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Electra Fire prompts evacuations southeast of Jackson, CA

Bill GabbertJuly 4, 2022July 6, 2022WildfireCalifornia, Electra Fire6 Comments

Approximately 5 miles southeast of Jackson

Updated 1:39 p.m. MDT July 5, 2022

Electra Fire history July 4, 2022 — Map showing the current Electra Fire, as of Monday night, and the 2015 Butte Fire.

The activity on the Electra fire southeast of Jackson, California has been increasing since noon Tuesday. Several air tankers are dropping retardant, including a DC-10, MD-87, C-130, and S-2T.

The Amador County Sheriff’s office has created an online map showing the areas under evacuation orders.

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

As of the Monday night mapping data, the Electra Fire has been burning entirely within the footprint of the huge Butte Fire that blackened more than 70,000 acres in 2015 while leading to two deaths and 135 destroyed homes.

Electra Fire 12:33 p.m. July 5, 2022 — Electra Fire, looking south from Mt. Zion at 12:33 p.m. July 5, 2022.

Map Butte Fire — CAL FIRE’s map of the Butte Fire obtained Sept. 12, 2015. No information was provided about the date of the perimeter.

Resources working the fire include 128 engines, 22 water tenders, 33 dozers, 39 hand crews, and multiple aircraft.

On Monday approximately 100 recreational visitors and PG&E employees had to shelter in the Electra Powerhouse, but were safely evacuated from the area by 9:30 p.m.

The control objectives are to keep the fire east of Hwy. 49, south of Hwy. 88, north of Jesus Maria Road, and west of Hwy. 26 and Railroad Flat Road.

About 450 structures are threatened.

The weather at the Golden Chain Highway weather station south of Jackson at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday was 80 degrees, 49 percent relative humidity, and 6 mph winds out of south gusting to 12 mph. The forecast is for the RH to drop to about 40 percent by late afternoon. Monday afternoon while the large convection column was raging, the nearby weather stations recorded a minimum RH of around 60 percent — remarkably high for such vigorous fire behavior.

Electra Fire at the Mokelumne River. July 4 or 5, 2022.

Updated 5:25 a.m. PDT July 5, 2022

Electra Fire map, Monday night July 4, 2022. Data from FIRIS.

The Electra Fire 5 miles south of Jackson, California grew substantially Monday evening and into the night, but the activity slowed in the very early hours of Tuesday. Most of the growth was on the north and east sides after it crossed the Mokelumne River and reached highway 26 near Rich Gulch.

The FIRIS mapping crew estimated the size at 3,034 acres at about 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Electra Fire 8:07 p.m. July 4, 2022 — Electra Fire, looking north from the Buena Vista camera at 8:07 p.m. July 4, 2022.

6:00 p.m. MDT July 4, 2022

Electra Fire, location — Map showing the location of the Electra Fire.

The Electra Fire that started Monday afternoon near Electra Road approximately 5 miles southeast of Jackson, California has prompted evacuations. At 5:06 p.m. a mapping aircraft estimated the size at nearly 390 acres. It is on both sides of the Mokelumne River.

perimeter map of the Electra Fire — Approximate perimeter of the Electra Fire at about 5:20 p.m. July 4, 2022. FIRIS aircraft.

At 5:36 the Amador County Sheriff Office said a mandatory evacuation order has been issued for all residents in the Butte Mountain Road area. Butte Mountain Road will be closed except for egress purposes.

An evacuation warning is in effect for all residents in a two mile radius around Lake Tabeau.

Electra Fire 5:28 p.m. July 4, 2022 — Electra Fire, looking northeast from the Buena Vista camera at 5:28 p.m. July 4, 2022.

Soon after it started the fire was putting up a very large plume of smoke topped by condensation and a pyrocumulus cloud, indicating extreme fire behavior.

Aircraft near the Electra Fire in Northern California at 5:23 p.m. July 4, 2022. FlightRadar24.

