Dylan Phelps sent us these photos that he captured at various Northern California airports in the first part of September as our firefighters were going up against one of the most vicious wildfire seasons on record.
Thanks Dylan!
T-944, Boeing 747-466, N744ST, Photo by Dylan Phelps T-911, N17085, Photo by Dylan Phelps T-481, Lockheed L-188C Electra, C-FLXT, Photo by Dylan Phelps CAL FIRE H-903, Sikorsky S-70i FireHawk, N483DF, Photo by Dylan Phelps T-60, Douglas DC-7, N838D, Photo by Dylan Phelps Bell 212, N316LH, photo by Dylan Phelps
Elkhorn Fire. Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California. September 3, 2020. Sanford Ridge Off of Winter Trail in Wilderness Area. Photo by Mike McMillan.
Lives lost
The tally of the number of lives lost in the California and Oregon blazes will undoubtedly climb as teams search through the footprints of residences. It took weeks in 2018 to document every fatality at the Camp Fire at Paradise, California. Here are the numbers collected so far by the San Francisco Chronicle:
19, at least — California
10, at least — Oregon
Structures destroyed
It is difficult to get good consistent numbers about structures that have burned. CAL FIRE usually includes damaged buildings as well as those that have been destroyed. The Incident Status Summary, ICS-209, that incident management teams on a fire submit every day asks for the number that were destroyed. And it is likely that many teams on fires have not had the time to count all of the affected structures.
Here are the numbers of destroyed structures from the September 14, 2020 National Incident Management Situation Report compiled at the National Interagency Coordination Center, broken down by Geographic Areas. It uses data from the ICS-209:
4,258 — California
2,077 –Northwest (Washington & Oregon)
168 — Northern Rockies
46 — Great Basin
64 — Rocky Mountain
Acres burned
The fire season is not over in all areas, but the number of acres burned to date has exceeded the 10-year average number burned in a year. But the figure varies greatly from year to year. 2019 had the least number since 2004, when considering only the states outside of Alaska.
5,887,136 — The total number of acres burned to date in the U.S., not counting Alaska
5,608,376 — 10-year annual average number of acres burned in the U.S., not counting Alaska
Acres burned annually in the U.S., 1985-2019, except Alaska.
There have been many large fires in the last one to two months in Arizona, California, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, but it has been quieter than usual in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
Upon landing at Sacramento McClellan Airport the President talked about firefighting and forest management September 14, 2020. A P-3 air tanker can be seen in the background.
After landing at Sacramento McClellan Airport September 14, 2020 to meet with Governor Gavin Newsom about the California fires, the president stopped to talk to reporters. With a P-3 air tanker in the background, he recognized the assistance the federal government is providing. He also talked about how dry trees explode and a subject he has brought up many times, forest management. (Truth check: trees do not explode, whether from being dry, or during a fire. Except — it can happen when struck by lightning.)
McClellan is a very busy air tanker base these days reloading large and very large air tankers. Sometimes airports are completely shut down when the President is on the ground anywhere nearby, so I asked @SocalAirOps if it was closed during the visit and the answer was no, T-944 (the 747) took off while the President was on the ground. And @JudyMichelson1 chimed in to say T-107 (an MD-87) also took off.
The transcript below of the Presidents’s remarks begins a few seconds after he stepped in front of the reporters. He also spoke to reporters at least one other time while at Sacramento.
President:…Washington state and Oregon and I think they’ll go very well. I think they are doing an incredible job. This is one of the biggest burns we’ve ever seen and we have to do a lot about forest management. Obviously forest management in California is very important and now it extends to Washington and extends also to Oregon. There has to be good, strong, forest management which I’ve been talking about for three years with the state so hopefully they’ll start doing that. In the meantime we’re helping them up, out in a very big way. We have the best people in the world doing this. We have all of our people from FEMA, we have law enforcement here. We have the Army Corps of Engineers. We have basically some other military and military operatives that do this. And I’m going to meet with the Governor right now Gavin Newsom. We’ve worked very well together. I’ve approved the emergency declaration as you know. And I think we’ll have a very good meeting.
[…]
Reporter: What would you like to see specifically done on the issue of forest management, and is it possible that it’s also forest management and climate change, it’s both things at the same time.
