Map showing the perimeter (in red) of the Caldwell Fire at 10:36 p.m. PDT July 26, 2020. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
A mapping flight Saturday night showed that most of the growth of the Caldwell Fire Saturday was on the northeast and west sides. It expanded by 1,265 acres to bring the total to 13,125 acres.
The forecast for Sunday is for 91 degrees, 14 percent relative humidity, and 5 to 8 mph west winds in the afternoon along with isolated showers and thunderstorms.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldwell Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the fire area Monday for abundant lightning and dry fuels.
Originally published at 8:47 p.m. PDT July 25, 2020
Satellite imagery showing heat and smoke on the Caldwell Fire at 7:41 p.m. PDT July 25, 2020.
The Caldwell Fire in northeast California has been very active for the last two days, growing to 11,860 acres by Saturday morning and was particularly active on the northeast side Saturday. Firefighters are constructing both direct and indirect control lines to limit fire spread using existing road and trail systems. They will work from the Lava Beds National Monument Visitor Center southwest and from the 10 Road going back west toward the lava fields.
The Caldwell Fire is on the Modoc/Siskiyou county line southeast of Lava Beds National Monument and 37 miles southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Map showing the location of wildfires in northeast California at 10:47 p.m. PDT July 24, 2020.Wildfire smoke forecast for 6 a.m. MDT July 25, 2020. NOAA.
Fire crews line up to board a National Interagency Coordination Center aircraft at the BLM Alaska Fire Service on Fort Wainwright Friday, July 24, 2020. Photo by Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry.
Three Alaska wildland firefighting crews traveled to the Lower 48 states on Friday to assist with wildfire suppression efforts in the western United States.
The three crews – the BLM Alaska Fire Service Midnight Sun Hotshots, Chena Hotshots, and the Alaska Division of Forestry White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack Crew – boarded an airliner at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks Friday morning. The aircraft came up to Alaska from the National Interagency Coordination Center in Boise, Idaho Thursday to transport the crews to Boise, where they will be quickly assigned to one of a multitude of wildfires burning in the western U.S.
“It’s always sad leaving Alaska but it will be good to get down there,” Iris Sager, crew superintendent for the Chena hotshot crew, said.
Alaska’s fire season was slowed by abundant and widespread rainfall the past five weeks that has dampened wildfire danger across the state. Because of this, Alaska’s wildland fire agencies have made many resources available to assist with the national firefighting effort while keeping adequate firefighters and aircraft in Alaska to handle any fire activity here.
The mobilization of firefighting resources to the Lower 48 is an annual tradition, similar to Alaska importing firefighters and aircraft from the Lower 48 to assist with wildfires here. Firefighters from Alaska travel to the Lower 48 almost every year to help other agencies battle wildfires after the Alaska fire season winds down, usually in mid- to late-July.
The three crews that departed Alaska on Friday totaled 62 firefighters and will add to the 60 other Alaska firefighting personnel that are already working in the Lower 48. One other crew – the Division of Forestry’s Pioneer Peak Hotshots – flew south last week and is working on the Cedar Fire in Nevada.
In addition, 13 Alaska Smokejumpers are in the Lower 48 working, as well as multiple other personnel filling positions such as dispatchers, heavy equipment managers, engine bosses and division supervisors.
Three more Division of Forestry crews – the Gannett Glacier, Tanana Chiefs, and Yukon Type 2 initial attack crews – are scheduled to fly to the Lower 48 early next week.
Given the fact that Alaska’s wildland fire season has been very slow this season and crews have been relegated to working on fuels reduction projects and other project work the past several weeks, firefighters welcomed the opportunity to head south to work on actual fires.
“We’ve spent less than 20 days on fires this summer,” White Mountain crew superintendent Owen Smith said as he waited to board Friday’s flight. “Everybody is ready for an assignment.”
As of Friday, a total of 309 fires had burned an estimated 178,025 acres in Alaska this summer, which is well below the approximately 650,000 acres that burns in a typical fire season.
Barring any major drying event in Alaska over the next month or two, crews will likely remain in the Lower 48 until fire season in the western U.S. dies down, which isn’t typically until September or October.
BLM Alaska Fire Service fire specialist Tasha Shields hands crew members bag lunches prior to them boarding a National Interagency Coordination Center jet at Fort Wainwright, Alaska Friday, July 24, 2020. Photo by Tim Mowry, Alaska Division of Forestry.
Firefighters wore facemasks as they lined up to board the plane on Friday at Fort Wainwright. BLM Alaska Fire Service workers, also wearing facemasks, handed each firefighter a bagged lunch as they boarded the flight to Boise.
While the increase in COVID-19 cases in Alaska and across the U.S. is a concern, it’s something the crews and other Alaska firefighting personnel have been dealing with since the season started in April. Agencies and crews have COVID protocols in place to help prevent the spread of the virus and each crew was traveling with at least three days of personal protective equipment such as facemasks and hand sanitizer.
Chena Hotshots arrive in Boise, Idaho July 24, 2020. NIFC photo.
“I think it would be harder if any of us had families and didn’t live by ourselves,” Smith said in reference to mobilizing to the Lower 48 during the pandemic. “It definitely makes it interesting.”
