Max Ryan of the Chena Hotshots gives a tour of the crew’s fire camp. Screenshot from the video below.
Since firefighters in Alaska are often based far from roads they may establish camps where crews can be self-sufficient for days or weeks at a time, resupplied by helicopters or paracargo. In this video produced August 1, 2019 by the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service, Chena Interagency Hotshot Max Ryan gives a tour of the crew’s fire camp on the Hadweenzic River Fire at the Cornucopia Complex about 20 miles northeast of Beaver. He explains how they store their food to protect it from bears and use permafrost to chill their perishable items.
A suspect has been cited and may have to pay suppression costs
Investigators determined that the North Hills Fire was started by an exploding target on July 26, 2019.
Investigators have determined that the North Hills Fire that burned 5,005 acres 10 miles northeast of Helena, Montana was started by a Tannerite exploding target July 26, 2019.
Below is an excerpt from an article in the Independent Record:
Two citations were filed Thursday against the person suspected of starting the North Hills fire that burned more than 5,000 acres near Helena earlier this summer.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management law enforcement cited the suspect with one count of causing a fire other than a campfire and one count of burning timber, trees, slash and brush outside of a campfire. Each ticket carries a $500 fine plus a $30 processing fee for a total cost of $1,060.
The citations do not include the costs associated with suppressing the wildfire or rehabilitating the burned area. Any possible civil action will be handled administratively by the agencies involved.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has estimated the suppression costs “somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.2 million,” according to Helena Unit Manager John Huston.
“We probably will go after some suppression costs,” he said, noting that the process would probably take about a year.
Local and federal officials have declined to release the suspect’s name.
The North Hills Fire forced the evacuation of 400 homes northeast of Helena.
Walt Jester, Chief of the Lewis and Clark Volunteer Fire Department, took some excellent photos of the fire:
Exploding targets consist of two ingredients that when mixed by the end user explode when shot by a high-velocity projectile. They have caused many fires since they became more popular in recent years, have been banned in some areas, and caused the death of one person. After the ingredients are combined, the compound is illegal to transport and is classified as an explosive by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Paula. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
The firefighter was operating a UTV when it became disabled
On September 12, 2019 an Oklahoma firefighter operating a UTV became entrapped during the initial attack of a wildfire in the southeast part of the state 24 miles northeast of Antlers. The Oklahoma Forestry Services released the following preliminary information about the incident.
“On September 12, 2019 during initial attack efforts on the Jack Creek Fire, an Oklahoma Forestry Services firefighter from the Southeast Area / Antlers District was involved in an entrapment and subsequent burnover while scouting control line opportunities. The fire was burning in steep, rugged terrain dominated by dense pine forest with occasional hardwood glades. The firefighter was operating a UTV scouting logging roads for access and suppression opportunities when the UTV became disabled. The firefighters escape route was compromised when fire behavior increased due to the fire making an uphill run in the flashy understory fuels and crown fire in the canopy fuels. The firefighter did not deploy his fire shelter.
“The dispatch office requested an ambulance at the time of the incident while Oklahoma Forestry Services and local fire department personnel located the firefighter. The firefighter was transported to ground ambulance then transferred to air ambulance taking the firefighter to a burn center. The firefighter remains at the burn center and is being treated for second and third degree burns on >30% of his body with the most intense burns to his face and hands.
“An Incident Review Team has been assembled.”
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Matt. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
Forecasters expect 30 to 40 mph winds on Wednesday and Thursday, changing directions about every 12 hours
3-D map of the Taboose Fire mapped at 10 p.m. PDT September 17, 2019. Looking northwest. Click to enlarge.
(9:16 a.m. PDT Sept. 18, 2019)
After burning 10,187 acres since it started September 4, the growth of the Taboose Fire on the east slope of the Sierras slowed Tuesday. A mapping flight found that the fire added another 174 acres primarily on the south side along Taboose Creek. Firefighters took advantage of lower winds Tuesday and continued to work on fire suppression and strengthening containment lines with crews on the ground assisted by helicopter water drops.
