Moses Lake tanker base sets new record for quantity of retardant

The air tanker base at Moses Lake, Washington has been extremely this summer. They have set a new record for the number of gallons of retardant pumped in a season and the month of August is not even over yet. So far they have put 1.9 million gallons of the mud in aircraft, shattering the previous record of 1.4 million that stood since 2001.

Three men arrested for starting unauthorized backfire

Three men in Washington have been arrested and charged with arson for setting unauthorized backfires last month.

The Spokesman-Review reported that firefighters told two of the men not to light the fire. They did anyway and the fire damaged private and federal property.

In another similar incident, a third man lit a fire in July that “went the wrong way” and nearly trapped firefighters in a canyon, who called law enforcement after escaping the near-entrapment.

A fourth person is being investigated for arson-related charges.

Wildfire briefing, July 29, 2014

Congress fails to act on wildfire funding

Dollar SignCongress still has not taken action on the President’s request for $615 million to be put into a fund to pay for wildfires. Having this money up front could prevent the federal land management agencies from being forced to rob money from unrelated accounts in order to pay firefighting bills. And with their 5-week vacation beginning on July 31, it is unlikely our elected representatives will do anything before the second week in September at the earliest.

Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said, “The [land management] agencies have a big pile of money already. I don’t think there’s an urgency on the money part.”

Cost of Washington wildfires

Officials in Washington estimate that the cost of suppressing wildfires in their state so far this year as been $50 million. About half of that went to the Carlton Complex fire, at a cost of over $23 million. These figures do not include loss of property or damage to infrastructure. The Carlton Complex burned about 300 homes and heavily damaged the power grid in the Methow Valley.

Public service announcements featuring Disney’s movie, Planes: Fire & Rescue

Planes and Smokey

Disney is joining the Ad Council, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters  to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring scenes and characters from Disneytoon Studios’ animated film Planes: Fire & Rescue. The PSAs are an extension of the Wildfire Prevention PSA campaign, featuring the iconic Smokey Bear, who celebrates his 70th birthday this summer. For more information on Smokey Bear and the Wildfire Prevention campaign visit: www.SmokeyBear.com.

UPDATE: Carlton Complex fire mostly contained, hundreds of homes lost

UPDATE 3 p.m. MDT: The Okanogan County Sheriff is now estimating that at least 300 homes were destroyed by the Carlton Complex fire, according to Inciweb. That number is double the initial estimate of 150.

——-

The massive Carlton Complex fire in north-central Washington was declared 55 percent contained this week as cooler temperatures and rain gave fire crews a reprieve from two weeks of hot, dry conditions..

The fire has burned 250,489 acres — that’s nearly 400 square miles — and is believed to have destroyed hundreds of homes. At least 7,000 residents in Okanogan County are still without power after the fire; efforts to restore power have been stymied by rain, The Seattle Times reported. Power was expected to be restored in some areas by Friday. 

Take a look at aerial photos of the fire’s destruction

Nearly 3,000 personnel have been assigned to the complex, which is made up of four lightning-started fires that ignited on July 14. The fire has become the largest in state history — surpassing the Yacolt Burn of 1902, which killed 38 people and burned more than 230,000 acres. The Carlton Complex has triggered a federal disaster declaration, which will allow the state to access aid funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

There are reports that at least one firefighter has been injured — he suffered second degree burns on his leg after he stepped in a hole filled with hot ash. At least one person, 67-year-old Rob Koczewski, died of a heart attack while digging line around his home to protect it from the fire. 

Carlton Complex fire perimeter.
Carlton Complex fire perimeter.

The Chiwaukum Complex, just to the southwest of the Carlton, ignited on July 15 and is made up of three fires that have collectively burned around 12,255 acres. It is 25 percent contained.

Although that fire has not been as destructive as the Carlton Complex, it got a lot of attention when it first ignited two weeks ago, and sent up a massive smoke plume that could be seen from Seattle.

