New Mexico Wildfire: #SoldierCanyonFire | 1

June 10, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM) / Leave a comment

MESCALERO, New Mex. – A wildfire was detected on Thursday, June 7th at 1500 hours PDT from an unknown human-caused. It is currently under investigation.

On June 8, the fire had extreme fire behavior with minimal spread.

Location

The wildfire is located about one mile north of the town of Mescalero in Soldier Canyon on BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) tribal lands on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

Photo Credit | Joseph Elfelt @MappingSupport

FIRE STATUS

June 10, 2018

247 personnel are assigned to this incident including 7 Type 1 hotshot crews, 1 type 2 hand crew, 7 engines, 1 type 1 helicopter, 1 type 2 helicopter, 2 Type 3 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft as needed.
Minimal fire activity.
The fire has consumed 1,300 acres of ponderosa pine, mixed conifer and pinon juniper. (reduction in acreage due to more accurate mapping).
15% containment status.
Direct threats to cultural and archeological resources, tribal facilities, rec areas and the Tri-State power lines are currently of concern to Fire Managers.
All evacuation orders have been lifted.

June 9, 2018

Elevated to Preparedness Level 4.
Minimal fire growth overnight.
Evacuation orders lifted as of 1500 hours MDT.

June 8, 2018

1,300 acres. 5% contained.
1 VLAT, 1 Lead, 1 Air Attack, 1 Type 3 Helicopter, 1 Type 2 Initial Attack crew ordered with an IMET en route.
Additionally 2 Airtankers, 2 IHCs (Valyermo, Smokey Bear) ordered.
7 Hotshot crews constructed a fire line directly on the east and west flanks.
Structure protection on numerous homes.
Type 3 IMT as Command.
Air resources, BIA and US Forest Service en route.
Estimated 300 – 400 people evacuated.
Tri-State power company shutting off power to Tularosa Mescalero Ruidoso Downs at 1345 hours to enable slurry bombers can attack the fire.

June 7, 2018

Fire gaining ground near Mescalero in the Sacramento Mountains.
Type 1 IMT ordered and due to arrive on June 8, 2018.
Up to 200 acres and increase fast initially).
Mandatory evacuations in progress for : Blank Canyon, Windy Point, White Mountain subdivision.
US 70 mile marker 270 (Tularosa) to mile marker 248 (Mescalero) closed in both directions.

Photo Credit | FlightRadar

Shelter at Mescalero Community Center, Mescalero Reformed Church, Tularosa Rec Center.
Weather conditions – light and generally from the east at the surface but smoke moving northeast due to mid and upper-level wind direction. Dry storms nearby causing gusty, erratic conditions.
2,554 acres. 0% containment.
Reports fire can been from Santa Fe County, a dark orange bank of clouds far behind the Ortiz Mountains.

WEATHER FORECAST

Thunderstorms are expected for the area that may bring light rain and erratic winds to the fire area. Some crews are on stand-by ready for any new starts that may appear in the area.

Fire danger is extremely high and restrictions remain in place for the Sacramento Mountain Range and Mescalero Apache lands.

* OOA * AZ Wildfire #PineryFire | 2

May 13, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

DOUGLAS, Ariz. – A wildfire named the Pinery Fire is burning approximately 32 miles southeast of Wilcox; 12 miles east of Douglas in Cochise County and about 60 miles northeast of Sierra Vista.

Location

The fire started on private land in Pinery Canyon and moved on to the Chricahua National Monument (Pinery Canyon Chiricahua Mountains) and onto the Coronado National Forest lands.

Cause

It is a human-caused wildfire that started on Saturday, May 12, 2018 around 1330 hours MST. The exact ignition is unknown and under current investigation.

Photo Credit: AZ State Forestry Division

Command

This incident is in a Unified Command with AZ DOF and Fire Management, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Coronado National Forest.

Staffing

Firefighters from the USFS (Coronado National Forest), AZ Department of Forestry and the National Park Service are under the Fire Command of a Type 1 IMT.

There are currently four crews, 15 engines assigned (per NIFC).

Fire resources were initially dispatched at 1338 hours MST with BN 3-2, CAP 3-2, DOUGLAS Engines 362 and 307.

