News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized14 Comments on Map of active fires in Colorado, June 21, 2013 
On the map above showing the active wildfires in Colorado, the green dots represent fires that are not being fully suppressed, while the red dots are fires that ARE being fully suppressed. The base map, with the dots, was provided by the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center; we added the fire names and acres.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized8 Comments on Lime Gulch Fire causing evacuations southwest of Denver The Lime Gulch Fire, formerly called Chair Rock, is causing evacuations south of Denver.
(UPDATE at 11:30 a.m. MDT, June 20, 2013)
On Wednesday the Lime Gulch Fire near Foxton, Colorado grew quickly, throwing out spot fires causing firefighters to have to withdraw for their own safety. Today the size is estimated at 500 acres with no containment.
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(The name of this fire was changed from Chair Rock to Lime Gulch.)
(UPDATE at 6:45 p.m. MDT, June 19, 2013)
A tweet from the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center:
NEW: Lime Gulch (CO-PSF) 8 miles south of Conifer, CO. (39.25 30N 105.13 48W). RMA IMT2 Team B (Dallas) has been assigned.
— Predictive Services (@RMACCNewsNotes) June 20, 2013
Dan Dallas’ IMTeam will assume command at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Radio traffic from the online scanner at about 4 p.m. said the fire is 150 acres and they will transition to a local Type 3 Incident Management Team tonight.
A military C-130 MAFFS air tanker was over the fire at 3:40 p.m. A Single Engine Air Tanker may have dropped on the fire earlier. A helicopter is also dropping water on the fire.
Jefferson County Sheriffs’ office has posted evacuation information HERE.
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Colorado has another fire that is causing evacuations. The Lime Gulch fire is 7 miles southeast of Conifer and 13 miles southwest of Columbine in the southern part of Jefferson County.
The map of the Lime Gulch fire above shows heat detected by a satellite at 1:49 p.m. MDT, June 19, 2013. The locations of the red squares can be as much as a mile in error.
Just before 2 p.m. the Sheriff ordered immediate evacuations for a 3-mile radius around the intersection of Foxton and Platte River roads. Calls went out to 401 phones in the area.
At least one helicopter is on scene dropping water, and other aircraft have been ordered.
SKY9 was streaming live video of the fire at 3:06 p.m. Wednesday, but that could end any time.
(UPDATE at 2:20 p.m. MDT, June 19, 2013)
The map of the Doce Fire above shows the perimeter (in red) at 11 p.m. MDT Tuesday night.
More information is at Facebook and the very unreliable InciWeb.
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(UPDATE at 9:15 a.m. MDT, June 19, 2013)
The Arizona Emergency Information Network (AZEIN) reports that the Doce Fire has burned 7,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
Below is evacuation information from the AZEIN. For the most current evacuation information, check their site.
Evacuated: Granite Basin Homes, Sundown Acres, Old Stage Acres, south half of Mint Creek, and American Ranch.
On notice for potential evacuation: neighborhoods in Williamson Valley
(There is an evacuation center at Yavapai College. Livestock should be taken to the Prescott Rodeo Grounds)
The AZEIN reported at 7:38 a.m. Wednesday:
The fire was active overnight on the northeast corner by the Williamson Valley Corridor and on the southwest corner by Granite Mountain Wilderness. No structures have been lost and no injuries have occurred.
(UPDATE at 9:35 a.m. MT, June 14, 2013)
All evacuations were lifted and Highway 50 reopened last night at 8 p.m. Cooler temperatures, along with higher relative humidity and light winds kept fire activity on Thursday to a minimum. The fire listed at 3,162 acres and 40 percent containment.
Predicted weather for the next several days calls for continued cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity. On Friday, fire crews will continue to construct, secure and mop up containment lines around the fire perimeter.
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(UPDATE at 5:58 p.m. MT, June 13, 2013)
Below is an update from the Royal Gorge Fire’s Incident Management Team:
Yesterday the fire was active along the western flank. Fire managers felt that good progress was made along the eastern flank, and as a result the fire is now estimated to be 20 percent contained. Areas of the fire are burning in fuels that are 20 to 30 percent beetle-killed trees.
Our goal is to strengthen our containment lines and to keep this fire south of Highway 50, said Dan Dallas, Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 2 Incident Commander.
Fire fighters will continue constructing line along the fires perimeter, and continue structure protection south of U.S. HWY 50. Approximately 136 people are on the fire with more resources scheduled to arrive throughout the day.
