fire season.

The fire was discovered north of Maybell around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 9News in Denver reported. The cause remains under investigation. Thus far, the fire has not prompted mass evacuations, but it has destroyed a part-time home and barn and killed three cattle.

It’s been a remarkably quiet fire year for Colorado following two back-to-back years of devastating wildfires in the state. In 2012, the Waldo Canyon fire burned 347 homes in western Colorado Springs, while the Lower North Fork and the High Park fires in Northern Colorado burned hundreds of homes and thousands of acres.

The destruction of that summer was only surpassed by the Black Forest fire in 2013, which destroyed 486 homes east of Colorado Springs and burned under 16,000 acres.

Like much of the west for the past decade, Colorado has been plagued by drought until this year. Torrential rains in September 2013, while killing 10 people and causing massive flood damage statewide, gave the state a much needed reprieve from tinder-dry conditions.

There are a few areas of the state that are still abnormally dry, including Moffat County, in the state’s northwestern-most corner.

U.S. Drought Monitor
U.S. Drought Monitor

Red Flag Warning: July 24, 2014

Author BillPosted on Categories Uncategorized

Screen Shot 2014-07-24 at 9.13.33 AM

Warnings for elevated wildfire danger were issued Thursday by the National Weather Service for areas in Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

The Red Flag Warning map was current as of 9:15 a.m. MDT on Thursday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this site. 

UPDATED: Red Flag Warning July 23, 2014

Author BillPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,
Red Flag Warning July 23, 2014
Red Flag Warning July 23, 2014

Warnings for elevated wildfire danger were issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service for areas in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Fire weather watches were issued for areas in Wyoming and Montana.

The Red Flag Warning map was current as of 5 p.m. MDT on Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this site.