Oregon Archives - Page 33 of 41

Five men ordered to pay restitution for starting fire with exploding target

Bill GabbertNovember 3, 2014October 29, 2014Uncategorizedexploding targets, Oregon, target shooting

Five men who started what became a 38-acre fire near Alfalfa, Oregon in August, 2012 were ordered earlier this year to pay $17,569 to defray a portion of the costs of suppressing the Mayfield Fire. The BLM estimates they spent $88,000 to put out the blaze.

The men pleaded no contest to reckless burning, a Class A misdemeanor. They were identified as Redmond residents Peter Lee, then 31, and Clarence Christy, 32, and Bend residents Albert Sears, 27; William Loving, 25; and Jordon Odell, 25, said Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. Vance Lawrence.

They admitted to shooting at Tannerite, an exploding target that is known to have been the cause of numerous wildfires since the dangerous material began to be widely used two years ago. Many areas have banned exploding targets, citing wildfires, injuries, and a death caused by the use of the devices.

Below is an excerpt from an article at KTVZ. The site also has a video report published August 21, 2012 while firefighters were suppressing the fire.

…The BLM said the men admitted to purchasing 50 pounds of Tannerite and had used all but five pounds at the time of the incident.

They had shot about a dozen containers of Tannerite and were placing their targets in a western juniper tree, which ultimately exploded when the Tannerite was detonated.

The BLM said the target shooters also did not follow the recommendations of the Tannerite Company, which recommends using no more than a half-pound of the mixed composition at one time.

The Oregon State Police Explosives unit had to respond to the incident to detonate the mixed but unused portion of Tannerite, which cannot be safely transported once the two chemicals are combined…

Wildfire Today has published numerous articles about the dangers of exploding targets.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Shaun.

Prescribed fire in central Oregon

Bill GabbertOctober 10, 2014October 10, 2014UncategorizedOregon, prescribed fire

Central Oregon Fire Info (@CentralORFire) sent out this photo Thursday, saying:

Prescribed fire southeast of Bend went well today. 460 acres completed. Ignitions continue tomorrow for 140 more.

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

A bonus photo:

Fire training, Chattahoochee NF, 1941 Photo Clint Davis — Forest Ranger shows Keona Squad how to rake a fire line on the Chattahoochee National Forest, August, 1941. Photo by Clint Davis. (via @ForestService)

Wednesday morning one-liners

Bill GabbertOctober 1, 2014November 28, 2014Uncategorizedaccident, arson, Australia, beetles, BIA, California, open access, Oregon, Philippines, railroad, report, research, South Dakota, Warm Springs, Washington

Engine rollover, Warm Springs, Oregon, July 18, 2014.

*The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center has published a report on a BIA engine that rolled over near Warm Springs, Oregon, July 18, 2014. Two people were injured, one seriously. The LLC says more than 50 fire vehicles have rolled over in the last 10 years.

*A Colorado artist has created a work consisting of rectilinear pillars suspended from the ceiling, each measuring nine feet tall, meant to convey the idea of a wildfire.

*A man spotted running from the 50-acre Foothill Fire in Ventura, California was arrested on suspicion of setting the blaze.

*Fire officials in Washington state suspect an arsonist is responsible for igniting 23 fires in less than two weeks. Most of them have been vegetation fires.

*A firefighting vehicle in Australia has been outfitted with drop-down steel wheels so that it can follow a steam-powered train, putting out wildfires started by the steam engine.

*In other news from Australia, a Senator gave a speech, titled, Thank you For Smoking, praising nicotine fiends for their $8 billion a year contribution to the economy. He said he did the math: Last year smokers cost the health care system $320 million and another $150 million in bushfire control.

*Researchers have found that “recent (2001–2010) beetle outbreak severity was unrelated to most field measures of subsequent fire severity, which was instead driven primarily by extreme burning conditions (weather) and topography.” Unfortunately, to read the article, researched and published by government employees, it will cost you $10 for two days of access. If the researchers, Brian J. Harvey, Daniel C. Donato, and Monica G. Turner, are going to hide the results of their taxpayer-funded research behind a pay wall, what’s the point in hiring researchers? Support Open Access.

*Firefighters are on alert in the Philippines for wildfires that may start from an eruption of the Mayon volcano.

*Firefighters are on lessened alert in the Black Hills after the area received two to five inches of rain over the last few days.

*California has burned through its wildfire-fighting budget — $209 million — just as it faces what is historically the worst of the fire season.

Oregon: Founders Day Fire at Crater Lake National Park is not being suppressed

Bill GabbertSeptember 16, 2014September 16, 2014UncategorizedCrater Lake, Founders Day Fire, Oregon, Photo by Bill G3 Comments

The National Park Service is not suppressing a 98-acre fire at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Instead, they are “managing it to achieve natural resource benefit objectives”. It is five miles north of the famous crater, a geologic feature formed by a volcano. The fire started August 25 and for a while it could not be detected by the MODIS satellite, but recently the activity has increased making possible the data in the image below. Today September 16, the fire is one mile outside of a Red Flag Warning area to the east.

3-D Map of the Founders Day Fire, looking south to Crater Lake. The dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:02 p.m. September 16, 2014. They are accurate to within a mile.

The lightning-caused fire was discovered on the 98th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service. Hence, the name.

The Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park was “managed” for several weeks, burning only 19 acres, until it took off. As of today it has spread to 4,772 acres and is being suppressed at a cost to date of $4.9 million. The incident management team is calling it 80 percent contained.

Crater Lake, looking northeast on July 30, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Oregon: 36 Pit Fire

Bill GabbertSeptember 15, 2014August 25, 2019Uncategorized36 Pit Fire, Oregon, target shooting1 Comment

(UPDATED at 10:25 a.m. PDT, September 18, 2014)

Investigators have determined that target shooting was the cause of the fire. The fire has burned 4,101 acres and the incident management team is calling it 30 percent contained.

****

(Originally published at 8:37 p.m. PDT September 15, 2014)

The 36 Pit Fire 10 miles southeast of Estacada along highway 224 in Oregon has burned 2,300 acres since it started on September 13. The area is under a Red Flag Warning and evacuations are under way.

The description of the video:

Here is some raw video of the why OR 224 is closed due to the 36 Pit Wildfire burning right along the highway. Even the guardrail is on fire. The wildfire is also causing trees to fall and rocks to slide into the highway. The smoke is so thick in some spots you can’t even see the road ahead. OR 224 will remain closed for the safety of travelers and those fighting the wildfire.

More information is at InciWeb.

Creative ignition techniques in Oregon

Bill GabbertSeptember 10, 2014September 10, 2014UncategorizedOregon2 Comments

Division Supervisor Mike Carlson lowers a fusee on the Rowena Fire 8-9-2014. Photo by Mike McMillan.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has posted dozens of fire-related photos on their Flickr account. These three, taken by Mike McMillan, show ignition techniques during a burnout operation on the Rowena Fire, August 9, 2014.

Lighting an ignition device on the Rowena Fire, photo by Mike McMillan.

Division Supervisor Mike Carlson flings an ignition device on the Rowena Fire. Photo by Mike McMillan.

What other creative ignition techniques have you seen on fires?

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Shaun.

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