But 30 to 40 mph winds in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday of this week could challenge firefighters, particularly on the south side in the Shingle Mill Bench area. The changing wind direction, which will shift about every 12 hours, will present even more headaches, coming from the south Wednesday, from the west Wednesday night, and out of the north Thursday and Thursday night. During this period the relative humidity at the base of the fire will be in the lower teens during the day. The wind event should be over by Friday. The area is under a Red Flag Warning until Thursday evening.
The Taboose Fire on September 8, 2019. InciWeb photo.
Most of the Taboose Fire is in the Inyo National Forest 7 miles south of Big Pine and 20 miles south of Bishop, California (see map above). It is burning on a steep slope, from 4,700 feet on the east side up to 10,000 feet on the west where it could be running out of fuel. The ridge top at 13,000 feet is also the eastern boundary of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States is 27 miles farther south on the ridge at an elevation of 14,505 feet.
Resources assigned to the fire include 12 hand crews, 24 fire engines, and 5 helicopters for a total of 575 personnel.
At 6:30 p.m. on Monday the size of the Francis Fire between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah was estimated at 100 to 200 acres but Tuesday morning fire officials said it spread since then to 550 acres. (Later in the morning that was changed to 365 acres.)
The weather overnight was conducive to additional fire growth, with the relative humidity remaining in the 20s until it began rising after 2 a.m. eventually topping out at 82 percent at 7 a.m. when 0.03 inches of precipitation was measured at the BEUU1 weather station near Ogden. The overnight wind speed was 3 to 8 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.
In a briefing Tuesday morning fire officials said the cause of the fire was lighting that occurred a week ago.
UPDATE – #FrancisFire caused by lightning… a week ago. They think it started some brush smoldering, but it wasn’t until the strong wind yesterday that it fanned into flames. #Utah@KUTV2News
It is not common for a lightning strike to ignite light to medium fuels, such as grass or brush as seen in the video above, and for it to smolder unreported for a week near a heavily populated area before growing into a large wildfire. But it is possible that investigators found evidence at the point of origin indicating a lightning strike and lightning occurrence data confirmed a ground strike at that location.
The mandatory evacuations ordered Monday were lifted at 10 p.m. Monday.
(Originally published at 6:47 p.m. MDT September 16, 2019)
A vegetation fire that was reported around 3 p.m. MDT Monday has spread across a slope above Fruit Heights between Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah. Structures have been threatened and the Davis County Sheriff’s Office (@DavisCountySO) has ordered evacuations in some areas. (see map below)
At 6:30 p.m. @UtahWildfire, a Twitter account associated with a government agency, reported that the Francis Fire had burned 100 to 200 acres. A strong wind has been pushing it across the slopes and caused spotting in the grass and oak brush.
In addition to the 17 fire engines working the fire, the aircraft assigned include an MD-87, a BAe-146 (Tanker 168), and four helicopters plus an air attack ship and lead plane. Below we have one video from Twitter of an air tanker drop, and more are on Fire Aviation.
Red Flag Warnings for areas in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Wyoming
Forecast for smoke near the Earth’s surface at 6 p.m. MDT September 15, 2019.
Smoke from wildfires are producing smoke that forecasters expect to affect large portions of Idaho, Montana, and Colorado on Sunday. The map above is the forecast for 6 p.m. MDT.
The largest producers of smoke today are:
Oregon: the 13,000-acre, largest ever prescribed fire on the Fremont-Winema National Forest just east of Crater Lake National Park, south of Highway 138 and west of Highway 97.
Idaho: a wildfire in state-protected lands in the southwest corner of the state 77 miles southwest of Boise, ID and 32 miles south-southeast of Jordan Valley, OR.
California: The 53,148-acre Walker Fire 16 miles south of Susanville, CA.
Colorado: Decker Fire, 6 miles south of Salida, CO, a fire 36 miles southwest of Salida, and two fires 20 and 40 miles east of Durango.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect Sunday for areas of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Wyoming.
Red Flag Warnings, September 15, 2019.
(Red Flag Warnings can be modified throughout the day as NWS offices around the country update and revise their weather forecasts.)
