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News and opinion about wildland fire
The Swan Lake Fire has burned over 162,000 acres south of Anchorage
The Swan Lake Fire, ignited by lightning on June 5, is being managed but not fully suppressed on the Kenai Peninsula 28 air miles south of Anchorage, Alaska. On August 17 it spread south across the Sterling Highway and has now grown to over 162,000 acres.
The Sterling Highway, Alaska Route 1, is a major thoroughfare that goes south from Anchorage down the Kenai Peninsula to Sterling, Soldotna, and Homer. During the night of August 25 some motorists on the highway found themselves driving past a crowning timber fire that was approaching the highway with what looked like 50 to 75-foot flames that were in some cases very close to the road. Some drivers said traffic alternated between slow rubber-necking and then rapid acceleration where flames were near, adding another variable to the smoke and dodging construction barriers.
Warning — the video below has strong language.
?? Swan Lake ? ?sorry for the F bombs buuut we were ?!! the Peninsula is still burning!! DRIVE SAFELY!!! from r/alaska
After travelers reported on social media some of their experiences driving past the flames, the Incident Commander of the Swan Lake Fire produced a video to shed some light on the incident. He explained the conditions on the highway were “constantly monitored” for fire and smoke hazards. He said at one point they closed the highway but before they could completely sweep that section some travelers were still in the area with active fire.
The Miami Fire Department has acquired an armored truck that can be used for incidents involving high winds, high water, and active shooters. Since we are seeing more of these types of emergencies it might be very useful.
The video lays out the details, including the body armor labeled “FIRE”.
Watch this vid. Introducing the #MedCat. @CityofMiami first ever high wind rescue vehicle is ready for #HurricaneDorian2019. @WPLGLocal10 @CBoomerVazquez @CityofMiamiFire pic.twitter.com/BsPE6KQuLK
— Ken Russell Miami (@kenrussellmiami) August 31, 2019
The fire burned 365 acres at Bountiful and Centerville, Utah August 30
The last of the evacuation orders were lifted Saturday morning by the Bountiful Police Department for the areas near the Gun Range Fire that burned 365 acres near Bountiful and Centerville, Utah Friday.
Officials with the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest said the fire started from an abandoned campfire believed to have originated above the Lions Gun Range in Bountiful. Authorities are searching for two individuals in a small SUV.
The photo above shows that the fire, which destroyed three homes, occurred in a wildland-urban interface. It appears that firefighters succeeded in keeping that number lower than it could have been.
Very Large Air Tanker dropping on the #GunRangeFire pic.twitter.com/yEYeg4sleQ
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) August 30, 2019
The Gun Range Fire was reported at about 1 a.m. on Friday
(Originally published at 11:59 a.m. MDT August 30, 2019)
A fire that started after midnight Friday east of Bountiful and Centerville, Utah forced the evacuation of 400 homes. The blaze was named Gun Range Fire because it is near the Lions Gun Range in Bountiful. Most wildfires are named after the location where they started.
By 10 a.m. evacuations in Centerville had been lifted but the order in Bountiful was still in effect. Fire officials estimated the fire had burned 150 to 300 acres, destroyed three homes, and damaged five others. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Kim Osborn, the public information officer for the Northern Utah Interagency Fire Center said several hotshot crews, air tankers, and helicopters are on the scene.
Other fires that have occurred recently in that general part of Utah include the 6,451-acre Goose Point Fire, the 7,900-acre Shelter Pass Fire, the 450-acre Alaska Fire, and the 167-acre Round Peak Fire — all since July 17, 2019.
Very Large Air Tanker dropping on the #GunRangeFire pic.twitter.com/yEYeg4sleQ
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) August 30, 2019
Earlier this year the National Wildfire Coordinating Group announced the recipients of the 2018 Wildfire Emergency Medical Service Awards. The annual awards program sponsored by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Incident Emergency Medical Subcommittee (IEMS), recognizes and honors individuals and/or organizations who have demonstrated outstanding work, actions, or programs in emergency medical service for our Nation’s wildland firefighters.
“The mission of IEMS is to identify the need for and establish national emergency medical and occupational health standards and procedures and provide information, updates, and guidance to support the health and safety of workers on wildland fire incidents”, said Kaili McCray, Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards Program Manager and current Chair of the IEMS Awards Selection Committee. “The efforts of the awardees for 2018 stood out to the selection committee as particularly significant contributions. They join an elite group who have received these prestigious National Wildfire EMS Awards and we’re proud of them”.
The purpose of the Wildfire Emergency Medical Service Awards is to recognize the unselfish acts and actions of individuals and/or organizations for going above and beyond their normal duties in rendering emergency medical service care and training for member agency incidents and programs.
Below are the details for each of the awards: