News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Red Flag Warnings, October 17, 2016 
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Colorado.
The Red Flag map was current as of 10:03 a.m. MDT on Monday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized3 Comments on Junkins Fire causes evacuations west of Pueblo, Colorado Above: Map of the Junkins Fire October 18.
(Click HERE to view our most recent article about the Junkins Fire.)
(UPDATED at 4:31 p.m. MDT October 19, 2016)
The Junkins fire west of Pueblo, Colorado, according to mapping on October 18, has burned 16,832 acres. Fire officials said Wednesday a shortage of firefighting resources is slowing the construction of firelines and the containment of the fire. In fact, they are saying firefighters have not contained any of the fire.
It started during strong winds on October 17 when a power line failed and hit a barbed wire fence.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team from the Great Basis assumed command of the fire on Wednesday.
ALERT: Incredible photos from @PuebloWestFire Brad Davidson assigned to the #JunkinsFire
What we know: https://t.co/C8kQuuU8Bj #wildfire pic.twitter.com/mmddMKYQPG— Matt Kroschel (@Matt_Kroschel) October 19, 2016
DFPC and DHSEM staff attend the #JunkinsFire EOC briefing and will continue to support the fire. #COFire pic.twitter.com/JUsZuyLGIi
— COFirePrev&Control (@COStateFire) October 19, 2016
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(UPDATE at 1:56 p.m. MDT October 18, 2016)
The Junkins Fire 21 air miles west of Pueblo, Colorado had burned 15,751 acres when mapped by one of the state’s Multi-Mission Aircraft at 7 p.m. on Monday. The fire continued to spread after that flight, particularly on the south and the northeast sides, and an updated acreage should be available after it is mapped again this morning.
Fire perimeter map 10/18/16 #JunkinsFire pic.twitter.com/8k5XaEmJ68
— @JunkinsFire (@junkinsfire) October 18, 2016
Much of the activity of the firefighters has been defensive, staging firefighting resources well outside the fire perimeter to protect structures. Tuesday afternoon should bring winds out of the southwest and east, so a priority will be the structures along Highway 96.
The Tuesday forecast for the fire area also includes temperatures in the low 60’s, relative humidity in the low 20’s, and partly cloudy skies.
Some of the geographic Divisions are larger than desired due to a shortage of resources, according to Planning Operations Section Chief Dan Dallas.
East of County Road 387 the fire has burned into the large scar from the 2005 Mason Fire, slowing the spread. Monday night one of the most active sections of the fire was on the northeast side, between County Road 387 and the fire scar.
The county Sheriff said another residence burned Monday night, bringing the total up to two homes and 5 outbuildings that have burned.
Tuesday morning 114 personnel were assigned to the fire. Aircraft being used include 2 large air tankers, 4 single engine air tankers, 2 large helitankers, 2 national guard helicopters, a lead plane, and the Multi-Mission Aircraft. Operations Section Chief Dallas said he expected the aircraft will be used more heavily today than yesterday.
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(UPDATED at 6:30 p.m. MDT October 17, 2017)
The Junkins Fire about 25 miles west of Pueblo, Colorado has burned about 13,300 acres according to a 3:30 p.m. update from fire officials. Approximately 80 personnel are on scene. One residence and three outbuildings have been destroyed. Part of the fire has spread into a an old burn from 2005, which slowed the progress of the fire in that area.
A Type 3 Incident Management Team is running the fire now, but a Type 1 Team has been ordered.
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(UPDATED at 12:34 p.m. MDT October 17, 2016)
A fire that was reported at 3:40 a.m. MDT on Monday has already burned thousands of acres and forced evacuations about 29 miles west of Pueblo, Colorado. The Westcliffe Daily Record reported at 10:46 that the Junkins Fire has blackened approximately 11,000 acres. It is burning in the general vicinity of McKenzie Junction, the intersection of Highways 165 and 96, eight miles southwest of Wetmore.
Continue reading “Junkins Fire causes evacuations west of Pueblo, Colorado”
(UPDATED at 1:51 p.m. MDT October 18, 2016)
Rain in the late afternoon and early evening on Monday helped firefighters working on the Cottonwood Fire 12 miles east of Wall, South Dakota.
Crews were able to assess damaged and destroyed structures inside the perimeter of the fire and it was determined that no primary residences were destroyed. An exact number of cabins, outbuildings and other structures that burned will be determined on Tuesday.
This satellite image of our fire is courtesy of @NWSRapidCity. #CottonwoodFire pic.twitter.com/eNYyj5r3ac
— RC/PC Co. IMT3 (@PennCoIMT3) October 18, 2016
The incident management team anticipates 100 percent containment by the end of the operational period today at 6:00 pm MDT.
Incident Commander Brian Daunt addresses day shift at briefing Monday morning. The night shift had a busy night. Expecting more of the same today. pic.twitter.com/D3d4G4AYoD
— RC/PC Co. IMT3 (@PennCoIMT3) October 18, 2016
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(UPDATED at 6 p.m. MDT October 17, 2016)
The incident management team on the Cottonwood Fire 12 miles southeast of Wall, South Dakota at 4 p.m. today estimated that about 31,000 acres have burned, with the benefit of better mapping and the ability to evaluate the fire perimeter in the daylight. The team still intends to map the perimeter with a GPS receiver to finalize the data.
At about 6:10 p.m. MDT on Monday it was raining on at least part of the fire.
In addition to the 137 head of cattle that have been reported killed, structures were destroyed but the number of them has not been released.
There are no road closures in effect at this time and Interstate 90 currently has no restrictions in the fire area. Smoke should no longer pose a risk to motorists. The fire area will be clearly visible to travelers on I-90.
There are currently nearly 100 personnel working on the fire. At its peak, close to 300 firefighters were fighting the fire.
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(UPDATED at 9:20 p.m. MDT October 16, 2016)
The name of the fire that started about 12 miles southeast of Wall, South Dakota has been changed from “131” to “Cottonwood”.
The fire is currently being managed by the Pennington County Type 3 Incident Management Team (PCIMT3) and is under Unified Command with representatives of Buffalo Gap National Grassland, Wall Fire Department, Jackson County, and Pennington County.
At 6 p.m. the incident management team estimated the fire had burned between 5,000 and 6,000 acres of private and federal land based on information from personnel in an aircraft. More accurate size information is expected on Monday and may result in a change, they said.
Fire authorities reported that structures have burned, but did not provide any details on the number or if they were residences or other buildings.
All roads in the fire area were open at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Continue reading “Cottonwood Fire burns tens of thousands of acres east of Wall, South Dakota”
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. The red flag areas expire Sunday evening, while the watches (the brown areas) are valid through Monday.
The Red Flag map was current as of 8:10 a.m. MDT on Sunday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized6 Comments on Hazardous tree on the Emerald Fire Above: Hazardous tree on the Emerald Fire. CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado photo.
CAL FIRE described this as one of the “many enormous hazard trees on the Emerald Fire. This tree has nearly an eight-foot diameter.”
The Emerald Fire burned 176 acres on the south end of Lake Tahoe near Emerald Bay in California when it started on October 14. After being pushed initially by very strong winds gusting up to 55 mph the spread has been stopped by firefighters — and heavy precipitation. The removal of hazardous trees from Highway 89 and around residences is ongoing. Debris continues to impact the roadway due to the high winds and torrential rains.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Nevada, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
The Red Flag map was current as of 11:15 a.m. MDT on Saturday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