 

President declares disaster in Washington state

President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency for Washington state, where the massive Carlton Complex fire has burned almost 400 square miles and continues to burn despite cooler temperatures and rain in the area.

The fire has already destroyed more than 150 homes — some reports say 200 — including almost the entire town of Pateros, one of many towns in the north-central Methow Valley affected by the fire.

The disaster declaration will open the door to Federal Emergency Management Agency aid and post-disaster funding, The Associated Press reported.

The Carlton Complex, which was ignited by lightning on July 14, has become the largest fire in Washington state history. Having burned more than 250,000 acres, it has surpassed the 1902 Yacolt Burn, which burned more than 238,000 acres and killed dozens of people.

The complex has claimed only one life — that of 67-year-old Rob Koczewski, who died of a heart attack while digging fireline around his home in Carlton.

Four fires make up the complex, which has been burning in severe drought and Red Flag Warning conditions. Hailstorms Wednesday over the fire brought some respite, but also the fear of more lightning strikes.

Carlton Complex fire largest in Washington state history

Map of Carlton Complex fire as of July 21, 2014.
Map of Carlton Complex fire as of July 21, 2014.

The Carlton Complex fire in north-central Washington is now the largest fire in state history, having burned 370 square miles, an area four times the size of Seattle, USA Today reports. 

It has surpassed the 1902 Yacolt Burn, which consumed 238,920 acres and killed 38 people.

Four fires make up the Carlton Complex — Stokes Fire, Gold Hikes Fire, French Creek Fire and the Cougar Flat — all of which were ignited by lightning on July 14. The rapidly spreading fires, burning in a drought year in severe fire weather conditions, have forced residents to flee many small towns in the Methow Valley.

As of Tuesday, the fire has destroyed at least 200 homes. The fire also ravaged the small town of Pateros, where many homes were destroyed and power has been cut off for days.

Only one life has been lost during the Carlton Complex fire, that of 67-year-old Rob Koczewski, who died of a heart attack while defending his home in Carlton from the fire. 

Another large lightning-caused fire, the Chiwaukum Complex, ignited on July 15 near Leavenworth, in central Washington. There are two other fires burning in the complex along with the Chiwaukum Creek fire — the Kelly and Duncan fires.

The complex has consumed around 11,000 acres and when it first ignited, its massive smoke plume could be seen from Seattle.

Man dies of heart attack while trying to save home from wildfire

A Washington man died of a heart attack this weekend while fighting to save his Okanogan County home from a wildfire, The Associated Press reported Monday morning.

Rob Koczewski, 67, was trying to defend his home in Carlton, in northern Washington’s Methow Valley, from the Carlton Complex fire. Koczewski was a retired U.S. Marine Koczewski and WSP trooper “who was very close with local law enforcement,” The Associated Press said. 

Lightning ignited the four fires that make up the Carlton Complex on July 14; the latest updates have the complex at more than 237,000 acres. At last count, some of the fires had destroyed at least 150 homes, many of which were in the small town of Pateros. 

Carlton Complex fires destroy more homes

The Carlton Complex fire in central Washington state grew massively on Saturday, and officials say that some of the complex’s four fires have destroyed 150 homes.

As of Sunday morning the fire burned more than 299,000 acres, having grown from roughly 215,000 acres the day before, local media reported. It is zero percent contained, officials said on Sunday.

The fire leveled many homes in the small town of Pateros, and forced evacuations of other towns in the Methow Valley. It has shut down phone and internet connections for many of the area’s businesses and residents.


Lighting ignited the fires on July 14. Fueled by drought, heat and extreme winds the fires continued to spread last week, sending smoke across most of the Western United States.

The complex is one of several burning in Washington (including the Chiwaukum Complex) which is currently the nation’s top priority when it comes to fire suppression, the National Interagency Fire Center said on Friday. Two C-130s equipped with MAFFS units have been called up to the fight the fires, including a DC-10, which was seen dropping retardant on the Carlton Complex on Saturday.