Both of these spectacular shots were named “photo of the week” by the editor of Vertical Magazine. The only information or credits available is the caption here below each photo.
If you know the location or the name of the fire or the pilot, please use the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page — thanks!
Vertical Magazine has an outstanding “Photo of the Week” archives [HERE].
Fire crews on southern Oregon’s Upper Applegate Fire have made excellent progress, holding the fire at an estimated 500 acres since it started on June 20 south of Ruch in the Applegate Valley. Burning on private, BLM, and USFS land on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the fire’s been 15 percent lined directly and about 70 percent with direct line — the Northwest Coordination Center reports the human-caused fire still holding at about 40 percent containment. The unlined eastern edge of the fire is steep and rocky and has presented a challenge since the fire was engaged.
Despite hot and windy conditions, three federal large airtankers and one very large airtanker were flying out of Medford to keep the fire within its footprint. T-01 dropped on the Upper Applegate on Thursday, and both T-131 and 132 flew the fire on Friday. From McClellan on Friday, both T-103 and T-910 dropped on the fire.
KDRV-TV reported that an illegal drone was seen flying over the Upper Applegate Fire on Friday night, and ODF had to shut down aircraft for the last hour of the day. Drones can cause fatal accidents, and flying one in restricted airspace over or near a fire will ground planes and helicopters on the fire. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office searched late into the evening for the drone and its pilot but were unable to locate them. If you have information, please call the JCSO Tip Line at (541)774-8333.
More than 200 personnel are now assigned to the fire, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), including 27 overhead, seven 20-person crews, three engines, two watertenders, three bulldozers, six tree fallers, and a Rapid Extraction Mobile Support Team (REMS). The terrain on this fire has posed numerous safety issues, from the steep slope to hazard trees and rolling rocks.
Crews managed firing operations on the southern portion of the fire, which is near to houses across the road, connecting up firefighters’ line with a bulldozer line that was already in place.
Fire managers expect temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s with a slight wind in the afternoon. A Type 1 helicopter, along with a Type 3 and two Type 2 helicopters, are assigned exclusively to this incident, and airtankers will be ordered as needed. Portions of the fire area are affected by conifer mortality with large patches of dead Douglas-fir trees. Fallers have been working to remove these trees, allowing firefighters in closer to the fire’s edge.
Emergency officials ordered residents of Ruidoso to evacuate last Monday the 17th, and to do it immediately, ahead of a fast-moving wildfire in southern New Mexico.
UPDATE: RUIDOSO, N.M. -- The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information about those responsible for starting two New Mexico wildfires that killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the past week. The agency seeks information in connection with the South Fork Fire and the Salt Fire near Ruidoso. The South Fork Fire was 26 percent contained on Saturday and the Salt Fire was just 7 percent contained on Saturday morning; full containment's not expected till July 15.
“GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately.” Residents of the village of Ruidoso got this message about 7 p.m. from local officials if they were online. CBS News reported that the Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to about 2000 customers in the town — at the request of fire managers — when the fire burned to nearly 1300 acres.
KRQE-TV reported that hot ash was falling in nearby community of Alto.
By Tuesday officials said the fire was over 13,900 acres and was zero percent contained. The fire’s threatening multiple structures, officials said, and numerous buildings had been lost. Highways are closed and traffic’s being re-routed to Roswell, where hospitals were trying to admit as many patients as possible as they were moved from the hospital in Ruidoso.
The South Fork Fire started Monday on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where President Thora Walsh Padilla declared a state of emergency. It’s burning on tribal land and USFS land around Ruidoso.
A second fire, the 4880-acre Salt Fire, also was burning with zero containment on the reservation southwest of Ruidoso. Officials have closed Highway 70 from Botella Road to Highway 244 and residents east of Botella Road are evacuating.
Residents at Chatto Ridge are on “ready” status and Apache Summit is being evacuated. The Tribe is receiving reports of multiple additional fires on the Reservation. An evacuation center at Inn of the Mountain Gods Convention Center is available for residents — tribal members or not — at the Mescalero Community Center Gymnasium, and livestock can be held at the Mescalero Rodeo Grounds. Call (575)973-1394 if you need help with hauling your livestock.
::: BY THE WAY, legend has it that the Mescalero Red Hats, along with the Zuni and Santo Domingo fire crews, were the ones who discovered a bear cub with burnt paws in 1950 on the Capitan Gap Fire. That bear would go on to become Smokey Bear, the internationally recognized symbol of the nation’s fire prevention efforts.
NOTE FROM Mt. Taylor IHC
A fire in Los Angeles County that evacuated hundreds of people from a state park has burned over 15,000 acres since it started Sunday. By Monday evening Cal Fire was reporting the fire at 15,611 acres with 20 percent containment.
late Tuesday update: 31 percent at 15,690 acres.
