News and opinion about wildland fire
On a day that we published articles on Wildfire Today about numerous fires in South Dakota, several fires in Nebraska that burned a total of 58,000 acres Wednesday, and towns in North Dakota and Idaho that were virtually wiped out by fires this week, the National Interagency Fire Center posted an audio recording by Public Affairs Specialist Ken Frederick wrapping up the 2012 fire season. You can check it out HERE.
U.S. Forest Service ran out of money for fires
Because the federal government only appropriates funds for firefighting based on a 10-year average, and with this year having more than the average number of fires, the U.S. Forest Service ran out of money. The agency had to take funds from other accounts to continue to suppress fires. Congress dealt with the issue, providing $400 million from the 2013 Continuing Resolution.
The Washington Post has a straight forward article on the subject, and if you like a little commentary thrown in, you can check out how FireDogLake reported the story.
Air tanker company busier than usual
And speaking of more fires than average, New Frontier Aviation which operates single engine air tankers, has been much busier this summer than in an average fire season. Andy Taylor, the owner of the company told a reporter for the Capitol Journal, that the last time he remembers a fire season being this busy was in 2006.
Nebraska official says better forest management could have lessened impacts of recent fires
A District Forester for the Nebraska Forest Service said better forest management could have lessened the adverse impacts of some of the recent fires that burned forest lands in the northwest part of the state. In the article attributed to the Associated Press, Chadron based District Forester Doak Nickerson suggested that land owners could concentrate more on “active management, a term that includes activities such as logging, grazing, thinning out diseased and insect-infested trees, and purposely setting controlled fires to clear brush that can feed a fire”.
Interestingly, the article was published by many organizations around the country with a misleading headline reading “Logging Could Have Eased Neb. Fires”, found on The Weather Channel, the Scotts Bluff Star Herald, and My San Antonio. To their credit, The Republic, an Indiana publication, had the following headline: “Official says Nebraska forest struck by wildfire was overgrown, could have been better managed”.
The Associated Press probably distributed the article with the suggested headline about logging, but The Republic must have actually read the article and composed a headline that more accurately reflected what the District Forester was reported as saying in the article. Good work by The Republic.
Junior firefighter killed while responding to wildfire
A 17-year old junior firefighter for the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department in Delaware was killed while en route to the fire station to respond to a wildfire. According to WBOC, Justin Townsend was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an 18-year old boy on September 27 when due to excessive speed the driver lost control on a curve causing the vehicle to strike a utility pole. Mr. Townsend died at the scene. The driver was treated at a hospital and released.
We extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Townsend’s family and the members of the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department.
TNC studies use of prescribed fire to remove red-cedar
The Nature Conservancy has released a study they conducted on the Niobrara Valley Preserve in Nebraska, looking at red-cedar, an invasive species that can reduce the productivity of grazing land. The trees occupy grassland areas shading out light, falling foliage covers the grasses, and the trees consume significant amounts of water, leading to dryer conditions for grass. Red-cedar also burns intensely, making wildfires more difficult to control.
The study looked at two methods used to remove red-cedar on the property — mechanical removal and prescribed fire. Fire can be useful for removing red-cedar until the trees become large. After that, only mechanical methods are effective, which may include cutting the trees, and then 1) chipping, 2) piling and burning, or 3) scattering them to be burned in a prescribed fire later.
Here are some excerpts from the report.
Red-cedar, a tree that reproduces by seed only, can be destroyed by fire if its growth points at the tip of the twigs are exposed to high temperatures. Cedar infestation will proceed steadily without intervention, and the periodic use of prescribed burning may be a more effective approach compared to periodic mechanical removal. Mechanical removal actually can contribute to spreading the seeds. Importantly, when applied early, burning is a significantly less costly method to eliminate young trees and to prevent re-infestation.
and…
Of more interest to ranchers, in areas where cedar was removed, the desirable plant species for grazers were on average 34% of groundcover compared to 12% in non-cleared areas (+22%) and the undesirable plant species were 13% in cleared areas versus 47% in non-cleared areas (-34%) but all save 3% of the difference in undesirable plant species is from cedar clearing.
Warmer temperatures in California may be leading to more wildfires
The LA Times has an article about how hotter temperatures in California along with “incredibly dry conditions” have resulted in a higher number of wildfires, especially in the northern part of the state. The traditional busiest part of the fire season in southern California is just beginning, when lower live fuel moistures combined with Santa Ana winds can result in very large fires.
Photos of fire in Columbia River Gorge
A wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge near Hood River, Oregon provided Richard Porter with an opportunity to capture some interesting nighttime images of the fire reflected in the waters of the Columbia River. Check them out HERE. Below is a sample.
During fire season the Fire Meteorologist for the state of South Dakota, Darren Clabo, distributes on a regular basis a paper describing the predicted weather and the current condition of the fuels. In the edition published on Tuesday a section about fuels written by Jim Strain, the Chief of Operations for the South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression Division, caught my eye. He references the 28-mile-long Wellnitz fire that burned 77,159 acres in Nebraska and South Dakota.
