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Wildfire Today

Tag: California

South Lake Tahoe under evacuation order due to Caldor Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 21 Comments on South Lake Tahoe under evacuation order due to Caldor Fire

Monday afternoon the fire was less than a mile west of Highway 89

7:41 p.m. PDT Aug. 30, 2021

Caldor Fire map, northeast side at 4 p.m. PDT Aug. 30, 2021
Caldor Fire map, northeast side at 4 p.m. PDT Aug. 30, 2021.

The northeast and east sides of the Caldor Fire were very active again Monday. The northeast side has reached Lower Echo Lake, the community of Echo Lake, and Echo Summit. Where Highway 50 makes a 180-degree turn at the Summit it had crossed the highway twice when it was mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 4 p.m., including two spot fires east of Echo Lake. At that time the fire was spreading south and east of the Sierra-At-Tahoe resort and also west of Nebelhorn. It was less than a mile west of Highway 89.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldor Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

The southeast side crossed Highway 88 north of Kit Carson and west of Kirkwood. There were numerous spot fires west of Tragedy Spring.

Caldor Fire 2:21 p.m. Aug. 30, 2021
Caldor Fire as seen from Armstrong Lookoout, peering northeast at 2:21 p.m. Aug. 30, 2021. AlertWildfire.

The following is part of a description of Monday’s activities from the Incident Management Team Monday afternoon:

Fire behavior increased in the northeast and eastern divisions early in the morning due to the expected southwest flow returning and poor overnight humidity recovery. The current RED FLAG WARNING has been extended to 9/1/21 ending at 23:00. Wind speeds continue to accelerate through the steep drainages resulting in gusty and erratic winds. Spotting distances have been between 0.75 and 1 mile with the Probability of Ignition at 90%. Active crown fire runs were observed in multiple divisions with rates of spread above 165 ft/min.

South Lake Tahoe is now under a mandatory evacuation order.

Caldor Fire evacuation zones
Caldor Fire evacuation zones. Obtained at 6:48 p.m. Aug 30, 2021.

A detailed zoomable map showing the areas under evacuation orders is available.

10:015a.m. PDT August 30, 2021

Caldor Fire 3-D map
Caldor Fire 3-D map looking north. The yellow areas had intense heat when mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 10:36 p.m. PDT Aug. 29, 2021.

The Caldor Fire southeast of Lake Tahoe ran to the east and northeast Sunday spreading along the Highway 50 corridor for five miles past Sierra-At-Tahoe, and Phillips. Spot fires were occurring up to a half mile ahead of the fire south of Echo Lake and Nebelhorn.

Additional evacuations were ordered. South Lake Tahoe is in evacuation warning status, meaning be prepared to immediately leave if ordered. Several areas were placed under mandatory evacuation including Meyers.

Caldor Fire map
Caldor Fire map, east side. The yellow areas had intense heat when mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 10:36 p.m. PDT Aug. 29, 2021. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 3:19 a.m. Aug. 30, 2021.

KCRA reported that the South Lake Tahoe police confirmed that Barton Memorial Hospital is being evacuated.

Continue reading “South Lake Tahoe under evacuation order due to Caldor Fire”

Firefighters on Caldor Fire work to protect Strawberry

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 3 Comments on Firefighters on Caldor Fire work to protect Strawberry

Sunday the fire ran five miles to the east along Highway 50

10:40 p.m. PDT August 29, 2021

Caldor Fire map 8 p.m. PDT Aug. 29, 2021
Caldor Fire 3-D map looking north 8 p.m. Aug. 29, 2021. The yellow area was most recently burned.

The northeast side of the Caldor Fire was extremely active Monday. With the topography of the Highway 50 corridor aligned with the wind direction the fire ran for about five miles to the east-northeast past the community of Strawberry according to data from an 8 p.m. fixed wing mapping flight. It burned on both sides of Highway 50 and through the Sierra-At-Tahoe Resort. At that time it had come to within a quarter mile of Echo Lake and was about two miles southwest of the southern junction of Highways 50 and 89 near Meyers. The fire was 7 miles south of Lake Tahoe.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldor Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

The fire behavior increase Monday morning on the northeast and eastern sides was due to the southwest flow returning and poor overnight humidity recovery. Wind speeds accelerated through the steep drainages resulting in gusty and erratic winds. Spot fires occurred between .75 and 1 mile in front of the main fire. Active crown fire runs were observed in multiple areas that were in alignment with the up-canyon southwest flow.