Incident Cooperators

Incident Cooperators include the Green Valley Fire, Fry Fire District, Cochise County Sheriff Office, Coronado National Forest, National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.

Photo Courtesy: Coronado NF

Current Conditions

Fire behavior is active, however it is currently being held at 1200 acres of dry vegetation, grasses, timber and brush with 0% containment status.

Firefighters are working challenges today including higher winds and warm temps.

Around 2200 hours MST on Saturday night, the Sheriff’s Office ordered pre-evacuations for the White Tail Canyon area for about eight homes. The fire was said to still be burning in very steep and rugged terrain making it challenging for wildland firefighters.

Cost-To-Date

Costs-to-Date have reached $100,000 for fire suppression and containment expenses.

Social Media

We are using the following hashtags for this incident. #AZwildfire2018 #PineryFire

* OOA * AZ Wildfire #PineryFire | 1

May 12, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

DOUGLAS, Ariz. – A wildfire named the Pinery Fire is burning approximately 32 miles southeast of Wilcox and 12 miles east of Douglas in Cochise County. The fire started on private land in Pinery Canyon and moved on to the Chricahua National Monument (Pinery Canyon Chiricahua Mountains) and onto the Coronado National Forest lands.

Fire resources were initially dispatched at 1338 hours MST with BN 3-2, CAP 3-2, DOUGLAS Engines 362 and 307.

It is a human-caused wildfire that started on Saturday, May 12, 2018 around 1330 hours MST. The exact ignition is unknown and under current investigation.

Photo Credit: AZ State Forestry Division

Resources

Firefighters from the USFS (Coronado National Forest), AZ Department of Forestry and the National Park Service are assigned to this incident.

This incident is in a Unified Command with AZ DOF and Fire Management, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Coronado National Forest.

Equipment and additional resources include: five SEATS (Single-engine Airtankers), four heavies, three helicopters, an AA and a lead plan. There are seven engines, two IA crews and two hotshot crews. Four more hotshot crews are on order.

Incident Cooperators include the Cochise County Sheriff Office, Coronado National Forest, National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.

Current Conditions

The fire has burned 1200 acres of dry vegetation, grasses and brush with a 0% containment status. Evacuations have been completed of the Chiricahua National Monument.

The campgrounds in the area have been evacuated and area road closures are in effect. This also includes Onion Saddle.

The current fire weather as of 2135 MST on Saturday, May 12, 2018 is a clear night with winds at 11 mph and a RH of 24%. Temps are expected to be on Sunday, May 13 at a high of 88*F and a low of 56*F in the evening. Temps are due to rise by next week in the low to high 90’s.

Social Media

We are using the following hashtags for this incident. #AZwildfire2018 #PineryFire

Arizona’s #KnollFire Almost Contained | 1

March 31, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST | A wildfire that was reported on Friday morning in the Tonto National Forest is still burning but fire crews are working to contain it.

Photo Credit | Tonto National Forest

Location | The wildfire is located about 13 miles northeast of Payson, Arizona. and one mile north of Meads Ranch in the Robert’s Mesa area.

Photograph of Knoll Fire looking northeast from Forest Service Road 29

View of fire looking northeast of FS Rd 29 | Credit: Tonto NF

Fire Timeline | Here is a timeline of this wildfire to help understand how this fire has developed from the initial response until the posting of this article.

March 30: Fire started at 0915 hours. 10 acres. 0% containment. Human-caused by illegal fireworks. Firefighters got a good knockdown with the aid of fire containment resources enabling them to build a dozer and handline around most of the fire. 140 firefighters on the fire line. Most spend the day improving and working to stop the fire from escaping its containment lines. Forest service roads, trails and other access roads were closed.

Photograph of Knoll Fire mid-day 3_30_2018

Photo Credit | Tonto NF

March 31: Area closures in effect. Details here –> https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5727/42524/ Near Payson, AZ. 60 acres. 60% contained. Firefighters continue to improve/secure fire lines and mop-up hot spots to keep within established containment lines. Light smoke visible from FS Road 29 over next few days. 136 firefighters on the fire line. Will be released as fire activity slows. Closures are in effect. Details here –> https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd575561.pdf

Photograph taken of the Knoll Fire Afternoon of 3_30_18 from the air

Photo Credit | Tonto NF

Incident Cooperators | Gila County, Hell’s Gate Fire Department, Payson Fire Department, Pine-Strawberry Fire Department, Water Wheel Fire and Medical, Tonto National Forest, AZ State Forestry.

