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.
Originally published at 3:18 p.m. PDT July 23, 2020
Lightning during the 48-hour period ending at 2:29 p.m. PDT July 23, 2020. The red areas are the most recent.
During the last 48 hours thunderstorms with lightning moved across several states in the northwest leading to the possibility of new wildfire ignitions. Most heavily affected were northern and northeast California, southeast Oregon, the south half of Idaho, and western Montana. Precipitation accompanying the cells was spotty.
Precipitation during the 48-hour period ending at 2 p.m. PDT July 23, 2020. NWS.
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.
All suicides are tragic, but when it happens to a young firefighter who had been on the job for less than a year it is especially so. Nicole Hladik was not a wildland firefighter, but could it happen in any fire organization?
FIREFIGHTER TAKES HER OWN LIFE.
A family is searching for answers after a 27-year-old Hinsdale Firefighter (Illinois) who died by suicide. Firefighter Nicole Hladik was the only female firefighter at the Hinsdale Fire Department and the third in the town’s history. “Nicki was a bright rising star in the fire service, she was beloved by all of us of course and very happy early on,” Brian Kulaga, Hladik’s uncle, said.
But Kulaga said something changed recently.
“Then she traded shifts and suddenly just a lot of negativity and then leading up to today, which was obviously a complete surprise to all of us,” he said. Hladik died by suicide Tuesday and her brother Joseph Hladik said it was a complete shock. “Super active, super fit, a family person, a great friend, she’s my sister but my best friend,” he said. Hladik’s family said it doesn’t make sense. “Our goal is, we just want someone to look into this, it’s not an accusation. It’s just the facts are, how could someone who was so happy and loved what she was doing go from one spectrum to the other end? It just doesn’t make any sense,” Joseph Hladik said.
Code Green Campaign, a first responder oriented mental health advocacy organization.
Would you rather communicate with a counselor by text? If you are feeling really depressed or suicidal, a crisis counselor will TEXT with you. The Crisis Text Line runs a free service. Just text: 741-741
Two large fires, the Hog and Gold Fires, are burning east of Redding, California
UPDATED at 4:37 p.m. PDT July 22, 2020
The information Wildfire Today received from CAL FIRE about the injuries to the two firefighters that were entrapped on the Gold Fire was that they had been treated at the Mercy Medical Clinic in Redding and released. It turns out that is not correct concerning at least one of them, according to a post by a family member on Facebook and reporting by ABC7 KRCR News.
Doctors were concerned about Chief Paul Lemke of the Adin Fire District who had second degree burns on his face, neck, and arms and experienced swelling, said his daughter. This convinced the doctors to fly him to the UC Davis Burn Center. The burnover occurred Monday July 20 and Chief Lemke was released from the burn center Tuesday “due to COVID and dad’s insisting”, his daughter wrote on Facebook. He will continue treatment at his home.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Gold Fire including the most recent, CLICK HERE.)
Below is an excerpt from an article at KRCR:
The other injured firefighter Craig Senseney said they had to deploy their fire shelters to shield themselves from the flames.
“We had to deploy, but what really saved us is, in all honesty, was our engine 47-22,. ” Senseney said. “if it wasn’t for it, we would never have gotten to a point where we were able to deploy safely and survive what happened.”
Chief Lemke is affiliated with a local fire district, but Federal wildland firefighters are required to be treated at a certified Burn Center if one of eight criteria is met. Two of them are, (1)second degree burns to the face, hands, foot, genitalia, perineum, or major joints; or (2) inhalation injury is suspected. More information is in Chapter 7, page 178 of the January, 2020 edition of the “Red Book” (Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations).
During my EMT training I got a tour of the Burn Center at University Hospital in San Diego and saw some of the patients, some of whom had been there for weeks. It made a lasting impression. I vowed that I would never make a decision as a firefighter that could lead to someone being admitted to a Burn Center. It is one of the worst injuries a person can suffer.
Originally published at 5 p.m. PDT July 21, 2020
Map showing the approximate locations of the Gold and Hog Fires in northeast California. Both are about 80 air miles from Redding.
Two firefighters were injured Monday afternoon while fighting the Gold Fire about 80 miles east-northeast of Redding, California. Alisha Herring, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said they were flown to Mercy Medical Clinic in Redding where they were treated and released the same day. The type, severity, and mechanism of injury were not identified. “I’m sure more with regards to the injury will come out, I just don’t have much more information than that at this time,” Ms. Herring said.
The Gold Fire and another incident in the area, the Hog Fire, are both about 80 miles east of Redding in Lassen County. Coordination and dispatching were affected Monday by a fiber optic cable that burned in the Gold Fire, creating communication difficulties with the CAL FIRE and interagency command centers in Susanville.
The Hog Fire was mapped Monday night at 8,004 acres. It is on both sides of Highway 44 about five miles west of Susanville and has crossed Highway 36. Resources assigned to the Hog Fire Monday night included 21 hand crews, 19 fire engines, 24 dozers, and 21 water tenders for a total of 664 personnel, which is a decrease of 953 personnel in 24 hours.
The Gold Fire is 40 miles north of the Hog Fire five miles south of the community of Adin. It was reported at 12:26 PDT July 20 near Highway 139 and quickly spread for at least eight miles to the southeast. At 10:15 Tuesday morning CAL FIRE said it is the result of two fires burning together and had blackened 4,600 acres. Evacuations are in effect and the strategy is full suppression. The Gold Fire is burning on the Modoc National Forest and land protected by the state. Monday night the resources assigned included 2 hand crews, 5 helicopters, 17 fire engines, 6 dozers, and 5 water tenders for a total of 152 personnel.
These two large wildfires in one CAL FIRE unit are presenting challenges for the suppression organizations. A report filed by firefighters on the Gold Fire Monday night said, “Statewide shortages of resources and competition with other incidents in the state will continue to hamper suppression efforts. Upcoming predicted lightning in the area may add new initial attack incidents.”
“I have not heard that, no,”Ms. Herring said when asked about a possible shortage of resources. “We’re constantly moving resources up and down the state to fulfill any resource needs, so I haven’t heard that.”
Hog Fire, looking northeast from Hamilton Mountain at 4:09 p.m. July 21, 2020.