A map showing the areas under evacuation orders is available.

The Red Flag Warning on Monday will still be in effect Tuesday with dry, windy weather.

Caldor Fire map 3-D looking north 8 p.m. Aug 29, 2021
Caldor Fire, map of the northeast side at 8 p.m. Aug. 29, 2021. The yellow area was the most recently burned.
Caldor Fire map
Caldor Fire map at 8 p.m. Aug 29, 2021. The yellow area was the most recently burned.

6:28 p.m. PDT August 29, 2021

Caldor Fire map 930 a.m. PDT Aug 29, 2021
Caldor Fire map in 3-D, looking northeast. The data is from a mapping flight at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 29. The yellow areas were most recently burned.

Continue reading “Firefighters on Caldor Fire work to protect Strawberry”

Chaparral Fire grows rapidly in Northern San Diego County

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 5 Comments on Chaparral Fire grows rapidly in Northern San Diego County

4:45 a.m. PDT Aug. 29, 2021

Chaparral Fire map
Chaparral Fire mapped by fixed wing aircraft at 11 p.m. PDT Aug 28, 2021.

The Chaparral Fire in northern San Diego County was active Saturday night. A mapping flight at 11 p.m. determined it had burned about 1,380 acres and had spread slightly into Riverside County. (See map above.) At that time it was less than a half mile west of Tenaja Road and had reached the end of Calle de Dietel.

The photo below shows active fire at 4:10 a.m. Sunday.

Chaparral Fire 410 a.m. Aug 29, 2021
Chaparral Fire as seen from the Upper Talega South camera, looking east-southeast at 4:10 a.m. Aug 29, 2021. AlertWildfire.

Firefighters expect the fire to spread to the north on Sunday. The weather forecast for the fire area is sunny, with a high near 95. Light and variable winds will become south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon gusting as high as 20 mph. The relative humidity will rise from the mid-20s in the morning to the mid-30s in the afternoon.

The video below has incredible footage of the fire. It shows an impressive fire whirl, but it is not a “firenado”. Fire tornados are a real phenomenon. They begin to dominate the large scale fire dynamics and lead to extreme hazard and control problems. In size, they average 100 to 1,000 feet in diameter and have rotational velocities up to 90 MPH. They tend to persist for more than a few seconds or minutes.

Keep in mind that the detailed evacuation information in the video may have changed since it was edited and posted August 28, 2021.

An official map is available showing the evacuation areas.

The 17-second video below conveys an idea of the intensity of the Chaparral Fire Saturday afternoon.

6:42 p.m. PDT August 28, 2021

Chaparral Fire map
Chaparral Fire map. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:27 p.m. PDT August 28, 2021. The green lines are the county boundaries; the yellow line is the National Forest boundary.

The Chaparral Fire grew very quickly after it started at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in northern San Diego County in Southern California. By 5:30 it was mapped at 1,200 acres.

The fire is near Cold Springs Road and Tenaja Road in the community of La Cresta. It is just north of Camp Pendleton, 10 miles west of Temecula, and 12 miles east of San Clemente.

Many structures are threatened and mandatory evacuations are in place. A map is available showing the evacuation areas.

Chaparral Fire
Chaparral Fire as seen from the San Clemente South camera, looking east at 2:57 p.m. PDT Aug 28, 2021. AlertWildfire.

Firefighters on the ground initially had difficulty in gaining direct access in the remote area of the Cleveland National Forest. In the early hours it was completely in San Diego County, but was spreading toward Riverside County which was not far away to the east

Early on, eight air tankers were assigned, including two DC-10 Very Large Air Tankers. Later a third DC-10 was dispatched. That was a large aviation commitment considering the fires ongoing in Northern California. The Air Attack over the fire requested a “no divert” for some of the VLATs and other large air tankers due to life and property that were in danger. If approved, that would prevent the dispatcher from pulling them off the fire to respond to another fire.

At 4 p.m. the humidity began increasing at the Case Springs weather station west of the fire, from 22 percent at 3:22 p.m. to 50 percent at 6:22, and the smoke column started to diminish. Haze or low clouds at times obscured the view from the San Clemente South camera. This type of weather change can slow the spread of a wildfire.

