California Fire News
California Fire News |
| CA-LNU - Braye Fire - Local news coverage Posted: 21 May 2007 01:43 AM CDT 450-acre blaze started near Lake Berryessa Article Created: 05/20/2007 09:21:07 AM PDT A Cal Fire unit stands watch as the blaze crests the ridge near the Canyon Creek Resorts along State Route 128 west of Winters. As of 4 p.m. Saturday the wildfire had consumed more than 450 acres and was 50 percent contained. (Matthew Henderson/Democrat) It's a small, but auspicious start to fire season. A wildfire streaked across more than 450 acres early Saturday morning up in the Vaca Mountains east of Lake Berryessa. The fire was about 50 percent contained at press time. No injuries were reported and no structures were under threat from the fire, Cal Fire information officer Kevin Colburn said. However, the fire came within several dozen yards of the Canyon Creek Resort, an RV camping park nestled near the foot of Lake Berryessa. "This is a fire-prone area," Colburn said. "It's a really bad area." The fire started as a 5-acre blaze at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. Fire investigators believe the fire started west of a small field on the way up to Lake Berryessa along State  A Cal Fire UH-1H dips into the Putah Creek along State Route 128 west of Winters while fighting a wildfire that has consumed more than 450 acres on Saturday. (Matthew Henderson/Democrat) Route 128. Vacaville Fire Protection District personnel responded to the scene and soon had all of its units called out. Cal Fire, the new name of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, took over command of the fire almost immediately. Within a couple of hours the fire grew to about 200 acres, with winds whipping the flames in a northeastern direction. Cal Fire units from the Sonoma-Lake-Napa district took over for the local Vacaville units. Helicopters, several bulldozers and about a dozen inmate fire crews were also brought to the scene. SR-128 was eventually closed by Caltrans at Winters, as well as where it connects to SR-121. Colburn said the road would be closed until at least 8 p.m. Saturday. Tim Streblow, the deputy chief of the Sonoma-Lake-Napa district, said air tankers were not available to help put the fire out, but he said it probably would not have helped much. "We have lots of choppers we can call when needed," Streblow said. Randy Fregoso, a captain of a helicopter team out of Vina, said there were only two aircraft in the air at a time, each dumping about 300 gallons of Putah Creek water onto the fires to help slow them down. Though the helicopters are only allowed to fly for seven hours total each day, Fregoso said it was enough. Crews were expected to work the fire for the rest of Sunday night, Colburn said. Crew levels, which reached a maximum of 300 during the early morning, would be gradually reduced. Part of that 300 are more than 200 inmates. The rocky, steep terrain of the area is one of the bigger concerns facing Cal Fire, Colburn said. Firefighters were coping with approaching the flames and making fire breaks despite it, however. "We don't leave until we know it's not going anywhere," Colburn said. No cause has been determined, Colburn said. Fregoso said it felt a little early for the fire season to start. Cal Fire won't declare fire season until June 4, with the state agency not reaching full staffing levels until about July 1. "Seems like we're ahead of schedule," he said. Campers Barbara and Tom Hannah, from Truckee, said they watched the flames for some time before finally going to sleep. "It was nice to watch," Tom Hannah said. "(Cal Fire) said they'd let us know" if they needed to leave. Barbara Hannah said many people left last night, escaping toward Lake Berryessa and SR-121. "Tonight, I can have a glass of wine. Last night, I didn't," she said. David Huffman, a retiree from Texas who was camping in Canyon Creek, said he went to bed at midnight because Cal Fire told him he was fine. "Then I woke up at 2:45 and saw it coming over the other mountain," he said. "It was a little scary." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Incident Information Center (NIIC): ... Posted: 21 May 2007 01:42 AM CDT National Incident Information Center (NIIC): National Incident Information Center THE MORNING REPORT