OCFA’s Intel 12 on the #ElectraFire Amador County. Fire is mapped at 390 acres at 17:06 hours. pic.twitter.com/fVzbCJ0cMA

— FIRIS (@FIRIS) July 5, 2022

Wildfire at Centerville, Utah prompts evacuations

Bill GabbertJuly 4, 2022July 4, 2022WildfireDeuel Creek Fire, fireworks, Utah8 Comments

The police reported that fireworks is the most likely cause, but it is under investigation

Updated at 5:03 p.m. MDT July 4, 2022

The Deuel Creek Fire in the foothills east of Centerville, Utah was mapped Monday at 128 acres. Firefighting resources assigned include multiple helicopters and 7 engines for a total of 80 personnel; an additional 3 hand crews are en route.

Monday afternoon the fire was less active than it was during the night, but still has potential for growth with the strong winds and low humidity. The fire is between Deuel Creek and Parrish Creek.

12:51 p.m. MDT July 4, 2022

Deuel Creek Fire map, 3:54 a.m. MDT July 4, 2022 — The red dots on the map represent heat on the Deuel Creek Fire detected by satellites as late as 3:54 a.m. MDT July 4, 2022. Looking east.

A fire that was reported around midnight Sunday night resulted in the evacuation of about 89 homes on the east side of Centerville, Utah. It started near Center Street and Firebreak Road north of Bountiful. The evacuations were later lifted.

Fire authorities estimate it has burned approximately 100 acres, mostly on a steep slope 10 miles north of Salt Lake City.

“All indications are that this fire was human caused, the most likely source being fireworks,” wrote the Centerville Police Department on Twitter at 5:50 a.m. Monday. “We will be working with fire investigators to determine the cause.”

Much of Western Utah, including the greater Salt Lake City Area, has been under a Red Flag Warning Sunday and Monday for single-digit humidity and strong winds.

A Type 3 Incident Management Team will assume command of the fire Monday morning.

Regarding the tweet below, Spencer J. Cox is the governor of Utah.

This barbecue in Centerville might be a fun one to show up to, since nothing was done about fireworks in the state in the middle of a drought. pic.twitter.com/QHhAHvcJt1

— Kip Hackman (@ndy_Dwyer) July 4, 2022

Highlights from the 1977 CDF Fire Control Handbook

Bill GabbertJuly 3, 2022July 3, 2022UncategorizedCAL FIRE, history, ICS, Incident Management Team9 Comments

Looking back 45 years at large fire organization charts, “support teams”, and hair requirements in California

CDF Fire Control Handbook, 1977 — Cover of the 1977 California Department of Forestry Fire Control Handbook.

Chief John Hawkins shared with us a copy of the California Department of Forestry’s Fire Control Handbook, 1977 edition. The agency was known as CDF before they became the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE.

It is a .pdf copy of Handbook 5600 with a few amendments around 1979 and 1980 to address the agency’s limited trial of the Incident Command System (ICS) in their Region VI starting in 1978, and the planned California-wide implementation of the ICS in 1983. The entire document can be downloaded here (large 10.2 Mb file).

Firefighters of a certain age will most likely enjoy skimming through the pages of this 45-year old document.

From page 51 in the CDF 1977 Fire Control Handbook, amended December, 1980.

The 324-page book contains many operational guides, as well as information about aviation, safety, pre-attack planning, “support teams”, and flood control operations. Much of it is timeless, but there have also been many changes. It is interesting to compare the 45-year old policies with current procedures.

But going back even further, let’s take a look at fire organizations before ICS began to be adopted in the 1980s:

“Two-Sector Fire” organization from Principles of Organization for Forest Fire Suppression, US Forest Service, 1953, and,
Organization that was used on the Battlement Creek Fire in 1976.

forest fire organization, forest service, 1953 — Two-Sector Fire. From Principles of Organization for Forest Fire Suppression, US Forest Service, 1953.

Organization on the, Battlement Creek Fire, July 1976 — Organization on the Battlement Creek Fire, July, 1976. From the report.

