The Pipeline Fire six miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona was active Tuesday on the northeast side, north of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The rest of the blaze was relatively quiet.
The Haywire Fire was active on the south side Tuesday.
A mapping flight Tuesday night put the Pipeline Fire at about 22,000 acres, and the Haywire Fire at about 5,000 acres.
From KAFF News, Wednesday morning:
With added resources that came into Flagstaff over the last day, it put more boots on the ground. With the winds lower, it brought out the air support. On the Pipeline Fire Tuesday were two DC-10 aircraft, at least three large aircraft, and multiple helicopters and scout planes. Air support bombarded the fire through most of the day. On the Haywire Fire, fire crews saw the biggest problems. Stephen Fillmore from the Type 2 fire team from California working the fire tells KAFF News, Tuesday was a good day for fire crews. He says late in the day “the wind picked up and changed direction a little bit, which took the fire into some new fuels” which created a lot of smoke. Air attack used the rest of daylight to work on that fire.
A man was arrested Sunday in connection with starting the Pipeline Fire. He told officers he had ignited toilet paper after using it and placed it under a rock Saturday, and that he tried to put out the fire with his sleeping bag. His camp was 80 yards from where the fire started according to court documents. The probable cause of the Haywire Fire is lightning, but that still needs to be confirmed by investigators.
About how much of the fire is grass and how much crown?
So more on-going large fires in northern AZ and the Flagstaff area. Each costing millions and taxing an already over-burdened and struggling suppression organization, including IMTs. And a long-time very-reputable local logging firm in town is closing-up shop due to financial shortfalls. Sure seems like there’s a story and opportunity to learn about priorities in that mix somewhere.
Bill,
You stated that. “Air support bombarded the fire through most of the day”. But what did they “bombard” the fire with?
I was recently reading an article which stated that that orange fire retardant really doesn’t do much good. Were they using retardant or just plain water?
Regards,
Fred M. Cain
Fred, I’d like to know the full context of “orange fire retardant really doesn’t do much good.”
Under ideal conditions aerially applied fire retardant can be very effective. It does not put out fires, but when conditions are right it can slow the spread, allowing firefighters on the ground to move in and actually suppress the perimeter of the fire in the area where the retardant was applied. If the winds are too strong it can be unsafe for aircraft to fly low and slow, especially over rugged terrain. And in those conditions, the wind blows the retardant off target making it ineffective. It is also less effective when the fire is burning very intensely in heavy fuels with low fuel moisture and low humidity.
Large fixed wing air tankers almost always drop retardant or or other water enhancing products, rather than just plain water, because it is far more effective than water. The red long term fire retardant can even be somewhat effective after it dries, and can interfere with the process of combustion.
There is a small group of people who are too often quoted by lazy reporters who say retardant should not be used. But almost all subject matter experts will tell you that under the right conditions it can be very effective assisting firefighters on the ground.
Bill,
The article I’d read stated that the orange fire retardant can do substantial damage to the environment and claimed that it really can’t stop a wildfire anyways. Unfortunately, I simply cannot recall where I’d read this. I want to say it was in the last issue of the FSEEE newsletter but I’m not sure. Did anyone else see this?
I’m afraid the sad fact is that I should have never posted this comment in the first place if I couldn’t cite the source. Sorry about that. I’ll try to do better next time.
Regards,
Fred M. Cain