Below are some notes from a 4 p.m. briefing today about the privately-owned park at the Gorge:
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(UPDATE at 8:50 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
During a press briefing that just concluded, the following information was given:
A larger version of the map below can be found HERE.
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(UPDATE at 4:27 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
KKTV, the Colorado Springs station that is providing excellent live stream coverage of the fires, just reported that the Royal Gorge Fire has burned 20 structures and 3,000 acres, and it is 20 percent contained.
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(UPDATE at 2:12 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
As we reported yesterday, the two Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) C-130 air tankers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs have been activated for this surge in wildfire occurrence and were seen in the air near the Black Forest Fire an hour or two ago. More information about the MAFFS activation and how they were used in Colorado in 2012 is at Fire Aviation.
Below is a map of the Royal Gorge Fire provided by the National Weather Service, which credits the National Interagency Fire Center for the data.
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(Originally published at 8:41 a.m. MT, June 12, 2013; updated at 11:18 a.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
Strong winds pushed the Royal Gorge Fire through an estimated 3,800 acres near Canon City, southwest of Colorado Springs Tuesday. The fire started south of the Arkansas River and spotted across, burning on BLM, state, and private lands requiring mandatory evacuations in the area. Denver’s ABC7 has created a map showing the evacuation zone for the Royal Gorge Fire.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized23 Comments on Black Forest Fire, Colorado Springs (UPDATE at 9:25 a.m. MT, June 18, 2013)
The video below was shot by KKTV chief photojournalist Mike Petkash. It was posted Tuesday morning, June 18.
An update from the El Paso County Sheriff’s office lists 502 primary residences that were destroyed in the Black Forest Fire and another 18 with partial damage.
American Red Cross Disaster Assistance Teams are doing assessments within the fire perimeter. Utility crews continue assessing and securing service to residences for future re-entry. Excess resources are being released as incident objectives are being met. Firefighters continue to mop up and secure around structures to prevent further loss.
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(UPDATE at 11:47 a.m. MT, June 17, 2013)
A tweet from KKTV in Colorado Springs:
PLEASE SHARE: Waldo Canyon Fire survivors are holding a picnic for Black Forest Fire evacuees today from noon to 2 at Woodstone Park.
— KKTV 11 News (@kktv11news) June 17, 2013
That is the first time I have heard of this happening — survivors from a massive, very destructive wildfire less than a year before hold a picnic for survivors of another even more destructive wildfire that occurred just a few miles away.
Thunderstorms on Sunday brought 0.11 inches of precipitation to the Black Forest Fire area, which aided firefighters in their mop up efforts. The storm also produced lightning that ignited three new fires in the burn area which were quickly suppressed by firefighters, according to Incident Commander Rich Harvey.
The size of the fire has been more accurately determined to be 14,280 acres; on Saturday it had been listed at 15,500 acres. The cost of fire suppression is estimated at $5.5 million and 4,100 people are still under mandatory evacuation orders. The Denver Post has a map showing evacuation areas and the locations of structures that have burned.
Firefighters are placing flagging at residences, and writing on it the the date, time, and the name of the crew that checked and mopped up the area.
Incident Commander Rich Harvey told CNN on Sunday, June 16:
The perimeter work is done, now we’re focused on coming interior and making sure that all the heat that could eventually create sparks that could get over our line are done — we call it mop up.
At an 11:15 a.m. MT briefing on Monday, IC Harvey said the fire is 75 percent contained. (More information about “containment”.)
A Monday morning news release from the IMTeam detailed some of their plans for the day:
A continuing threat exists to structures within the fire perimeter due to the potential for extreme fire behavior from gusty winds from developing thunderstorms. The potential for re-burn from remaining hot spots within the ground fuels remains a concern. Firefighters will continue to grid the fire area for hotspots, especially around structures.
A media tour scheduled for Monday morning during which members of the press were going to be transported around the fire in a bus was postponed and no new date was established.
Continue reading “Black Forest Fire, Colorado Springs”
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized5 Comments on Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park (UPDATE at 10:15 a.m. PT, June 16, 2013)
The Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park has grown to either 496 or 603 acres; both numbers are listed on the fire’s main InciWeb page. Some of the acreage is a result of burn outs conducted by firefighters to take advantage of natural barriers such as an avalanche chute. The Incident Commander lists the fire at 60 percent contained. Uploaded maps can be found on InciWeb.