My career was with the US Forest Service and National Park Service. The CDF organization from the Fire Control Handbook has at least one feature unfamiliar to me, the “Attack” function, which was called the Line Function by the USFS. It is now labeled “Operations” in the ICS. In the USFS it was led by a Line Boss in the pre-ICS days. “Service” became Logistics, and in the Planning section the Maps and Records Officer was replaced by two units, Resources Unit and Situation Unit. Sectors became Divisions, and a new position was inserted between the Planning Section Chief and Division Boss: Branch Director. There were numerous changes in Service/Logistics.

And then there is the current Incident Command System structure; keep in mind, you only fill the positions that are needed.

Continue reading “Highlights from the 1977 CDF Fire Control Handbook”

First annual National Wildland Firefighter Day

Bill GabbertJuly 2, 2022UncategorizedNational Wildland Firefighter Day21 Comments

Each year we experience more extreme and longer wildland fires, and the wildland firefighting community rises to the challenge to protect life, property, and natural and cultural resources. On July 2, for National Wildland Firefighter Day we show appreciation and recognize the hard work and dedication of every wildland fire responder. Thank you also to the supporting families and friends of wildland fire responders who make it possible for responders to be away for weeks or months at a time.

President Biden issued a statement this morning about the commemoration:

Today, on the first annual National Wildland Firefighter Day, I join Americans across the country in expressing deep gratitude for our wildland firefighters who heroically protect our communities and natural resources from wildfires.

Recognizing their service and sacrifice on this day is especially important because we continue to ask more of them year after year. In the past year and a half, I’ve met firefighters in Idaho, California, Colorado, and New Mexico who work night and day to keep people safe, all while fires are getting larger, more intense, and more difficult to control because of climate change, the accumulation of hazardous fuels in our forests, and evolving land development patterns.

Firefighters can spend months away from their loved ones, courageously working to save lives, homes, schools, businesses, natural resources, and wilderness areas. Beyond fighting fires, these dedicated women and men also work year-round to protect us from wildfires before they start by doing the important fuels management work needed to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fire. This work is tough and extremely dangerous.

That’s why my Administration continues to make supporting this workforce a top priority. Building on what I initiated last year, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized historic new initiatives and resources for wildland firefighters that we are implementing now. This includes a substantial pay increase, new programs to support wildland firefighter mental and physical health, and the creation of a wildland firefighter job series that will improve recruitment, retention, and opportunities for professional growth.

We are also building our firefighting workforce, including converting more temporary firefighting positions to permanent jobs. And we’re further supporting our brave firefighters by doing everything we can to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, including proposing a nearly 60 percent increase in hazardous fuels management funds in my Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request, and investing another $2.5 billion in this work over the next five years through my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

National Wildland Firefighter Day will occur annually during the previously established wildland firefighter Week of Remembrance. I’ve attended too many memorial services for the fallen, including almost nine years to the day, ^*honoring 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. They were some of the strongest, most disciplined, tenacious, physically fit firefighters in the world. So, this week we will also reflect on those firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty and renew our commitment to wildland firefighter safety. We pause to remember them, commemorate their selfless service, and thank their loved ones for their service and many sacrifices.

May God bless firefighters and their families across our Nation.

^*Link to coverage of the memorial service for the Granite Mountain Hotshots added by Wildfire Today.

Prediction issued for this summer’s wildfire potential

Bill GabbertJuly 1, 2022Uncategorizedpotential, weather4 Comments

The forecast for wildland fire potential issued July 1 by the National Interagency Fire Center predicts that in July it will increase to higher than “normal” this summer in Alaska, Texas, Northern California, and the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon. In August added to the list will be parts of Montana, the Black Hills, and the Northern Plains. Hawaii will be above normal for the next four months.

The fire potential text and maps from NIFC shown here represent the cumulative forecasts of the ten Geographic Area Predictive Services Units and the National Predictive Services Unit. Additional graphics are included from other sources.

