Wildfire Today

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Wildfire Today

Tag: Nebraska

Bill introduced in Nebraska to enhance wildfire suppression capability

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,
Cottonwood Fire
Cottonwood Fire near Crawford, Nebraska, June 18, 2012. Photo by Bill Gabbert

A bill has been introduced in the Nebraska Senate that would enhance wildfire training, preparedness, and suppression capability of firefighters in the State. The proposed legislation would provide two single air tankers in the northwest part of the state and develop a Type 3 incident management team, in addition to other provisions. Senator Al Davis of Hyannis will present the bill, called the Wildfire Control Act of 2013, to the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee on Friday.

Key provisions of the proposed legislation include:

  1. Contract with private aviation companies to place two single engine air tankers during the fire season at airports near Chadron and Valentine. These planes would provide rapid initial attack across a broad area of western Nebraska on both private and public lands, keeping fires small and less destructive.
  2. Thin forests to reduce fuel loads, substantially reducing wildfire risk, intensity, and rate of the spread, and reduce risks to residents, communities and emergency personnel.
  3. Provide expanded training programs for volunteer firefighters, private landowners and communities in order to increase fire suppression effectiveness and safety.
  4. Develop a Nebraska-based Type 3 incident management team that would serve as a comprehensive resource to augment and help manage large wildfire operations.
  5. Expand the federal excess property programs managed by the Nebraska Forest Service to provide volunteer fire districts with fire suppression equipment.
  6. Rehabilitate forest lands that have been destroyed by wildfires.

The bill was introduced by Senator Davis and has eight co-sponsors.

Here is a link to a fact sheet about the bill with more details.

Prescribed fire training in Nebraska

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,
Nebraska Rx fire academy
Nebraska prescribed fire academy, screen grab from Emily Kreutz video

The Nebraska Public Broadcasting System is reviewing their best stories of 2012, and among that group is their coverage of a prescribed fire academy sponsored by The Nature Conservancy near Gothenburn, Nebraska. The Nebraska PBS site has an interesting article as well as a video describing the training which occurred in March.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

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…More and more, field operations for controlled burns are dictated by knowledge gleaned from scientific research. It’s long been known fire behavior is influenced by weather, the amount and type of available fuel and the lay of the land.

Since so much knowledge has been passed from one generation to the next, there’s an unusual tension between new science and the traditional, often effective, methods of harnessing the benefits of fire.

“I think that prescribed burning is more of an art than a science, but you do have to understand fire behavior and use that,” said Doug Wisenhunt of the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. He admitted to mixed feelings about crews in the field relying too much on computer models and mathematical formulas.

“You can calculate some of that, but in general, it’s just kind of knowing how the fire is going to react when you are burning at that time.”

Trail camera captures photos of mountain lions and the West Ash Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

A trail camera captured photographs of a family of mountain lions and a forest fire southeast of Crawford, Nebraska in August. The camera, set up by Steve Masek, a wildlife technician for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, was at a water catchment constructed for wildlife in the Ponderosa Wildlife Management Area.

For a couple of days the camera grabbed some still photos of a female mountain lion visiting the water catchment with her two cubs. Then on August 31 half an hour before midnight there is a series of photos of the West Ash Fire burning through the area. The camera survived the fire.

The 56,471-acre West Ash fire was part of the Region 23 Complex of fires in Nebraska that burned a total of 86,201 acres in Dawes County.

The video of dozens of still images was produced by Sam Wilson, a furbearer and carnivore manager for the Game and Parks Commission.

Here are some screen grabs from the video:

West Ash trail camera, mountain lions

West Ash trail camera, fire

West Ash trail camera

Thanks go out to Bill

3 men charged with starting fire using exploding targets

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 1 Comment on 3 men charged with starting fire using exploding targets

Three men have been charged with starting a fire by using exploding targets and starting the Spotted Tail fire that burned 83 acres south of Chadron, Nebraska October 23. According to Cyd Janssen, spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, the men were shooting at targets that explode when the fire started. They are being charged with using prohibited explosives on Forest Service land in violation of the Stage II restrictions, starting a fire without extinguishing it, and leaving a fire without reporting it. The men will be tried in federal court and each will face up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail. The USFS will seek restitution for the suppression costs of the fire.

