Glenn Chase of Tempe, AZ uses a backpack pump to mop up part of the Ocotillo Fire that burned through a residential area east of Spur Cross Road in Cave Creek, AZ. Mr. Chase came up to the fire to help family members evacuate horses and then went to work on the fire. Photo by Tom Story, May 30, 2020.
From the Incident Management Team assigned to the Ocotillo Fire near Cave Creek, Arizona, Sunday morning at 8:37:
There was no new growth reported on the Ocotillo Fire overnight and no new structure loss. There is a lot of heat within the interior and in drainages, therefore crews will monitor and patrol those areas to make sure there is no rekindling. Afternoon winds however, could challenge firefighters again, especially within those drainages.
Overnight, crews provided structure protection to homes and worked to build and secure fire line.
An estimated 500 residences were evacuated on Saturday and those evacuation orders remain in place. An evacuation-area map has been uploaded to this site. The Red Cross has a shelter set up for impacted residents at Cactus Shadows High School. Livestock can be taken to the Cave Creek Memorial Arena.
Today, crews are faced again with hot temperatures, low relative humidity, afternoon winds, and other hazards, including above-ground and underground propane tanks and inaccessible roads.
177 personnel are assigned to the fire from statewide fire departments and districts, including local and federal cooperators. The fire started Saturday afternoon off Ocotillo Road. At least ten structures were lost; unknown if they are primary or secondary or both. Once it is safe enough to do so, crews will make their way back into the area to assess damage.
The fire was determined to be human-caused and the source is under investigation.
(UPDATED at 7 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020)
A Phoenix Fire Department firefighter staffing Brush 23 cools down part of the Ocotillo Fire as the blaze burns near the intersection of Old Stage Road and Rockaway Hills Drive in Cave Creek, AZ 05/30/20. Photo by Tom Story.
Here is an updated map of the Ocotillo Fire northwest of Cave Creek, Arizona.
Map showing the approximate location of heat detected by a satellite on the Ocotillo Fire northwest of Cave Creek, AZ at 3:06 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020.
At 5:46 p.m. MDT Arizona State Forestry said in a tweet:
#OcotilloFire at 750 acres. Crews working against hot temps, very day conditions, wind gusts & low RH. In turn, fire is exhibiting signs of extreme fire behavior. @RedCrossAZ set up a shelter at high school. @mcsoaz
will have evac info.
Tanker 15, a BAe-146 operated by Neptune Aviation, drops a load of fire retardant near homes as the Ocotillo Fire burns through part of Cave Creek, AZ 05/30/20. Photo by Tom Story.
This is a very impressive video of a DC-10 dropping on the fire:
Air tankers are coming in low here in Cave Creek as firefighters try to get a handle on a wildfire burning close to town
We will update this article as more information becomes available.
(Originally published at 4:47 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020)
Map showing the approximate location of heat detected by a satellite on the Ocotillo Fire northwest of Cave Creek, AZ at 1:24 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020.
The Marshall’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Ocotillo Fire northwest of Cave Creek, Arizona.
Evacuation order for Ocotillo Fire at approximately 3 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020.
Jim Cross, Senior News Reporter at KTAR Phoenix, reported that multiple homes have been damaged and others are threatened. At 2:43 p.m. MDT Saturday Arizona State Forestry said the fire had burned about 350 acres.
Firefighting aircraft that have been seen over the fire include air tankers (RJ85, BAe-146, and DC-10) and helicopters, some of which are obtaining water at a golf course.
Ocotillo Fire at 4:22 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020. Photo by @RiverH16Map showing aircraft maneuvering near the Ocotillo Fire northwest of Cave Creek, Arizona at 3:46 p.m. MDT May 30, 2020. Flightradar24 & Wildfire Today.
Firefighters receive a briefing on the East Desert Fire, May 18, 2020. Photo by Arizona State Forestry.
(UPDATED at 8 p.m. MDT May 19, 2020)
At 6 p.m. Tuesday all evacuations due to the East Desert Fire were lifted.
Firefighters have slowed the spread and the size is holding at 1,492 acres.
