Above: The image shows heat detected by a satellite August 31 and September 1, 2017. The red dots are the most recent, early Friday morning.
The Diamond Creek Fire in the Pasayten Wilderness in the Okanogan/Wenatchee National Forest has crossed the Washington/British Columbia border and spread three miles into Canada. The Incident Management Team reports the total size of the fire is over 52,000 acres.
The satellite photo shows smoke from vegetation fires in the northwestern United States on August 31, 2017. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 4:18 a.m. MDT September 1, 2017.
On August 31 the National Park Service released the long anticipated report (12 Mb file) about the wildfire that burned from Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Five days after it started on November 23, 2016, the Chimney Tops 2 Fire spread into the eastern Tennessee city killing 14 people, forcing 14,000 to evacuate, destroying or damaging 2,400 structures, and blackening 17,000 acres.
The strategy used to manage the fire was controversial because very little direct action was taken to suppress the fire during those first five days until a predicted wind event caused it to spread very rapidly out of the park and into the city.
The report was presented to the public during a live Facebook feed which you can see below.
One of the first speakers was Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke who reminded the audience that he served in combat and then mentioned some recommendations:
The National Park Service should be more proactive about removing “dead and dying timber”;
The dozer lines built during the suppression of the fire could be put to good use, possibly as bike paths;
The interoperability of communications systems needs to be improved so that firefighters from different divisions within the NPS and also between other agencies can more easily communicate during an emergency.
Joe Stutler, qualified as a Type 1 Incident Commander and Area Commander, positions at the pinnacle of the incident management structure, read a lengthy statement that included what he and his team of investigators deemed to be the pertinent facts of the fire and the investigation.
Joe Stutler presents information in the report about the Chimney Tops 2 Fire that burned into Gatlinburg, Tennessee.Mr. Stutler began by saying the report was intended to not place blame on anyone, and would “avoid should have, could have, and would have, statements that frankly inhibit sensemaking and also inhibit continuing to learn from the event.”
Describing the actions taken or not taken on the fire, he said, “the review team found no evidence of negligence of anyone at the park. They did the very best they could when it came to their duty. They did the very best they could based on what was loaded in their hard drive”, he said as he pointed to his head.
Chimney Tops 2 Fire November 27, 2016. Photo by Brett Bevill.“Never in the history of this park or even in the surrounding area”, Mr. Stutler said, “had anyone seen the combination of severe drought, fire on the landscape, and an extreme wind event” occurring at the same time.
Combined with a wildland/urban interface, it was the “perfect storm”, he explained. The review team concluded that the fire management officials did not see the potential for the low-frequency, high-risk event.
The report made recommendations, including:
Revise the park’s fire management plan to reflect more aggressive strategies and tactics during extreme fire weather conditions.
Expand communications capacity to allow interoperability with responders outside the federal system.
The Fire Management Officer should be supervised by a single individual, not two.
Since no Red Flag Warnings were issued around the time of the fire, evaluate current Red Flag Warning and advisory criteria to reflect conditions experienced during the 2016 fire season.
The National Park Service leadership should embrace and institute change to create wildland fire management organizations that have the capacity and resilience to meet the realities of this “new normal” fire behavior.
Institute formal fire management officer and agency administrator mentoring and/or development programs.
On March 23 in Nassau County, Florida a fire escaped from Brian Sparks’ yard while he was burning books. The Garfield Road Wildfire burned 705 acres and two homes.
Monday he received an invoice from the Florida Department of Agriculture for the costs of suppressing the fire — $59,403.38. The bill includes the costs incurred by a dozer/plow, rangers, five hours for a fixed wing aircraft, and other firefighters from several counties.
Garfield Road Fire, March 23, 2017. Florida Forest Service photo.
Mr. Sparks is also facing a misdemeanor criminal citation for failure to obtain a department permit and reckless land burning which included paperback books and other clutter.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Robin. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
Residents near Argyle south of Pringle were asked to leave their homes.
(Updated at 2:15 p.m. MDT August 31, 2017)
After more accurate mapping using GPS equipment, the size of the Elk Run Fire was determined to be 225 acres. All evacuation orders have been lifted.
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Within a few hours after it was reported on private land at 3:16 p.m. MDT Wednesday, the Elk Run Fire near Argyle, South Dakota burned approximately 400 acres. Fire officials said two structures were damaged and some homes in the community of Argyle were evacuated.
On Wednesday the blaze was attacked by firefighters on the ground as well as three single engine air tankers, one heavy air tanker, and a South Dakota National Guard Blackhawk helicopter.
Map showing the approximate location of the Elk Run Fire in South Dakota, 7:56 p.m. MDT August 31, 2017
Fire officials hope to have a more accurate measurement of the number of acres burned later on Thursday.
This message was distributed by Firefighter Close Calls August 30, requesting that it be passed along. If every fire station could send one shirt, that could have an impact.
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All,
This is a immediate request for unused fire/rescue/EMS department or company t-shirts of any and all sizes to be distributed to Texas Firefighters (and their families) who have suffered property losses. The shirts will provide them with something new to wear after losing so much, and it also allows them to wear the logo of those departments, locals, associations and fire companies that were able to help.
If your fire department, EMS or rescue squad, association or local is able to help, by sending some of YOUR DEPARTMENT T-SHIRTS, please send them to:
Fire Shirts
c/o Texas State Fire Marshals Office
333 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78701
The t-shirts will be provided specifically to firefighters, EMT’s and medics who have suffered losses over the last few days. This is the same that was done for Firefighters impacted by Katrina and it was very helpful and appreciated.
Take Care. be Careful. Pass It On.
BillyG
The Secret List 8/30/2017-1730 Hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com