High Number of Fires Burning up Multiple States | 1

March 26, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

POST SUMMARY | There were 48 new large fires reported with most of them in the Southern area. Firefighters successfully contained 51 wildfires, however there are still 19 remaining.

There are current 16 wildfires burning up multiple states within Florida (4), Kansas (1), New Mexico (1), North Carolina (1), Texas (1) and Oklahoma (14). A total of 70,816 acres have been reported as destroyed from these wildfires and others. About 51 fires have been contained. These stats are as of March 23, 2018 and reported the National Interagency Fire Center based out of Idaho.

Fire Fact:

There has been 663 new fires across the United States with 49 of them being reported as large incidents & 48 large fires contained – yet, there are still 19 of them as uncontained.

(Source: NIFC as of March 23, 2018)

Though the number of wildfires and total destroyed acreage is down from 2017, it is still above the totals seen as recently in years 2012-2016. As of March 23rd, there were 9,649 wildfires compared to 2017’s 12,176 fires to current destroyed acres of 393,814 from 2017’s 2,102,202 acres. There is quite a bit of significant difference in the two years but some States are reporting large incidents are beginning to occur earlier in previous years, signaling a start to the fire season and prepping some to become pro-active with more staffing and resources.

FLORIDA FIRES

#AnhingaFire | 20 miles E of Naples | National Park Service | Big Cypress National Park ||| Southern rough and short grass. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering activity. 3,119 acres. 95% contained. Area and trail closures in effect. 2 total personnel. 0 other resources. $250,000 CTD.

#FlagPondFire | 10 miles E of Naples | Florida Forest Service | State Land ||| Southern rough and hardwood litter. Extreme fire behavior. Evacuations and road closures in effect. 1,600 acres. 20% contained. 22 total personnel. 4 engines, 1 helicopter. $31,000 CTD.

#WBoundaryRoad | 17 miles SE of Immokalee | Florida Forest Service | State Land ||| Southern rough. Extreme fire behavior with long-range spotting. 950 acres. 50% contained. 42 total personnel. 11 engines, 3 helicopters. $19,000 CTD.

#SunnyBFire | 5 miles SE of Fleesmere | Florida Forest Service | State Land ||| Southern rough. Moderate fire behavior. 381 acres. 85% contained. 23 total personnel. 5 engines. $1,000 CTD.

KANSAS FIRES

#RiceCountyFire | 9 miles NW of Inman | Rice County | C&L ||| Short grass and timber. 8,000 acres. 60% contained. 0 resources assigned. 1 structure destroyed. $1,000 CTD.

NEW MEXICO FIRES

#StatelineFire | 35 miles N of Clayton | Cimarron District | State Land |||| Short grass and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering and creeping. 28,213 acres. 80% contained. 38 total personnel. 8 engines. 1 structure lost. $2,100,000 CTD.

ALERT!

RX fires to resume on the Lincoln NF – Sacramento Ranger District on March 27, 2018 located 5 miles SW of Weed, NM weather permitting. #PerkRXFire

NORTH CAROLINA FIRES

#Junaluska2Fire | 4 miles E of Andrews | National Forests of North Carolina | Forest Service ||| Hardwood litter and timber. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. 300 acres. 50% containment. Homes threatened. 0 resources on incident. $62,000 CTD.

OKLAHOMA FIRES

#BiggyFire | 2 miles N of Prue | Osage Agency | Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) ||| . Tall grass. Minimal fire behavior. 10,816 acres. 80% contained 21 total personnel. 1 crew, 4 engines. $30,000 CTD.

#TrentmanFire | 9 miles W of Bowring | Osage Agency | BIA ||| Tall grass. Minimal fire behavior. 4,300 acres. 75% contained. 6 total personnel. 2 engines. $30,000 CTD.

