Devils Tower, snow then smoke

Devils Tower snow
Snow at at Devils Tower National Monument, April 9, 2013. NPS photo.

These photos of Devils Tower National Monument were taken a month apart.

smoke at Devils Tower
Smoke from a prescribed fire at Devils Tower National Monument, May 7, 2013. NPS photo

And from a historical perspective, the photo below was taken on the other side, the west side, of the Monument in May, 2000 a few weeks after a prescribed fire. The fire was in the foreground — the area beyond the road in the background was not part of the project.

Devils Tower, after fire in 2000
Devils Tower, in 2000, a few weeks after the West Side prescribed fire. NPS photo by Bill Gabbert.

Wildfire briefing, May 8, 2013

The Japanese bombed an Oregon forest — in 1942

The only time during World War II when Japanese forces bombed the American mainland occurred in 1942. They loaded a small airplane with two incendiary bombs, launched it from a submarine off the Oregon coast, and tried to set the state on fire. It did not work out too well for the Japanese. Apparently there was no wildland Fire Behavior Analyst on the submarine’s crew.

Here is an excerpt from an article at DVICE:

…[From his lookout tower Keith] Johnson didn’t see the submarine as it surfaced. The boat creaked as its bow broke through the waves to the surface of the Pacific Ocean. A loud bell gave the “all clear” for the men to spring into action. On board that I-25 submarine was a single engine Yokosuki E14Y aircraft. This small, two passenger float plane was compact enough to store in a submarine but had enough power in its nine cylinder 340 hp radial engine to carry bombs on light attack missions. A team of men rolled the plane out its hangar that stood next to the conning tower, unfolded its wings and tail, then loaded two 176 pound incendiary bombs underneath its wings…

[…]

But when the fog lifted [Howard] Gardner saw smoke. He called for help then set off towards the fire, which he assumed was a remnant from a lightning strike fire that had sparked the previous day. What he and his men found was a smoldering fire covering a circular area 50 to 75 feet across. They quickly got the fire under control and found a crater about three feet in diameter and about one foot deep at the centre of the site. Inside was evidence of intense heat, hot enough to fuse earth and rocks.

Sky lanterns banned in California county

We have written about sky lanterns or fire balloons several times, including the legislation being considered in Oregon to ban these devices which can start fires in structures and the wildland.

Here is an excerpt from The Tribune about a county in southern California prohibiting them under most conditions:

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed an ordinance prohibiting the ignition and launching of sky lanterns in the county areas outside the incorporated cities and fire districts. The ordinance goes into effect in 30 days.

A sky lantern — an airborne paper lantern sometimes called a “Chinese lantern” — is similar to a miniature hot air balloon. It is powered by a fuel cell or candle that heats the air, fills the balloon and makes the lantern fly up into the sky.

“What seems harmless is not, and these lanterns pose a serious threat to the citizens, property, and wildland areas of San Luis Obispo County,” said Cal Fire Chief Rob Lewin.

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UPDATE at 9:14 p.m. MT, May 8, 2013:

After posting the above about the sky lanterns, we heard from Dietra A. Myers Tremblay who is studying Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance at the University of Hawaii. She said:

In regards to your May 8, 2013 Wildfire Briefing on sky lanterns, in 2012, Hawaii enacted a state law that prohibits the sale, offer for sale, distribution, possession, ignition, or other use of aerial luminaries also known as sky lanterns, Hawaii lanterns, and flying luminaries.

A link to Section 132-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes. And here is another useful link to the bill status.

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NWCG publishes course revision status

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group has published the revision status of some of their courses. Here is a screen grab from a portion of the document (click on it to see a larger version):

NWCG course revision status, May, 2013

Fire truck runs over firefighter dressed as a bear

The article in the North Devon Journal in the United Kingdom does not mention Smokey Bear:

A firefighter dressed as a bear was run over by a fire engine during Torrington Carnival on Saturday night.

Justin Matthews, landlord at the Cavalier Inn in Well Street, was taking part in the town’s annual carnival when the incident happened at around 7pm.

Mr Matthews, who is a retained firefighter, was walking in front of the fire engine when he got caught up in the wheel of the vehicle.

The incident happened as the carnival was making its way around the roundabout next to Torrington Cottage Hospital at the top of Calf Street.

The procession was stopped while ambulance crews treated the firefighter at the scene.

Ellen Vernon, who lives in Torrington, said there was “horror” among the crowd as everyone realised what had happened.

Fire Aviation news

Check out the latest news about Fire Aviation:

 

Thanks go out to Kelly and Kirk.

Vehicle fire in a warehouse

Hot Springs warehouse fire

On Wednesday at noon firefighters from Hot Springs, South Dakota fought a vehicle fire inside a warehouse. They kept it from spreading into the vegetation and from what we could see from a distance they saved at least the primary shell of the warehouse. I doubt if the vehicle fared as well.

HS warehouse fire 00610

Hot Springs warehouse fire 0094

Hot Springs warehouse fire 0063

 
Continue reading “Vehicle fire in a warehouse”

More evidence about the effects of beetles on wildfires

Millions of dollars are being sought or spent on mitigating the effects of bark beetle mortality in the name of preventing disastrous wildfires. Sometimes these efforts are a smoke screen by private companies, or those influenced by their lobbyists, who want to reduce regulations and environmental restrictions on cutting timber on federal lands. At other times the public or even firefighters see dead trees and assume that beetle-killed forests will lead to catastrophic fire behavior. While there is not complete agreement, most of the available science and the preponderance of evidence contradict that assumption.

