News and opinion about wildland fire
The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for areas in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas for strong winds and low humidity.
The map was current as of 10:10 a.m. MST on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized2 Comments on Parliament Fire burns 11,000 acres in Florida Above: In the map above the purple area was the location of the Parliament Fire Tuesday evening, March 21, 2017.
(Originally published at 4:40 p.m. EDT March 22, 2017)
The Parliament Fire has burned over 11,000 acres in Big Cypress National Preserve in south Florida. The fire is just north of US 41, also known at the Tamiami Trail.
The National Park Service is not aggressively suppressing it, but the fire is being “managed” using monitor, confine, and contain strategies implemented by a Type 3 Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander Ledbetter.
The Park released the following information on March 21:
The incident command has dispatched aviation, ground resources, and crews to secure private structures, protect high value resources, and implement various containment strategies. The fire is currently 15% contained. Containment efforts will continue using established trails, natural barriers, and previously prescribed fire areas.
The fire is not a result of planned prescribed fire activities. The source and origins of the fire are still under active investigation.
The fire started on March 18 and is threatening 67 structures. Yesterday’s report showed 37 personnel, one hand crew, one engine, and one Type 3 helicopter assigned. On Wednesday an additional ~50 personnel and one helicopter were added to the mix.
The park does a great deal of prescribed burning. For example, in January they conducted the 30,000-acre Airplane Prescribed Fire.
#USFWS firefighters have been assisting .@BigCypressNPS with the 30,000 acre #rxfire this week, expect smoke again today #FLfire #goodfires pic.twitter.com/NRrSYHFmat
— USFWS Fire SE (@USFWSFireSE) January 27, 2017
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Fire photographer @SLOStringer killed in vehicle accident An emergency services photographer well known on the Central California coast was killed early Tuesday morning when his vehicle crashed as he was en route to a two alarm structure fire. Known on Twitter as @SLOStringer, Matthew Frank was dedicated to covering wildland and structure fires in California.
Most people did not know his name and referred to him only by his Twitter handle or his first name, Matt. The accident happened hours before he was scheduled to speak at a firefighter recognition banquet in San Luis Obispo Tuesday night.
It was raining at 4 a.m. when Mr. Frank’s 2009 Chevy Tahoe went off Highway 101, rolled, hit a tree, and caught fire. The 30-year old photographer was killed at the scene.
I have been an admirer of his work and on several occasions asked and received permission from him to use his photos on Wildfire Today, for example, when he covered the Valley and Butte Fires.
Below is an excerpt from an article published March 21, 2017 at The Tribune in which his father, Steven Frank, was talking about when his son covered the Chimney Fire last August near the Hearst Castle in central California.
…The highlight of Matthew’s life, his father said, was covering the Chimney Fire last summer.
During the fire, Matthew heard from people who had been evacuated and had left things like their pets or prescription medications behind. Matthew, his father said, would use his credentials to get to those people’s houses and bring them their medication and take care of their pets.
“He was working 18 hours a day between Hearst Castle and what was going on at Nacimiento, but for two weeks he was in his heyday,” Steven Frank said.
Mr. Frank died doing what he loved. Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and co-workers.
(This article first appeared on Fire Aviation.)
Tanker 12, the BAe-146 air tanker working the Sunshine Fire near Boulder, Colorado on March 19, was dropping retardant about every 35 minutes, according to Rob McClure of the CBS TV station in Denver.
Timed @neptuneaviation’s BAE 146 trips btwn #SunshineFire & @MetroAirport’s #JeffcoTankerBase. Dropped full retardant load ~every 35 mins. pic.twitter.com/R6Q2kURPvg
— Rob McClure ?? (@RobCBS4) March 21, 2017
After a million acres burned in Kansas and Oklahoma on March 6 and 7, the National Interagency Fire Center mobilized three large air tankers on March 10, a little earlier than usual, sending Tanker 12 to the Jeffco Air Tanker base at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and two others to the OK/KS area.
It turned out that Jeffco was only 12 miles southwest of where the Sunshine Fire started on March 19 near Boulder, Colorado. Rob McClure of CBS4 in Denver timed the interval between drops made by the BAe-146, determining it to be about 35 minutes.
From the air tanker base the pilots could probably see the fire soon after it started. If they took off from runway 30R they would be heading straight at the fire.
In addition to Tanker 12, four helicopters and Colorado’s Multi-mission aircraft were working the incident.
Three National Guard helicopters were made available by a verbal executive order by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper hours after the fire started. The aircraft, from Buckley Air Force Base, included two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, one CH-47 Chinook helicopter, as well as a refueling truck.
Firefighters limited the wildland/urban interface fire to about 74 acres according to the Boulder Office of Emergency Management. We were not there but this appears to have been a pretty aggressive initial attack, an aspect of firefighting along the Front Range that has improved in the last couple of years.
The video below was shot March 19 from the Multi-mission aircraft, showing normal and infrared images.
Video from the MMA mission to #SunshineFire earlier today. #sunshinefire now at 50% containment. pic.twitter.com/Q1JpzQpAxX
— COFirePrev&Control (@COStateFire) March 20, 2017
Above: Sunshine Fire near Boulder Colorado. Photo by Colorado’s Multi-mission Aircraft.
(UPDATED at 10:45 a.m. MDT March 20, 2017)
The pre-evacuation and mandatory evacuation orders west of Boulder, Colorado for the Sunshine Fire have been lifted.
The strong winds predicted for Sunday night did not occur and firefighters have been able to contain the fire within hand-built firelines, roads, and retardant dropped from aircraft.
Colorado’s front range between Colorado Springs and the Wyoming border is the only area on Monday under a Red Flag Warning.
ABC’s Good Morning America devoted over two minutes on Monday to the fire in Colorado and the wildfire danger in the United States.
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(Originally published at 5:47 p.m. MDT March 19, 2017)
The Sunshine Fire on the west side of Boulder, Colorado has burned about 62 acres since it started early Sunday morning and has required the evacuation of 426 homes. The spread slowed late Sunday afternoon thanks to the work of firefighters on the ground, several helicopters, and at least one air tanker.
20% containment area is in the area of Sunshine Canyon Dr. and Centennial Trail. #SunshineFire FB: ttp://ow.ly/pikc30a3mmt pic.twitter.com/vj6g2Xcz71
— Boulder OEM (@BoulderOEM) March 19, 2017
Grateful for the air support from @coloradogov #SunshineFire pic.twitter.com/YLoGIVJiWn
— Boulder OEM (@BoulderOEM) March 19, 2017
View from the sky of #SunshineFire pic.twitter.com/Go6mGpCkQN
— Boulder OEM (@BoulderOEM) March 19, 2017
The state of Colorado already has a law that establishes a list of presumptive illnesses for firefighters, covering cancer of the brain, skin, digestive system, hematological system, and genitourinary system.
New legislation introduced on March 10, SB 17-214 would allow an employer to participate in a voluntary firefighter cancer benefits program as a multiple employer health trust to provide benefits to firefighters by paying contributions into the established trust. It would establish a schedule of minimum payments, or award levels, ranging from Level Zero ($100 to $2,000) up to Level Ten ($225,000). The diseases covered would be the same five as in the existing law (above).
Full time firefighters with 5 years of service would be covered as well as volunteers with 10 years.
It is sponsored by three Democrats and one Republican. No action has been taken on the bill since it was introduced nine days ago, and it is possible that the provisions could change if and when it passes.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bean.
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