The two fires have burned more than 316,000 acres and 63 homes
Above: Map of the Rhea Fire, April 16, 2017. Incident Management Team.
Two wildfires that are 20 miles apart in Western Oklahoma have burned more than 316,000 acres and 63 residences.
The spread of the 34 Complex of Fires north of Woodward has slowed, but the strength of the firelines could be tested Tuesday with fire weather conditions called “historic”. The forecast includes winds out of the southwest at 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 along with humidities as low as 7 percent.
Map showing heat detected by a satellite on the 34 Complex and Rhea Fires in Western Oklahoma, current at 2:22 a.m. CDT April 17, 2018. The satellite flying over the area twice a day can’t detect heat in light vegetation that burns and then cools before the next pass.
The same conditions will affect the huge Rhea Fire 20 miles south of the 34 Complex. Some areas of the 248,589-acre fire are quiet, but it was still spreading Monday east of Putnam (shown in red on the map above). Those active areas could be challenging for firefighters with the extreme weather predicted for the area Tuesday and Tuesday night.
Fire weather conditions predicted for Tuesday and Tuesday night.Rhea Fire, April 16, 2018. Oklahoma Forestry Services photo.
Dangerous wildfire conditions Tuesday in Southern Plains
Above: Wildland fire danger for Tuesday, April 17, 2018
The wildland fire danger on Tuesday is just that — dangerous. Weather forecasters are saying the strong winds, dry vegetation, and relative humidity that in some areas will drop into the single digits could be life-threatening fire weather. These extreme conditions, called “historic”, will continue into Tuesday night in most areas.
In the video below Deb Beard, the Trainee Incident Commander on the 67,000-acre 34 Complex of Fires in western Oklahoma, warned firefighters at the Tuesday morning briefing that “the fire behavior forecast should scare the hell out of you”.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Above: Operations Section Chief Rocky Gilbert. Screenshot from Incident Management Team video.
On Monday firefighters were able to hold some of the perimeter on two fires in western New Mexico, the Bluewater and Diener Canyon Fires, which have burned 2,532 and 6,682 acres respectively.
Soon after it started April 12 there were reports that the Diener Canyon Fire started from an escaped prescribed fire on the Cibola National Forest. Then on April 15 the Forest Service issued a statement saying “the exact cause of the Diener Canyon Fire is currently being investigated.” Today, April 16, the Forest Service is reporting that “fire investigators have determined that multiple spot fires from the Redondo Prescribed Burn started the Diener Canyon Fire”.
The Diener Canyon Fire is burning on Mount Sedgwick within an old fire scar from 2004. The Bluewater fire is approximately 4 miles north of the Diener Canyon Fire on Salitre Mesa.
Sunday firefighters continued the burnout operation on the east flank of the Diener Canyon Fire, along Forest Road (FR) 425. The burnout resulted in a wide containment line, as six to ten inch flames slowly consumed light to moderate forest vegetation. This line is designed to prevent any fire from moving to the east toward Bluewater Village and La Jara subdivision.
Fire crews completed confinement lines on the northwest corner of the Bluewater Fire, stopping movement of fire toward Bluewater Acres, but fire remained active in windrows of uprooted juniper trees on the north side of the fire. A heavy helicopter dropped water on burning vegetation, assisting firefighters as they suppressed the flames.
Monday crews planned to continue the burnout along FR 425 east of the Diener Canyon Fire, bringing the containment line south to tie in to FR 480. Firefighters will patrol and mop up along FR 178, and may use aerial ignition to clean up unburned areas if necessary, weather permitting. Structure Protection crews will continue assessing prevention needs. Fire is still active on the northeast corner, and helicopters will be used to keep the fire in check, weather permitting.
Below is a video update for both fires by Operations Section Chief Rocky Gilbert. It was posted on Monday, April 16.
Some of the areas will have similar conditions on Tuesday
Most of the southern plains and the southwest will be under Red Flag Warnings on Monday, April 16. The strong, gusty winds and low humidity will continue into Tuesday for many of the areas. The eight states affected are California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Utah miraculously avoided the weather that three of its neighbor states are experiencing. Forecasters there often march to a different drummer regarding Red Flag Warnings.
The Red Flag Warning map was current at 10 a.m. MDT on Monday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts.
Above: Map of the Rhea Fire in Western Oklahoma, current at 2 p.m. CDT April 15, 2018
The Rhea Fire in Western Oklahoma has long since exceeded the 100,000-acre threshold to qualify as a “mega fire”. The most recent size estimate puts it at 241,280 acres. More than 500 firefighters are assigned along with three large air tankers, two type 1 helicopters, four single engine air tankers, two CL-415 scooping air tankers, an air attack plane, and two National Guard helicopters.
Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sanders reported Saturday that a female died in her vehicle at a residence near Seiling. He did not release her name, pending family notifications.
On Saturday strong winds out of the northwest pushed the fire through drainages toward Thomas and Fay in Dewey county.
Firefighters will not get a break from the weather anytime soon. The forecast calls for escalating fire danger through Tuesday with the potential for temperatures back up into the 90°’s and relative humidity values below 15 percent in western Oklahoma and below 25 percent along the I-35 corridor. Sustained southwest winds up to 30 mph and gusts of 40-45 mph will again present a very concerning fire behavior scenario with extreme rates of fire spread anticipated.
Initially reported to be an escaped prescribed fire, officials now say the Diener Fire is under investigation
Above: Map showing the location of the Diener Canyon Fire between Grants and Gallup, New Mexico at 3:48 a.m. MDT April 15, 2018.
Five large fires in New Mexico have burned 19 structures and over 57,000 acres.
Now that the wildfire activity in Arizona and New Mexico is increasing, firefighting resources from across the country are arriving to assist the local agencies and departments.
The fire responsible for 16 of the destroyed structures, the “246 Fire“, is five miles north of Capitan and is being managed by New Mexico State Forestry. It started April 12 but the spread has slowed to creeping. Crews are working on mopup and rehab.
Soon after it made the news the reported cause of the Diener Canyon Fire on the Cibola National Forest was an escaped prescribed fire, but now officials are saying “the exact cause of the Diener Canyon fire is currently being investigated.” John Pierson’s Type 1 Incident Management Team is managing the 6,106-acre Diener Canyon Fire and the nearby Blue Water Fire which has blackened 1,000 acres also on the Cibola National Forest. The cause of the Blue Water Fire is an abandoned campfire. Both of these fires started April 12, 2018.
The spread of the 2,644-acre Rattlesnake Fire five miles north of Capitan has also slowed.
The “206 Fire” burning in both New Mexico and Texas has destroyed three structures, including at least one residence.
