GFMC: Forest Fires in the United States: 2 June 2000
Forest Fires in the United States
2 June 2000
Thousands of hectares of dry forests and grasslands across the United States are in flames, sparked by lightening, campfires and planned management burns. With forecasters warning of drought conditions across much of the country this summer, the 2000 fire season threatens to be particularly devastating.
New fires in New Mexico
Three weeks after a wildfire ravaged Los Alamos, a new fire began Monday and increased from 6,500 acres (2,630 ha) Tuesday to more than 25,000 acres (10,117 ha) Thursday. It was burning in the forests east of Santa Fe and was about 70 miles (113 km) from Los Alamos. There have been an undetermined number of evacuations but no serious injuries reported. Firefighters got unexpected help Thursday as rain fall in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The fire in north-central New Mexico burned ponderosa pine and mixed conifers, sending columns of white-gray smoke spiraling thousands of feet into the air. Some 600 firefighters were already on the scene and another 600 were expected to arrive shortly to fight the fast-moving blaze, which is fuelled by hot winds and dry weather, officials said. Six helicopters and eight air tankers were dropping water and fire retardant on the blaze but it showed no sign of slowing. The latest fire forced the evacuation of the villages of Gallinas and El Porvenir in the mountains east of Santa Fe. The blaze was heading northeast through the densely forested Sangre de Cristo mountains. Firefighters were trying to secure the southern edge of the blaze to prevent it from entering the Pecos River watershed and a smaller watershed nearby that supplies water to the 18,000 people of Las Vegas. If the fire destroys the forest in the watershed, it could cause a problem of quantity and quality because of silt and erosion. The cause of the Pecos fire is still under investigation, but officials believe it was man-made. The new New Mexico fire was 15 percent contained Thursday, and firefighters were making their big push on ist north end, where it headed toward the wilderness area and the watershed.
The Los Alamos fire was now 98 percent contained, but that firefighters were still putting out spot fires from the blaze.
Fig. 1. – 3. The left color composite shows a heat signature (red) and a large smoke plume (light blue) displaying the Viveash Fire on
the late evening NOAA-14 pass of 30 May 2000. The image in the center shows two fires, the Cerro Grande Fire ( Los Alamos) and the Viveash Fire (northeast of Pecos, New Mexico). The Viveash Fire has burned at that time (31 May) an estimated area of 22,000 acres. The right satellite image shows again both fires (Cerro Grande Fire and Viveash Fire). The Viveash Fire heat signature is only faintly visible.
(Source: NOAA/OSEI).
Fires in southeastern states of the United States and Florida
Fig. 4. NOAA-14 AVHRR HRPT multichannel color composite. Heat signatures (red) are visible from a number of fires burning in southeastern Alabama, southern Georgia, and northern Florida.. Additional fires may be obscured by clouds or have heat signatures too small to be detected by the 1 km resolution of NOAA-14.
(Source: NOAA/OSEI).
Fig. 5. – 8. NOAA-15 and 14 POES AVHRR HRPT multichannel color composites for Florida.
A number of fires burning across central and southern Florida. Additional fires may be obscured by clouds or the heat signatures may be too small to be detected by the 1 km resolution of the NOAA-14 satellite.
(Source: NOAA/OSEI).
According to the Fire and Aviation Management Morning Report from the USDA Forest Service, 1 June 2000, current wildfires are burning in: New Mexico
VIVEASH: This 23,500 acre fire is burning on the Santa Fe National Forest five miles northwest of Pecos, New Mexico. Threats are to summer and year-round homes, the City of Las Vegas watershed and endangered species habitat. There have been some evacuations. One barn and three ranch buildings have been destroyed. 15% of the work has been done to contain the fire. 939 people are working on the fire.
Arizona:
PUMPKIN: This 10,200 acre (4,127 ha) fire is burning on the Kaibab National Forest, 25 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. The fire has burned approximately half of the Kendrick Wilderness Area. 903 people are working on the fire. 50% of the work has been completed to contain this fire.
Florida:
HOLEYLAND: This 11,000 acre (4,451 ha) fire is burning in the Holeyland Wildlife Management Area in Palm Beach County, on lands protected by the Florida State Division of Forestry. The fire is burning in grass and swampland in a conservation area. The fire is being monitored at this time. There is no estimated date of containment.
LOUISE: This 2,933 acre (1,186 ha) fire is in Alachua County, near Gainesville, FL and is the jurisdiction of the Florida State Division of Forestry. There are 19 people on this fire. All of the work has been completed to contain this fire and this will be the last report unless conditions change.