We will update this article as more information becomes available.

200 active-duty soldiers activated to fight wildfires in California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 13 Comments on 200 active-duty soldiers activated to fight wildfires in California

Their fire training will begin August 30 near Tacoma, Washington

marines firefighters military
File photo. Robert Baird, Regional Director of Fire and Aviation management in the Pacific Southwest Region of the USFS addresses some of the Marines and Sailors from the 7th Engineer Support Battalion from Camp Pendleton, CA during a welcoming ceremony for Marines at the Creek Fire Incident Command Post on the Sierra National Forest, Saturday 19, 2020. USFS photo.

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, has requested a Department of Defense (DoD) activation of approximately 200 active-duty U.S. Army Soldiers to assist with wildfire suppression efforts. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) at NIFC requested the personnel along with command and support staff. After receiving training, the Soldiers will serve as hand crews, assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in Northern California. Two similar requests were granted last year to support the August Complex and Creek wildfires in California.

The Soldiers will be trained over the next week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) near Tacoma, Washington and on the fireline to provide support in early September in Northern California.

“The United States has been experiencing above-normal fire activity throughout multiple geographic areas, which will likely continue into the fall. These conditions are creating competition for all types of wildland fire resources,” said Josh Simmons, NMAC Chair.

Currently, 84 large fires have burned 2.5 million acres in 9 states. More than 26,000 wildland firefighters are currently assigned to fires across the United States. The country has been at Preparedness Level 5 – the highest level of wildfire preparedness – since July 14. Several geographic areas are experiencing large, complex wildland fire incidents, which have the potential to exhaust national wildland fire suppression resources.

The training at JBLM will consist of both a classroom portion and field training in the basics of wildland fire suppression and firefighter safety. The Soldiers will be outfitted with wildland fire personal protective equipment  and other gear. They will be trained by wildland fire agency personnel beginning Monday, August 30 and should conclude by Wednesday, September 3. While providing support, the Soldiers will be accompanied by experienced wildland fire strike team leaders and crew bosses from wildland fire management agencies.

This is the 40th time since 1987 that active-duty military personnel have been mobilized to serve as wildland firefighters. In addition to the U.S. Army activation, eight U.S. Air Force C-130s equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) are currently serving as airtankers, providing wildfire support across the West.

More evacuations ordered for Caldor Fire southwest of Lake Tahoe

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 6 Comments on More evacuations ordered for Caldor Fire southwest of Lake Tahoe

149,000 acres have burned

9:36 a.m. PDT August 28, 2021

Caldor Fire map 11 p.m. August 27, 2021
Caldor Fire, mapped by a fixed wing flight at 11 p.m. August 27, 2021. The areas shaded dark red had intense heat during the mapping flight.

The Caldor Fire on Friday spread less than in previous days, but still grew by about 6,000 acres to bring the size up to 149,000 acres.

There was incremental movement on northeast side, less than half a mile, but the area where it spread most was on the west side. Late in the afternoon a wind shift pushed flames about 1.5 miles southwest along Camp Creek south of Sly Park Road, forcing firefighters to withdraw from the area. This was southeast of Pleasant Valley and northwest of Somerset. An aggressive attack from the air with helicopters and very large air tankers commenced, but visibility degraded by smoke limited their use, often having to loiter in orbit waiting for the smoke to clear.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Caldor Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

Inversions Saturday night slowed the spread, but with the relative humidity remaining mostly below 35 percent the down canyon winds from the east kept the fire active with spot fires occurring in the Camp Creek area. But the wind direction made it easier for firefighters on the east side to conduct burning operations.

Caldor Fire map west side 11 p.m. August 27 2021
Map of the west side of the Caldor Fire, mapped by a fixed wing flight at 11 p.m. August 27, 2021. The green line was the perimeter 27 hours earlier.

7:37 a.m. PDT August 27, 2021

Caldor Fire 3-D map
Northeast side of the Caldor Fire in 3-D, looking northeast. Mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 8:11 p.m. PDT August 26, 2021.

Additional evacuations were ordered on the 143,000-acre Caldor Fire Thursday. The blaze was very active on the northeast side, and that continued into the night due to the humidity rising to only 22 to 28 percent. Short-range spotting produced numerous spot fires across control lines. The wind subsided after midnight and the spread of the fire slowed.

