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.

Firefighters concentrating on the east side of the Woodbury Fire in Arizona

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on Firefighters concentrating on the east side of the Woodbury Fire in Arizona

The fire has burned over 96,000 acres east of Phoenix

3-D map Woodbury Fire Phoenix Arizona Lake Roosevelt
This 3-D map, looking south, shows the mapped perimeter (in Red) of the Woodbury Fire as of 11:12 p.m. MST June 22. The white line was the perimeter about 48 hours before.

(Above, map of the Woodbury Fire, Saturday night) 

(Originally published at 11:11 a.m. MDT June 23, 2019)

The Woodbury Fire was less active Saturday than it had been in previous days, which allowed the construction of direct fireline by hotshot crews, but it still produces large amounts of smoke. The southeast side of the fire where retardant was dropped along Sawtooth Ridge continues to hold. Crews are performing structure protection around the community of Top of the World, Pinto Valley Mine, Carlota Mine, and other infrastructure.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Woodbury Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.)

The fire has burned 96,307 acres east of Phoenix and south of Theodore Roosevelt Lake.

Firing operations have been underway along the Highway 188 corridor from Roosevelt to Spring Creek to limit fire spread should it progress further northeast. That line is holding well.

Additional firing occurred at Tonto National Monument ahead of the advancing wildfire as a precautionary measure. The Monument is two air miles southeast of Roosevelt. There has been no apparent damage to the cliff dwellings and other structures.

Resources assigned to the fire include 16 hand crews, 49 fire engines, and 8 helicopters, for a total of 905 personnel. This is a slight reduction in personnel over the last 24 hours, probably due to the eastern one-third of the fire having been relatively quiet for several days.

State Highway 88 is closed from milepost 213 at Tortilla Flat to State Highway 188 at Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Also, State Highway 188 is closed from its junction with State Highway 88, east to the junction of State Highway 288 (the Young Road). Highway 288 remains open.

L-188 air tanker makes emergency wheels-up landing

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The four people on board walked away

air tanker l-188 wheels up landing red deer alberta
Tanker 490, an L-188, made an emergency landing June 22, 2019 at Red Deer Regional Airport when it had problems with the landing gear. Screenshot from the video below just before it touched down on the runway.

(This article was first published at Fire Aviation)

One of Air Spray’s four-engine L-188 Electras had a problem with its landing gear June 22 and had to make an emergency wheels-up landing at Red Deer Regional Airport in Alberta.

Red Deer News Now reported that according to Graham Ingham, CEO at the airport, the incident happened around 12:20 p.m.

“We had an Air Spray air tanker, an Electra-type aircraft, perform an emergency landing due to the fact it couldn’t get its main landing gear down. After a couple of attempts, they decided that it would be safer to do a wheels up landing, and subsequently they did. Thankfully they came to a complete stop. There were no injuries, no fire and it was the best outcome for everyone.”

Mr. Ingham said two pilots and two other people on board walked away from Air Tanker 490 without any injuries.

The video below shows what looks like an excellent landing, considering the circumstances.

air tanker 490 landing gear Red Deer Airport
Air Tanker 490 had a problem with the landing gear at Red Deer Airport, June 22, 2019 and had to make an emergency landing. Photo courtesy of Red Deer Airport.
Air tanker 481 Lockheed Electra L188
File photo of another Air Spray L-188, Air Tanker 481, at McClellan, March 12, 2018. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

The cause of the landing gear problem has not been released.

Other firefighting aircraft have had landing gear problems:

Fire train assists firefighters in Washington

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BNSF fire train
BNSF fire train. Screenshot from KEPR video.

On Thursday a fire train that probably carried nearly 30,000 gallons of water assisted firefighters battling a wildfire along railroad tracks south of Finely, Washington.

Here is a video from KEPR in which a reporter interviews firefighters to get their reaction to this train.

(If the embedded video above does not load, you can view it at the KEPR website.)

Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway has built a number of these firefighting trains.

BNSF fire train
A single car from a BNSF fire train. Each of the individual tanks hold about 3,250 gallons, for a total of 9,750 gallons on the car, plus another 500 gallons of AFFF foam concentrate.

Below is an excerpt from an article at Railway Age about the BNSF fire trains:

…The Spokane fire train utilizes bulkhead flatcars that have been converted to carry three to four modular tanks, each carrying roughly 3,250 gallons of water. Swiveling water/foam cannons are mounted on elevated platforms at both ends of the train’s center car, which also carries a 500-gallon tank of aqueous firefighting foam. BNSF says, “We can reach about 300 feet up an embankment.” The train also includes a caboose that serves as a shelter and command center and houses a generator to power lights for nighttime firefighting.

