Wildfire Today

Wildfire forces closure of North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Bill GabbertApril 5, 2021April 6, 2021WildfireHorse Pasture Fire, North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The Horse Pasture Fire has burned about 3,000 acres in the North Dakota park

Map of the Horse Pasture Fire in North Dakota showing heat detected by satellites as late as 5:18 a.m. MDT April 5, 2021.

The Horse Pasture Fire in North Dakota has prompted the closure of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Firefighters have conducted firing operations along two roads in the park near the Visitor Center, US Highway 85 and Scenic Drive, to stop any further spread to the south. Incident Commander Jay Mickey told Wildfire Today Monday morning that the firing went well in that area, but they are concerned about strong north winds that are in the forecast. The National Weather Service predicts for the fire area on Monday, 18 mph winds out of the north gusting at 21 to 28 mph with 22 percent relative humidity and a temperature 53 degrees.

Horse Pasture Fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Photo by Nick Ybarra. Posted by the NPS April 5; date taken unknown.

Mr. Mickey said the fire has burned approximately 3,000 acres.

The Horse Pasture Fire started on National Grasslands north of the park on April 3 but as of Sunday night about two-thirds of the blaze was inside the park.

Mr. Mickey, the Incident Commander on the Type 3 incident, is the Assistant Regional Fire Management Officer for the National Park Service’s Midwest Region and works out of their office in Omaha.

Monday morning the park’s website included an alert announcing the closure of the North Unit. The South Unit is still open.

Gila Fire burns more than 2,000 acres in southwest Arizona

Bill GabbertApril 4, 2021April 4, 2021WildfireArizona, Gila Fire

Gila Fire Arizona — Gila Fire map, showing heat detected by a satellite at 2 p.m. MDT April 4, 2021. The highway that goes through Dateland is Interstate 8.

Firefighters have been battling the Gila Fire in southwest Arizona since it was reported at 7:15 a.m. on April 2, 2021. The fire is near the Gila River, north of Interstate 8, and south of Hyder Road. It is 8 air miles northeast of Dateland and 74 miles southwest of Phoenix. A power line is threatened but no structures are endangered.

The Bureau of Land Management said at 2:27 p.m. on Sunday it had burned about 2,112 acres.

Fire resources have conducted burnout operations to reduce fuel ahead of the fire to manage fire intensity and tie in to natural features such as rock outcroppings, roads, and areas of lighter vegetation to assist with containment.

Ground and air resources from the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management are on scene. On Sunday a total of 22 personnel were assigned to the fire.

At 3:52 p.m. Sunday MDT the Oatman weather station northeast of the fire recorded 94 degrees, 5 percent relative humidity, and 12 mph southwest winds gusting to 18 mph.

The forecast for the fire area is not good news for the firefighters. It calls for winds decreasing Sunday night, but on Monday a high of 97 degrees, 7 percent relative humidity, and 16 mph southwest to west winds gusting to 24 mph in the afternoon.

Fire burns hundreds of acres on Sherman Island in Sacramento River

Bill GabbertApril 3, 2021WildfireCalifornia, island2 Comments

Firefighters said the area was inaccessible, and allowed it to burn

Fire on Sherman Island, April 2, 2021. Image from NBC SkyRanger.

A wildfire burning on an island east of San Francisco Bay was not suppressed by firefighters on Friday. It generated a large plume of smoke but according to the PIO at Contra Costa Fire, Solano County fire authorities said “The fire is inaccessible and will have to burn itself out.”

The fire is on a section of Sherman Island in the Sacramento River about 600 acres in size.

Red Flag Warnings in seven Great Plains states, April 2, 2021

Bill GabbertApril 2, 2021UncategorizedHDW, Red Flag Warning, weather1 Comment

Red Flag Warnings April 2, 2021. NOAA/Google.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas of the Great Plains on April 2, including sections of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Very low relative humidity and strong winds are predicted. Most of the warnings expire Friday evening.

The Hot, Dry, Windy Index for April 2 shows elevated wildfire danger for many areas in the western U.S. This is a fairly new tool for fire managers, described as being very simple and only considers the atmospheric factors of heat, moisture, and wind. To be more precise, it is a multiplication of the maximum wind speed and maximum vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in the lowest 50 or so millibars in the atmosphere. It does not consider fuel moisture.

(Red Flag Warnings can be modified throughout the day as NWS offices around the country update and revise their weather forecasts.)

The Schroeder Fire at Rapid City as seen from space

Bill GabbertApril 1, 2021WildfireSchroeder Fire, South Dakota

Schroeder Fire March 29, 2021. NASA. Sentinel-2.

The Rapid City office of the National Weather Service acquired these satellites photos of the Schroeder Fire which has burned 2,195 acres just west of their city.

Here is how they described the photos in a Tweet Thursday evening:

“Sentinel-2 satellite views of Schroeder Fire on Mar. 29 (when it started) and today (Apr. 1). The red hot spots are not apparent today, and the reddish-brown area shows the extent of the fire. White = clouds in first image (black = shadows). Green = vegetation.”

Schroeder Fire April 1, 2021. NASA. Sentinel-2.

More information about the Schroeder Fire.

The NWS office in Rapid City is on a hill about four miles due east of the Schroeder Fire. They probably had an excellent view of the fire, if the smoke permitted.

You can follow the Rapid City NWS on Twitter: @NWSRapidCity

CAL FIRE to spend $80 million to bring on firefighters earlier than usual this spring

Bill GabbertApril 1, 2021April 5, 2021UncategorizedCAL FIRE, California1 Comment

They will also form 24 new hand crews

New CAL FIRE Firefighter 1 hand crews — File photo of new CAL FIRE Firefighter 1 hand crews, August, 2020. CAL FIRE photo.

California Governor Newsom has approved $80 million to hire or bring on earlier than usual a total of 1,399 additional firefighters to bolster CAL FIRE’s fuels management and wildfire response efforts the rest of this fiscal year which ends June 30, 2021.

This Emergency Fund authorization includes a surge of 1,256 seasonal firefighters. This funding will provide fire crew and fire engine staffing, augments eight currently understaffed existing fire crews ahead of the summer, and allows the early hiring and training of fire crews for fuels management. The funding would also provide twelve new CAL FIRE crews, and twelve new Conservation Corps crews.

Further, the state will onboard 24 seasonal firefighters for California National Guard hand crews who support CAL FIRE’s fuels management work.

The funding will also create the opportunity to bring on 119 helitack firefighters earlier than usual this year to allow them time to train and be operationally ready by May, 2021. This includes the orientation and operation of the new S-70i CAL FIRE Hawk helicopters that will operate from four helitack bases.

Proposals for the next fiscal year

For the Fiscal Year that begins in July, 2021 the Governor proposes a $143 million General Fund to support 30 new fire crews, and also includes $48 million to continue phasing in the new S-70i helicopters and large air tankers.

The Governor proposes $1 billion to support California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. The initiative sets forth a strategy to increase the pace and scale of forest and wildland management to meet the state’s target of completing projects on 500,000 acres annually by 2025 and expanding the use of prescribed fire. The plan centers on building fuel breaks around vulnerable communities, expanding home hardening, defensible space and preparedness planning to create wildfire-adapted communities, and sustaining the economic vitality of rural forested areas.

The article was modified to indicate that the twelve new Conservation Corps crews being established are not Conservation Camp (inmate) crews.