#DeerteFire | 6 miles SE of Henryetta | Olkmulgee Agency | BIA ||| TAll grass. Moderate fire behavior. Structures threatened. 2,050 acres. 80% contained. 14 total personnel. 2 crews, 1 engine. $20,000 CTD.

#BrewsterFire | 12 miles SE of Bristow | Olkmulgee Agency | BIA ||| Tall grass. Moderate fire behavior. 2,000 acres. 80% contained. 14 total personnel. 2 crews, 1 engine. $20,000 CTD.

#ConvictHillFire | 4 miles SW of Fox | Department of Forestry | State Land ||| Tall grass and hardwood litter. Active fire behavior with running and flanking. 1,300 acres. 12% containment. 100 total personnel. 30 engines, 1 helicopter. $183,000 CTD.

#WesleyFire | 1 mil E of Dustin | Olkmulgee Agency | BIA ||| Timber. Moderate fire behavior with torching, running and backing. 1,200 acres. 70% contained. 7 total personnel. 1 engine. $20,000 CTD.

#CircleKFire | 5 miles NW of Skiatook | DOF | State Land ||| Tall grass and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. 1,175 acres. 80% contained. 4 total personnel. 2 engines. $45,000 CTD.

#HenryFire | 11 miles NW of Okemah | DOF | State Land ||| Timber, tal grass and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. Homes under direct threat. 1,134 acres. 80% contained. 29 total personnal. 8 engines. $42,000 CTD.

#BoarCreekFire | 4 miles SE of Hominy | DOF | State Land ||| Tall grass. Minimal fire behavior. 1,068 acres. 90% contained. 2 total personnel. 1 engine. $30,000 CTD.

#PetersonCreekFire | 2 miles S of Clayton | Osage Agency | BIA ||| Timber. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. 890 acres. 60% contained. 5 total personnel. 2 engines. $4,000 CTD.

#RockpenFire | 18 miles NE of McAlester | DOF | State Land ||| Timber. Minimal fire behavior with creeping and backing. 858 acres. 50% contained. 3 total personnel. 2 engines. $2,000 CTD.

#NorthBoggyCreekFire | 4 miles E of Atoka | DOF | State Land ||| Timber. Extreme fire behavior with running. 780 acres. 60% contained. 3 total personnel. 1 engine. $4,000 CTD.

#JointFire | 17 miles S of Tahlequa | DOF | State Land ||| Hardwood litter and medium logging slash. Minimal fire behavior. 210 acres. 94% contained. 5 total personnel. 2 engines. $7,000 CTD.

#AlPettyComplex | 10 miles E of Colcord | DOF | State Land ||| Hardwood litter. Minimal fire behavior. 180 acres. 90% contained. 4 total personnel. 2 engines. $7,000 CTD.

TEXAS FIRES

#ColoradoStreetFire | 3 miles SW of Monahans | TX Forest Service | State Land ||| Short grass. Minimal fire behavior. 400 acres. 85% containment. 1 total personnel. 2 lost structures. $1,000 CTD.

Grass Fire Explodes on Florida Forest Service Land | 1

March 17, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

FLORIDA FOREST, FLORIDA | Miami-Dade firefighters are currently working with Florida Forest Service fire crews on a grass fire located near Krome Avenue and SW 8th Street in Miami-Dade, Florida.

Photo Credit | Miami-Dade Fire

Incident Cooperators | Miami-Dade Police, Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade Fire, Florida Forest Service firefighters.

Resources | Tender 34, Engines 37, 56, Tanker 6 on-scene, plus others have been deployed.

Photo Credit | Miami-Dade Fire

Current Conditions | Currently, firefighters are wetting down the area – however, another area about 200 yards South of the area is now catching on fire and later said to be putting out hot spots. (1735 PDT)

Social Media | This fire does not currently have a known wildfire or command name, so we are calling this fire the #KromeAvenueFire #FLwildfire2018.

South Carolina #CumbeeFire Still Burning | 2

March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FIRE, SOUTH CAROLINA | A second wildfire (original wildfire) is burning on the National Forest located on FSRd 161. Initial calls came into the Dispatch Center around 1430 hours.

Size Up | A reduction of acres due to better mapping has been downgraded to 1630 acres.

Cumbee Fire aerial view

Cause | Unknown.