GREEN SWAMP COMPLEX: This 4,311 acre (1,744 ha ) complex include all fires in Citrus, Sumter, Hernando, Pasco, and Lake Counties and is the jurisdiction of the Florida State Division of Forestry. There are 179 people working on these fires. 30% of the work has been done to contain this fire.
CARLTON RESERVE: This 6,250 acre (2,529 ha) fire is 10 miles northwest of Port Charlotte, FL and is the jurisdiction of the Florida State Division of Forestry. The fire was reported contained on 5/27/00, however extreme conditions caused the fire to escape. 50% of the work has been done to contain this fire.
RETENTION POND: This 1,125 acre (455 ha) fire is burning on Florida State Division of Forestry administered land on swampland in Orange County, Florida. If the wind shifts, a subdivision could be threatened. 107 people are working on this fire and 80% of the work to contain the blaze has been completed.
TOWER: This 1,172 acre (474 ha) fire is burning in the Everglades National Park in Dade County, Florida. Some light rain fell on the fire yesterday and 80% of the work to contain the fire has been completed. There are 12 people working on the fire.
California:
AZUZA: This 740 acre (299 ha) fire is burning on the Inyo National Forest near Lee Vining, California. There are 134 people working on the fire. 100% of the work has been completed to contain the fire and this will be the last report unless conditions change.
Utah:
SWEETWATER: This 3,272 acre (1,324 ha) fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management administered lands 50 miles southeast of Vernal, Utah. The fire is burning in pinyon-juniper fuels near the Book Cliff area. There are 286 people working this fire. 10% of the work has been completed to contain this fire.
FISHER: This 600 acre (242 ha) fire is 20 miles southeast of Moab, UT and is the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. There are 16 people working on the fire. 95% of the work has been completed to contain this fire and full containment is estimated by June 2.
Colorado:
TAYLOR/YANKS: These two fires are being managed together. The fires have burned 2,700 acres (1,092 ha) on Bureau of Land Management administered land near Rangely, Colorado. 96 people are working on the fires. 75% of the work has been completed to contain the fires and total containment is expected today.
HALEY: This 800 acre (323 ha) fire is located 20 miles north of Nucla, CO on the Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest. Power lines and cattle are threatened. Strong winds are causing the fire to spread. There are 61 people working on the fire.
LOCKWOOD CANYON: This 1,000 acre (404 ha) fire is burning on the Fort Carson Military Site, Department of Defense lands 24 miles south of Timpas, CO. 100% of the work has been completed to contain this fire and this will be the last report unless conditions change.
The Wildland Fire Update from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) for the United States on 1 June 2000 shows,
that three new large fires were reported from Florida where persistent warm and dry conditions are causing extreme fire danger. Numerous residents returned home yesterday after a voluntary evacuation as the Bass Highway fire burned in Osceola County, Florida. There are currently 15 large fires burning in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Utah for a total of 113,525 acres (45,941 ha).
Fig. 9. Large Wildland Fires in the United States, 1 June 2000.
(National Interagency Fire Center)
The Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) is a contribution of “The Fire Behavior Research Work Unit”, Missoula (Montana USA). The broad area component of the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) generates maps of selected fire weather and fire danger components. Fire Danger (Potential) is a normalized adjective rating class across different fuel models and station locations. It is based on information provided by local station managers about the primary fuel model, fire danger index selected to reflect staffing level, and climatological class breakpoints. Low danger (class 1) is green and extreme potential (class 5) is red.
Fig. 10. and 11. Fire Danger Forecast Maps of the United States for 1 June (observation time) and 2 June 2000 (forecast).
(Source: Fire Behavior Research Work Unit, Missoula)
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a soil/duff drought index that ranges from 0 (no drought) to 800 (extreme drought) and is based on a soil capacity of 8 inches of water. Factors in the index are maximum daily temperature, daily precipitation, antecedent precipitation, and annual precipitation. KBDI = 0 – 200: Soil moisture and large class fuel moistures are high and do not contribute much to fire intensity. Typical of spring dormant season following winter precipitation. KBDI = 200 – 400: Typical of late spring, early growing season. Lower litter and duff layers are drying and beginning to contribute to fire intensity. KBDI = 400 – 600: Typical of late summer, early fall. Lower litter and duff layers actively contribute to fire intensity and will burn actively. KBDI = 600 – 800: Often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep burning fires with significant downwind spotting can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.