BNSF built a second fire train in 2008 in Vancouver, Wash., with a different design approach. Stationed along the Columbia River at Wishram, Wash., it uses highly modified tank cars with generators and pump systems housed underneath and swivel cannons mounted on top, plus a command center caboose that’s outfitted with a spray bar that can soak wooden ties or bridges while the train is in motion. Since fire train crews often work jointly with local responders, hoses and couplings on the BNSF railcars are made compatible with fire trucks and other equipment. The cars also have siphons, which allow them to be refilled from storage tanks or natural water sources near the right-of-way…

BNSF fire train foam
The BNSF fire train has foam nozzles that can be used to coat or cover the railroad ties as the train moves. From the KEPR video.

We have written about fire trains several times before on Wildfire Today.

Six Hotshot crews from lower 48 are working wildfires in Alaska

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Most of them are on the 23,200-acre Swan Lake Fire southwest of Anchorage

Swan Lake Fire Alaska
Swan Lake Fire southwest of Anchorage near Mystery Creek

Six Hotshot crews from Oregon and Montana arrived in Alaska this week to help suppress wildfires burning in the state.

  1. Lewis and Clark
  2. Lakeview
  3. Redmond
  4. Vale
  5. Wolf Creek
  6. Winema

Lewis and Clark is on the 300-acre Caribou Creek Fire 20 miles northeast of Fairbanks, while the other five are on the Swan Lake Fire which has burned 23,200 acres on the Kenai Peninsula 32 air miles southwest of Anchorage.

Swan Lake and Caribou Creek Fires Alaska
Map showing the location of the Swan Lake and Caribou Creek Fires in Alaska.

Alaska-based crews are also committed to fires in the state, including the Chena and Pioneer Peak Hotshot crews, plus 11 Type 2 crews.

At least 13 individuals from the lower 48 states are serving in overhead positions in Alaska.

The Swan Lake Fire is approximately 12 miles long and nearly 4 miles wide and continues to grow each day on the eastern flank as weather drives the fire primarily to the east and north. The addition of three type 2 Alaska hand crews as well as the recent influx of the Redmond, Wolf Creek, Vale, Winema and Lakeview Hotshot crews have bolstered efforts to establish direct and indirect lines on the critical east and southeastern perimeter lines.

Swan Lake Fire Alaska
Swan Lake Fire southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, June 18, 2019. Alaska DNR photo.

Below is an 80-second video update by Operations Chief Chris Wennogle about the Swan Lake Fire.

 

hotshot fire crew alaska
A Hotshot crew arrives in Alaska June 19. Photo by Robin Ace.
hotshot fire crew alaska
A Hotshot crew arrives in Alaska June 19. Photo by Robin Ace.

Firefighters staging in Sacramento to assist with wildfires in Canada

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U.S. firefighters assist wildfires in Canada
Firefighters prepare to board flights at Sacramento Sacramento Airport to assist with wildfires in western Canada, June 21, 2019. USFS photo.

On Friday U.S. Forest Service firefighters from several National Forests in California assembled at the Sacramento McClellan Airport as they were mobilized to assist with wildfires in Western Canada.

U.S. firefighters assist wildfires in Canada
Firefighters prepare to board flights at Sacramento Sacramento Airport to assist with wildfires in western Canada, June 21, 2019. USFS photo.

There is a report that two 20-person crews from South Africa are also en route.

Type 2 Incident Management Team ordered for the Pine Lodge Fire in New Mexico

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It is 18 miles east of Capitan, NM

Map Pine Lodge Fire southwest New Mexico
Map showing the location of the Pine Lodge Fire in southwest New Mexico. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 1:26 p.m. MDT June 21, 2019.

The Pine Lodge Fire is burning on the north end of the Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest in Southwest New Mexico. It is 18 miles east of Capitan and 3 miles northwest of Arabela. A Type 3 Incident Management Team is currently engaged, and a Type 2 Team has been ordered. (See the map, above, of the Pine Lodge Fire)

Our very unofficial estimate of the size, based on heat detected by a satellite at 1:26 p.m. MDT on June 21, is that it has burned approximately 1,800 acres. It was spreading rapidly Friday afternoon pushed by a southwest wind.

Satellite photo smoke Woodbury and Pine Lodge Fires
Satellite photo showing smoke from the Woodbury and Pine Lodge Fires at 5:01 p.m. MDT June 21, 2019.

The strategy is to suppress the fire. It is burning off Forest Service Road 130 near Boy Scout Mountain in extremely rough, rocky terrain with grass, pinyon-juniper, and mixed conifer vegetation. Firefighters will continue to assess and engage this fire, taking into consideration public and firefighter safety as the number one priority.

The area is under a Red Flag Warning until 8 p.m. Friday for extreme fire weather. A weather station at the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, 18 miles to the southwest, recorded a high Friday afternoon of 83 degrees, 10 percent relative humidity, and winds out of the southwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40. The forecast for Saturday calls for 87 degrees, RH of 8 percent, and southwest winds at 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warnings, updated at 10 a.m. MDT June 21, 2019.