President: I think something’s possible. I think a lot of things are possible. But with regard to the forest, when trees fall down after a short period of time, about 18 months, they become very dry, they become really like a match stick and they get up you know there’s no more water pouring through and they become very, very they just explode. They can explode. Also leaves. When you have years of leaves, dried leaves on the ground it just sets it up. It’s really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it.
They also have to do cuts, I mean people don’t like to do cuts but they have to do cuts in between, so if you do have a fire and it gets away you’ll have a 50-yard cut in between, so it won’t be able to catch to the other side, they don’t do that.
If you go to other countries, you go to Austria, you go to Finland, you go to many different countries and they don’t have fires. I was talking to the head of a major country and he said, “We’re a forest nation. We consider ourselves a forest nation.” This was in Europe. I said that’s a beautiful term. He said, “We have trees that are far more explosive.” He meant explosive in terms of fire. But we have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California, and we don’t have any problem, because we manage our forests.” So we have to do that in California too.
(end of transcript)
Before you leave a comment, keep in mind that we do not cover politics at Wildfire Today except how it may directly affect wildland fire or firefighters. Feel free to discuss your thoughts or the President’s words about fire suppression and forest management, but please stay away from political parties, candidates, personal attacks, or recommendations about for whom to vote. If this becomes a political free-for-all, I’ll close the article for comments.
The fires in Oregon, Washington, and California continue to produce large quantities of smoke affecting air quality in those states and portions of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona.
The forecast for Tuesday, below, shows improvement in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas.
Air Quality forecast for Tuesday September 15, 2020. AirNow.
Below is current information about smoke dispersion across the U.S. and Canada. It is tough to find good, easy to read maps that show concentrations of wildfire smoke across the United States. The backgrounds in some cases obliterate the smoke information or the state boundaries.
If you find a good smoke map, let us know in the comments.
The NOAA webpage with the map below sometimes has smoke data, and sometimes it doesn’t. It also has this, seen today September 14, 2020: “Please note that this web page that you are currently on will be permanently retired on September 7, 2020.” There is a link to a different page, but I was unable to quickly find a substitute map.
Smoke, 7:47 a.m. MDT Sept 14, 2020. NOAA.
The next two maps from AirNow have the same smoke data, but there is a choice of two background maps, terrain or aerial.
An Antonov-124-100 transported three New Jersey fire engines to California. Photo: San Francisco Fire Department, September 12, 2020.
An Antonov-124-100 transported three New Jersey Forest Fire Service engines and 10 firefighters to San Francisco on Saturday.
Volga Dnepr operates 12 of the aircraft.
An Antonov-124-100 transports New Jersey fire engines to California. NFFS photo by Michael Achey. An Antonov-124-100 transported New Jersey fire engines to California. Photo: San Francisco Fire Department, September 12, 2020.
And, speaking of very large airplanes, the image below is a screenshot from a great video on Helga Desclouox’s Facebook page of a DC-10 dropping on the Almeda Fire in Southern Oregon, September 8, 2020.
DC-10 dropping on the Almeda Fire in southern Oregon. Screenshot from video by Helga Descloux.
The image above of a DC-10 dropping on the Almeda Fire in southern Oregon is a screenshot from a video on Helga Desclouox’s Facebook page.
Wildfires in the West are producing large quantities of smoke that is severely affecting residents in those areas, but it is also spreading to other states.
Simply staying inside is not enough to protect yourself unless you are aggressively filtering the air with HEPA filters. Outdoor air finds ways to come into your home. If there was no air exchange, you would eventually die as the carbon dioxide levels rose and all of the oxygen was used.
What can I do to reduce my exposure to fine particle pollution when levels are extremely high?
Stay indoors in an area with filtered air. Particle pollution can get indoors, so consider purchasing an air cleaner if you live in an area with high levels of particle pollution. (See information on selecting an air cleaner below.)
Air cleaners that remove particles include high-efficiency mechanical filters and electronic air cleaners, such as electrostatic precipitators. Avoid using an air cleaner that works by generating ozone, which will increase the pollution in your home.
If you do not have air cleaners in your home, try to go somewhere that does have air filtration. This could, for example, be a friend’s home, if it has air filtration.
Keep your activity levels low.
Avoid activities that make you breathe faster or more deeply. This is a good day for indoor activities, such as reading or watching TV.
If you cannot buy filters for your entire home, create a clean room for sleeping.