…Do not underestimate the spread potentials of Fuel Model 1 and Fuel Model 2 fuels during the evening and night hours. When wind, slope and fuels are in alignment, with no natural barriers, these fires will burn just like in the middle of the day. The Rosebud complex in eastern MT last month went from 7000 acres to 100,000 acres in one night! When the Wellnitz fire crossed the state line on late Friday afternoon, the forward progress of the fire was finally stopped in the south portion of the road ditch on US Highway 18, at 2230 hours that evening.
The head of the Wellnitz fire spread quickly through green crop fields such as standing sunflowers. The head of the Wellnitz fire was finally corralled by tactic used by Pine Ridge BIA. Pine Ridge BIA units scraped a line with a grader on the south side of the Hwy 18 Right of way, and as the fire moved through the shorter grass (FM1) to the scraped line, it meet a pretty significant barrier of 10 feet of bare mineral soil, and 33 feet of pavement. This allowed fire units to patrol larger sections of line and hold the fire. Pine Ridge BIA and the Tribe did an outstanding job of pulling the trigger real fast for evacuation once the fire crossed the state line, and good thing they did. Fire was up to many housing units just as fire trucks arrived that evening.
So for any fire in our zone, if you think evacuation needs to take place, just do it, because it probably needs to happen!
Firefighters are making progress on the Wellnitz fire that started August 29 north of Hay Springs, Nebraska and ran 28 miles north across the state line into South Dakota into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, stopping when it got to the community of Oglala.
The only heat detected by the MODIS satellite during its 2 p.m. pass on Sunday was near the Division A/B break at the state line (see map below), the result of a large slopover that drew “quite an air show” according to the Information Officer for the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team A.
The fire has burned 96,000 acres, 63,000 in Nebraska and 33,000 in South Dakota. The IMTeam is calling it only 27 percent contained.
Below is a map of the fire provided by the IMTeam, prepared by Glenda Torres with data from 1200 hours on Sunday.
Continue reading “Firefighters making progress on Wellnitz fire in SD and NE”
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Update on Nebraska’s Region 23 fires 
Firefighters are making progress on the two large fires in the Region 23 Complex that are south and west of Chadron, Nebraska, comprised of the Douthit Fire northwest of Crawford and the West Ash fire southeast of Crawford and south of Chadron.
The Chadron Record reported that Incident Commander Joe Lowe said in a public meeting Friday that the Douthit Fire has a control line around it but could still be susceptible to growing larger if strong winds become a problem.
The Chadron Record also had this interesting bit of information:
Crow Butte [uranium] Mine near Crawford has also been shut down and evacuated, and Lowe said the team is strategizing how to handle the potential hazardous material situation should the fire advance that far. The blaze is currently three to four miles from the mine.
The more active of the two fires, the West Ash Fire, has come close to Highways 385 and 20, requiring the temporary closure of 385. One of the DC-10 air tankers dropped at least three 10,600-gallon loads of retardant near the highways.
The Wellnitz Fire northeast of Chadron has burned about 60,000 acres in Nebraska and South Dakota.
The information below about the Region 23 Complex was sent to us at 10 p.m. September 1 by Beth Hermanson, Public Information Officer for the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team C:
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Region 23 Fire Complex has burned 87,555 acres and is 47% contained as of this evening. Significant progress was made on the Douthit Fire today, while West Ash remains active.
The Douthit Fire crews took advantage of yesterday’s temperatures to complete burnout operations to help secure containment lines. Firefighters worked on constructing and strengthening line, and focused mop up around structures and near the fire line, while mitigating risks.
The West Ash Fire remained active as firefighters worked on constructing and strengthening fire lines which were tested throughout the day by high erratic winds. Significant indirect efforts to provide extra protection to the city of Chadron were completed, including drops from the DC-10 Very Large Air Tanker, (VLAT) of 36,000 gallons of retardant, and heavy equipment completed lines around each home.
Near Crawford, fire officials successfully completed a five-mile burnout operation to help reinforce containment lines.
Resources continued to arrive throughout the day, with a reported 658 personnel now dedicated to the Region 23 Complex. To date, there have been no firefighter injuries.
Fire crews anticipate a busy night operational period with changing weather conditions. A cold front is expected to move in this evening, likely preceded by strong erratic winds and a thunderstorm. The Incident Management Team prepared by staffing a significantly larger night operation shift. Crews plan to take advantage of the predicted cooler temperatures and increased relative humidity to make significant progress on containment, and to continue burnout operations.
EVACUATIONS: Fire and Law Enforcement Officials strive to return evacuees’ home as soon as possible; meanwhile the following evacuations continue mandatory, including:
Residents living west of Highway 385, and south of Highway 20, Highway 385 to Hawthorne Road and all areas north of Buttermilk Road to Highway 20; including Country Club Road, Old County Club Road, and Goffena Road. This also includes Deadhorse Road to Table Road and Flag Butte Road.
Residents living on Highway 385 between Chadron City Dams and Red Cloud Camp area, both the east and west side.
Crawford area residents living from the West Ash Road south on Highway 2 for five miles, across Breakneck Road, east to West Ash Creek Road; including West Ash Creek Road, Squaw Creek Road, Saw Log Road, Horseshoe Road, Breakneck Road, Dyer Road and Crow Butte Road.
The Village of Whitney remains evacuated.
