Above: Map of the Detwiler Fire. The blue line was the perimeter at 10 p.m. PDT July 18. The dots represent heat detected by a satellite, with the red ones being the most recent, from 1:30 p.m. PDT July 19, 2017.
(Originally published at 4:32 p.m. PDT July 19, 2017)
A satellite that overflew the Detwiler Fire at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday detected heat sources that, if accurate, indicate that in the previous 15 hours since the last fixed wing aircraft mapping flight, the fire spread significantly to the north toward Coulterville and to the south east of Catheys Valley. There was also expansion on the east side, but very little on the west.
The data from this satellite hundreds of miles overhead is not nearly as sensitive and accurate as a dedicated fixed wing mapping aircraft, so this information should be considered tentative until the next conventional mapping flight which will probably occur Wednesday night. The sensors only pick up large heat sources. If it does turn out to be accurate, we’re looking at more than 60,000 acres.
The growth toward the north is consistent with the satellite photograph taken Wednesday afternoon, which shows dense smoke being pushed north.
NASA satellite photograph taken Wednesday afternoon, July 19. The red dots represent heat. Click to enlarge.
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Detwiler Fire are tagged “Detwiler Fire” and can be found here, with the most recent at the top.)
Above: Map of the Detwiler Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 10 p.m. PDT July 18, and the white line was the perimeter 21 hours earlier.
(Originally published at 7:34 a.m. PDT July 19, 2017)
(UPDATED at 9:54 a.m. PDT July 19, 2017)
The Detwiler Fire continued to burn vigorously Tuesday evening. When it was mapped at 10 p.m. it had more than doubled, adding another 26,123 acres during the previous 21 hours to bring the total burned area up to 45,724 acres according to CAL FIRE. Satellite data acquired four hours later at 2 a.m. Wednesday showed the fire had still been spreading and may have added at least another 5,000 acres.
About 4,000 people are affected by evacuations, including the entire city of Mariposa. CAL FIRE and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office have more information about evacuations. Approximately 1,500 homes are threatened and 8 structures have been destroyed.
The Detwiler Fire has burned very close to Mariposa and is 23 miles northeast of Merced.
The fire has crossed Highways 49 and 140, which are now closed in the area of the fire.
Firefighters are worried about the power lines that supply electricity to Yosemite National Park which is 16 air miles east of the fire.
About 2,200 personnel are assigned or en route.
The Detwiler Fire, Tuesday afternoon. Photo provided by Robert D. Barnett, CAL FIRE Deputy Chief of Training & Safety, Northern Region C205. Used with permission.
The video below shows a drop from a DC-10 air tanker.
Above: Map of the Detwiler Fire. The yellow line was the perimeter at 1 a.m. PDT Tuesday July 18, 2017. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 1:48 p.m. PDT July 18. The satellite detections can’t be relied upon to be 100 percent accurate. The very intense smoke plume over the fire on Tuesday may have contained enough heat to trip the sensors on the satellite, giving the impression that the fire was larger than it actually was.
(UPDATED at 9:13 p.m. PDT July 18, 2017)
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Detwiler Fire are tagged “Detwiler Fire” and can be found here, with the most recent at the top.)
The Detwiler Fire continued to be very active Tuesday afternoon. CAL FIRE, the agency responsible for suppressing the blaze, estimated at 7 p.m. that the size had increased to about 25,000 acres, up from 19,601 at 1 a.m. on Tuesday. They reported that 8 structures have been destroyed, but did not specify if they were residences or outbuildings.
The CAL FIRE web site sometimes has information about evacuations.
The fire spread to the south Tuesday, pushed by a wind out of the north. Winds from the north are expected to continue through the night and into Wednesday morning at 6 to 9 mph, shifting to come out of the west in the afternoon. Wednesday’s temperature in the fire area will top out at 98 degrees, with the relative humidity hitting 14 percent in the afternoon.
The Detwiler Fire has been very, very active Tuesday afternoon, spreading very quickly and putting up a huge smoke plume. For a while at mid-afternoon at least one air tanker working the fire, a DC-10, was diverted to a new fire 6 miles southeast of Redding. During that time the KCRA live video did not show any air tankers on the Detwiler Fire, but after a while there were two DC-10s, an MD-87, a C-130, and at least one S2T working the fire again.
The camera operator for KCRA has no trouble finding action to film — air tankers dropping, massive flames, or a towering convection column.
Satellite photo of the Detwiler Fire, the afternoon of July 18, 2017. NASA.An Erickson Aero Tanker DC-7 dropping on the Detwiller Fire the afternoon of July 18, 2017. Screenshot from KCRA video.
The Detwiler Fire has grown explosively since it started less than 48 hours ago during the afternoon of July 16. At 1 a.m. PDT on July 18 it was mapped at 19,610 acres, an increase of 16,192 acres over the previous 24 hours.
The fire is 6 miles northwest of Mariposa.
The maps of the Detwiler Fire below were current at 1 a.m. PDT July 18, 2017.
3-D Map of the Detwiler Fire looking southeast, Data from 1 a.m. PDT July 18, 2017.
It is already causing evacuations in areas of Mariposa County, according to the Sheriff’s office. At 12:30 p.m. PDT Tuesday CAL FIRE revised their information about the fire to indicate that the city of Mariposa is being evacuated, but by 1:18 p.m. PDT the Sheriff’s Office had not stated it like that on their web site. However, the Sheriff’s site lists about 19 locations that ARE evacuated, without providing a map, so it can be a little difficult to get the entire picture.
Highway 49 is closed. Power lines that supply electricity to Yosemite National Park, which is 19 air miles to the east, could be impacted.
The time-lapse video below was filmed by Toney Gorham between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday July 16.
Map of the Detwiler Fire at 1 a.m. PDT July 18, 2017.Smoke from the Detwiler Fire as seen by a NASA satellite July 17, 2017.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to JW. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
