News and opinion about wildland fire
In this video U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Bill Kiser gives an excellent description of why and how the agency uses prescribed fire as a management tool in Brice Prairie, north of La Crosse, Wisconsin (map).
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bill.
A sky lantern started a wildfire Saturday in the town of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin that burned 15 acres before firefighters could contain it.
Below is an excerpt from an article in the Wisconsin State Journal:
…The fire was between a half-mile and a mile from the road, so access was difficult, Fire Chief Christopher Garrison said in a release.
Strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly, and it eventually burned more than 15 acres of parkland, Garrison said.
The fire was caused by a sky lantern being released during an organized candlelight ski, hike, and snowshoe event. No injuries were reported, Garrison said.
Due to the difficult access, fire crews requested brush trucks and ATVs from other departments to help put out the fire.
Sky lanterns are small plastic or paper covered hot air balloons powered by an open flame. They can travel uncontrolled for more than a mile, sometimes landing while the fire is still burning.
Twintynine states ban sky lanterns, with Massachusetts and Nebraska being the most recent. They are not banned state-wide in Wisconsin.
UPDATE February 29, 2016: Neal Mulconrey, after reading this post, contacted to let us know that last year a sky lantern started a fire that burned within 50 feet of a residence in Beverly Shores, Indiana. Mr. Mulconrey, who works for the fire management organization in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, said that since the fire started at night it spread slowly and their firefighters were able to stop the spread before it grew large.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized5 Comments on Smokey Bear sign stolen in Wisconsin 
Sunday morning between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. a thief with a chain saw made several cuts with the saw to remove the six feet tall image of Smokey Bear, weighing between 35 and 40 pounds, from a fire prevention sign in Vernon, Wisconsin.
And speaking of Smokey, here’s a throwback image of President Dwight D. Eisenhower holding a Smokey doll. It appears that Smokey is wearing a shirt — usually he is naked from the waist up. Either that or he has a badge pinned directly to his chest.
Ike Photo via U.S. Forest Service.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized8 Comments on Wisconsin DNR prescribed fire escapes 
A prescribed fire conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources escaped control on Tuesday north of Grantsburg in the northwest part of the state. The project, planned at 500 acres, burned an additional 600 acres before it was contained Tuesday afternoon with the help of two air tankers and a helicopter.
A spokesperson for the DNR said no structures were damaged. The fire burned grass, marsh and some upland forest, including jack pine.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Wisconsin logging company to be billed $600,000 for fire 
A Wisconsin logging company will be billed $600,000 for starting the Germann Road Fire that burned 7,442 acres and 17 homes in Douglas County in May. The Department of Natural Resources said Ray Duerr Logging of Rib Lake was negligent in starting the fire with the cutting head on the harvesting equipment and allowing it to spread into adjacent vegetation.
When the DNR and insurance company investigators tested the company’s firefighting equipment water just dribbled out because it had not been maintained.
Our original article about the fire has even more excellent photos taken by the DNR.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Wisconsin: Germann Road Fire destroys 17 homes (UPDATE at 3:44 p.m. CT, May 16, 2013; updated acreage and evacuation information)
The Wisconsin DNR reported Thursday morning the fire was declared 100 percent contained at 9 p.m. on May 15 and all public roads are open. The size of the burned area was adjusted downward to 8,495 acres (and was reduced again to 8,131 acres). All fire lines have been secured and crews are moving into mop-up phase.
Officials have lifted the evacuation order. The public is allowed to return to their residences.
Law enforcement officials confirmed this morning that the fire was caused by logging equipment in use on industrial lands.
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(Originally published at 11:09 a.m. CT, May 15, 2013)
The Germann Road Fire in northern Wisconsin 60 miles southeast of Duluth, Minnesota raced across 9,026 acres of pine and mixed hardwoods Tuesday. The Wisconsin DNR reports 42 homes have been saved but 17 were destroyed in the fire in Douglas and Bayfield counties. At least 19 fire departments — local, state, and federal — worked the fire overnight. No firefighters were released until 3 a.m. Wednesday. (The DNR posted a map HERE.)
Between the time the fire started at 4 p.m. Tuesday and midnight, the wind blew from the south and then west at 7 to 14 mph with gusts up to 31. The relative humidity at the nearby St. Croix weather station reached a low of 11 percent at 7:15 p.m — very low for Wisconsin. At 5:15 p.m. the temperature was 92 degrees. By early Wednesday morning the weather moderated, with the relative humidity reaching 87 percent and much calmer winds.
At 7 a.m. Incident Commander Larry Gladowski said the fire was 90 percent contained, with full control expected soon. He met with evacuees Wednesday morning, telling them it was not possible to check their properties today due to the fire conditions.
More aviation resources will be available Wednesday, including two air tankers from Ontario and two Wisconsin National Guard Blackhawk helicopters with water buckets.
We believe all of these incredible photos, including the three below, were taken by Wisconsin DNR pilot Phil Miller on Tuesday. Click on them to see larger versions.
Continue reading “Wisconsin: Germann Road Fire destroys 17 homes”
