Wildfire Today

Weather slows fire activity in Western United States

Bill GabbertJune 19, 2018June 20, 2018Uncategorized416 Fire, Colorado, New Mexico, Todd Pechota, Utah, weather

Above: Accumulated precipitation over the last seven days, June 12-18, 2018.

Moderating weather over the last seven days has helped firefighters make progress on some of the fires in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. Today’s national Situation Report showed little or no increase in the size of wildfires in those four states. The 416 Fire in southwest Colorado and the Badger Creek Fire in southern Wyoming released a total of 345 personnel over the last 24 hours.

Todd Pechota’s Type 1 Incident Management Team is currently assigned to the 416 Fire, but Joe Reinarz’s NIMO team has been mobilized for the fire, which could be an indication that they expect it to be a long term incident. The west side of the fire has spread into steep, remote terrain above 8,000 feet as it grows closer to an 11,000 to 12,000-foot ridge five miles away. Much of the ridge is above the timber line and may eventually, with patience over time, serve as a barrier. Mr. Reinarz’s team team will transition on Friday.

Below, National Weather Service graphics show the observed precipitation and the departure from normal for the last 30 and 90 days.

precipitation 30 days — Accumulated precipitation, May 20 through June 18, 2018. NWS.

precipitation 90 days — Accumulated precipitation March 21 through June 18, 2018. NWS.

Satellite photos of wildfires in Siberia

Bill GabbertJune 17, 2018UncategorizedRussia, Siberia

Two photos taken May 9 by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel 2 satellite of wildfires in Siberia highlight flames, and in the other, smoke. The sensors used were RGB-natural color and SWIR-enhanced infrared.

On that date wildfires blazed in Russia’s Far East around Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a city of nearly 264,000. The Siberian Times published images of the fires.

Wildfire threatens urban area in Sweden

Bill GabbertJune 16, 2018August 25, 2019UncategorizedSweden1 Comment

Above: a water scooping air tanker based in Italy drops water on a fire in Stockholm, Sweden June 15, 2018.

A wildfire in the Nacka area of Stockholm, Sweden burned close to an urban area on Friday. In addition to firefighters on the ground, scooping air tankers from Italy were seen working the fire.

Local authorities said Saturday morning that the fire’s spread had been stopped:

We are in place and work with the remaining fires. It no longer burns up in trees or bushes, but down in the vegetation, moss roots and the like. We have the fire surrounded and it is controlled, but there is a lot to do in the area, “says operative manager Per Tillander, at Södertörn’s Fire Defense Association.

The fire department will remain at least throughout the day and probably also on Sunday.

There is still smoke from the fire, which covers 90 hectares, but the smoke is much more diluted than yesterday, and it is more about smoke smell than smoke.

Min buss åkte förbi branden i Nacka på väg hem från jobbet. pic.twitter.com/pIx5ZKHuMy

— LucasLogg (@LucasLogg) June 15, 2018

Canadairs from #Italy , deployed in #Sweden via #EUCivPro , are helping Sweden’s civil protection forces extinguish the fire at #Nacka area. This is European #solidarity in action! #rescEU https://t.co/ny868079Cx

— Christos Stylianides (@StylianidesEU) June 16, 2018

Waaaoow pic.twitter.com/r9wcvX100L

— Arvid Skogh (@ArvidSkogh) June 15, 2018

Am waiting on today’s satellite imagery to see the damage caused by yesterday’s fire in Nacka. Looking at yesterday’s photo, I see a very curious cloud shadow formation, as if asking “Is this a good spot to start a fire???”. pic.twitter.com/n7QcXUBmm5

— @sweden / Samir (@sweden) June 16, 2018

More moderate weather affects Trail Mountain Fire in Utah

Bill GabbertJune 16, 2018UncategorizedTrail Mountain Fire, Utah1 Comment

Above: The Redding Hotshots conduct a safety briefing before beginning their assignment on the Trail Mountain Fire. U.S. Forest Service photo.

Below is information about the Trail Mountain Fire in central Utah, provided by the Incident Management Team Saturday morning, June 16, 2018.

“[Friday], at approximately 12:00 p.m., Emery County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Highway Patrol closed Highway 31 through Huntington Canyon but it remained open up to Bear Creek Canyon. Increased fire activity had created thick smoke and poor visibility on the highway. Additionally, firefighters and equipment were working directly along the highway. Despite this increased fire activity, evacuations were lifted for the Trail Canyon community. Highway 31 will be constantly monitored today and reopened as soon as conditions allow.

“Firefighters contained a large portion of the fire perimeter Friday on the southern portion near Trail Mountain and Whetstone Creek. The overall percentage of containment does not reflect this containment yet due to fire growth of about 3,000 acres yesterday into Little Bear Canyon and up Mill Fork Canyon. The fire also reached the ridge just south of Crandall Canyon. Firefighters thinned vegetation and installed sprinkler systems around the Crandall Canyon Mine Memorial and adjacent areas.

“Saturday’s cloudy weather, cooler temperatures, and higher relative humidity should reduce fire activity but will have little effect on the dead and dry vegetation that has allowed the fire spread. Possible thunderstorms could bring gusty winds that would also help the fire spread.”

Part of new book is about a smokejumper who became an air tanker pilot

Bill GabbertJune 16, 2018December 14, 2018Uncategorized1 Comment

This article has been removed.

Extreme weather expected on Trail Mountain Fire Thursday

Bill GabbertJune 14, 2018August 25, 2019Uncategorizedpyrocumulus, Trail Mountain Fire, Utah10 Comments

It began as a prescribed fire that escaped on June 6 in central Utah

Above: A pyrocumulus cloud forms over the Trail Mountain Fire, as seen from Joes Valley Reservoir June 13, 2018. Inciweb photo.

At 9:31 a.m. on Thursday the relative humidity at the Mill Fork Canyon weather station near the Trail Mountain Fire in Utah had already dropped to 12 percent and will likely get even lower with the predicted Red Flag Warning conditions. During the night it never got above 30 percent. A mapping flight Wednesday evening showed that the fire had burned 9,554 acres.

The forecast for Thursday calls for sustained 23 mph winds out of the southwest and west with gusts up to 38 mph. The Haines Index will max out at 6, an indication of atmospheric instability which can be conducive to rapid fire growth. On Friday the wind should increase with 22 to 29 mph southwest winds gusting above 40 mph under cloudy skies but there will be a 33 percent chance of showers.

In an update Thursday morning the incident management team said, “It is likely the fire will continue to spread north along Highway 31, where timber is denser.”