Wildfire Today

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Wildfire Today

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Hot Pot Fire burns 100,000+ acres in Nevada

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

Above: Hot Pot Fire burns near Midas, Nevada, July 3, 2016. Screen grab from video by Nevada Seismological Laboratory.

Map Hot Pot Fire
Map of heat sources detected on the Hot Pot Fire by a satellite between July 2 and 4, 2016. Some of the light fuels burned and cooled before the satellite overflight and were not detected. Click to enlarge.
The Hot Pot Fire burned approximately 120,000 acres within 30 hours of starting Saturday afternoon during a thunderstorm about 25 miles north of Battle Mountain, Nevada. 

The image at the top of the article is a screen grab from a web cam operated by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory which has put together more than half a dozen time lapse videos of the fire. Below are a couple of examples; you can view the rest on YouTube. The videos are one minute long, and most of them cover about an hour of real time.

The first video begins about an hour after the fire started on July 2.

In the video below you can see retardant drops at 0:38 and 0:44 if you look VERY carefully. Full screen mode helps. The town of Midas, Nevada is in the tree-lined drainage at the lower-center of the picture.

Images of wildfires

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized
air tanker oregon wildfire
An air tanker drops water on a fire near The Dalles, Oregon. Photo by John E. Middleton.

Kara Creek Fire #karacreekfire in Wyoming burning on state lands. Inciweb.nwcg.gov/4813/

A photo posted by InciWeb (@inciweb) on

Wreckage found of missing Russian air tanker

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

This article first appeared on Fire Aviation.

Russian rescuers
Rescuers in Russia board a helicopter to fly to the site of the air tanker crash. Screen shot from EMERCOM of Russia video.

The wreckage of the Russian air tanker that was reported missing in Siberia on July 1 has been found. Rescuers found the debris of the Ilyushin IL-76 plane at approximately 2 a.m. Moscow time in the Kachug District, 9 km southeast of the settlement of Rybny Uyan.

Сегодня при обследовании места предполагаемого крушения самолета Ил-76 МЧС России летчиком-наблюдателем Авиалесоохраны Иркутской области Антипиным Александром в Качугском районе было обнаружено место крушения самолета Ил-76 МЧС России. В настоящее время десантники-пожарные Федеральной Авиалесоохраны в глухом лесу, где упал самолет, проводят расчистку площадки для приземления вертолета со спасателями МЧС. #леснойпожар #лес #пламя #героизм #парашютисты #десантники #огонь #пожар #лесной_пожарный #Avialesookhrana #Forest #fire #firefighter #smokejumpers #лесныепожары #bomberos #авиация #firefighterslife #пламя #aviation #plane #bombeiros #самолет #авиалесоохрана #рослесхоз #мчс #ил76 #трагедия

A photo posted by Федеральная Авиалесоохрана (@avialesookhrana) on

From the air the in the smoky conditions in the forest the only recognizable part of the aircraft was the tail.

Initially there were conflicting reports on the number of personnel on board, ranging from 9 to 11, but Russian authorities on Sunday confirmed there were 10. The remains of six and one flight recorder have been located. Marines are clearing an area to be used as a helispot.

Below is an excerpt from an article in the New Indian Express:

…A Russian aviation agencies source told TASS news agency that the plane most likely lost control because of interference from hot air from the wildfire that it was trying to douse with water.

“It’s possible that hot air from the wildfires got into the engines, the plane lost propulsion and could not gain altitude, hit the top of the trees and fell,” the source was quoted as saying.

The plane’s tail was discovered by another firefighter on today morning, said the Russian forestry agency’s aviation unit.

Last week another firefighter died on duty in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region, the regional government revealed.

The forestry agency’s aviation unit said today that over 43 thousand hectares of forest land is burning in Russia, mostly in Siberia.

But Russia’s Greenpeace which monitors wildfires via satellite data said government figures are vastly underestimated, with 415 thousand hectares burning in Irkutsk region alone.

Wildland fire potential, July through October

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on Wildland fire potential, July through October

On July 1 the Predictive Services section at the National Interagency Fire Center issued their Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for July through October, 2016. The data represents the cumulative forecasts of the ten Geographic Area Predictive Services Units and the National Predictive Services Unit. Below are highlights from the outlook.

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“During late June and July significant wildland fire potential usually transitions from the Southwest and southern California northward into the remainder of the western United States. The timing of this transition should be near normal; however, some areas will experience an increased potential for significant fires due in large part to high fine fuel loading. These areas include the northern and western Great Basin, northern California and some of the finer fuel regime areas of Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. Additionally the Southwest will continue to see elevated significant wildland fire potential through July as monsoonal rainfall may not be as consistent as usual. Southern California also will continue to have elevated significant fire potential throughout the period driven by long term drought and vegetation mortality. Alaska fire potential will remain near normal with the northern portions of the state below normal. Alaska usually begins to transition to late season conditions in July and August.

wildfire potential August 2016

The same heavy fine fuel crops that are driving the above normal forecast for July will continue to present above normal potential into August. Forecasted normal conditions in the higher elevations for August, however, mean that a number of significant wildland fires are likely to develop in these areas throughout the West. Fire season in the western U.S. is typically at its peak in July and August and this year should be no different with the potential for significant fires across the spectrum of fuel regimes all indicating at least normal levels of fire activity.

wildfire potential Sept and Oct 2016

In September and October the northern tier of states should see a rapid return to normal wildfire potential. The focus for activity should transition to California. Long term drought is expected to remain in place and fall conditions typically bring an increase in offshore wind events that often drive fire activity for the state.”

Russian air tanker missing while fighting wildfire in Siberia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

Above: file photo of IL-76TD by Shahram Sharifi

A very large air tanker that had been working on a wildfire in Siberia is missing. The IL-76, which can carry up to 15,000 U.S. gallons, had 11 on board, including “fire-fighting experts”, according to a report by Tass.

The air tanker departed at 5:34 a.m. Moscow time on Friday to assist firefighters on a fire in the Kachugsky district of the Irkutsk region. The crew did not make radio contact as planned at 6:30 a.m. Moscow time.

A search is underway assisted by two helicopters and an Antonov An-12 and An-26 of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

From Tass:

The crew members of the missing Il-76 plane are from Moscow and they have accumulated huge fire-fighting experience, a source in emergency services told TASS. “The crew members have a huge experience of fire-fighting operations, delivery of humanitarian relief supplies and other air rescue missions,” the source said.