California Fire News

Stanislaus National Forest - New Fire Restrictions

Posted: 09 Jun 2007 02:02 AM CDT

New Fire Restrictions Will Take Effect Monday In Stanislaus National Forest

Friday, June 08, 2007 - 03:10 PM

BJ Hansen

MML News Reporter

Sonora, Ca -- The Forest Service announces that effective Monday, because of high fire danger, a Forest Order enacting temporary fire restrictions will go into effect in High Hazard Areas of the Stanislaus National Forest.

The fire restrictions prohibit campfires, briquette barbecues, and smoking outside developed campgrounds in designated High Hazard Areas of the Forest. Welding and blasting also are prohibited, except by special permit.

Forest Supervisor Tom Quinn noted, �Hot, dry weather and tinder-dry conditions continue to persist in high hazard areas of the Forest. This Forest Order serves as an extra measure to help reduce the potential for large and damaging wildfires. We are asking the public's cooperation in helping us prevent destructive fires before they start.�

The rules are as follows:

Campfires - Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, (including briquette type barbecue), or stove fire is prohibited, except within developed recreation sites. Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit may use a portable stove or lantern that uses gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel.

Smoking - Smoking is prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

Operating Internal Combustion Engines: Operation of internal combustion engines, including chainsaws, except on Forest developed roads, designated trails, and managed off-highway vehicle

Welding - Operating acetylene or other torch with an open flame is prohibited, except by permit.

Use of Explosives - Using an explosive is prohibited, except by permit.

Violations of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months. These temporary fire restrictions will remain in effect until the end of the 2007 fire season, or otherwise terminated.

Conditions Perfect For Test Blaze, But Researcher Not Sure What Went Wrong

Posted: 09 Jun 2007 01:49 AM CDT

Conditions Perfect For Test Blaze, But Researcher Not Sure What Went Wrong
May 15, 2007

Ontario - Conditions couldn't have been more perfect in northeastern Ontario for a forest fire - and that's exactly how Tim Lynham wanted it. Lynham, a forest fire research officer with the Canadian Forest Service, waited more than a year for the perfect weather to set a test blaze in the hopes of better understanding forest fires. He and his colleagues even had a 100-page plan detailing how the prescribed burn would take place.

"Last year we were going to try it, but the weather conditions were too extreme and then they were too wet, so last year was not an option," Lynham said.

On Sunday, with all their instruments in place, the temperature nearing 20 degrees Celsius, the relative humidity at 22 per cent and the wind at a perfect 9.5 km an hour, the fire was set.

A few hours later, the researcher's perfect day turned into a nightmare.

The fire, which was supposed to stay at two hectares in size, began spotting.

"That's when embers are carried up by the fire and deposited in front of the fire starting new fires," Lynham explained. "And that was the problem we ran into, there were too many little fires."

By late Monday night, the fire, located 100 kilometres northeast of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., had grown to 1,500 hectares.

"The disappointment is we had a plan, we stuck to the plan, we had the best people. We thought we had the right conditions and it was going to be OK," said Lynham.

"We knew there was a risk factor, but we thought it was very, very small. Then something happened that we couldn't predict."

It's the first time a research fire has spread in the 25 years that such burns have been set, said Barry Radford, a spokesperson with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources.

What the fire shares in common with others is the amount of manpower needed to fight it, and the amount of money it will cost.

Radford said 16 fire ranger crews of three people each were fighting the fire, known as Sault No. 13.

In addition to that, there's an incident management team in place and a values protection unit - teams of people sent out to use sprinkler systems to water down structures in the fire's path.

The protection unit's work helped save a store and a complex with a restaurant and store.

There are also four helicopters working the blaze.

In 2006, a relatively quiet forest fire season in Ontario, government figures show that fire suppression efforts cost $141.5 million.

Officials were optimistic about being able to bring the blaze under control after rain fell in the region Monday. As of late Tuesday afternoon, the forest fire hazard rating in Sault Ste. Marie was listed as medium.

The accident won't stop researchers from setting fires again.

"We're trying to do this so we can make better predictive models so that when these things happen naturally, we have better information for the people who need to fight them," Lynham said.

"We got lots of good information from this fire... immensely useful... information that we normally wouldn't get off a wildfire because we had instruments, we had video cameras all over the place."

Written by Canadian Press

InciWeb UPDATE: Goldledge Wildland Fire

Posted: 08 Jun 2007 09:36 PM CDT

InciWeb UPDATE: Goldledge Wildland Fire:

Goldledge Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED

Summary

The Goldledge Fire holds at 3900 acres and is 65% contained.

