CAL FIRE – Wildfire Today

Corral Fire in northern California at 12,500 acres

Northern California’s first major fire of the year has burned 12,500 acres in San Joaquin County. The Corral Fire started Saturday afternoon near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300, and CNN reported that the fire started in the city of Tracy.

Two Alameda County firefighters were injured, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira told CNN on Sunday. They had minor to moderate injuries and were transported to a local hospital.

UPDATE:  14,170 acres Sunday evening; the Associated Press reported 50 percent containment and one home destroyed.

The fire was at 15 percent containment this morning, according to Cal Fire, and fire managers said the gusty winds and dry grass have made it difficult to contain. About 400 people are assigned on the fire 60 miles east of San Francisco. ABC10.com has aerial images.

San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services ordered residents to evacuate, as sfgate.com reported, and an evacuation map from the county is [HERE]. Interstate 580 is closed from 4.7 miles east of the junction of State Route 132 at Gaffery Road to the San Joaquin-Alameda county line; smoke has reduced visibility to “zero” according to Caltrans.

The Sacramento Bee reported this afternoon that both sides of I-580 had been re-opened. Caltrans officials said one eastbound lane would remain closed between I-205 and I-5 to buffer firefighting traffic; Highway 132 was also reopened after it was shut down for about 17 hours.

Freeway closures, CalTrans — quickmap.dot.ca.gov

The Corral Fire grew rapidly after 7 p.m. Saturday and Cal Fire said it was at 5,000 acres and 40 percent containment; a few hours later, containment dropped to 13 percent and the fire doubled in size.

Corral Fire outside of Tracy, California

The cause of the fire is unknown. The New York Times reported that residents were prohibited from burning anything on their own properties, and fire officials for the Santa Clara area announced that all burn permits in the region would be suspended beginning Monday. Lawrence Livermore National Lab said the fire started near the lab’s Site 300 but was not related to controlled burns conducted there.

“LLNL recently completed a series of controlled burns to eliminate dangerous dry grass areas and provide buffer zones around Site 300 buildings,” said Michael Padilla, deputy director of public and media relations. “There are no current threats to any Laboratory facilities and operations as the fire has moved away from the site. There was no on- or offsite contamination.”

Site 300 is a testing location at which researchers “formulate, fabricate, and test high-explosive assemblies to assess the performance of nonnuclear weapon prototypes and components.”

Cal Fire C-130s

Here’s more from Ryan Grothe:

Last week I was up in Sacramento attending the Aerial Firefighting Conference, and I took a tour of Cal Fire aviation headquarters at McClellan Airtanker Base. The main topic of discussion was the C-130 tankers, and here is an update.

According to Cal Fire officials, One of the C-130s should be ready to go sometime this year, and the first one will be based at McClellan. The other six C-130s will be tanked soon. Fresno and Ramona have been confirmed for C-130s.

Cal Fire’s new C-130s at McClellan — photo ©2024 Ryan Grothe

Cal Fire C-130s — Cal Fire’s new C-130s at McClellan — photo ©2024 Ryan Grothe

And here’s a note Bill Gabbert wrote two years ago:

C-130s Bill Gabbert — AND the editorial Gabbert wrote a year before that: Congress should hold hearing on C-130s

C-130 CAL FIRE McClellan Sacramento

Aerial Firefighting Conference at McClellan

We weren’t able to attend the Aerial Firefighting Conference at Sacramento last week, but Ryan Grothe was there, and he sent us some notes and photos.

Coulson Aviation president Britt Coulson spoke at the event; he said this summer Coulson plans to take delivery of a 737-700 series aircraft from Southwest Airlines.

The 737 will have multiple cabin configurations, including head of state, business class, and standard seating. Leveraging off the already successful 737-300 platform, the prototype 737-700 will begin its modification this summer with an expected certification date by the end of 2025.

This will be the first 5000-gallon Large Air Tanker ( LAT ) to enter service. It will be equipped with the RADS-XXL tanking system.

The RADS – XXL systems have also been selected for the tanking of the CAL FIRE C-130s. Coulson has also added more C-130s to its fleet, along with two Citation 500 aircraft for intel and lead operations and a Bombardier Challenger.

