Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

BLM recruitment video says you will “have the time of your life”

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 15 Comments on BLM recruitment video says you will “have the time of your life”

Advertises jobs as “firefighter”, which is not accurate

3:30 p.m. MDT April 7, 2021

BLM firefighter recruitment

The Bureau of Land Management released yesterday a two-minute video that supposedly answers questions, including, “Should I apply to be a wildland firefighter with the BLM?” This is at best, misleading, since most if not all of their employees that do fight fire work under job titles of “Forestry Technician” or “Range Technician”.

Besides the “Should I apply” question, the video addresses others, such as:

  • “I don’t know, it seems kind of boring. And not fun at all.
  • “What if I get dirty?
  • “What would I do in my free time?”

Our take

The federal land management agencies that hire employees with a primary function of fighting fire put most of them in positions with job titles of Forestry Technician or Range Technician. It is deceptive advertising to publish documents or videos stating that you can be a “firefighter” with their agency.

The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits advertising that is likely to mislead consumers and affect consumers’ behavior or decisions about the product or service.

If an advertiser under the Federal Trade Commission’s jurisdiction is advertising a product that does not comply with the law, violators could face enforcement actions or civil lawsuits with fines up to $43,792 per violation, or civil penalties up to $40,654 per violation.

In the case of the BLM encouraging the public to apply for firefighting jobs, the solution is to do the morally and ethically right thing — accurately describe the positions these employees would be working under. In the longer term, change their job descriptions from Range or Forestry Technicians, to Firefighter.

And, let them earn a living wage that is commensurate with the work they do, and is competitive in the firefighting community.

We have reached out to the BLM about this issue. If we hear back, we will update this article.

North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park still closed due to wildfire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , ,

The Horse Pasture Fire has burned about 5,000 acres in North Dakota

MD-87 drops on the Horse Pasture Fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, April, 2021.
MD-87 drops on the Horse Pasture Fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, April, 2021. Photo courtesy of NPS.

The National Park Service said Tuesday morning that the Horse Pasture Fire which has required the closure of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, has grown to about 5,000 acres. A portion of the 2,000-acre increase over the size announced Monday is a result of burning out to secure firelines. The fire is also burning in the Little Missouri National Grassland north of the park.

The cause is still under investigation. Light winds Monday night and expected on Tuesday had fire personnel optimistic as they continue to contain the blaze. At this time, there is no reported structure damage, but the CCC campground and other infrastructure in the park are still at risk, as well as some private residences on the north end of the fire.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday afternoon the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park was still closed due to the fire.

Map of the Horse Pasture Fire
Map of the Horse Pasture Fire showing heat detected by a satellite as late as 3:06 p.m. MDT April 5, 2021.

A list of some of the fires attributed to PG&E powerline equipment

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

Charges were recently filed against the company for their role in starting the Kincade Fire in Northern California

Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020 California
Zogg Fire, Sept. 27, 2020. CAL FIRE photo.

In light of the charges recently filed against Pacific Gas and Electric for the role their equipment played in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California, we dug through some records showing the significant part the company has played in starting numerous wildfires over the last decade.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reported that investigators attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware between June 2014 and December 2017.

CAL FIRE attributed 12 fires that started in Northern California on October 8 and 9, 2017 to PG&E power equipment.

Below are some of the fires attributed to PG&E between 1999 and 2020. It is not a complete or comprehensive list.

  • Zogg Fire, September, 2020, 56,338 acres, destroyed 204 structures, and caused the deaths of four people.
  • Kincade Fire, October, 2019, 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures.
  • Camp Fire, November , 2018, 154,000 acres, destroyed 18,000 structures, and caused the deaths of 84 people. The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
  • Cascade Fire, October 2017, 9,989 acres, destroyed 250 structures, and caused the deaths of five people, including one firefighter.
  • Redwood Valley Fire, October, 2017, 36,523 acres, destroyed 543 structures, and caused the deaths of 9 people.
  • Sulphur Fire, October, 2017, 2,207 acres, destroyed 162 structures.
  • Cherokee Fire, October, 2017, 8,417 acres, destroyed 6 structures.
  • 37 Fire, October, 2017, 1,660 acres, destroyed 3 structures.
  • Blue Fire, October, 2017, 20 acres.
  • Norrbom, Adobe, Partrick, Pythian and Nuns Fires, October, 2017, burned together, 56,556 acres, destroyed 1,255 structures, and caused the deaths of 3 people.
  • Pocket Fire, October, 2017, 17,357 acres, destroyed 783 structures.
  • Atlas Fire, October, 2017, 51,624 acres, destroyed 783 structures, and caused the deaths of 6 people.
  • Butte Fire, September 2015, 70,868 acres, destroyed a total of 921 structures, including 549 homes, 368 outbuildings, and 4 commercial properties, and caused the deaths of two people.
  • Pendola Fire, October, 1999, 11,725 acres.

Charges filed against PG&E for starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 3 Comments on Charges filed against PG&E for starting the 2019 Kincade Fire in Northern California

The fire started October 23, 2019 northeast of Geyserville, burned more than 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures

Map showing in red the perimeter of the Kincade Fire at 12:49 a.m. PDT October 29, 2019. The white line was the approximate perimeter about 24 hours before.

The District Attorney of Sonoma County has filed criminal charges against Pacific Gas and Electric for the role their equipment played in starting the 2019 Kincade Fire, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. The company was charged with five felonies and 28 misdemeanors, including “unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in great bodily injury, unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of inhabited structures, and unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of forest land, as well as various air pollution crimes,” according to the District Attorney’s office.

