A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of Earth on July 16. The series of test images shows the fully illuminated “dark side” of the moon that is never visible from Earth.
The images were captured by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), a four megapixel CCD camera and telescope on the DSCOVR satellite orbiting 1 million miles from Earth. From its position between the sun and Earth, DSCOVR conducts its primary mission of real-time solar wind monitoring for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The information below was written by Randy Moore, the Regional Forester for the U.S. Forest Service region that includes California. Written Tuesday evening, August 4, it is an update for USFS retirees about the wildfire situation in the state.
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“…We have had over 14 thousand lightning strikes that resulted in 250 fires that were started within he last week. Appears we are in it for the long haul and will be very conscious of fatigue and situational awareness.
Deputy Regional Forester, Jeanne Wade Evans, and I are currently in Alturas visiting with Modoc employees in the aftermath of the Dave Ruhl’s fatality on the Frog Fire. We have Bob Housman’s NIMO team here supporting this incident within an incident and helping us coordinate with the Black Hills Forest, where Dave was employed. Dave’s Memorial is planned for Sunday, August 9th. This is a sober reminder of the risks of the work we are doing every day. We in-briefed with the Safety Learning Team yesterday that was deployed by the Chief’s office and are making sure our employees are getting the critical incident stress support they need. I am heading to the Six Rivers Forest today.
Over the last 72 hours, we deployed 9 federal incident management teams (IMTs) to our fires in California. All our federal IMTs are committed except one that we are holding in Southern California. We continue to receive support from other regions, our California partners, and the National Guard. We are in a high level of communication with all our partners as well as our field leadership. I have been hosting Agency Administrator calls daily to keep a check on the pulse of what our Forest leadership challenges are and know they are fully engaged with the communities and the teams. We are also bringing in additional agency administrator support from other regions, to make sure our leadership gets the relief they need to be engaged in the days ahead. I also briefed with Bill Van Bruggen’s Area Command on Sunday to ensure we have the highest level of coordination and support to all the Forests, Teams and communities in the area of the northern fire complexes.
We have been preparing for months for the possibility of this event knowing that we are in the fourth year of drought and the outlook was not good. I believe we are in the best position we can be, knowing there will be many challenging days ahead. Please forward on your questions and thoughts, so that we can make the most of the partnership with all you retirees as well. We have staff focused on all the key partnerships in the state and that includes you all. I will get these notes out to you through Mike Rogers as often as possible and I really appreciate Mike’s willingness to help communicate out to all of you.
Additional information you may be interested in follows:
• With significant fire activity occurring in multiple geographical areas, an increase in incident management teams being committed and an ever increasing number of shared resources being committed to large fires nationally, the National Multi Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) will move the National Preparedness Level to 4 (PL4). Northern California GACC is at PL 5 and a high priority focus.
• Good progress was made on many of the fires as Incident Management Teams and resources move into place throughout the Region
• Orders are being filled by GACC’s across the country and are arriving on incidents for deployment here in California. This includes T1 crews that are always in demand and T3 engines and other support.
• Special consideration is being given to type and kind of resources being used in wilderness and primitive areas to result in the best possible outcomes
• Both GACC’s are doing a tremendous job of mobilizing resources and providing intelligence to incoming forces
• An additional in briefing and area orientation site has been set up at the Wildland Fire Training Center
• Long term planning is underway on large incidents that will require lengthy control time
• Area Command coordination is being organized to best utilize resources available to the Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National Forests
• Forest Supervisors, Agency Administrators, and Forest Staff are working alongside Fire Management Staff in all aspects of fire suppression efforts
• PAO staff is fielding a significant number of media inquiries
• Regional Office FAM Staff has made contact with Timber Industry representative to open lines of communication and answer questions
• All 18 National Forests are now communicating with the public via social media”
The Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California, was quiet again on Friday. The satellite did not detect any large heat sources on the blaze that CAL FIRE is calling 69,636 acres and 62 percent contained. Many areas have been repopulated but others are still under mandatory evacuation orders.
Almost 3,000 personnel are assigned to the fire, as well as 195 engines and 84 hand crews.
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(UPDATE at 9:47 p.m. PT, August 5, 2015)
Firefighters on the Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California had another successful day — for the second day in a row keeping the additional acres burned to less than 100. A mapping flight at 7 p.m. Wednesday determined that 37 acres were added, bringing the total to 68,924.
Today CAL FIRE updated the number of structures destroyed to 43 residences and 53 outbuildings.
Map of the Rocky Fire (in red) at 7 p.m. PT August 5, 2015. The green line was the perimeter the day before. (click to enlarge)
The mapping flight was earlier than usual, perhaps because one of the two USFS infrared (IR) line scanning aircraft is down for major planned maintenance, leaving a large workload for the single remaining IR ship operated by the US Forest Service. It’s an inopportune time for planned maintenance that sometimes must be done with a certain number of hours on the aircraft. But thankfully the ship carrying the load is a twin-engine jet-powered Cessna Citation that cruises at over 450 mph so it can visit many fires during its shift.
One of the U.S. Forest Service’s Infrared aircraft, a Cessna Citation Bravo, N144Z USFS photo.
The jet’s daily grand tour of wildfires is usually at night because there is more of a difference between the temperatures of the ground and the fire, making it easier for the fire to be detected. Just one quick pass is all that’s required of a fire that’s up to several thousand acres — more are needed for very large blazes such as the complexes of scores of scattered fires burning in northern California on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest that are scanned as one large “box”, requiring six passes on a recent night.
