Fires in Montana, Wyoming and California
Fires inMontana, Wyoming and California
15July 2006
Wildfires in Montana and Wyoming
In southeastern Montana and northern Wyoming the winds were whipping eastward and spreading several large wildfires on13 July 2006. This image of the area around the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Powder Rivers was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite at 1:35 p.m. U.S. Mountain Time. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. Long ribbons of gray smoke stream toward the east. These fires are burning in a mixture of sagebrush, grass, and timber. Many ranches and small communities in the area have beenevacuated.
AQUA
13 July 2006
The two largest fires in the scene are about 50 kilometers northeast ofBillings, Montana. The Bundy Railroad Complex Fire is north of the Yellowstone River, and the Pine Ridge Complex is to thesouth. Together these fires totaled about 18,000 ha as of 14 July. The Bundy Railroad Fire was 0 percentcontained, while the Pine Ridge Complex was about 10 percent contained. For more information about the fires in thisscene, visit the Website of the National Interagency Fire Center.
The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters perpixel.
Latest GOES-12 image:
This multispectral combined image was taken on 14 July 2006 andshows numerous fires burning in Billings area, in southwestern of Montana. Smoke from the fires extends southeast into South Dakota. Another new fire is burning in Devils Tower, northeastern of Wyoming.
(source: OSEI)
Fires in California
Two wildfires burning in the Mojave Desert at the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California continued to spread and threatened to merge into a single large blaze in mid-July 2006. At just over3,000 ha as of 14 July, the Millard Complex Fire is the smaller of the two, and it is located farther west. To the east is the larger Sawtooth Complex Fire, which was about19,400 acres. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite captured this image of the area on13 July, 2006, at 2:10 p.m. Locations where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red.
AQUA
13 July 2006
The Sawtooth Fire is burning mostly in chaparral, an ecosystem dominated by dense thickets oflow-growing, drought-adapted shrub. Part of the fire has invaded the San Bernardino National Forest. The Millard Fire is burning in chaparral and conifer forest. Both fires are threatening homes in theregion. As of 14 July, the National Interagency Fire Center estimated the Sawtooth Fire was 20 percentcontained; the Millard Fire was about 5 percent contained.
The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per imagepixel. That image also shows a wider area, providing a view of the Canyon Fire, which is burning in the Diablo Mountains to the east of San Jose.
(source: EarthObservatory)
For more information see:
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National Interagency Fire Center
See also latest news reports:
Huge Southern California desert fire may merge with forest fire
(source: www.signonsandiego.com)
YUCCA VALLEY A 40,000-acre fire chewed through desert wilderness Thursday after destroying 100 homes and buildings and was on course to possibly merge with a blaze in the San Bernardino National Forest, where it could feed on vast stands of dead trees.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County, citing conditions of extreme peril to public health and safety of persons andproperty.
Firefighters work the Sawtooth Complex Fire near Morongo Valley Wednesday.
The huge Sawtooth fire edged northwest toward the forest, and an evacuation was ordered for dozens of homes in Morongo Valley. Containment was just 20 percent. Five miles away, the Millard fire had scorched 1,200 acres in the forest and was 5 percent surrounded.
In the scorched landscape left behind by the Sawtooth, residents returned to see how they fared.
We’re very, very lucky, said Sandy Dugan, whose Pioneertown home still stood while the charred remains of others smoldered. It’s hard to see your neighbors’ homes gone.
Authorities said smoke from the blazes 100 miles east of Los Angeles was smelled in Las Vegas and Ogden, Utah.
State fire officials told a Sacramento news conference that both fires could link up on the desert floor but were at least 15 miles from any areas of dead trees.
It’s possible but not very likely at this time that the fires would reach the timber stands, said Kevin Olson, deputy chief of operations in the headquarters of the California Department of Forestry.
If the fires did reach deadwood, it could be bad.
It’s just like matches standing on end, Olson said. The oils in the pine trees, they just go.
Swaths of Southern California forests have been weakened by drought and killed by bark beetles. For several years, workers have been cutting down dead trees near communities and roads. Thousands of acres have been cleared but experts say it will take up to 20 years to remove all the deadwood.
However, Olson said there have been contingency plans for several years on how to fight fires and evacuate people in the beetle-infested areas.
On the lines of the Sawtooth fire, blistering heat and strong winds were unrelenting. There was also concern about the possibility of lightning-laced thunderstorms.
The fire was ignited by lightning during the weekend and roared into an inferno Tuesday, racing through tiny high desert communities. Forty-two houses, 55 other buildings and 91 vehicles were destroyed in Pioneertown and other communities near Yucca Valley.
About 1,350 firefighters worked the blaze with the help of bulldozers, helicopters and air tankers. Nine firefighters and two civilians have been treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation.
Our goal is to build 30 miles of fireline with forces concentrated on the active western edge, said Mary Flynn, a CDF spokeswoman.
Evacuation orders were lifted for Pioneertown and several other communities but residents of Burns Canyon and Rimrock were still unable to return home, Flynn said.
Pioneertown, established in the 1940s as a location for filming cowboy movies, lost none of its Western-style storefronts. But residents weren’t so lucky.
Vicki Davis’ home was standing but two sheds burned.