Saturday May 19, 2007 – 12:00 pm EDT
The Morning Report is published daily during fire season and provides information on the current wildland fire situation, regional fire summaries, weather reports, burned area rehabilitation activities and closure orders for fires 500 acres and larger. CURRENT SITUATIONInitial attack activity was light with 137 new fires reported burning 4,827 acres. Currently, there are 16 fires and complexes over 500 acres. There are 2 new fires over 500 acres, 1 each in Nevada and Florida. Three Type 2 and five Type 1 Incident Management Teams are assigned. The Southern Area Preparedness Level is 5. An Area Command Team (Rounsaville) is helping create a strategic plan for suppression action in Florida. The Boise-based NIMO Team (Gelobter) is assigned to Greensburg, KS running a base camp for tornado recovery emergency workers. The Atlanta-based NIMO team (Ferguson) is assigned to the Florida Bugaboo fire. INCIDENT HEADLINES
SUMMARY OF FIRE ACTIVITY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
RESOURCES COMMITTED
MAPS OF CURRENT FIRE ACTIVITY
REGIONAL FIRES OVER 500 ACRESSOUTHERN AREA (website: http://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/ )
Florida Bugaboo is located 2 miles east of Taylor, FL. A Unified Command between Type 1 Incident Management Team (Quesinberry) and Florida DOF (Greene) is established along with the Atlanta NIMO team (Ferguson). Fire behavior has moderated. Numerous structures in several communities remain threatened. Bugaboo Scrub is located 16 miles west of Folkston, GA burning in southern rough and timber. Creeping and smoldering is reported. Numerous structures and a state park remain threatened. A transfer of command between Type 1 Incident Management Teams is occurring. Bugaboo Scrub 2 is located 5 miles east of Fargo, GA burning in southern rough and timber. Fire activity has moderated, though numerous structures remain threatened. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Hannemann) is assigned. Sweat Farm Road/Big Turnaround Complex is located 10 miles west of Waycross, GA burning in southern rough and timber. Fire activity has moderated on Sweat Farm Road, while Big Turnaround Complex reports increased fire activity with short surface runs. A community, refuge facilities, railroad infrastructure and microwave installation are threatened. BICY Complex is located in Big Cypress National Preserve 51 miles west of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The complex includes 5 fires. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Stanich) is assigned. Increased fire activity is reported. A community and petroleum equipment are still threatened. Dairy Road is burning 7 miles northwest of Keystone Heights, FL in timber. Smoldering fire activity is reported. Numerous residences remain threatened. Round About Swamp is burning 4 miles west of Pearson, GA. Low fire activity is reported. Knee Knocker Swamp is one mile northwest of Nahunta, GA. There is minimal fire activity. Deland Complex includes 3 previously reported fires. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Utley) is assigned. Smoldering is reported.
EASTERN AREA (website: http://gacc.nifc.gov/eacc/)
Ham Lake is located 49 miles northeast of Grand Marais, MN burning in timber and dead and down fuels. A transfer of command to IMT 2 (Mannelin) will occur today for the U.S. part of the fire. A larger portion of the fire is burning in Canada. Minimal fire activity is reported. Structures, power and telephone infrastructure remain threatened. Warren Grove is located 25 miles north of Atlantic City, NJ burning in hardwood litter and timber. No new information has been received.
SOUTHWEST AREA (website: gacc.nifc.gov/swcc)
Promontory is located 18 miles east of Payson, AZ burning in timber on the Tonto National Forest. No new information has been received.