CNN reported the fire at 8 percent containment Monday morning, with more than 1,000 firefighters assigned — including 34 crews, 7 helicopters, and 114 engines. Numerous airtankers are working the fire as windy conditions allow.
LA County Fire Department (LACoFD) Section Chief Kenichi Ballew-Haskett said Monday morning they’re notifying residents there may be mandatory evacuation orders pending.
“We’re getting people on notice that if we have to issue a mandatory evacuation order that they need to leave,” Ballew-Haskett said, advising residents to have their bags packed, a full tank of gas, and cell phones ready. “Once the sheriffs come by or law enforcement asks you to leave, it means the danger is imminent.”
An Associated Press report said the fire forced the evacuation of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders, and hikers from the Hungry Valley recreation area on Saturday, but Ben Nicholls, division chief with Cal Fire, said fire activity subsided overnight. “Forecasted winds are supposed to be less than we experienced yesterday, which should allow the resources assigned for this operational period to build and strengthen the control lines that were put in place yesterday,” he said.
Evacuation orders are in effect west of I-5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, and warnings are in place for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the Los Angeles County line. The National Weather Service warned Sunday of wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and a red flag warning was issued for the I-5 corridor in Los Angeles County and the Ventura County mountains until 5 p.m. Monday.
Australia is expanding its aerial firefighting fleet to include multi-use aircraft to respond not just to fires but also to natural disasters such as floods and major storms.
abc.net.au reported that longer and overlapping fire seasons are increasing pressure on the country’s firefighting fleet. The new federal budget includes an extra $35 million to source more multi-use aircraft, while a national audit is underway to ensure Australia has the capacity to meet building demand.
National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) deputy coordinator general Joe Buffone said recent fire seasons illustrated the demand for more versatile aircraft.
“The key focus is to broaden the fleet so that it’s multi-use,” said Buffone. “This means aircraft will be able to be changed around so they can do evacuation, resupply, support remote communities, and help other emergencies way beyond just fire.”
NEMA reports that the Australian government will ensure that the country is better prepared by funding more aircraft to respond to fires, floods, and other severe weather events.
Through the 2024-25 budget, the government will provide an additional $35 million over the next two years to the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC), for delivery of national, state and territory aircraft for fire and emergency services. This investment will provide a range of aerial assets, from specific firefighting aircraft to a mix of fixed-wing and rotary multi-use aircraft, boosting protection for communities as they face more intense, frequent, and concurrent disasters.
Australian Flying reported last month that Aerial Application Association of Australia (AAAA) CEO Matt Harper welcomed the news that the government will spend $35 million through NAFC in support of aerial firefighting. The funding will help establish a sovereign aerial capability, as recommended by the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, and it’s expected to ease pressure on military personnel and firefighting aircraft.
Australian Meteorology — bom.gov.au
Harper said AAAA members invest heavily in their helicopters and SEATs, and they employ and train pilots, ground support, and mechanics. He added that because Australian firefighting expertise is internationally recognized, many of their members are headed to the northern hemisphere for the summer fire season. “Any consideration of future capability will need to balance speed and accuracy with cost and sustainability,” said Harper, “and we look forward to continuing to work with NAFC to demonstrate the vital role of Australian owned, crewed, registered, and maintained aircraft.”
Murray Watt, Minister for Emergency Management, said the increased funding boosts the government’s total contribution to national aerial capability to approximately $48 million a year.
As of March 2024 the fleet comprises 162 aircraft, including:
The fleet is supplemented by additional state-owned and state-contracted aircraft hired for peak demand periods. In total more than 500 aircraft, provided by over 150 operators, are available for firefighting across Australia.
“With this investment, we are not only increasing the number of aircraft available,” said Minister Watt, “but also broadening the type of aircraft so they can be used for different activities such as heavy lift, transportation and evacuations, and resupply operations.” He added that international requests for crewed aircraft are likely to increase as fire seasons in the northern hemisphere expand — enough that their season and the Australian fire season are overlapping now in higher-risk climate and extreme weather.
Buffone said the investment should reduce the need for the Australian Defence Force to step in during disasters. “There are some pressures on the system,” he explained. “We’ve got the northern hemisphere that quite often overlaps with the southern hemisphere season, so there’s more demand on aircraft. We’re trying to make sure we can actually have aircraft for aerial firefighting and for other emergencies.”
Most but not all of the aircraft contracted under NAFC are Australian-owned and registered, including several large airtankers, 15 large helicopters that can carry up to 11,000 litres (~3000 gallons), along with a mix of smaller rotary-wing aircraft.
Country Fire Service state aviation operations manager Nik Stanley said South Australia deployed its largest-ever firefighting fleet last summer.
“We had 31 aircraft for this season and we have that number for the next four seasons to come,” he said. “We are continuously evaluating our fleet, every year … looking at the capabilities that we have available, are they still suitable for us moving forward.”
