GFMC: Forest Fires in the United States
Forest Fires in the United States
12 June 2002
Wildland Fire Update
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) based in Boise (Idaho) provides key information on current wildland fire situations, related information and background materials. The following information is updated daily and can be accessed directly:
- State-by-State daily and year-to-date summary of fire activities
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
- Year-to-date State-by-State total number of wildland fires and area burned (table)
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfnmap.html
- Daily locations of large fires (map)
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/firemap.html
The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) provides daily situation reports. These reports include:
- Incident Management Situation Reports (fires and area burned reported to NICC). The files include current, previous and archived reports
- Prescribed Fire and Wildland Fire Use (year-to-date fires and area burned reported to NICC, posted weekly on Monday mornings)
http://www.nifc.gov/news/RXWFUYTD.htm
Archived NICC Incident Management Reports (recent daily reports and archived daily reports 1994-1997) are provided by the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI)
Fire Weather & Fire Danger Information
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.
Fire danger maps for the United States for 11June 2002 (observation time) and 12 June 2002 (forecast)
(Source: WAFS)
Dead fuel moisture responds solely to ambient environmental conditions and is critical in determining fire potential. Dead fuel moistures are classed by timelag.
10-HR Fuel Moisture
100-HR Fuel Moisture
1000-HR Fuel Moisture
Fuel moisture maps for conterminous US, 11 June 2002
(Source: WAFS)
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a soil/duffdrought index. Factors in the index are maximum daily temperature, dailyprecipitation, antecedent precipitation, and annual precipitation. The indexranges from 0 (no drought) to 800 (extreme drought) (details).
Keetch-Byram Drought Index Maps for conterminous US, 11 June2002
(Source: WAFS)
Latest satellite images,
showing heat signatures and smoke plumes from fires burning in Colorado andNew Mexico:
Source: MODIS Land Rapid Response, 11 June 2002
Operational Significant Event Imagery (OSEI)
The following significant events were identified by Satellite Analysis Branch meteorologists and reviewed by the OSEI support team of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
NESDIS/OSEI NOAA-14 POES AVHRR LAC satellite images,
Heat signatures (red) and smoke plumes (light blue haze) are visible from fires burning in Colorado and New Mexico. The Hayman Fire has burned 75,889 acres in Pike National Forest, CO and was 5% contained. Smoke is visible drifting over Nebraska. Several camps, ranches, recreation areas, and towns have been evacuated with 6,000 residences threatened. The Trinidad Complex Fire has burned 29,942 acres and was 75% contained. This information is from the National Interagency Fire Center Incident Management Situation Report from 06/11/2002. The blurriness visible in this image is due to the image being towards the edge of the satellite pass.
(Source: OSEI/NOAA)
UPDATE – Up to 30,000 face evacuation in Colorado wildfires
DENVER – Up to 30,000 people faced possible evacuation orders this week as afierce wildfire raged through the outskirts of suburban Denver, sending flamesshooting up 100 feet (30 metres) into the air as blazing embers cascaded down ontinder-dry forests.
So far at least 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) were on fire throughout Coloradoas the annual fire season got off to an early and ferocious start.
The wind-whipped Hayman fire, about 55 miles (90 km) southwest of Denver, spreadto 75,000 acres (30,300 hectares), more than double the size recorded Mondaymorning, forcing some 30,000 people to stand by for possible evacuation orders,officials said.
Gov. Bill Owens said the Hayman fire could spread to 100,000 acres (40,000hectares) by late Monday – although the fire’s current westerly direction didnot threaten more populated parts of Denver.
Thick smoke blanketed the area. “You can’t see anything. The smoke is sothick you can’t even see the fire,” Diane Barney, a spokeswoman for thefirefighting command center, said.
The governor ordered a ban on the sale and use of fireworks and open burnsthroughout the state until further notice.
Owens also added $10 million in state funds to fight the fires. He said it wasnot yet possible to determine how much it has cost to fight the blazes, whichbegan on Saturday.
“It’s a very dangerous time for Colorado,” Owens said.
THOUSANDS READY TO FLEE
Barney said officials in two Denver-area counties, Jefferson and Douglas, hadalerted a total of 30,000 people to be ready for evacuation, and that they werebeing cleared neighborhood by neighborhood as the flames got closer.
The two counties had originally estimated that as many as 40,000 people mighteventually receive evacuation orders, but later reduced those estimates.
The Hayman fire, which is believed to have been started by an illegal campfire,is one of six major wildfires that have already forced thousands to abandontheir homes in drought-stricken Colorado.
Low humidity, gusting winds and dry timber made conditions difficult forfirefighters battling blazes in the northwestern, southwestern, southeastern andcentral parts of the state.
“We have zero containment for every major fire right now,” MitParsons, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said.
Federal officials closed the Pike-San Isabel National Forest indefinitely to thepublic. Gov. Owens also closed three state parks.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh was scheduled toarrive in Colorado yesterday to view the affected areas. The governor said hewas assured by FEMA officials “there was no danger of federal funds dryingup.”
FEMA on Sunday declared its 10th fire emergency aid for Colorado this year,compared with just eight such declarations from 1994 through 2001.
SITUATION ‘SCARY’
Even in 2000, when 8.4 million acres (3.36 million hectares) burnednationwide, the blazes were peaking in August, not June. “That’s why it’sscary,” Parsons said.
From Denver south to Colorado Springs, about 60 miles (100 km) away, it wasstill nearly impossible this week to see the mountains to the west.
The Hayman fire was the number one priority. Ranking second was a fire northwestof Grand Junction, in western Colorado, which consumed 1,300 acres (520hectares). “The winds were so high we just watched it burn,” Parsonssaid.
The third-ranking blaze, one sparked by a coal seam fire in the mountains nearWest Glenwood Springs grew 500 acres (200 hectares) to 7,500 acres (3,000hectares) overnight. It has destroyed 23 homes, one commercial building and 14other structures like sheds.
Heavy winds were making it hard to contain other smaller fires like one nearRangely, Colorado.
A fire near Durango covered 6,500 acres (2,600 hectares) where a historic logcabin was destroyed, Parsons said.
Meanwhile, a blaze that scorched 23,400 acres (9,360 hectares) in the AngelesNational Forest 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Los Angeles, destroying nine homesand 14 outbuildings, was 90 percent contained.
Easing winds helped firefighters in Northern California get a handle on an 1,100acre (440 hectare) blaze that had spurred the evacuation of about 150 homes,about 60 miles (100 km) from Sacramento, said Pat Burger, a spokesman for theCalifornia Department of Forestry.
Source: Planet Ark
For more information on the recent fire situation see: Recent Media Highlights on Fire, Policies, and Politics, especially several articles referring to the situation in Colorado.
Long-range weather forecasts
National Weather Service
Long-range, 30-day weather forecasts are predicting above-normal temperatures for the southern tier of states from southern California to Florida and throughout the Midwest (see 30 and 90-day forecast maps).
30 and 90-day temperature and precipitation forecast maps (June2002 and June to August 2002)
(Source: National Weather Service)
The Florida Division of Forestry gives the following long-range Wildfire Season Forecast September – March 2002 for Florida:
“A return to near normal conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean marks the end of the prolonged La Niña event that brought very active fire seasons to the state the past few years. Normal to slightly warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific will bring us our first normal winter in a while, and if sea surface temperatures continue to slowly warm we may get above normal rainfall this winter.”
For further information see: Wildfire Season Forecast of the Florida Division of Forestry
For further information you may also see to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
For background information on the Southern Area see the Edited Version of the Southern Area Intelligence Briefing Paper for 22 April 2001.