A good choice is a room with as few windows and doors as possible, such as a bedroom.
If the room has windows, keep them closed.
Run an air conditioner or central air conditioning system if you are certain your air conditioner does not draw air from outdoors and has a filter. If the air conditioner provides a fresh air option, keep the fresh-air intake closed. Make sure that the filter is clean enough to allow good air flow indoors.
Use an air filter in that room. Avoid using an air cleaner that works by generating ozone. Those types of cleaners will increase the pollution in your home.
Follow steps for keeping pollution in your home low (see next section).
Take additional steps to keep pollution in your home low. Air cleaners alone may not be enough. Because particle pollution from the outdoor air can easily get inside, take steps to avoid adding even more pollution indoors when outdoor PM2.5 levels are high:
Avoid using anything that burns, such as wood fireplaces, gas logs and even candles or incense.
Keep the room clean – but don’t vacuum unless your vacuum has a HEPA filter. That stirs up particles already inside your home. Wet mopping can help reduce dust.
Don’t smoke.
Be cautious when the weather is hot. If it is too hot to stay inside with the windows closed, or if you are in an at-risk group, go somewhere else with filtered air.
When air quality improves, open the windows and air out your home or office.
Selecting an air cleaner:
Air cleaners that remove particles include high-efficiency mechanical filters and electronic air cleaners, such as electrostatic precipitators. Avoid using an air cleaner that works by generating ozone, which will increase the pollution in your home.
The California Air Resources Board has information on selecting portable and central air cleaners– including information on choosing the correct size for your room(s). Go to California Certified Air Cleaning Devices
Should I wear a dust mask if I have to go outside?
Do not rely on dust masks for protection. Paper “comfort” or “dust” masks are designed to trap large particles, such as sawdust. These masks will not protect your lungs from small particles such as PM2.5. Scarves or bandanas won’t help either.
Disposable respirators known as N-95 or P-100 respirators will help if you have to be outdoors for a period of time. It’s important that you wear the respirator correctly.
Map of fires in northwest Oregon, September 13, 2020.
Lionshead Fire
Of the three very large fires south of Portland, Oregon the 138,718-acre Lionshead has been the most active in the last 24 hours, with most of the growth occurring on the northeast and southeast sides. Crews continue to secure and protect property and conduct damage assessments as fire activity, smoke, and other hazards allow. Wildfires have not burned in the area for many decades, which has resulted in heavy layers of fuel on the ground that firefighters must work through to construct fireline and mop up, a very laborious and time-consuming process.
Resources assigned to the fire include 51 hand crews, 62 engines, and 10 helicopters for a total of 1,482 personnel.
Air quality on the Lionshead Fire, Sept 11, 2020. InciWeb photo.
Riverside Fire
On the Riverside Fire dozers completed a line around spot fires on the west side to help secure the areas closest to the communities of Estacada and Molalla. On Sunday crews were working on the north side above the North Fork Reservoir, looking at opportunities to move towards the east. Firefighters are using two unmanned aerial systems (UAS, or drones) to assess fire conditions from the air. Helicopters are flying when visibility allows. The blaze has burned 53 structures at last count, and 133,799 acres, and is still a mile away from the Beachie Creek Fire. Resources assigned to the fire include 8 hand crews, 11 engines, and 3 helicopters for a total of 315 personnel.
“You’ll start in the coming days to see some lines showing containment” on the Riverside fire said Alan Sinclair, incident commander for the Type 1 incident management team. “We’re having a little bit more favorable weather and things are coming together.”
Riverside Fire, from La Dee Flats September 9, 2020. InciWeb photo.
Beachie Creek Fire
Fog slowed activity of the fire and firefighters on the 188,374-acre Beachie Creek Fire Sunday. After it dissipated firefighters resumed work on the perimeter and accessing damage to structures. Crews and heavy equipment are tying in the control lines on the west and northwest sides. The Beachie Creek and the Riverside Fires remain about one mile apart. Resources assigned to the fire include 11 hand crews, 45 engines, and 7 helicopters for a total of 563 personnel.
Three Area Command Teams (ACT) were mobilized Thursday to assist local units in suppressing the fires in the western states. One of them, led by Area Commander Joe Stutler, will be coordinating the efforts in northwest Oregon. The other two will be California.
