GFMC: Forest Fires in the United States
06 May 2004
Latest satellite image:
Heat signatures (red) and smoke (light blue haze) are visiblefrom fires burning in southern California in this Moderate Resolution ImagingSpectroradiometer (MODIS) false-color image from the Aqua satellite. About 4,000homes have been evacuated as the fires spread to cover an area of more than16,000 acres. The pink areas visible in the upper part of this image are due tosolar heating of the ground surface.
Source: OSEI
Cooler Weather Helps California Firefighters
LOS ANGELES – Cooler, less breezy weather helped firefighters battling sixwildfires in southern California on Wednesday but more than 1,000 homes were atrisk in an early start to the fire season.
“It is cooler today than earlier in the week and the winds appear to becalm,” said Ron Gill, spokesman for Riverside County Fire Department wheresome 2,000 firefighters are struggling to contain the two biggest blazes inmountain communities south-east of Los Angeles.
Fanned by record-breaking temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and asixth successive year of drought, the six fires have scorched more than 20,000acres in the past four days.
Sixteen homes have been destroyed and families were ordered out of another 1,000homes in the Cerritos fire near Corona on Tuesday. The blaze was only 30 percentcontained on Wednesday.
But fire officials made headway against an 8,800-acre blaze near Temecula whichwas 60 percent contained on Wednesday. “There are not so many structures inthat area so we made real good progress with fire operations rather thanfocusing on protecting property,” Gill said.
A smaller brush fire on the U.S. Marine base Camp Pendleton north of San Diegowas reported fully contained on Wednesday. No structures were burned and noinjuries reported.
Hot and dry conditions last year touched off 14 major wildfires in SouthernCalifornia’s mountain ranges, killing 24 people, destroying more than 3,700homes and charring about 750,000 acres.
Fire officials said only a fraction of the dead trees that fueled last year’sfirestorms had been consumed, leaving plenty of dry tinder for new fires.
The Cerritos fire is thought to have been started by a man seen dragging a largepiece of steel behind a vehicle that sent sparks into nearby dry brush. The manhas been arrested.
Meanwhile in Arizona, a controlled burn near the south rim of the Grand Canyonjumped fire lines and spread, charring 100 acres and throwing heavy smoke intothe air during a busy time for tourists visiting the national park.
The fire burned through ponderosa pine, briefly closing two entrances to thecanyon and prompting voluntary evacuations of a portion of Grand Canyon Villageas about 80 firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control.
Source: PlanetArk, 06 May
Gallery from CNN
Chad Britton, a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, sets backfires to rob a wildfire of fuel along a highway east of Temecula.
California firefighters set backfires to quell a wildfire along a highway near Temecula.
Firefighting crews gather Monday on state Highway 79 east of Temecula to battle blazes. The Temecula fire had burned 3,900 acres as of late Monday.
A crew from the California Department of Corrections watches as a fire rages near Temecula. The start of the fire season was declared earlier than last year because of low rainfall, high temperatures and beetle bark infestation.
Source: CNN
For detailed information on Forest Firesin the US please visit:
https://gfmc.online/gfmcnew/2004/0414/20040414_us_test.htm
