Forest Fires in the United States
19 July 1999
Hotspots and smoke related to vegetation fires in central Alaska were obscured by cloud cover in imagery processed today, as OSEI reported. Reports of daily significant fire events by satellite in the Alaska region will be continued as soon as it will be possible to monitor the situation.
Instead of satellite imagery the IAMS of the BLM - Alaska Fire Service is introduced (Fig.1.). The Initial Attack Management System (IAMS) is suite of computer applications developed by BLM/Fire to aid dispatchers and fire managers. IAMS Maps is one of these applications and provides graphical representation of various kinds of geographic data. Maps has been modified to produce output to a Web site to allow internet access to the data that IAMS stores. Dynamic data such as lightning (available May - September), fires, etc. are updated at the homepage of the BLM - Alaska Fire Service (select Maps / AFS IAMS Maps Viewer) every 15 minutes during the fire season.
Fig.1. IAMS image of active fires in Alaska, 19 July
1999
(Source: BLM - Alaska Fire Service )
Regarding the INCIDENT
MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT Alaska fires took place in
following regions:
KINK, Northern Field Office, BLM. This fire is three miles north of Chicken, Alaska. Fire
was demobed. This will be last report, unless a significant increase in activity occurs.
ROUNDABOUT MOUNTAIN, Koyukuk NWR, FWS. This lightning fire is ten miles south of Huslia,
Alaska. Full containment was expected last night.
JACKSON, Doyon Native Corporation, Alaska State. This fire is burning in black spruce ten
miles east of Tanana, Alaska. Containment was expected last night.
MARSHALL CREEK, Alaska State. This fire is eight miles southwest of Rampart, Alaska. All
personnel have been demobed. This will be the last report of this incident, unless a
significant increase in activity.
The current situation and the outlook of the same REPORT from 19 July
1999 can be quoted as follows:
"...
CURRENT SITUATION:
Increased initial attack and large fire activity was reported in the Great Basin Areas.
Good progress was made on the existing large fires in the Western Great Basin, Northern
Rockies and Alaska Areas. In addition to the fires reported below in Alaska's large fire
narratives, the state has 62 fires burning in limited and modified protection areas for a
total of 819,230 acres. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized airtankers,
engines, radio equipment, helicopters, crews, miscellaneous overhead, a caterer and a
shower unit. High to extreme fire indices were reported in Wyoming, Oregon, Washington,
California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.
OUTLOOK:
Oregon will have isolated dry thunderstorms in the south half of the
state, during the afternoon. Patchy morning fog along the coast. High temperatures to 75
by the coast, 80 to 90 inland.
Washington will be mostly sunny with warmer and drier conditions in the
east. There will be patchy morning fog along the coast. High temperatures will be in the
mid 60's to lower 70's near the coast and 70's to lower 80's inland.
Colorado and New Mexico will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers and
thunderstorms. High temperatures in the mountains will be in the 60's to 70's with 80's
and 90's elsewhere.
Arizona will have scattered thunderstorms in the east and isolated
thunderstorms in the west. High temperatures will be in the 70's to 80's in the mountains
and to 110 in the southern deserts.
Nevada will be mostly sunny. The northern high temperatures will be 64 to
78 in the mountains, and 78 to 86 in the valleys. The southern high temperatures will be
75 to 85 in the mountains and 85 to 105 in the valleys and deserts.
Idaho will be mostly sunny and warmer. High temperatures in the 70's in
the mountains and lower 90's in the lower southern valleys.
Utah will be mostly sunny with isolated afternoon thunderstorms in the
west and partly cloudy in the east and south. The central mountains will have scattered
afternoon thunderstorms. High temperatures will be in the 80's and 90's.
Western Montana will be mostly sunny and warmer. High temperatures in the
mid 70's and 80's.
California will be mostly sunny. Slight chance of dry thunderstorms in
the far north during the afternoon. There will be patchy morning coastal fog. High
temperatures in 70's for the coastal areas. The inland valleys temperatures will be in the
80's and 90's. High temperatures will be in the 80's in the mountains and 95 to 110 in the
deserts.
Alaska's interior will have increasing clouds, and rain from the
southwest in the afternoon. High temperatures will be 65 to 75.
..."
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.