The California National Guard operates aerial firefighting helicopters that can be activated from 5 bases:

- - Los Alamitos: UH-60 Black Hawks
  - Fresno: CH-47 Chinooks / UH-60M Black Hawks.
  - Stockton: Uh-60M Black Hawks / UH72A Lakotas
  - Mather: UH-60M Black Hawks
  - Moffett: HH-60G Pave Hawks

~ Ryan Grothe

CAL FIRE McClellan Sacramento

CAL FIRE C-130s update

CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit

With the transfer of ownership of the seven C-130H aircraft complete, installation of the 4000-gallon internal tanks has begun. The C-130s at McClellan will be used for initial attack delivery of retardant and the airtankers will provide additional support to the state’s existing fleet. The strategy during the transfer process has been long and challenging, but progress is underway!

After an exhausting wait, Cal Fire back in December worked with Congress to move seven military transport planes from the Coast Guard after Congress passed legislation to speed up the transfer. In a move by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Senator John Boozman (R-AR), and Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41), the final version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act included an effort that recognized the work of Governor Newsom and Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler, who pushed the effort over the finish line.

High fives Cal Fire!

C-130 CAL FIRE

SoCal fire evacuates thousands

A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds raced across rural land southeast of Los Angeles and has forced 4,000 people from their homes. The Highland Fire started not long after noon Monday in dry brushy hills near the community of Aguanga in Riverside County, about 60 miles south of Palm Springs. The Associated Press reported today that the fire has grown to 3½ square miles, or 2200 acres with zero containment.

Cal Fire reported that resources included 5 airtankers and 5 helicopters, along with 52 engine companies and 6 ground crews.

NBC Los Angeles reported that evacuation orders are in effect for thousands after the fire doubled in size overnight.

The brush fire started Monday in the Aguanga area of Riverside County, about 60 miles southwest of Palm Springs.

Cal Fire PIO map:

Cal Fire evacuation maps, Highland Fire. The fire doubled in size to more than 2,200 acres by Tuesday morning. Thousands of people were under evacuation orders, which were updated early Tuesday.

KTLA5 has video from yesterday:

At least 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were under evacuation orders, which were still in effect this morning. The fire burned across a sparsely populated area that includes horse ranches and a large mobile home site; Cal Fire said this morning that only 15 or so homes were threatened.

Southern California Edison was reportedly looking into cutting power to nearly 150,000 customers in six counties — to prevent new starts from downed trees or wind-damaged electrical equipment — but fewer than 300 customers thus far were affected by power shutoffs.

The NWS issued a wind advisory for the region through Tuesday night, predicting winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph, particularly in the foothills and adjacent valleys.

These are the first major Santa Anas of the season; the strong, hot, dry, dust-bearing winds typically blow down to the coastal areas from inland desert regions in the fall. Santa Ana winds have fueled some of the largest and most devastating wildfires in California history.

* EVACUATION UPDATE *
An updated evacuation map from Cal Fire is [HERE].

CAL FIRE Highland Santa Ana

All in the family

Two generations of firefighters from one family is not terribly unusual, and three generations is not unheard of, but there aren’t too many three-generation successions who are all pilots. The Venables in California are one of those successions.

Mike Venable has flown fires for the past 43 years, and he is in the third generation of Venables to fly the same aircraft — Cal Fire’s Tanker 73.

“My grandfather flew tanker 73. My dad flew a tanker 73, and I’m now flying a number seven three,” he told FOX Weather‘s Max Gorden. Thousands of calls come in to Cal Fire every year, and officials like to say they keep 95 percent of the fires to 10 acres or fewer. Their 60 aircraft at 14 air bases and 10 helicopter attack bases across the state ensure that any fire is no longer than 20 minutes away. California is home to the largest firefighting aircraft fleet in the world.

Venable and other pilots can be en route to a fire in just minutes.

“It is kind of like a pit crew, getting them in and out of here as fast as we can to get back to the incident,” said Brian Risen, manager at Hemet-Ryan. The base keeps up to 58,000 gallons of retardant at the ready.

Another asset for Cal Fire is its air attack planes, the OV-10 Broncos; in 1993 the state began acquiring them to replace the Cessna O-2A Skymasters in previous service.

Cal Fire ground crews fight fire from below while the pilots provide support from above. “We’ll try to somehow get down in the canyons and around them,” says Venable, “sometimes the houses and the pools or people on the ground – and try to facilitate exactly what his wishes are to get the retardant where he wants it.”