(UPDATED at 11:10 a.m. MDT May 18, 2020)
Arizona State Forestry estimated that at 12:01 a.m. May 18 the East Desert Fire north of Phoenix had burned approximately 1,500 acres. After the fire started at about 1 p.m. on Sunday it spread to the east and northeast toward Cahava Springs near the community of Cave Creek. About 130 homes near Cahava Springs were evacuated overnight.
The human-caused fire started near 24th St. and Desert Hills Road in North Phoenix. Hand crews are working to build fireline around the perimeter while engine crews are providing structure protection for nearby homes threatened by the fire.
Sunday at 8 p.m. the East Desert Fire made a run pushed by strong winds and dry conditions. The fire is burning through dry grasses and brush and other desert vegetation. Additional firefighting resources were ordered Sunday night, including 6 hotshot crews and 10 engines. Aircraft have been requested to be on standby Monday morning.
Map showing heat detected by satellites on the East Desert Fire through 4:12 a.m. MDT May 18, 2020. Locations are approximate.
At 9:43 a.m. an RJ85 air tanker and an air attack ship were seen over the fire.
At 9:43 a.m. on May 18, 2020 FlightRadar24 tracked two aircraft over the East Desert Fire — an RJ85 Air Tanker and an air attack shipEast Desert Fire north of Phoenix. Photo by Arizona State Forestry, May 17, 2020.
(UPDATED at 11:31 p.m. MDT May 18, 2020)
In an 11 p.m. update on Sunday Arizona State Forestry reported that the East Desert Fire north of Phoenix has grown to approximately 1,000 acres. Additional firefighting resources have been ordered, including 6 hotshot crews and 10 engines. Aircraft have been requested to be on standby for Monday morning.
Despite cooler nighttime weather, strong winds are pushing the fire northeast toward Cahava Springs and Cave Creek. Firefighters will be working Sunday night into Monday morning.
(Originally published at 8:19 p.m. MDT May 17, 2020)
Map showing the location of the East Desert Fire north of Phoenix at 2:48 p.m. MDT May 17, 2020.
The East Desert Fire has burned 300 to 500 acres near Cave Creek Regional Park north of Phoenix. It was reported Sunday afternoon east of Interstate 17 and north of Carefree Highway.
A report from the Arizona State Forestry at about 8 p.m. said the fire was moving into open desert country away from homes. Approximately five homes are being protected by fire engines. Helicopters and air tankers have been assisting firefighters on the ground.
The fire is three miles northwest of the community of Cave Creek.
Map showing the location of the Basin Fire at noon MDT, May 10, 2020. Data is from a BLM GPS flight.
(UPDATED at 9:54 p.m. MDT May 11, 2020)
Data from a GPS mapping flight Monday afternoon revealed that the Basin Fire in northwest Arizona is three times larger than previously estimated and now covers 36,355 acres.
The lightning-caused fire is 14 miles southeast of Mesquite, Nevada.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Tuesday with a forecast for 20-30 mph southwest winds with gusts of 35 to 45 mph with relative humidity of 10 to 20 percent. This could cause the fire to spread further to the northeast if the fuels are receptive.
Approximately 134 personnel are assigned to the fire.
A BAe-146 air tanker drops on the Basin Fire May 11, 2020. BLM photo.
(Originally published at 3:37 p.m. MDT May 11, 2020)
Map showing the approximate location of the Basin Fire at 3:06 a.m. MDT, May 10, 2020.
A lightning-caused wildfire has burned approximately 10,000 acres in northwest Arizona 17 miles north of the Grand Canyon, 17 miles southeast of Mesquite, Nevada. It was reported in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument at 2 p.m. Sunday after the passage of thunderstorms.
The area has been under a Red Flag Warning since Sunday morning — for dry lightning on Sunday and low relative humidity and gusty winds on Monday. The dry, windy conditions will lead to another Red Flag Warning on Tuesday.
Basin Fire, May 10, 2020. BLM Photo.Red Flag Warnings in effect May 11, 2020. NWS.Red Flag Warnings in effect in Alaska, May 11, 2020. NWS.
Managing the extraction and treatment of a firefighter proved to be much more complex than before the pandemic
File photo. Milepost 97 Fire July 26, 2019. InciWeb.