But back to the Rocky Fire. The weather conditions on Wednesday were warmer and drier than the day before, but they were not extreme; lets call them moderate, at least for California. And about the same is in the forecast for Thursday. Firefighters deserve kudos for limiting the spread to much, much less that we were seeing several days ago.
On the map of the fire above, only a few changes in the perimeter can be picked out (if you click on the map to enlarge it). Two are on the north side where the fire jumped across Highway 20. The other is on the southeast side.
The resources assigned to the fire include 3,483 personnel, 323 engines, 87 hand crews, 17 helicopters, and 63 dozers.
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(The article below was originally published at 10:24 a.m. PT, August 5, 2015)
A firing operation on the Rocky Fire August 3, 2015. Photo by Stuart Palley used with permission.
On Tuesday firefighters got a temporary break from extreme weather and fire behavior on the Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California. A small amount of rain was reported in some areas of the fire, however the Knoxville Creek weather station on the southeast side did not record any precipitation.
There was very little additional growth of the Rocky Fire Tuesday. A total of 76 acres were added, which occurred on the north side where it spotted across Highway 20, and on the southeast side west of Highway 16. A mapping flight at 10 p.m. Tuesday updated the size to 68,886 acres.
CAL FIRE updated the number of structures destroyed to 39 residences and 52 outbuildings. They caution that the numbers may increase as damage assessment teams are able to access the burned areas.
Mandatory evacuations are still in effect for many areas, affecting about 13,000 residents. Other areas are under evacuation advisories.
The high temperature of 75 degrees Tuesday occurred at 10 a.m. and it actually dropped to 69 at 3 p.m. thanks to clouds that moved in. The relative humidity increased to 58 percent at 3 p.m. and then decreased as the sky cleared somewhat.
Conditions will change on Wednesday as the forecast predicts 89 degrees, 24 percent relative humidity, clear skies, and winds out of the east at 3 to 6 mph.
Driving up West Fairmont Blvd. in Rapid City on Tuesday, a sign caught my eye at the Rapid City Fire Department station (map). And after that, one of their pickup trucks got my attention.
The cause of death of the firefighter who was killed July 30 while fighting the Frog Fire in northern California was released today. The U.S. Forest Service said the autopsy that began August 4 determined that David (Dave) Ruhl’s death was attributed to “carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.”
Mr. Ruhl went missing the evening of July 30 while engaged in initial attack on the Frog Fire, which was reported at approximately 5:45 p.m. on July 30 in a very remote area of the Modoc National Forest 46 air miles east of Mt. Shasta, California.
The Modoc County Sheriff’s Office was called for assistance. Search and rescue personnel started the initial search at approximately 8 p.m. It continued until about midnight when it was halted because of hazardous fire conditions. Efforts began again at 6 a.m. July 31 and Mr. Ruhl’s body was discovered at 9:17 a.m.
A National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) team, with Incident Commander Bob Housman, is managing the aftermath of the fatality, while Norcal Team #1 with Incident Commander Jay Kurth is running the Frog Fire, which has now grown to 4,745 acres and has 523 personnel assigned.
Before Tuesday afternoon, the USFS released very little information about the fatality, and would not divulge if it was caused by a burnover, vehicle accident, lightning, or something else. A 72-hour preliminary report about the accident that was also released today further explained that while Mr. Ruhl was scouting the fire on foot during initial attack, he “was entrapped and killed.”
The fatality is currently being investigated by OSHA, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Agriculture, the County Sheriff, and a Coordinated Response Protocol (CRP) team. According to Safety Matters the CRP team is led by Mike Dudley, who also served as secondary team leader for the Serious Accident Investigation Team for the Yarnell Hill Fire and the deaths of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots in 2013.
Mr. Ruhl had been on a temporary detail since June 14 as an Assistant Fire Management Officer on the Modoc NF. His regular job was Engine Captain on the Black Hills National Forest in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Mr. Ruhl, 38 years old, began his Forest Service career in 2001 as a seasonal forestry technician. Previously, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard and as a correctional officer with the state of South Dakota. He lived in Rapid City with his wife and two children.
Dave Ruhl, his children Tyler and Ava, and wife Erin. Photo by Erin Ruhl. Used with permission.
Shalista Anderson, who has been a friend of Mr. Ruhl’s wife, Erin, for over 20 years, set up a GoFundMe account to support Erin and their two children, Tyler and Ava. Ms. Anderson told us that “Erin will have control over all funds and they will be deposited directly into her account.”
The goal of the effort is to raise $20,000, but I hope we can do a lot better than that.
Some of the final arrangements have been made.
Procession in California: In a procession from Mt. Shasta to Redding, California on Thursday, August 6, Mr. Ruhl will be accompanied by engines from the Modoc National Forest and will be joined by other fire departments during portions of the journey. The procession will depart from Mt. Shasta Memorial Chapel at 8 a.m. and will proceed along Interstate 5 and Hwy. 44 to the northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center in Redding. Mr. Ruhl will rejoin his family in a private setting at the center.
Procession in Rapid City, South Dakota: On Sunday, August 9, a procession will begin at 1 p.m. from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 520 Cathedral Drive in Rapid City (map) to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center (map). The route will go north along 5th Street and conclude in the west parking lot of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Memorial Service: Visitation will be at 2 p.m. at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, 444 Mt. Rushmore Rd., Rapid City, followed by a memorial service that will begin at 3 p.m.
Funeral: Mr. Ruhl’s funeral will be held Monday, August 10, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