Like most pilots and most firefighters, though, Venable doesn’t see himself as the hero he’s sometimes tagged as. “I come to work every day, and I climb in this beautiful airplane that the taxpayers of this great state provided us, and I go out and I have a great time,” he says.

CAL FIRE T-73 venable

Cal Fire ready for its highest-risk time of the year

As many fire crews across North America are ending their official wildfire seasons, Cal Fire is now gearing up for its most at-risk time of the year.

Seven of California’s top 20 most destructive wildfires (“most destructive” meaning fires that resulted in the most structures destroyed or lives lost), over the years have occurred in the month of October. The top three on the list after the November 2018 Camp Fire, all burned in October, including the 2017 Tubbs Fire, the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm (with the Tunnel Fire), and the 2003 Cedar Fire.

Plus of course the October 2006 Esperanza Fire.

On the morning of October 20, 1991, towering clouds of black smoke blocked out the sun as “diablo winds” whipped flames hot enough to melt gold throughout the hills above Oakland and Berkeley. — On the morning of October 20, 1991, fearsome Diablo winds whipped flames hot enough to melt gold across the hills above Oakland and Berkeley.

Cooling temperatures and incoming moisture often provide relief to much of the country during early autumn, but conditions in especially dry parts of California can blow up wildfire risk in the state thanks to a combination of summer’s dry vegetation and fall’s fierce winds.

“It is a common misconception that the most dangerous time for fires in California is during July and August,” according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association website. “While there may be fewer fires in September and October, the fires that do occur are far more destructive and burn through many more acres.”

October 2006, en route to the Esperanza, photo by Laguna IHC. — October 2006, en route to the Esperanza Fire, photo by Laguna IHC.

This explosive wildfire situation is caused mainly by a combination of dry vegetation from hot summer weather and the intense dry winds that blow over California fires in the fall.

Known as the Santa Ana winds in southern California and the Diablo winds in northern California, they’re characterized by downslope gusts blowing from the mountains toward the coast. Despite their different names, the winds are caused by similar autumn weather patterns, differing mostly by their locations — the Santa Anas in the south blow down from the Santa Ana Mountains, while the Diablos in northern California blow from the Diablo Range.

Oakland Hills 1991 — 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm. View of the fires above the Claremont Hotel on October 20, 1991. Oakland local wiki pages.

And while these autumn winds now build in the state, some areas are still benefiting from the record-breaking wet winter across the Southwest at the beginning of 2023. Crews in the Santa Cruz area reportedly had to start their season late since the ground was too wet to conduct planned prescribed burns.

“Because it was so moist, my burn crews were not available until early July,” Sarah Collamer, forester and Cal Fire burn boss, told KSBW. “We usually burn in June, but it was too wet.”

As we head into October, we’ll see who wins in the perennial battle between seasonal dry winds and the unseasonal wet ground.

autumn CAL FIRE Diablo winds October fires Santa Anas

Cal Fire warns about drones near wildfires

CAL FIRE Issues Urgent Warning Regarding Incursions of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The state fire agency has issued an urgent warning regarding the incursion of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into firefighting airspace. These incursions have raised serious concerns and led to the suspension of critical aerial
firefighting operations on a half-dozen incidents so far this year.

Cal Fire drone incidents this year — Cal Fire incursions by the year

The FAA regularly establishes Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around wildfire areas to protect the safety of pilots and other aircraft crews working in firefighting operations. All aircraft, including drones, are explicitly prohibited from entering these restricted areas unless they are operated by an agency directly involved in the wildfire suppression efforts. Even when a TFR is not in effect, drone pilots are warned to avoid flying near wildfires — it is considered a crime to interfere with firefighting operations.

“The danger of flying drones near wildfires cannot be overstated,” said Chief Jake Sjolund, Staff Chief Tactical Air Operations. “Such actions jeopardize lives and have immediate consequences for firefighting agencies’ response efforts.”

When drones are detected near wildfires, fire response agencies will ground their own firefighting aircraft to mitigate the risk of a collision. This delay in airborne response on a fire threatens the safety of firefighters on the ground, residents, and properties in nearby communities.

Anyone who operates a drone without authorization near a wildfire can be found in violation of federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances — regardless of whether a TFR is in place. Anyone who interferes with wildfire suppression efforts with a drone can face severe consequences, including civil penalties of up to $20,000 and even criminal prosecution.