For more information on the Goldledge fire suppression efforts, area closures and fire restrictions please call Fire Information at 1-800-958-2094.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Benefits & Objectives	Keep the fire south of the McNally Fire. West of Kern Plateau. East of county road M99. North of the major ridge in sections 8,16 and 28 north of the south fork of Corral Creek.
Cause	Human Caused
Date of Origin	06/03/2007 at 1130 hrs.
Location	10 miles north of Kernville
Incident Commander	Allen Johnson

Current Situation

Total Personnel	304
Size	3,900 acres
Percent Contained	65%
Estimated Containment Date	06/20/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Annual grass, low shrubs,chaparral and chamise at lower elevations. Fire burning into ponderosa pine, mixed conifer forest.
Fire Behavior	No night shift was on line last night. Some hot spots near top of fire continued to smoke. Fire progression continues to be limited by natural barriers.
Significant Events	Rising temperatures are expected today will enable hot spots to continue to burn. Expected to make progress on direct line construction and mop-up in Division C.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Fly crews into helispot in Division C to construct line on eastern flank of fire. Continued efforts on mop-up, hot spotting and cold trailing. Continue backhaul of trash.
Growth Potential	Low
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Containment Target	Expected containment 6/20/2007.
Remarks	Containment pushed to 6/20/07 due to inaccessable terrain. The majority of the remaining resources will start demob process tonight. Start breakdown of ICP on 6/9/07 after the morning briefing. Expected turnover to TypeIII organization at 0600 on 6/9/07.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	Not available
Current Temperature	52 degrees
Current Humidity	30 %
Forecasted Wind Conditions	2-7 mph NW
Forecasted Temperature	80-85 degrees
Forecasted Humidity	14-18 %

National Wildland Fire News

Posted: 04 May 2007 07:02 PM CDT

Wildland Fire News, 2007

Updates, news stories, weather, and other information about wildland fire news in the US for 2007

If you would like to be on this pinglist, click here or ping Knitting a Conundrum

National Preparedness Level 2
(On a scale from 1 to 5)

Current hours for the National Fire Information Center are
(MST) 7:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday
208-387-5050

May 4, 2007

Wildland fire activity remains light with 136 new fires reported. One new large fire was reported in North Carolina. Three large fires were contained: one each in California, Kentucky, and Virginia.

Weather Discussion: Southern California through Arizona and New Mexico will be dry with windy conditions as a low pressure trough passes through. The Great Lakes will also be dry and windy. A high pressure over the northeastern states will carry over more low humidity.

Weekly Statistics 5/4/07
Number of new large fires	1			States currently reporting large fires:
Number of active large fires	11			Arizona (1) Florida (2) Georgia (4) Michigan (1) North Carolina (2) Virginia (1)
Acres from active fires	112,374
Number of Wildland Fire Use (WFU) fires	0
Number of Wildland Fire Use (WFU) acres	0
Fires contained on 5/3/07	3
Year-to-date large fires contained	281
Year-to-date Statistics
2007 (1/1/07 - 5/4/07)		Fires: 26,030		Acres: 539,689
2006 (1/1/06 - 5/4/06)		Fires: 36,175		Acres: 2,292,081
2005 (1/1/05 - 5/4/05)		Fires: 18,819		Acres: 275,497
2004 (1/1/04 - 5/4/04)		Fires: 25,414		Acres: 380,758
2003 (1/1/03 - 5/4/03)		Fires: 16,985		Acres: 341,173
2002 (1/1/02 - 5/4/02)		Fires: 24,719		Acres: 469,269
2001 (1/1/01 - 5/4/01)		Fires: 24,906		Acres: 495,806
2000 (1/1/00 - 5/4/00)		Fires: 30,644		Acres: 757,591
8-Year Average
2000 - 2007			Fires: 25,162	Acres: 643,765