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(UPDATE at 9:40 a.m. MT, June 14, 2013)
Fire activity Thursday was largely limited to an area on the eastern flank of the fire on south facing slopes. Hand crews constructed and strengthened fire lines along the northwest flank of the fire. Crews working along Tonahutu Creek continued efforts to install hose lays to strengthen containment along the southern flank of the fire.
Today firefighting resources will include an initial attack module of seven fire-fighters, two 20-person Type 1 hotshot crews, two 20-person Type 2 hand crews, and five fire engines.
After an infrared mapping flight, the size of the fire was determined to be 333 acres, a reduction due to more accurate information. The fire is listed at 30 percent containment.
(UPDATE at 6 p.m. MT, June 13, 2013)
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(UPDATE at 8:46 a.m. MT, June 13, 2013)
A shortage of wildland firefighters is impacting the suppression of the Big Meadows fire. Fire managers said there are not enough Type 1 hand crews available for them to obtain the resources they need. The 19 percent reduction in the number of federal wildland firefighters over the last two years may have contributed to this situation that makes it more difficult to put out fires.
Below is an excerpt from an update issued by fire managers:
There are 107 firefighters currently on the Big Meadows Fire plus the Type 2 team who will be taking over command of the fire from the Boise Smokejumper Type 3 team tomorrow. Air resources include one Type 1 helicopter, one Type 2 helicopter and two Type 3 helicopters. Many firefighters will be camping out near the fire tonight to get an early morning start to continue with fire suppression tactics.
A challenge continues to be filling additional Type 1 crews. Due to other fires in Colorado, as well as in other states that are impacting communities and homes, resources are being spread across the nation.
The fire managers are calling the fire 600 acres with zero containment.
The area is under a Red Flag Warning until 9 p.m. today for 10-20 mph winds gusting up to 30 mph, relative humidity as low as 14 percent, and thunderstorms with little if any rain, possibly producing more fires.
The Rocky Mountain Type 2 Incident Management Team A was scheduled to assume command of the fire at 6 a.m. today. Their Incident Command Post is the Granby High School.
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(UPDATE at 6:12 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
The Rocky Mountain Geographic Area reports the Big Meadow Fire has now burned 600 acres. It is making upslope runs and is spotting out ahead of the main fire.
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(UPDATE at 2:52 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
The above map contains new data on the location of the Big Meadow Fire. It shows the approximate location of heat detected by a satellite which was collected at 1:43 p.m. MT today. The locations of the squares can be as much as a mile in error. The data indicates that the fire moved a bit toward the southeast.
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(UPDATE at 2:14 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
As we reported yesterday, the two Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) C-130 air tankers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs have been activated for this surge in wildfire occurrence and were seen in the air near the Black Forest Fire an hour or two ago. More information about the MAFFS activation and how they were used in Colorado in 2012 is at Fire Aviation.
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(Originally published at 7:52 a.m. MT, June 12, 2013; updated at 12:13 p.m. MT, June 12, 2013)
The Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park started from a lightning strike on Monday. Tuesday it grew from two acres to 400 by the end of the day. Wednesday around noon the Park updated the number of acres burned to 500.
The fire is about 4 miles from the Green Mountain Trailhead in a relatively remote section of Rocky Mountain National Park west of the Continental Divide. Around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday firefighters experienced extremely gusty winds that both deterred deploying smokejumpers and increased the fire’s growth. No structures or communities are threatened.
The map of the Big Meadows Fire above shows the fire to be west of the Continental Divide and 13 miles from Estes Park. The Park posted a zoomed-in topographic map of the fire perimeter Wednesday morning.
The fire is burning in heavy timber and moving to the northeast toward Nakai Peak. No structures or communities are threatened.
A Boise Smokejumper Type 3 Incident Management Team has taken over management of the fire, with Incident Commander Matt Bowers. The Park apparently likes having smokejumpers from Boise manage their fires, as evidenced by this fire and the Fern Lake fire of 2012.
The Rocky Mountain Type 2 Incident Management Team A has been dispatched and is expected to inbrief Wednesday morning and transition Thursday morning.
Fire managers have ordered additional air and ground resources including three additional helicopters and five additional Type 1 crews. The weather forecast is for more warm, dry and windy conditions Wednesday and the fire is expected to be active.
The Park’s Tuesday morning press release said the National Park Service reluctantly decided to suppress the fire, rather than let it burn, citing extended drought conditions and reduced interagency resources, which influenced the decision, they said. Then a few hours later, it was off to the races — and it could be a long race unless there is a major change in the weather very soon.
The map below shows the location of the three large fires burning in Colorado.
Continue reading “Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park”
