As you may know, I have been studying and reading up on fire weather. I was recently chatting with a knowledgeable friend about my study of fire weather who made a comment about mega fires that have been occurring in the western U.S.A, in recent years. Think the Rim Fire in California (257,314 acres, 2013), the Carlton Complex 256,108 acres, 2014) in Washington and the Anderson Creek Fire (397,420 acres) that is currently burning in Kansas and Oklahoma (as I write this on March 28, 2016). For lists of fires in excess of 100,000 acres from 1997 to 2014, see this NIFC page.
I am still doing my studying and reading on fire weather, so I thought I'd share this video that I just found from a 60 Minutes episode on Mega Fires, uploaded by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) on January 22, 2013. I'm not quite sure when this episode originally aired, but it is very timely. And with the concern about the effect of global warming on fire behavior out west, mega fires has ties to fire weather.
direct link to video
I have blogged about aerial wildland firefighting since 2009. I am not a firefighter and am not a pilot, just an interested bystander who wants to learn more and share what I learn here. Join me here as I blog on the aircraft and the pilots who fight wildland fires from the air in support of crews on the ground. I also blog on concerns affecting fire crews on the ground as well as other aviation and meteorology issues. Learn what it takes to do jobs that are staffed by the best of the best.
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