The Verde Fire on the Coronado National Forest in southeast Arizona on April 17, 2020 was not large. The only size mentioned in the Rapid Lesson Sharing document was two acres at the initial size-up. The resources included two engines, a fire module, a hotshot crew, and a helicopter with firefighters.
But an incident within an incident that required a helicopter extraction showed that suppressing a wildfire while hampered by COVID-19 protocols requires significant modifications in what used to be standard operating procedures.
The issues that were identified can’t necessarily be called “lessons”, since there are no obvious solutions or best practices for some of the challenges.
Below are excerpts from the document:
Initial attack resources were dispatched to the Verde Fire at approximately 1630 on Friday April 17. Responding resources included: Helicopter 320, Coronado National Forest (CNF) Engine 351, CNF Engine 652, Patrol 552, Saguaro Fire Module, and the Aravaipa Interagency Hotshot Crew. The fire was initially sized-up at approximately two acres. The helicopter crew immediately began work securing the edge, utilizing the helicopter for bucket support. Responding ground resources were working to identify the best access, either by UTV or on foot. Local engines identified the area of the fire as difficult to access. Additional UTVs were delivered to the incident.
At 2000 the IC called Dispatch with a “Yellow” medical, requesting a helicopter for extraction of a firefighter with a broken ankle injury.
[…]
Lessons and COVID-19 Insights and Observations
Resources
1. With resources being held locally it creates a necessity to create “throw together” crews to meet the need. The Verde Fire ended up having five districts and four different agencies represented on the fire. Whereas the ability to order-up a couple of crews who have been self-contained generates much less intermingling of individuals.
2. Tracking contacts. As folks intermix on a fire assignment and then go back to their respective units, how are individuals tracking their interactions on a daily basis in case of contact with a COVID-positive individual? There will be a need to backtrack interactions to inform others who have also potentially been in contact.
3. What about interagency incident responses? If agencies have conflicting protocols, what do the employees of interagency districts adhere to?
Operational
1. The ability to implement COVID-19 mitigations—social distancing in particular—was highly dependent on operational tempo. The higher the tempo, the tougher it was to maintain recommended distance.
2. ATV/UTV helmets. With COVID there will be no sharing of ATV helmets. Therefore, what is the alternative? Either no ATV helmets but the wearing of fireline hardhats instead, or designating specific operators per incident? Fires are fluid so the reality of one single designated operator may not be realistic. There needs to be clear guidance about helmet use in the era of COVID.
3. Surpassing 2:1 Work/Rest on IA. On the Verde Fire resources surpassed 2:1 during the IA stage. Usually, Standard Ops is to send drivers to pick up sleep-deprived resources. In this scenario it would require four drivers to get into one vehicle together, drive out to the fire, then get into four different vehicles with the firefighters—cross-exposing one another. What is the new procedure for such logistical situations?
4. There needs to be a recognition that fighting fire is not the IWI of COVID-19, but the other way around. If the intent is to fight fire, there needs to be an understanding that the COVID-19 social distancing recommendations cannot be fully adhered to when engaged in firefighting. A simple need to bump a rig out of the way at a moment’s notice is a good example.
5. [Building off of #4 above.] The question that needs to be answered: Does a lack of completely adhering to COVID measures mean less engagement or not?
Incident Within an Incident
1. COVID measures cannot be adhered to during an IWI. At the very least, an EMT will need to interact with the patient. If there is a need to pack the patient off the hillside, the interactions obviously increase exponentially. There was a broken ankle injury that occurred after sunset on the Verde Fire, which obviously meant patient care would be necessary.
2. Hospital Liaisons (or anyone else who might usually accompany) are currently not allowed into hospitals. It was quickly learned with the Verde Fire injury that liaisons will not be allowed into the hospital. This means that there needs to be very clear information accessible to every district/unit/crew lead about what to do, which forms to send to the hospital, and who needs to fill them out. The question is: Who should the point of contact be within the hospital hierarchy to ensure that these forms are being filled out by the physician prior to discharge?
3. Why isn’t there a Duty Officer for [Albuquerque Service Center’s] injury department? Injuries that take place on a fire aren’t relegated to business hours. How can this be rectified? The Verde Fire injury happened on Friday. The injured party was in surgery Saturday morning. Due to the timing of this incident (just before the weekend), a case number could not be generated until Monday. This critical delay over the weekend has the potential to cause problems for the patient regarding billing issues.