Exploding targets have become increasingly popular this year, in spite of the fact that the use of them frequently starts wildland fires. Also known as binary explosive targets, they are inert until two powders are mixed together, forming a compound that is classified an explosive by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

As we have written before, it is ridiculous that these incendiary devices that have been demonstrated to be extremely dangerous in the hands of the average shooter, are legal. They should not only be illegal to transport after the two chemicals have been mixed, as is the case now, the kits to assemble them should not be legal to sell or possess.

Wildfire morning briefing, October 20, 2012

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , , ,
Smoke from the Witch Creek fire
Smoke from the Witch Creek fire as seen from San Diego harbor, October 23, 2007. Photo by Kat Miner

Witch Creek fire, five years later

Five years after the Witch Creek fire burned 197,990 acres and 1,040 homes in San Diego County, most of the structures have been rebuilt and lessons have been learned about how to better manage similar incidents, before, during and after they occur.

Followup on fire in Bucyrus, North Dakota

An analysis after the fire has determined that four residences and 20 outbuildings were destroyed when a wildfire raged through the small town of Bucyrus, North Dakota October 17. It blackened 6,000 acres along a 10-mile long path. NBC News has some photos that were taken after the fire.

Fire in Nebraska jumps Interstate 80

A 10,000-acre fire destroyed three residences and jumped over Interstate 80 near Paxton, Nebraska on Friday.

Photos of effects of winds in South Dakota

The very strong winds that affected wildfires in South Dakota this week also left some other impacts. The Rapid City Journal has some excellent photos, including one that shows four tractor-trailer trucks that got blown over along a 1/4-mile stretch of Interstate 90.

John N. Maclean’s OP-ED

John N. Maclean had an opinion piece published on the New York Time’s web site October 18 in which he wrote about penalties that have been assessed against arsonists and others who have started wildfires. He also provided some thoughts about how to prevent fires through legislation, and wrote about fires started by shooters, exploding targets, and all-terrain vehicles. Mr. Maclean is the author of several books about wildland fires, including Fire on the Mountain, The Thirtymile Fire, and the forthcoming book The Esperanza Fire: Arson, Murder and the Agony of Engine 57, about a 2006 wildfire in California.

Waldo Fire volunteer faces sex assault charge

A man who was volunteering for the Red Cross during the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs earlier this year is facing charges of sexually assaulting another volunteer. The victim told police she believes 71-year old Allen Crabtree drugged her and then sexually assaulted her on July 7.

Thanks go out to Kelly and Dietra

58,000 acres burned in Nebraska Wednesday

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on 58,000 acres burned in Nebraska Wednesday
Map showing location of fire near Crookston, NE
Map showing location of a fire near Crookston, NE. The white line going east-west across the map is the South Dakota/Nebraska border.

The strong winds created by a cold front challenged firefighters in Nebraska on Wednesday. At least 58,000 acres burned in numerous fires across the state, according to Jodie Fawl, Public Information Officer for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. The fires in Boone, Cherry, Fillmore, Holt, Knox, Merrick and Nance counties brought the total fire acreage across the state to about 300,000 acres for this fire season.

The largest fire was in Cherry County. It started in South Dakota and burned a path approximately 15 miles long and five-miles wide. The fire burned 3,000 acres in South Dakota before entering Nebraska north of Kilgore. The number of acres burned in Nebraska is undetermined. On Wednesday 25 mutual aid fire departments fought the fire near Crookston, Nebraska which was evacuated Wednesday.

Other fires in Nebraska, listed by county, with information current as of 1 p.m. CT, October 18, 2012:

Holt -The Stuart fire is mostly contained, and crews are on-scene working hot spots. An estimated 600 acres burned including several outbuilding. A mile of trees west of Stuart was still on fire, and not contained.

Knox – A fire south of Center started this morning but is now fairly well contained thanks to the 11 responding fire departments. Approximately 200 to 300 acres were affected.

Boone, Merrick, Nance – Cedar Rapids fire remains at 100 percent contained on 500 acres. St. Edward is 100 percent contained on an estimated 160 acres. Genoa is contained in a canyon but is still active with dry timber surrounding the rim of the canyon. The fire is 50 percent out with 80 acres affected. The hay bales near Palmer are 95 to 100 percent out and did not spread beyond the feed lot.

Filmore– Approximately 75 percent contained. Nine fire departments are on scene.