The fire started October 23, 2019 northeast of Geyserville, California, burned more than 77,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures.

Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection sent a report to the District Attorney’s office in July of 2020 which concluded PG&E’s equipment was at fault.

On October 24, 2019 PG&E filed a required preliminary report with the California Public Utilities Commission that stated “at approximately (9:20 p.m.) on Oct. 23, PG&E became aware of a Transmission level outage on the Geysers No. 9 Lakeville 230kV line when the line relayed and did not reclose. At approximately (7:30 a.m.) on Oct. 24, a responding PG&E Troubleman patrolling the Geysers No. 9 Lakeville 230 kV line observed that CalFire had taped off the area around the base of transmission tower 001/006. On site CalFire personnel brought to the Troubleman’s attention what appeared to be a broken jumper on the same tower.”

jumper cable high voltage electrical transmission tower
File photo of a jumper cable on a high voltage electrical transmission tower.

PG&E told a judge on November 29, 2019 that it was investigating whether there was a systemic problem with a piece of hardware on their high voltage electrical transmission towers that can start wildfires, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Investigators with PG&E and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were looking at the possible failure of jumper cables on towers near the points of origin of two huge recent fires, the 2017 Camp Fire at Paradise, California and the Kincade Fire.

The video below shows the ignition of the Kincade Fire on October 23 as seen in near infrared from a camera at Barham near Geyserville, California. Keep your eye on the bright light on the horizon left of center. It disappears at about 21:19:55 and 15 seconds later the fire can be seen growing rapidly.

Investigators also determined that PG&E equipment started other fires in recent years. The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reported that investigators attributed more than 1,500 fires to PG&E power lines and hardware between June 2014 and December 2017. CAL FIRE attributed 12 large fires that started on October 8 and 9, 2017 to PG&E power equipment.

We constructed a list of 18 of the larger fires linked to PG&E equipment.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Dry, windy conditions put North Dakota firefighters in a precarious position Saturday

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags

Extreme fire behavior near Williston, results in a destroyed fire engine

wildfire Williston, ND April 3, 2021
Firefighters retreat from flareup at wildfire near Williston, ND April 3, 2021. Screenshot from the Angela Black video below.

When I first saw the video below shot April 3 north of Williston, North Dakota, I thought there may have been a small explosion such as from a propane tank or a gasoline container. But apparently the fire just hit some ladder fuels and closely-spaced trees, which in the dry, windy conditions resulted in multiple-tree torching.

The video is very brief and shaky, and it does not provide context for much of the fire behavior that existed before the flareup, but the increase in fire intensity appeared to be sudden and unexpected. Judging by the speed with which the firefighters retreated, it was definitely a surprise.

At the very end, note how several small spot fires appear on the passenger side of the fire engine.

A pickup truck that at first could not be seen behind the fire engine, backed away very quickly, and the three dismounted firefighters expeditiously utilized their escape routes.

A representative of the Williston Rural Fire Protection District told Wildfire Today that the fire was within their district, and the truck that was abandoned and destroyed was from the City of Williston Fire Department.

“Everyone was OK besides a few minor burns,” the representative told us. “Gusty winds led to the rapid growth into the pine trees which became fully engulfed very quickly as you can see. No structure or vehicle caused the explosion. Western North Dakota is in an extreme drought and the fires are showing extreme behavior. We are witnessing fire behavior that we haven’t seen in our area for decades, only speaking for NW North Dakota. That fire consumed 2,000-2,500 acres which is the largest in our District in recent history (3-4 decades).”

The video was shot by Angela Black.

Drought Monitor, created March 31, 2021
Drought Monitor, created March 31, 2021. NOAA.

Areas in south-central North Dakota and Western South Dakota are under Red Flag Warnings on Monday, along with areas in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Red Flag Warnings, April 5, 2021
Red Flag Warnings, April 5, 2021

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Scott.

Wildfire forces closure of North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , ,

The Horse Pasture Fire has burned about 3,000 acres in the North Dakota park

Map of the Horse Pasture Fire in North Dakota
Map of the Horse Pasture Fire in North Dakota showing heat detected by satellites as late as 5:18 a.m. MDT April 5, 2021.

The Horse Pasture Fire in North Dakota has prompted the closure of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Firefighters have conducted firing operations along two roads in the park near the Visitor Center, US Highway 85 and Scenic Drive, to stop any further spread to the south. Incident Commander Jay Mickey told Wildfire Today Monday morning that the firing went well in that area, but they are concerned about strong north winds that are in the forecast. The National Weather Service predicts for the fire area on Monday, 18 mph winds out of the north gusting at 21 to 28 mph with 22 percent relative humidity and a temperature 53 degrees.

Horse Pasture Fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Horse Pasture Fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Photo by Nick Ybarra. Posted by the NPS April 5; date taken unknown.

Mr. Mickey said the fire has burned approximately 3,000 acres.

The Horse Pasture Fire started on National Grasslands north of the park on April 3 but as of Sunday night about two-thirds of the blaze was inside the park.

Mr. Mickey, the Incident Commander on the Type 3 incident, is the Assistant Regional Fire Management Officer for the National Park Service’s Midwest Region and works out of their office in Omaha.

Monday morning the park’s website included an alert announcing the closure of the North Unit. The South Unit is still open.