Fig. 12. Keetch-Byram Drought Index Map of the United States, 1 June 2000
(Source: Fire Behavior Research Work Unit, Missoula)
For further information on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) by Florida’s Division of Forestry / Forest Protection Bureau please refer to Keetch-Byram Drought Index Revisited: Prescribed Fire Applications.
Incident Management Situation Report (1 June 2000)
Current Situation:
New large fires were reported in the Southern Area. Crews made good progress on several of the large fires in the Four Corners area. Initial attack activity was moderate in Florida and light throughout the rest of the country. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized helicopters, an air attack plane, infrared aircraft, a caterer, a commissary unit, radios, RAWS equipment, crews, and miscellaneous overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Minnesota.
Outlook:
A red flag warning is posted in the sacramento valley of northern california for low relative humidities and strong winds
A fire weather watch is posted in central florida and in central and eastern south carolina for low relative humidities
Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah, and southern Colorado will be partly cloudy and not as windy. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms will occur over the mountains in the Four Corners area. High temperatures will range from the 70’s in the northern mountains up to 110 in the deserts. Winds will be southwest at 10 to 20 mph west of the Rockies, and east at 10 to 15 mph east of the Rockies. Minimum relative humidities will be from 5 to 15 percent in desert areas, and from 15 to 30 percent in higher elevations.
California will be sunny except for morning clouds and fog along the coast. Temperatures will be from the mid 60’s in coastal areas up to 110 in the deserts. Winds in the Sacramento Valley will be north to east at 15 to 25 mph. Southern California will have southwest to west winds at 10 to 15 mph. Minimum relative humidities along the coast will be 40 to 50 percent. Inland, humidities will be from 10 to 25 percent.
Florida will be partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the panhandle and in the extreme southern part of the state. High temperatures will range from the mid 80’s to the mid 90’s. Winds will be east at 5 to 10 mph. Minimum relative humidities will be 35 percent in Central Florida and up to 50 percent elsewhere.
Central and eastern South Carolina will be sunny with high temperatures of 85 to 95. Minimum relative humidities will be 30 percent.
Long-range, 30-day weather forecasts are predicting above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the southern tier of states from southern California to Florida and throughout the Midwest (see 30 and 90-day forecast maps).
Tab.1. Five-Year Wildland Fire Comparison Statistics Year-to-Date for the United States (30 May 2000)
(Source: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
As of 05/25/00 Number of Wildland Fires Area burnt Acres Hectars 2000 41,104 1,054,642 426,798 1999 40,038 775,424 313,802 1998 24,261 540,892 218,891 1997 27,133 429,237 173,706 1996 56,002 1,484,675 600,826
Fig. 13. 30 and 90-day temperature and precipitation forecast maps (June and June to August 2000)
(Source: National Weather Service, Boise, Idaho)
Remarks on Prescribed Burning
At this time of the year prescribed burning operations are conducted routinely.
Fire is an important natural tool for ecosystem management. It can reduce dense vegetation improving wildlife habitat and lessening the potential for large, wildfire disasters. Land managers are directed to prepare a prescribed fire/burn plan for every area of public land that can burn. Some areas require total suppression while others will benefit from a wildland fire. Those areas that will benefit from a fire can be treated by a prescribed fire.
Especially, for the moment, in the southern and southeastern regions of the United States prescribed fire activities will be carried out in the following weeks and months. In this case, fire signals on satellite images can be traced back to this kind of land management activities.
In the Prescribed Fire Position Paper of the Forest Protection Bureau by the Division of Forestry in Florida, prescribed fire activity is described as a land management application that is essential to the practice of forestry, management of wildlife, preservation of endangered plant and animal species, improvement of range conditions and reduction of wildfire damage in the wildland/urban interface areas. While there is general public and landowner concern with increased smoke, reduced air quality, and liability; the general public and landowners benefit significantly from the reduction of devastating wildfire, improved wildlife habitat and forage, preservation of endangered and threatened plant and animal species, and improved management of forest resources. The prospect of severe reductions in the utilization of this management tool is of major concern to Florida’s natural resource managers and conservationists due to the subsequent loss of derived public and private benefits. They suggest the need for legislative attention.
Another report on nation-wide prescribed burning in the U.S.A. was published in International Forest Fire News No.19 (September 1998).
A set of photographic documents on prescribed burning techniques and objectives in the Southeast can be visited in our photo archive.