WESTERN GREAT BASIN AREA (website: gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/)
*Indicates new fire(s) WEATHER OUTLOOK
INTERNATIONAL LARGE FIRES
CURRENT FIRE MAP The geographic location of fires (>500 acres) in the USA may be seen on a fire map. Map information provided courtesy of the USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center. Data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center. FIRE SEASON OVERVIEW
PREPAREDNESS LEVELNational Preparedness Level is 2 several Geographic Areas are experiencing high to extreme fire danger. Wildland fire activity is increasing and large fires are occurring in one or more Geographic Areas. Minimal mobilization of firefighting resources from other Geographic Areas is occurring. The potential exists for mobilizing additional firefighting resources from other Geographic Areas. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fire departments recruit women Posted: 21 May 2007 12:26 AM CDT Inside Bay Area - Fire departments recruit women: "DUBLIN — They came because they didn't like their jobs, because they wanted to do something noble or because they wanted to see if they have a chance of making it. There was a line of about 50 of them before the doors even opened Saturday morning at the Dublin firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test site. Although this "career fair" was meant to draw more women into the firefighter ranks, plenty of men came too. "Most women don't realize that firefighting is an option open to them," said Lisa Beaty, a Contra Costa County fire captain and member of the California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee, a partnership of numerous California fire departments, which organized the recruitment event. Twenty-two departments took part in the fair, including Livermore-Pleasanton, Tracy, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Fremont and as far south as Los Angeles County. For the would-be firefighters, it was a chance to get some face time with the departments they were interested in. They could leave their contact information for all of the participating departments, get information, watch a short video and attempt parts ofa strenuous test that they would have to pass to be eligible to become firefighters in California. "The vast majority of them are people who've never had a firefighting job," committee member Carroll Willis said. "We have reached out to the community colleges and their fire science programs." According to the committee, only 5 percent of California firefighters are women.Willis said that many women who started in the 1970s through the'90s are now retiring, and because of anti-affirmative action laws in the previous decade, there are few women left. To pass the CPAT test, firefighters must complete eight stations in 10 minutes and 20 seconds, Tracy firefighter Laura Hernandez said. First, they have to walk on a combination escalator/treadmill for three minutes while carrying 75 pounds of weight and equipment without holding on to a bar for support. The walk simulates climbing up an 11-story building. Next, they drop 25 pounds of weight and have to drag a fire hose. Then they carry a 30-pound power saw. "You get really tired by this point," Hernandez said. "It's continuously timed — you can't take a break." After that, they have to climb up a 24-floor ladder, hit a target with a 10-pound sledge hammer, crawl on all fours in a dark U-shaped tunnel, drag a 165-pound dummy and push up weight with a skinny metal bar to simulate breaking a hole in a ceiling. At the event, participants only did the escalator walk for 11/2 minutes. "I feel it in my thighs — I started to burn a little bit," said 24-year-old Dane Hagan of Union City. Hagan is in the U.S. Army as a hazardous materials technician. "Firefighting is an option I'm looking at," he said. "Either that or stay in the Army." College student Alaina Trocano, 23, of Dublin was smarting after dragging the heavy dummy. "It works your calves," she said. "I wasn't expecting that." Trocano said that she is serious about being a firefighter. "I decided to do something different, something to be proud of," she said. "I have a written test at the end of the month for (the) Stockton (Fire Department)." Some participants were in better shape than others. Martinez pet food shop employee Nancy Lewis finished fourth in the Miss Olympia bodybuilding competition in 2004. "I've always wanted to be a firefighter," she said. "It's something I could be good at." Some just wanted a change of scenery, such as 31-year-old Dagmar Wittner of San Francisco. "I don't like my career right now," the chiropractor said. "I need something more physical. It's either this or the police department."