Firefighting aircraft were hampered Thursday with visibility degraded by smoke.

The growth was primarily to the northeast as the fire moves closer to the small communities along Highway 50. Unofficial distances from the fire were measured based on a mapping flight at 8:11 p.m. PDT August 26. This information should not be used for planning or making decisions about evacuation. Strawberry, 1.5 miles; the southern junction of Highways 50 and 89, 8 miles; Fallen Leaf Lake, 8 miles; Lake Tahoe shoreline, 11 miles.

For Friday firefighters expect the growth will continue in the northeastern areas but will be moderated by the arrival of light winds. Spot fires are likely to occur some distance from the fire’s edge and previously undetected sleepers caused by burning embers from earlier activity may emerge. In the evening the light winds will allow nighttime inversions to form.

Caldor Fire map
Caldor Fire, mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 8:11 p.m. PDT August 26, 2021.

The weather forecast for Friday at 6,000 feet is for 8 mph winds out of the northwest with humidity in the mid-teens and a high of 78 degrees. Saturday will be warmer with lower humidity and 8 mph hour winds out of the south and west.

The fire has destroyed 469 residences and 181 other structures; more than 18,000 are threatened. The El Dorado County Sheriff in collaboration with CAL FIRE has released a map displaying properties that have been inspected for any damage or that have been destroyed by the Caldor Fire.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for 33,723 residents as well as warnings that mandatory evacuations may occur for other areas in the future.  Evacuation notices are posted by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office. Below is a screenshot from the Sheriff’s website, obtained at 7:11 a.m. PDT August 27, 2021. Go to their site for current information.

Caldor Fire evacuation map
Caldor Fire evacuation map, obtained from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s website at 7:11 a.m. PDT Aug 27, 2021.

Resources assigned to the fire Thursday evening included 250 fire engines, 63 water tenders, 25 helicopters, 82 hand crews, and 71 dozers for a total of 3,204 personnel.

In the two weeks it has been burning, the average daily suppression cost of the Caldor Fire is $3.4 million; about $24 an acre. And it is far from being over.

The number of residences destroyed in Dixie Fire increases to 690

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags ,

139 commercial buildings have been destroyed

12:45 p.m. PDT August 26, 2021

Dixie Fire map
Dixie Fire map, northwest section. The fire was mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 8 p.m. Aug. 25, 2021. The red areas had extreme heat during the flight.

The Dixie Fire near Susanville, California has burned 747,091 acres and has run up fire suppression costs of more than $365 million. At last count 690 residences and 139 commercial buildings had been destroyed. A map is available showing which structures have been surveyed for damages.

There are two areas on the fire that had large concentrations of heat when the fire was mapped Wednesday night. One was the northeast section south of Highway 44, 6 miles southeast of Old Station. After burning much of the east side of Lassen Volcanic National Park the fire ran an additional three miles north. During the 8 p.m. mapping flight Wednesday night it was a mile south of Highway 44. The fire is still very active in the center of the park and outside its northeast corner.

Dixie Fire map
Dixie Fire map, southeast section. The fire was mapped by a fixed wing aircraft at 8 p.m. Aug. 25, 2021. The red areas had extreme heat during the flight.

The other very active area on the Dixie fire is east of Taylorsville and around the Genesee Valley. Wednesday night hotshot crews continued to work the fire down off Mt. Jura to the valley bottom to secure Taylorsville. No spots have occurred. On Thursday resources will focus on holding this line. Crews have been actively engaged in structure protection in the Genesee Valley near Ward Creek and Little Grizzly Creek as the Peel Ridge spot fire backed down into the valley. They will continue this work Thursday.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.)

The Dixie Fire burned into the footprint of the 2019 Walker Fire, spreading for approximately a quarter of a mile inside, along 10 miles of Walker’s western perimeter.

On Thursday firefighters will construct direct and indirect line to secure fire lines in the Westwood area, which they expect will require a heavy resource presence.

Temperatures Thursday are expected to increase while winds from the north and northwest decrease to six mph out of the west-southwest. The relative humidity will be in the low 20s with very little cloud cover.

Dixie Fire vicinity map
Dixie Fire vicinity map, 8 p.m. Aug. 25, 2021.