Below:

Excerpts from the NIFC narrative report for the next four months;
Additional NIFC monthly graphical outlooks;
NOAA’s three-month temperature and precipitation forecasts;
Drought Monitor;
Keetch-Byram Drought Index;
Soil moisture.

“Most of the West, Plains, and Texas remain in drought, with areas of extreme to exceptional drought across the southwestern US. Drought developed across southwest Alaska and expanded or increased in severity across the Southeast and Hawai’i. Temperatures were above normal across the southern tier of the US and the Plains, with near to below normal temperatures across the northwestern US and the Northeast.

“Climate outlooks indicate below normal precipitation is likely across much of the Plains through the central Rockies into the Inland Pacific Northwest, with above normal temperatures likely across most of the contiguous US (CONUS) through summer. A robust North American Monsoon is expected to continue through July into August across the Southwest and portions of the broader Four Corners region. Alaska is likely to remain warm, with near normal precipitation likely through summer.

“Above normal significant fire potential is forecast for the southern Plains through October, spreading across Texas, the Lower to Mid-Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Valleys by fall. Much of the central and northern High Plains, including the Black Hills, are likely to have above normal potential through summer. The Southwest, southern Great Basin, and Colorado Rockies have returned to near normal potential.

“Southwest, south-central, and Interior Alaska will have above normal significant fire potential through August, although portions of southwest Alaska will likely return to near normal potential during August. Much of the Sierra and Coast Ranges in California will have above normal significant potential by August, continuing through September. Offshore wind prone areas in California will likely retain above normal potential in October as well. Along and east of the Cascades into much of the western and northern Great Basin is expected to have above normal potential this summer due to above normal fine fuel loading and long-term drought, with southwest Oregon likely to have increasing potential by August. Leeward sides of the Hawai’ian Islands will have above normal potential through October due to ongoing drought and likely enhanced trade winds.”

With near-record setting wildfire activity, Alaska moves to Preparedness Level 5

Bill GabbertJuly 1, 2022July 1, 2022UncategorizedAlaska, weather

This weekend temperatures in the state could be 20 degrees above average

Alaska daily cumulative acres burned, by year. The black line is 2022. Accessed June 29, 2022. University of Alaska Fairbanks.

With near record-setting wildfire activity early in Alaska’s fire season and a looming heat wave, on Thursday the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center moved to wildland fire Planning Level 5, the highest level. Currently there are multiple large fires that require incident management teams in several areas simultaneously. PL5 status means most of the initial and extended attack firefighting resources are committed to new and existing fires. Nationally the PL is 2, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center, but each geographic area establishes their own based on local conditions.

current fires, July 1, 2022 map fires — Red areas represent current fires, July 1, 2022

There are currently 160 fires in Alaska, and 17 are staffed. With the predicted hot dry weather, lightning, and Red Flag warnings, the fire risk is very high. In addition, fire smoke is at health advisory levels in parts of the state.

Red Flag Warnings, Alaska, July 1, 2022 fires — Red Flag Warnings, Alaska, July 1, 2022

More than 1,646,895 acres have burned so far this season. Since mid-June the cumulative acres burned to date has been hovering at record levels or above. As of June 29 the only year with more acres burned to date was 2015. The average total burned each year in Alaska from 1992 through 2021 was 1,192,909 acres.

Forecasters say a heat dome will settle over Alaska Friday through Monday that will challenge daily record high temperatures. Fairbanks is expected to hit an abnormally high 85 on Friday. That would be three degrees below the July 1 temperature record of 88, which was set just last year.

Interesting times ahead for Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. ECMWF 500 mb height anomalies for the next 10 days in the loop below. Ridge breakdown/eastward shift could bring explosive growth to the many fires in AK while the ridge ramps up fire weather in YK and NWT. pic.twitter.com/5KsVHDqFAJ

— mike flannigan (@mikeflannigan) June 30, 2022

The abnormal heat will pile on to already abnormally dry vegetation, or as known to firefighters, fuels. In Anchorage, just 7 percent of the city’s normal June rainfall fell, while Fairbanks saw 36 percent of its typical June rainfall totals.

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