Roman Gokhman can be reached at (925) 416-4849 or rgokhman@trivalleyherald.com. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NIFC - News and notes - dedication Posted: 20 May 2007 11:46 PM CDT http://gacc.nifc.gov/oscc/predictive/intelligence/news_notes/index.htm "Today a flag was raised which had flown at the California State capital on October 26th 2006 and moment of silence was observed. Engine Captain John Clays and a staff of four (4) firefighters placed BDF Engine 57 a new model 62 into service at the Alandale Fire Station. The station is located near the community of Pine Cove on the San Jacinto District of the San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County. A district dedication was held at the Alandale station with a plaque posted at the station in remembrance of Fire Captain Mark Loutzenhiser, Engine Operator Jess McLean, Assistant Engine Operator Jason McKay, Firefighters Daniel Hoover-Najera and Pablo Cerda who were killed in the line of duty on the Esperanza Fire. Engine 57 was destroyed. Captain John Clays is the brother in-law of Jess McLean." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CA-RRU-66th - 40 Acres - 12-15 vehicles and 2 tractor tailers were destroyed Posted: 20 May 2007 10:59 PM CDT CA-RRU-66th -Riverside County Fire Department - News Releases and Incident Information:"Incident Name: 66th fire
UPDATE 66th fire: Date 05/20/2007 2: Time 1908 3: Initial | Update | Final not initial | xx on update| not final 4: Incident Number CA-RRU-44588 5: Incident Name 66th 6: Incident Kind Wildland Fire 7: Start Date, Time 05/20/2007 1317 8: Cause Under Investigation 9: Incident Commander PAIZ, RAY 10: Incident Command Organization 11: State-Unit CA-RRU 12: County RIVERSIDE 13: 13: Latitude and Longitude Lat: 33° 34´ 10" Long: 116° 9´ 23" Ownership: CA-RRU 14: Short Location Description: 16_T07S_R08E_S CURRENT SITUATION 15: Size/Area Involved 40 ACRES 16: % Contained 50 Percent 17: Expected Containment Date: 05/16/2007 21: Injuries this Reporting Period: 1 22: Injuries to Date: 1 23: Fatalities 0 24: Structure Information: 14 outbuildings destroyed 25: Threat to Human Life/Safety: Evacuation(s) in progress ---- No evacuation(s) imminent -- Potential future threat -------- No likely threat --------------- XX 28: Major problems and concerns: ERRATIC WINDS AND RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE THREAT 29: Natural and Cultural Resources to be protected (kind(s) and value/significance): Village School 30: Current Weather Conditions Wind Speed: Temperature: Wind Direction: Relative Humidity: 31: Fuels/Materials Involved: 4 Chaparral (6 Feet) - 33: Significant events today (closures, evacuations, significant progress made, etc.): 150 civilians were evacuated to the Desert Mirage High School. Evacuations were handled by County OES and the American Red Cross. 12 cars were destroyed, 2 big rigs/tractor trailer vehicles wee destroyed and serious damage occurred to the tower of the Village School. OUTLOOK - 39: For fire incidents, describe resistance to control in terms of: 1. Growth Potential - High 2. Difficulty of Terrain - Medium - 43: COMMITTED RESOURCES 4 T1 crews helicopters 1 Type 1 11 SR & 2 ST engines 1 dozer 3 water tenders 7 overhead 136 personnel total 44: Cooperating and Assisting Agencies Not Listed Above: California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Office, Imperial County Fire Approval Information 45: Prepared by: Parks 46: Approved by: Parks 47: Sent to:CSR by: Parks Date: 05/20/2007 Time: 1928 Reply With Quote | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAL FIRE Patch Nice design looks great Posted: 20 May 2007 11:06 PM CDT The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will now be referenced as CAL FIRE instead of CDF. The logo below is the new CAL FIRE patch.  Editor: Just wanted to post this great Cal Fire patch- Logo - Seems everyone is getting used to the change from CDF but this editor will always wonder why...Found these on the Riverside County Fire website | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CA - LNU - Braye Fire - 50% contained Posted: 20 May 2007 09:18 AM CDT Wildland Fire Incident
Hotlist- CA-LNU - Wildland fire 250 Acres, 50% contained. Highway 128 closed. Estimate final size at 400 acres. Hope to pick up by 18:00 today." From CHP CAD 8:18AM **T/ADV**SR 128 AT 121 IN NAPA CO AND AT PLEASANT VALLEY RD IN YOLO CO IS CLOSED DUE TO FIRE/ETO 1200 NOON UPDATE CAL-LNU-Braye Fire - : "CA-LNU-Braye Fire 06:30 May 20, 2007---450 acres, 50% contained, 1200 feet of line to build. Estimated Containment 05/21/2007. 1 injury. Highway 128 is open." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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