4. Should the injured person also fill out a CA-2 due to potential exposure of COVID-positive people while in the hospital? This question speaks to how protected our people are in general. Are firefighters in the “High-Risk” category? If they are, does that mean that if someone becomes COVID positive that the exposure will be assumed to have been on the job? If firefighters are not in the “High-Risk” category what does that mean?
Other Considerations
1. This fire was human-caused. The high level of recreation use in the area is creating more opportunities for fire starts. If certain types of recreation were closed, along with fire restrictions being put into place, it would bring down the number of fire starts, thereby reducing the frequency of potential COVID exposure for firefighters.
2. This IWI (along with the resources involved) highlighted the benefits that a “fire service” could provide regarding clear intent, objectives, universal protocols/procedures, etc.
BLM Arizona’s Koreena Haynes (1st on left) is assisting in Australia as an Engine Boss. BLM photo.
PHOENIX – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as other Department of the Interior agencies and the U.S. Forest Service have been sending wildfire personnel from across the United States to assist with ongoing wildfire suppression efforts in Australia. The BLM in Arizona currently has four fire personnel in Australia with plans to send more in the coming weeks.
Brady Shultz, from BLM Arizona’s Colorado River District in Kingman, and Koreena Haynes from the BLM Arizona State Office in Phoenix, deployed just after the new year to assist on fire engines in the Australian state of Victoria. Cody Goff from BLM Arizona’s Arizona Strip District in St. George, Utah, and John Garrett from BLM Arizona’s Gila District in Safford deployed on January 7 as part of a 20-person firefighter hand crew.
“Australia has come to help us when we needed an extra hand during our most extreme fire seasons, now it’s our turn to go help them in their time of need,” said Kelly Castillo, BLM Arizona’s state fire management officer.
Based on requests from the Australian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, the U.S. has intermittently deployed more than 150 wildland fire personnel since December.
The fire personnel from the U.S. have assisting with critical needs for mid-level fire management roles including fire engine operations, aviation operations, fire operations managers, logistical management specialists, and strategic fire planners. More recent deployments have included requests for 20-person firefighting crews and chain saw operators.
“We are in the process of filling more requests for Arizona personnel, which will likely deploy as soon as next week,” said Castillo.
The U.S., Australia and New Zealand have been exchanging fire assistance for more than 15 years. The most recent exchange occurred in August of 2018, when 138 Australian and New Zealand wildfire management personnel were sent to the U.S. for almost 30 days to assist with wildfire suppression efforts in Northern California and the Northwest. The last time the U.S sent firefighters to Australia was in 2010.
BLM Arizona’s Brady Shultz (1st on left) is assisting in Australia as an Engine Boss. BLM photo.
From the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Office
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Gila District announced September 27, 2019 that the Aravaipa Veterans Fire Crew has achieved certification as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC). Of the 13 BLM IHCs nationwide, the Aravaipa Veterans Interagency Hotshot Crew is the only BLM-funded hotshot crew in Arizona, and only one of two BLM IHCs in the nation focused on recruiting and developing veterans.
“We’re proud of the Aravaipa Crew’s accomplishments and the continued efforts to develop a workforce of Veterans,” said Gila District Manager Scott Feldhausen. “This hard working and highly skilled crew is now a part of the elite fire resources available to fight fires not only in Arizona, but nationally and abroad.”
Interagency Hotshot Crews are the most highly trained and experienced type of hand crews and they must meet and maintain stringent requirements to achieve the IHC status. Their primary mission is to provide a safe, professional, mobile response to all phases of fire management and incident operations. IHCs are staffed, conditioned, equipped and qualified to meet a variety of strategic and tactical wildland fire assignments, and they are typically relied upon for the most challenging fire assignments. When not committed to fire assignments, IHCs provide a workforce to accomplish a variety of resource management objectives while maintaining availability for incident mobilization.
The Aravaipa Veterans IHC will provide an opportunity for veterans to work in a team environment and build skills and experience. Team members will also learn about opportunities to work for and become competitive for employment with the Federal Government in other natural resource arenas.