Beetles are a natural part of the environment and have been around as long as forests. The recent surge in their numbers is due to two factors: warmer weather that kills off fewer of them during the winter, and drought in some areas that reduces the vigor of the trees, decreasing their ability to fend off the attacks.

Dr. Dominik Kulakowski conducted research on insect outbreaks and fires in Rocky Mountain forests for fifteen years. During that time he worked as a research scientist at the University of Colorado and now is a professor at Clark University where he continues to pursue this research.

Below is an excerpt from Dr. Kulakowski’s testimony on April 11, 2013 before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation of the Committee on Natural Resources of the United States House of Representatives. He was providing information for the committee members to consider when they vote on H.R. 1442, a proposed bill with a strange name, the “Depleting Risk from Insect Infestation, Soil Erosion, and Catastrophic Fire Act of 2013”.

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“…Another example is that of a major outbreak of spruce beetle in spruce and fir forests in Colorado in the 1940s, following which there was substantial concern about the increased risk of fire. But although over 300 fires occurred in that region in the decades that followed, our research found that the forests affected by beetles were no more likely to have burned than other forests. Furthermore, no major fires occurred in those beetle-affected forests in the years and decades that followed the outbreak despite the abundance of dead trees. The most likely explanation for this lack of large severe fires is that climatic conditions in these forests are a more important factor in determining fire risk than is the presence of dead trees. In fact, it was not until a severe drought in 2002 that a large fire affected these forests. During that year there were many wildfires in Colorado, the majority of which burned forests with no recent history of outbreaks.

During the drought of 2002, wildfires also burned some forests in northern Colorado that were attacked by beetles just prior to 2002. The potential increase of fire risk immediately following bark beetle outbreaks is the subject of active research. During this so-called “red phase” dry red needles persist on recently killed trees. It has been hypothesized that the risk of fire may therefore increase during and immediately after outbreaks of bark beetles. Relatively little research has examined fires during the red phase of outbreaks and more research is necessary. However, our examination of the 2002 fires found that outbreaks that immediately preceded those fires affected neither the extent nor severity of fires, most likely because changes in fuels brought about by outbreaks were overridden by weather conditions and other variables.

To understand these scientific findings, which may seem counter-intuitive, we need to consider that (1) bark beetles affect fuels in several ways and (2) several factors are necessary for the occurrence of wildfires. Recent research indicates that reductions in canopy density following outbreaks are actually more important to fire risk than are increases in dead fuel. In other words, beetle-killed trees rapidly lose their needles and this reduces the amount of potentially flammable material in the forest canopy. In contrast, live trees have dense canopies which are critical to the spread of wildfire. Furthermore, and most importantly, in forests dominated by lodgepole pine and spruce there is generally no shortage of flammable material, even in the absence of beetle outbreaks. These forests are characteristically dense and during droughts the risk of severe wildfire is likely to be high, regardless of outbreaks. In sum, catastrophic fire is not an inevitable outcome of bark beetle outbreaks. Instead climate is so important to fire risk in these forests that the effects of outbreaks appear to have comparatively little or no influence.”

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Dr. Kulakowski’s complete testimony before the committee.
More information on Wildfire Today about beetles.

New Mexico firefighter dies while on project work

A firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico collapsed and died May 5 while performing project work with his engine crew. The following message was distributed Monday, May 6, by Jeanne Higgins, Deputy Regional Forester for the USFS’ Southwestern Region.

It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we share the tragic news of the death of Fallen Wildland Firefighter, Daniel Davidson.  Davidson, age 26, was working on project work near Mayhill, NM, on Sunday afternoon with two other engine crew members, when he collapsed. CPR was administered immediately, however when emergency personnel responded with the Life Flight helicopter, Davidson was pronounced deceased at the scene.The cause of Daniel Davidson’s death is under investigation.

Davidson, a U.S. Army veteran had served two tours in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division. Following his tour in the Army, Davidson became a crew member of Engine 621 on the Sacramento Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest.

Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family of Daniel. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

FEMA’s report can be found here.

Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Davidson’s family and co-workers.

Thanks go out to Jeff

Spring season fire in Washington burns 100 acres.

Dog Mountain Fire
Dog Mountain Fire, 5-6-2013, Washington DOT photo

Since the Dog Mountain Fire about 30 miles southwest of Mt. Rainier in Washington (map) was reported May 4, 2013, it has burned approximately 100 acres near the eastern end of Riffe Lake in Lewis County. It is 50 percent contained, and approximately 80 people continue to be assigned to it under a Type 3 organization lead by Incident Commander Charley Burns. The fire is burning in a recently logged area and 8-year-old forest plantation owned by the Port Blakely Tree Farms.

Dog Mountain Fire
Dog Mountain Fire, 5-6-2013, Washington DOT photo

Bulldozers, fire engines, and water-dropping helicopters are assigned to the fire which was initially fanned and spread by dry east winds.

Crews continue to construct containment lines and mop-up where possible. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No structures are threatened and no homes have been evacuated.