Source: National Interagency Coordination Center

Current Wildland Fires
Arizona	Number of fires: 1	Acres: 455	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Gila River (Yuma Field Office, Bureau of Land Management): 455 acres at 90 percent contained. This fire is located 30 miles east of Yuma. Minimal fire activity was reported. Native historic and cultural features threatened. Information: Visit the Southwest Area Coordination Center site.
California	Number of fires: 0	Acres: 0	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 1
James (Bakersfield District, Bureau of Land Management): The fire was contained at 1,350 acres. Information: Visit the Inciweb site.
Florida	Number of fires: 2	Acres: 2,575	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Airport Road (Florida Division of Forestry): 1,700 acres at 50 percent contained. The fire is burning three miles southwest of Ormond Beach. Residences are threatened and evacuations are in effect. Information: Visit the Florida Division of Forestry website.
Red Oak (Florida Division of Forestry): 875 acres at 65 percent contained. The fire is two miles west of Pine Lakes. Fire activity included long range spotting and crown fire. Information: Visit the Florida Division of Forestry website.
Georgia	Number of fires: 4	Acres: 105,577	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Big Turnaround Complex (Okefenokee National Wildlife Reserve): 44,557 acres at 40 percent contained. This fire is 10 miles southeast of Waycross. It is burning in southern rough, timber and gallberry. Private timber plantations are threatened. Moderate fire activity continued. Information: Visit the Inciweb site or call (912) 287-2452.
Roundabout (Georgia Forestry Commission): 5,800 acres at 40 percent contained. This fire started on private land four miles west of Pearson. It is burning actively in southern rough and timber. Residences continue to be threatened by active fire behavior. Information: Visit the Georgia Forestry Commission web site.
Sweat Farm Road (Georgia Forestry Commission): 53,899 acres at 75 percent contained. This fire started on private land 10 miles southeast of Wyacross. Voluntary evacuations remain in effect and US Highway 1 is closed. Moderate rates of spread were reported. Information: Visit the Inciweb or Georgia Forestry Commission web sites or call (912) 287-2452.
Knee Knocker Swamp (Georgia Forestry Commission): 1,321 acres at 80 percent contained. This fire is located two miles northwest of Nahunta. Moderate fire activity continued and structures remain threatened. Information: Visit the Georgia Forestry Commission web site.
Kentucky	Number of fires: 0	Acres: 0	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 1
Bad Creek (Daniel Boone National Forest): The fire was contained at 299 acres. Information: Visit the Southern Area Coordination Center morning report.
Michigan	Number of fires: 1	Acres: 1,122	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Baraga Bump (Ottawa National Forest): 1,122 acres at 90 percent contained. This fire burning in timber seven miles northeast of Sidnaw. Backing fire behavior was reported. Information: Visit the Ottawa National Forest site.
North Carolina	Number of fires: 2	Acres: 2,395	New fires: 1	Fires contained: 0
Pinnacle (National Forests in North Carolina): 2,265 acres at 30 percent contained. This fire burning in hardwood litter and timber 15 miles east of North Cove. Smoldering fire behavior was reported.
NEW Smith (Eastern Cherokee Agency, BIA): 130 acres at zero percent contained. The fire is 12 miles northeast of Bryson City. Residences and Blue Ridge Parkway are threatened. Extreme fire activity was reported.
Virginia	Number of fires: 1	Acres: 250	New fires: 0	Fires contained: 1
Chestnut Ridge (George Washington and Jefferson National Forest): The fire was contained at 185 acres.
Lewis Peak (Shenandoah National Park): 250 acres at zero percent contained. The fire is five miles northeast of Grottoes. Minimal fire activity was reported. Information: Visit the National Park Service fire news site.

Fire Update Information: Goldledge Fire:

Posted: 08 Jun 2007 02:03 PM CDT

UPDATE: Fire Information: Goldledge Fire : 65% contained - 3,900 acres

Name: Goldledge Fire
County: Tulare County
Administrative Unit: Sequoia National Forest
Status/Notes: 65% contained - 3,900 acres

The fire is burning 10 miles north of Kernville
Date Started: June 3, 2007 11:30 am
Last update: June 8, 2007 8:00 am"

Fire Update Information: Larsen Fire

Posted: 08 Jun 2007 02:07 PM CDT

UPDATE: Fire Information: Larsen Fire: 75% contained - 1,080 acres

Name: Larsen Fire
County: Mono County
Administrative Unit: Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Status/Notes: 75% contained - 1,080 acres
Date Started: June 1, 2007 8:00 pm
Last update: June 8, 2007 8:00 am
Phone Numbers (775) 352-1228 (Larsen Fire Information)

Cal Fire suspends burn permits

Posted: 08 Jun 2007 11:32 AM CDT

All burn permits within the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit of Cal Fire are being suspended as of 8 a.m. Monday because of unseasonably dry conditions and high fire hazard.

Cal Fire Unit Chief Brad Harris said in a statement that the suspension rescinds all previously-approved burn permits and that any planned hazard reduction burning must be done before that date.

Harris said that after Monday any fires or smoke reported to Cal Fire will be treated as a wildfire with full fire suppression response dispatched to the scene.

Burning in violation of the suspension could result in cost of recovery charges for fire suppression.

The suspension will be in effect until enough rainfall accumulates in the fall to warrant lifting it, Harris said.

For more information, call a Cal Fire facility or visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov

News - Poway crash leads to lawsuit against U.S. government

Posted: 08 Jun 2007 01:51 PM CDT

Poway crash leads to lawsuit against U.S. government
Water Trucks and Water Tenders:

Poway Water Tender crash leads to lawsuit against U.S. government

By: North County Times

SAN DIEGO ---- A Scripps Ranch family has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in connection with a Labor Day 2005 crash in which a U.S. Forest Service Water Tender on its way to a wildfire collided with a sport-utility vehicle in Poway, allegedly causing a wife and mother to suffer severe brain damage.

Filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in San Diego, the lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money in damages for Katherine Jones, 47, her husband and her three children.

In letters denying legal claims the Jones family had to file before suing, a government attorney expressed "deepest condolences" to the family, but wrote that the government believes it is not liable for any damages resulting from the collision.

The lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 5, 2005, a U.S. Forest Service water truck was driving west on Scripps Poway Parkway when it went through a red light at Pomerado Road and crashed into the right side of the Jones family's Honda Pilot, where Katherine Jones was seated.

The lawsuit alleges that U.S. government employees were negligent for failing to stop at the red light, safely slow down as the Water Tender approached the intersection or "otherwise ensure the truck could proceed through the red light without endangering other drivers and their passengers."

The forest service truck was on its way to help fight a wildfire in Rancho Penasquitos that burned about 150 acres and prompted the evacuation of about 200 homes.

An attorney for the Jones children, who also were hurt in the crash, said the forest service still had an obligation to proceed cautiously at a red light.

Headlines - Just News headlines all the time

Saturday, June 9, 2007