This is nothing compared to what happened to everyone else, said Davis, a 22-year resident.
She and her husband, John, left early Tuesday to go to a store in Morongo Valley and were unable to return when the fire broke out. They sneaked back in before the evacuation was lifted.
The unknown is what’s scary. You’re down there not knowing what’s going on, Davis said.
Her brother-in-law, Rex Davis, 55, of Whittier, lost his vacation home nearby. He was told it was destroyed but had to see for himself.
You’re still thinking maybe it didn’t burn, he said.
The Millard fire was a threat to at least 75 homes but there were no evacuations, forest spokeswoman Robin Prince said. About 400 firefighters were on the lines.
The Sawtooth and Millard fires were each about 30 miles from Big Bear, one of several communities atop the San Bernardino Mountains that were evacuated when wildfires swept Southern California in 2003. Those 15 fires, fanned by fierce Santa Ana winds, were collectively the most devastating in recent state history. They killed 22 people, destroyed 3,640 homes and blackened 750,000 acres.
Chris Gonzalez, 34, manager of the Big Bear Lakefront Lodge, said she could see a huge bushel of smoke in the distance Thursday. She recalled having to evacuate the last time fire climbed the mountains.
Thank God it never got to Big Bear but it was still scary, leaving your home and everything you have behind, she said.
Robert Vinson, 51, brought his wife and two sons to the lodge on Tuesday for a vacation to escape the 105-degree heat in his Riverside County town of Menifee. He planned to stay until Saturday unless things got hotter.
When I see the flames from my hotel room and they get within 10 miles, I’m leaving. I’m not gonna wait until they’re under my balcony, he said.
Forest fire leads to state of emergency
(source: www.localnewsleader.com)
YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. – A 40,000-acre fire chewed through desert wilderness Thursday after destroying 100 homes and buildings and was on course to possibly merge with a blaze in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County to better coordinate and expedite state efforts to help people affected.
“Were very, very lucky,” said Sandy Dugan, whose Pioneertown home still stood while the charred remains of others smoldered. “Its hard to see your neighbors homes gone.”
Fire officials said that both fires could link up on the desert floor. Higher up in the mountains, millions of dead trees carried the potential for even more destruction, but they were at least 15 miles from either fire.
Swaths of Southern California forests have been weakened by drought and killed by bark beetles. For several years, workers have been cutting down dead trees near communities and roads. Thousands of acres have been cleared but experts say it will take up to 20 years to remove all the deadwood.
The larger fire was ignited by lightning during the weekend and roared into an inferno Tuesday, racing through tiny high desert communities. Forty-two houses, 55 other buildings and 91 vehicles were destroyed in Pioneertown and other communities near Yucca Valley.
Pioneertown, established in the 1940s as a location for filming cowboy movies, lost none of its Western-style storefronts, but some residents werent so lucky.
“Youre still thinking maybe it didnt burn,” he said.
Those 15 fires were collectively the most devastating in recent state history, killing 22 people, destroying 3,640 homes and blackening 750,000 acres.
“When I see the flames from my hotel room and they get within 10 miles, Im leaving. Im not going to wait until theyre under my balcony,” he said.
Northern Great Plains Type 2 Team Sent to Wyoming Fires
(source: www.localnewsleader.com)
Rapid City, SD The Northern Great Plains Type 2 Incident Management Team on Thursday evening was ordered to the Thorn Divide Fire Complex in eastern Wyoming. The team is headed up by Joe Lowe, State of South Dakota Wildland FireCoordinator.
A reported nine fires are burning south of Devils Tower National Monument. The largest is the Zimmerschied Fire, estimated to be around 1000 acres.
Due to the recent amount of lightning and fire activity in the area, a Type 2 Incident Management Team from Colorado has been ordered to preposition in the Black Hills in the event of another large fire. The team is expected to arrive by noon on Friday.
Twenty six fires were reported Thursday; sixteen in Wyoming, two in Nebraska and eight in the Black Hills. Due to quick response and aggressive fire fighting most fires were kept small and quickly contained. Continued high temperatures forecasted for the next several days will be a major concern for firefighter safety and extreme fire behavior.
The Wolf Canyon fire continues to be the only active fire in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This fire is located approximately 9 miles SW of Hot Springs, South Dakota near Flint Hill. The estimated size is 100 acres.
Resources include personnel from the State of South Dakota, Black Hills National Forest, Nebraska National Forest, Wind Cave National Park, and local volunteer fire departments. Five hand crews are on scene including 3 hot shot crews; Tatanka from the Black Hills, Roosevelt, and Alpine from Colorado, and 2 type 2 handcrews; Black Hats and Bear Mountain from the Black Hills.
The fire was hit hard with aerial resources including drops from a heavy air tanker, a type 1 helitanker, a type 3 helicopter, 2 single engine air tankers and air attack. Crews will continue to work the fire through Thursday night.
Visitors to the Black Hills can expect visibility in the area to be reduced by smoke that’s coming from fires in southeastern Montana and the Wyoming fires near Devil’s Tower.
For the latest wildland fire information, visit www.Inciweb.org or contact the Northern Great Plains Interagency Dispatch Center in Rapid City, South Dakota at 605-393-8055.