Fire Chief Buddy Peratt said the fuel load of dry vegetation this year increases the risk of wildland fires, particularly those started by fireworks.
In Apple Valley all fireworks are illegal
“It’s important that people understand that all fireworks, including those classified as ‘safe and sane,’ are illegal in Apple Valley,” Fire Inspector Jennifer Alexy told the Victorville Daily Press.
She said information about illegal fireworks is important for all residents, especially those who’ve recently moved to Apple Valley. “Sometimes people move here from down the hill or other areas, and they don’t realize that fireworks are illegal,” Alexy said. “They start using fireworks, unaware of the potential danger.”
How citations are issued: The Apple Valley Fire Protection District uses a “contactless citation process” in which citations are delivered by district personnel directly to the offender in person or by mail. An administrative citation is $1,000. If a fire official has proof of a renter’s possession or use of fireworks, the district can also cite the property owner.
“We’ll gather the information and send the owner a citation via certified mail,” said Alexy. “We’ll make sure owners are responsible for their tenants.”
QR code to report fireworks: Apple Valley Fire uses a QR code to report the possession, sale, or use of fireworks in town. “If someone calls our office to report fireworks during the weekend,” says Alexy, “we may not get the message until Monday morning. The QR code allows us to get the information right away.”
Fireworks are literally explosively loud, panicking pets and many veterans, and can mean trauma for people with with sensory issues. The debris and chemicals left over from fireworks can harm the environment, pollute the air, and leave behind hazardous waste.
Back in 2000 at least 10 fires were started on and around Mt. Rushmore during fireworks displays. Perchlorate, which is now in the water at the national park after numerous fireworks shows held there, has been linked to fetal and infant brain damage — 11 fireworks shows between 1998 and 2009 contaminated the water at the memorial. The fireworks explosions left perchlorate on the ground, and it worked its way into the water table. In 2016 a USGS report showed that a maximum perchlorate concentration of 54 micrograms per liter was measured in stream samples at Mt. Rushmore between 2011 and 2015 — about 270 times higher than in samples collected from sites outside the memorial.
Wildfires: During those 11 shows at least 20 documented wildfires were ignited by fireworks in the middle of the wildfire season.
Garbage: The trash dropped by the exploding shells onto the National Monument and the forest can never be completely picked up. Left on the ground are unexploded shells, wadding, plastic, ash, pieces of the devices, and paper — that can never be totally removed from the very steep, rocky, rugged terrain.
NOTE: Bill Gabbert, who founded this website and ran it for many years, was the fire management officer at the Mt. Rushmore site during some of that time.
In northern California tomorrow, PG&E and Cal Fire / Butte County Fire will request from the county Board of Supervisors authorization for the use of a contract firefighting helicopter. PG&E has an existing contract with PJ Helicopters out of Red Bluff, which would provide the aircraft to PG&E and the county.
KRCR-TV spoke with Cal Fire Captain Dan Collins about the request to the board, and he said firefighting aircraft are extremely important. “They can get there before ground resources and start dropping either water or fire retardant. To provide more fire equipment to the county is nothing but beneficial to everyone.”
Butte County Fire covers fire protection within the unincorporated areas of Butte County, the City of Oroville, the Town of Paradise, and the cities of Gridley and Biggs. Collins said the Butte County Fire Department would maintain operational control of the helicopter and provide dispatch services, along with coordinating requests from other agencies.
Collins also explained that the contract would be a collaboration between Butte Fire and PG&E — so the county would not have to fund anything. If approved, the new helicopter would be stationed at the Chico Airport starting in July.
PJ HELICOPTERS: The history of the company dates back to the early days of flight; as the great-nephew of aviation pioneer Samuel Langley, Phil Gunsauls began operating a single fixed-wing cropduster in 1968. A few years later, he decided to pursue his passion for rotorcraft. Originally using his first initial and his wife’s middle initial, “PJ’s Helicopter” started operations in 1970, and agricultural work eventually transitioned to firefighting.
Forest Protection Limited SEATs
The sponsor of this scholarship, New Brunswick’s Forest Protection Limited, wrote last fall that Katie was juggling three jobs during the school year while maintaining an impressive 4.0 GPA. In a class of 69 students, she was among the first to complete her flying hours and became the first woman to obtain her Private Pilot License (PPL) in 2023. She also was pursuing her night rating and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) at Moncton Flight College.
The Xenia Morales Women in Aviation Scholarship is awarded annually to women in aviation — as either an aircraft maintenance engineer or an agriculture pilot — and helps deserving women who are committed to protecting natural resources while pursuing an aviation career.
Submit your essay titled “Xenia Morales – Women in Aviation Scholarship” to info@forestprotectionlimited.com — deadline is 28 June 2024.