Returning personnel will follow Alaska state and local health mandates addressing testing and quarantining upon return from their Lower 48 assignments. In some cases, personnel will spend days off in the Lower 48 instead of returning to Alaska in between fire assignments.
Midnight Sun Hotshots arrive in Boise, Idaho July 24, 2020. NIFC photo.Alaska fire crews arrive in Boise, Idaho July 24, 2020. NIFC photo.
The red line was the perimeter at 10:26 p.m. PDT July 24, 2020. The white line was the approximate perimeter 24 hours before.
Friday, on the fifth day since it started, the Gold Fire chewed through another 2,000 acres to bring the total up to 21,000. Most of the growth was to the southeast but the prediction from fire personnel is that on Saturday it will be pushed to the east and southeast toward Ash Valley and Coyote Flat Draw. Red Flag Warning weather conditions are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday which could increase fire activity. Evacuations are in effect.
The outlook from the Incident Management Team, CAL FIRE #4 led by Dave Russell, is that the fire might be contained July 30 at 30,000 acres.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Gold Fire including the most recent, CLICK HERE.)
Measured from the northwest to the southeast, the Gold Fire is 13 miles long. The estimated costs to date are $6.6 million.
Resources on the fire include 24 hand crews, 12 helicopters, 144 fire engines, 37 dozers, and 25 water tenders for a total of 1,489 personnel.
This is the 7 a.m. operational period briefing for firefighters, not on the Gold Fire but the Hog Fire in the same CAL FIRE unit 40 miles to the south. Obviously social distancing is being practiced. CAL FIRE photo.
The article was edited to modify the containment date.
Evacuations are in effect on the Gold Fire south of Adin
Wildfires in northeast California at 2 a.m. PDT July 24, 2020.
Lightning earlier this week ignited numerous wildfires in northeast California. Most of them were suppressed while still small, but several are resisting the efforts of firefighters.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Gold Fire including the most recent, CLICK HERE. To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldwell Fire, including the most recent, CLICK HERE.)
In addition, the Gold Fire southeast of Adin that started July 20 (cause undetermined) prompted more evacuations Thursday when fire intensity increased during the afternoon. An overnight mapping flight found that it grew by 4,876 acres to bring the total up to 19,642 acres. It is burning in areas with private residences, ranches, and commercial operations including agriculture, livestock, and timber. Seven structures have been destroyed. The Willow Creek Campground is threatened and Highway 139 is closed at Susanville Road (A-2) south to Termo Grasshopper. Resources assigned include 20 hand crews, 132 engines, and 12 helicopters for a total of 1,214 personnel.
Very little current information is available about the lightning-caused fires on the Modoc National Forest:
The Caldwell Fire on the Modoc/Siskiyou county line southeast of Lava Beds National Monument has burned approximately 7,000 acres. It was very active again Thursday spreading to the south. Around 11 p.m. Thursday a weather station on Timber Mountain five miles to the southeast recorded 0.06″ of rain. The maximum relative humidity overnight was 59 percent. There is another fire, name unknown, burning five miles west-northwest of the Caldwell Fire northwest of Cinder Butte.
The Allen Fire near Allen Butte 11 miles southwest of Canby was last reported at 800 acres. It was partially obscured by clouds during an attempt to map it from a fixed wind aircraft Thursday night. Smoke jumpers and other crews are working to keep it south of County Road 85.
The Canyon Fire four miles southwest of Canby was also unable to be mapped due to clouds. During the last two days satellites have only been able to detect a small amount of heat on this fire.
Originally published at 4:38 p.m. PDT July 23, 2020
Modoc Lightning Fires; satellite heat data from 12:05 p.m. PDT July 23, 2020.
In the last 48 hours firefighters have discovered at least 11 lightning-caused fires on the Modoc National Forest in northeast California.
The Caldwell Fire close to Tionesta and southeast of Lava Beds National Monument, has burned 1,500 acres. It was growing rapidly Wednesday afternoon while pushed by winds associated with a thunderstorm.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldwell Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
The Allen Fire in a difficult to access area near Allen Butte was last reported at 800 acres. Smoke jumpers and other crews are working to keep it south of County Road 85.
The Canyon Fire near Canby Bridge has been contained at 234 acres.
At least eight other fires started by lightning have each burned 0.1 to 3.8 acres.
From the Modoc National Forest:
Quick response from firefighting resources in difficult conditions allowed great progress toward containment and control on fires that have been kept small.
The primary fire response strategy for 2020 in Region 5 [California] continues to be aggressive initial attack, to include using local resources from partners. The primary firefighting goal is rapid containment to minimize the number of large wildfires.
Caldwell Fire on the Modoc National Forest, posted to InciWeb July 23, 2020.
A firing operation on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 20, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.
The Cedar Fire 15 miles south of Elko, Nevada has burned 6,000 acres and Tuesday night was being fought by 8 hand crews, 10 fire engines, 2 helicopters, and various air tankers for a total of 258 personnel. Satellites have not detected any large heat sources on the fire for about 24 hours.
These photos were taken July 19-20, 2020 by Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.
A scooping air tanker on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 20, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.Firefighters hold a road on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 19, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.Two scooping air tankers on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 20, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.A dozer on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 20, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.Firefighters on the Cedar Fire in Nevada, July 20, 2020. Photo: Mike McMillan/BLM Elko District.