2022 UAS Incursions — 2022 national UAS Incursions — NIFC

NIFC drone incursions 2018 — note the NIFC page is no longer at that URL.

CAL FIRE drone NIFC UAS

NTSB releases initial report on Cabazon mid-air

A midair collision in Cabazon, California in August involving two on-duty contracted Cal Fire helicopters, one of which crashed and killed the three men on board, was the result of one aircraft colliding with the other in mountainous terrain, with the pilots apparently not aware of where they were in relation to each other.

According to City News Service, the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday released its preliminary report on the August 6 crash that destroyed a Cal Fire Bell 407 helicopter en route to a fire just south of Interstate 10 in the area of Apache Trail and Pipeline Road.

Cal Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, 46, of Menifee, Cal Fire Capt. Timothy D. Rodriguez Jr., 44, of San Jacinto and contract pilot Tony Sousa, 55, of Red Bluff were killed in the accident.

Aviation International News reported that the Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane was descending when the collision occurred. The Bell 407 — a derivative of a LongRanger — was flying in an observer-coordinator role. The two aboard the Siller heavy helicopter were uninjured; they were able to land the Sikorsky and walk away.

Both aircraft were under contract to Cal Fire and were part of the late afternoon initial attack response to the Broadway Fire west of Palm Springs. “The Sikorsky landed nearby without further incident,” reads the report. “The right main landing gear tire was damaged, with an approximate 12-inch portion not located.” (It’s likely that a foot-long piece of the snorkel was missing, not the landing gear.)

Both aircraft had taken off from nearby Hemet, 11 miles southwest of the fire, with the 407 airborne approximately three minutes ahead of the S-64. The two helicopters flew different routes around mountainous terrain toward the fire, and ADS-B data showed both helicopters on a converging flight path until the time of collision west of the fire.

The report said a piece of delaminated main rotor blade marked the beginning of the 407’s debris path, which was about 950 by 550 feet, and that the main rotor blades, mast, and transmission came to rest around 285 feet northwest of the main wreckage, upslope from the initial impact point.

Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of all involved, including the Sikorsky crew.

Cabazon CAL FIRE helicopter collision

Mid-air collision on SoCal fire kills three

A Cal Fire observation helicopter crashed east of Los Angeles on Sunday evening after a midair collision with another firefighting helicopter, killing three crew members aboard. The Bell 407 collided with a Sikorsky S-64E, which was also working the fire, and the crash killed the two Cal Fire employees and their contract pilot on board the Bell. The Siller heavy helicopter experienced a hard landing but its crew of two parked the aircraft and walked away.

Those lost in the crash were a Cal Fire division chief, a Cal Fire captain, and a contract pilot. The Press-Enterprise reported that Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher and other fire personnel at a midnight news conference wore black tape over their badges.

UPDATE: CALFIRE says Assistant Chief Josh Bischof and Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez were killed in the crash, along with the Bell helicopter contract pilot Tony Sousa.

After the crash, emergency personnel were dispatched to the site near the unincorporated community of Cabazon around 7:20 p.m., according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The crash occurred south of the 10 Freeway east of Banning, California, on tribal land south of the Morongo Casino.

A CBS News report said the Bell 407 (a derivative of a LongRanger) was flying in an observer-coordinator role when it collided with the Sikorsky Skycrane while battling the brush fire. Fixed-wing aircraft were also fighting the fire, with a total of six aircraft on the fire Sunday evening an hour or two before sunset. “This area has a lot of the light, flashy fuels that are becoming very prevalent with this fire season,” said Cal Fire Public Information Officer Rob Roseen. “Where we have a lot of these annual grasses and brush, they’re getting five, six feet tall.”

The fire, which reportedly started in a structure about 6 p.m., had spread to nearby brush, Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher in a news conference, and had grown to about 20 acres. He said that Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser had met with two family members. “We just want to let them know that we are there for them,” he added.

Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire crews were working on the fire near Broadway and Esperanza avenues; skies were mostly clear early Sunday evening, with winds ranging from 9 to 14 mph and gusts of 17 to 25 mph.

Our heartfelt condolences to families and friends of those lost, and also to the crew aboard the Sikorsky.

Cabazon CAL FIRE lodd

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