The scholarship will help fund the costs of completing a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or agricultural pilot training. Preference will be given to those enrolled in agricultural pilot training or with a clear career plan to work in a 702 environment.
The scholarship will help with the costs of completing approved training at a Transport Canada Approved Training Organization (ATO).
Please submit a 500-1000 word essay including:
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents and preference is given to New Brunswick residents. The successful applicant must provide proof of good academic standing or proof of enrollment in her program of study. The scholarship will be paid directly to the training institution.
Established in 2021, the scholarship provides financial assistance to women pursuing an aviation career. It promotes gender equality in the aviation industry and supports women committed to protecting natural resources with an aviation career.
Forest Protection Air Tractor AT-802s are the world’s largest single-engine airtankers, and are customized with specialized equipment, computers and software. The dual-use aircraft are equipped for both aerial firefighting and agricultural aerial treatment missions. Forest Protection Limited staffs 11 reload bases throughout New Brunswick, equipped with fire retardant, foam, and water, allowing for fast turnaround on suppression flights.
The criminal case against Ricky Snodgrass resulting from a prescribed fire on the Malheur National Forest has ended, according to. a report by OPB, after the court dismissed the charge brought by the Grant County, Oregon District Attorney Jim Carpenter.
County Sheriff Todd McKinley arrested Snodgrass, the burn boss on the Starr 6 fire, in the midst of a dispute with adjacent landowners.
A Grant County grand jury back in February indicted Snodgrass, 41, on a misdemeanor charge of reckless burning. In part because Snodgrass and many of the firefighters he was supervising, on a federal agency operation on federal land, were federal employees, the case was moved from the rural Oregon town of John Day to federal court in Pendleton. Defense lawyers asked a judge to dismiss it and Carpenter did not oppose the motion. The judge in the case dismissed it this week.
“Mr. Snodgrass was charged because the State — or more precisely, the local sheriff — took issue with the Forest Service’s decision to conduct the prescribed fire,” defense attorneys wrote last month in court documents. “But the State cannot charge Mr. Snodgrass with a crime simply because it disagrees with the Forest Service’s decision.”
The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution means that Snodgrass was immune from prosecution.
OPB reported that in February of 2024 front of the grand jury, McKinley testified that the arrest got “huge national exposure.”
“I don’t know if you guys want to know how many hundreds of phone calls I got over this,” McKinley testified. “Either I was a pariah, the enemy, or they’re trying to make me a hero out of it.”
👮🏼♂️ Seriously, McKinley, no one thinks you are a hero.
Statement issued by Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley) Regarding the recent dismissal in Federal Court of the arrest of the Burn Boss at the Starr 6 uncontrolled burn in Grant County Oregon on October 19th 2022, I have the following to say: The United States Federal Government chose to use the “Supremacy Clause” as their basis for the request of dismissal. My interpretation of the use of this clause is such, that the State Law was sufficient for the charges, and the only way to circumvent this was to appeal to the Federal Court. I am saddened that our own Government, which was established, “of the People, by the People, for the People”, would to not “do the right thing” and make the damaged party whole, for fear of assuming responsibility for their actions. The hope out of all of this, is in the future, that more care will be taken, guidelines followed, and the United States Forest Service will heed their own motto: “Caring for the Land and Serving People”. Todd McKinley Sheriff
The little community of Blue River, upstream in the McKenzie River valley from Eugene, Oregon, has a brand-new fire station up and running — almost four years after the Holiday Farm Fire in 2020 burned their station to the ground.
Station 2 in Blue River is part of the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, featured in another of a series of stellar reports on KEZI by Noah Chavez. Christiana Rainbow Plews, the well-known and well-loved fire chief called “Chief Rainbow” by the locals, worked with the district both before and after the Holiday Farm Fire. She decided to retire as the chief, but only after the new fire station was fully operational.
She says the new station compared with the old one is just the difference between night and day. “It’s bigger and the building we had prior to the fire was really just a garage to house the trucks and equipment. It was not like a fire station,” she said. “It was really just a storage building, and the fact that we were able to build something as beautiful as this building with a day room and a kitchen and a chief’s office is just super exciting.”
Taylor Wickizer is one of the newest volunteers at Station 2. Born in Blue River, she and her family moved to Iowa, but Taylor returned after the Holiday Farm Fire. She said everyone in her family felt like they needed to come back to help the community and she has since become devoted to being a firefighter for the district — because of what the community has been through together, they are more than just neighbors.
“Up here it is not even like a community, it is like a family — I mean everybody is here for the people and especially the fire and emergency services,” she said.
The little community of Blue River, upstream in the McKenzie River valley from Eugene, Oregon, has a brand-new fire station up and running — almost four years after the Holiday Farm Fire in 2020 burned their station to the ground.
Station 2 in Blue River is part of the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, featured in another of a series of stellar reports on KEZI by Noah Chavez.