Fire Status | Crews are still in patrol and monitoring status. Expected time and day of 100% containment is on March 24, 2018 @ 1700 hours.

Resources | There is an unknown number of personnel still assigned to this incident. All resources are from the Francis Marion Ranger District.

Threats | None.

Fire Weather | Light rain.

Social Media | We are using hashtags #CumbeeFire #SCwildifre2018

South Carolina’s Second Wildfire #CumbeeFire Sparked | 1

March 16, 2018March 16, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

Aerial recon flight on the Cumbee Fire. (Photo Credit | Francis Marion & Sumter NF)

Size Up | There has been 1,638 acres of mostly longleaf pine, lob lolly and hardwoods destroyed.

Cause | Unknown.

Fire Status | Crews will continue with fire suppression and containment efforts with some back burning. Fire crews have successfully reached a 90% containment status.

Resources | There are 21 personnel assigned along with three engines, one bulldozer and one helicopter from the Francis Marion Ranger District with IC, Russ Marshall.

Threats | None.

Fire Weather | Dry and warm conditions.

Social Media | We are using hashtags #CumbeeFire #SCwildifre2018

#KnobHillFire Spreads To Public Lands | 1

February 11, 2018 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

INCIDENT SUMMARY

A wildfire that ignited on private land has spread on to public lands of the Coronado National Forest on the western side of the Dragoon Mountains by Cochise Stronghold. It is about 15 miles east of St. David, Arizona.

FIRE STATUS

The fire started from an unknown cause on Saturday, February 10, 2018, and has reportedly already scorched 2,896 acres of dry grass and brush. Fire behavior is moderate, creeping and backing.

Photo Credit: USFS

Firefighters have successfully reached a 15% containment status.

RESOURCES

About 167 firefighters are currently in full fire suppression on the fire line under an a Type 3 Incident Command.

The Cochise county Sheriff’s Office has set-up a hard closure on the west side of the dragoon Mountains and was due to be lifted at 1700 hours on Sunday. Deputies will continue to close off the eastern area of the mountainside.

FIRE WEATHER

A Red Flag warning is in effect as of Monday, February 12th from 1200 hours to 1900 hours for high winds and low RH. Conditions are warm and dry with large amounts of dried brush causing to be easily ignited.

SOCIAL MEDIA

We are using #KnobHillFire #AZwildfire hashtags for this incident.

Fire Terminology | How Well Do You Know It? | Apparatus

December 24, 2017 / NW Fire Blog (TM)

Fire terminology is used throughout the Fire Service and we thought we’d get you all up to speed with each word and their definition. See that we are missing one on the list? Please let us know!

How well do you know your Fire Terminology?

# # #

APPARATUS

A term usually used by firefighters describing a department vehicle
(i.e. fire engine).

# # #

Aerial Fuels: Live and dead vegetation in the forest canopy or above surface fuels, including tree branches, twigs, cones, snags, moss and high brush.

Air Attack: An Air Attack or AA is a light command aircraft (usually an airplane or helicopter) that directs all air resources over a fire which is normally a pilot or a Battalion Chief.

Air Tanker: An air tanker is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped to drop fire retardants and suppressant from the air over the fire ground.

Air tanker on the Thomas Fire in December 2017 (Credit: VCFD_PIO)

Alpha Type 1 Engine: A vehicle with a 1000 GPM and a 400 gallon tank, staffed with 4 personnel.

Bambi Bucket: A collapsible bucket slung underneath a helicopter. Used to dip water from a variety of sources for fire suppression.

Blow-up: A sudden increase in fire intensity or rate of spread strong enough to prevent direct control or to upset control plans. Blow-ups are often accompanied by violent convection and may have other characteristics of a fire storm.”

Command Staff: The Command Staff consists of the Information Officer, Safety Officer and Liasion Officer. They report directly to the Incident Command and may have Assistants.

Drip Torch: Hand-held device for igniting fires by dripping flaming liquid fuel on the materials to be burned; consists of a fuel fount, burner arm, and igniter. Fuel used is generally a mixture of diesel and gasoline.”

The Drip Torch “tool” (Credit: Dept of Interior Wildfire)

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APPARATUS

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