IMETs deployed to Australia

I checked in to Bill Gabberts Wildfire Today a little while ago after taking a little time off during the holidays. So, thanks to Bill's post of December 23rd, I am just know learning that the National Weather Service IMET Operations deployed a team of Incident Meteorologists to Australia to help the Australian Bureau of Meteorology during their horrific bushfire season. Bill also reports on about 40 wildland fire personnel from the United States that were deployed to Australia. I do not know how long this deployment lasts.


Posted by href="https://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.IMET.gov/">US National Weather Service IMET on Monday, December 23, 2019

Over the last few days, I have been hearing more and more reports through my news feed as well as National Public Radio about the horrific bushfire season they are having in Australia. I knew that I wanted to write something about the bushfires in Australia, but was not quite sure what the focus would be. Then I learned about the deployment of NWS Incident Meteorologists, aka IMETs and I know that I had to write about their service in Australia.

I am so very proud of the IMETs as well as the wildfire personnel helping in Australia during their horrific bushfire season. I know how important good weather forecasting for fighting bushfires. The IMETs honor us with their service and their sacrifice during this holiday season. They are away from their families during the holiday season. At least I assume they are. I have been writing about IMETs for a few years know, and I want any IMETs who are reading this to know how much I respect you and the work you do. You and your colleagues at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology are working hard to provide those who are fighting the bushfires on the ground with the best possible forecasts so that they may be safe.

For all who are IMETs and wildland firefighters, stay safe everyone! I am very proud of you. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart.

2018 wildfire season: Tatanka Hotshots crew video

I was looking around on Youtube a little while ago and came across the Tatanka (Hotshot) 2018 Crew Video. I want to share it with you. I want to say up front that the video is almost 36 minutes long. However, I loved the video and the backgroumd music. I got to know the guys on the crew, watching them while they had fun. But more importantly, I saw them work wildfires. On the plus side, I was somewhat harried today and I found this video to be soothing. I know this might sound a little strange. But I thought that some of you might appreciate this. So, without further ado, here is the Tatanka Crew Video, uploaded to Youtube in March 2019.


Direct link to video on Youtube

Seasons Greetings 2019: The Shepard

My end of year holiday tradition is to embed Frederick Forsyth's The Shepard, read by Alan Maitland. The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) broadcasts The Shepard every year around this time of year. For those of you who don't have the easy opportunity to listen to The Shepard on CBC, I am embedding it below. The video is family friendly. Enjoy!


Direct link to The Shepard on Youtube

Reflections on CAL FIRE's S2-T tanker (part 2)

Long-time readers of this my blog know that I cut my teeth following wildland fires in California, partly because I knew a former CAL Fire pilot and a some current CAL Fire pilots who answered my questions and guided me in the early days of this blog. They showed me around various places on the web, nationally as well as CAL Fire sites where I could find more information. Much of my conversations with these friends were what I called background research and learning. I am forever grateful to these pilots, who are know friends. Some are still flying and when I see a video, photograph, or live stream I may sometimes get a glance at their tanker number.

So, because of those early days when I spent hours following wildfires in California through various live streams from California news stations, I will always have an affinity for CAL Fire pilots. But there is more. That is, I have some family and close friends who live in southern California. I know that the S2-T tanker pilots, CAL Fire helicopters, and other local helicopters are flying these wildfires to support the wildland firefighters on the ground. If the fire is large enough, other aerial resources either from the national fleet of tanker and helicopters, MAFFs tankers, National Guard helicopters, and other assets from California will help. The same hold for wildfires elsewhere in California. Anyway, I know that the aerial firefighters and firefighters on the ground do what they do to keep residents and businesses safe from wildfires. In regards to southern California, it is personal because of my loved ones.

I had hoped to do a little more background research to answer some questions I have about CAL Fire's S2-T tankers. But with the holiday season upon us, I decided to wait until next year. Perhaps there will be nothing new to add, but it is worth the effort. In the meantime, some of you may want to check out some of these older posts that I wrote on the S2-T tanker:

S2-T tanker (part 1) (December 16, 2019)
A closer look at CAL Fire's aviation program (September 18, 2019)
A peak inside a CAL Fire S2-T (October 15, 2010)
Reflections, S-2_T's, SEATs and initial attack (May 24, 2009)
S2-T's end of season tank maintenance (May 9, 2009)

2019 crew videos: Entiat Hotshots

Many of you will be traveling during this holiday season and beyond. I wish everyone safe travels. For those of you are wildland firefighters, whether you be on the ground or in the air, you may be away from your families keeping us safe. Please know that your service is appreciated.

In the meantime, please enjoy this video from the Entiat Hotshots with highlights of their 2019 season.



Direct link to video on Youtube from Entiat IHC Crew Media

Air tankers circa 2010

Recently I have been writing some reflection pieces with embedded videos of some tankers and helicopters that I learned of over ten years ago when I decided to devote this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. My latest post in this series was on December 16th when I wrote the first of what I hope to be at least a couple of posts on CAL FIRE's S2-T tanker. I hope to return to writing about the S2-T tanker either the end of this week or early next week.

Today I am sharing a video I first learned about nine years ago by Alan Simmons. Alan shoots videos of structure fires,wildland fires, EMS, tankers, etc. You may find his videos for sale on FirestormvideosHD. I learned of Alan's videos nine years ago when I came upon highlights from his longer 80 minute 2010 video on Firefighting Air Tankers. I do have this DVD, but due to technical issues I have not been able to watch it recently. As I have recently been writing about some of the tankers that Alan showcases in his eight minute highlight video from (2010) Firefighting Air Tankers, I thought that I would share this with you.

Enjoy.



Direct link to Alan Simmon's eight minute video, Firefighting Air Tankers

Reflections on CAL FIRE's S2-T tanker (part 1)

I would be remiss to write reflection pieces on air tankers and not include the Grumman S2-T Tracker flown by CAL FIRE. I am not quite sure how many S2-T's are currently flown by CAL FIRE. According to CAL FIRE's fact sheet (2005) on the S2-T there are 23 S2-T tankers in service. Twenty-two are assigned to twelve air attack bases with one or two S2-T’s assigned to each base. One, T-100 is a spare and is at McClellan Air Attack Base until needed.

I first learned of the S2-T in the spring of 2009 shortly after I decided to devote this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. I have grown to love the S2-T and her pilots. S2-T's are based at air attack bases around California so they can easily and quickly be deployed to fly wildfires in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground. They do a lot of initial attack work and many times their quick response coupled with the wildland firefighters on the ground wildland fires can be put out while they are still small. And when that is not possible, they will continue to fly the fire with, the support of other air tankers and helicopters.

I do not live on the west coast, but I have visited southern California a couple times and stopped by Ramona Air Attack Base for a visit. The morning I visited, it was a quiet day and one of the S2-T's, T-71, was sitting on the ramp along with the OV-10 air attack plane. I was delighted to be able to take a tour of the base with some photos which I shared in my July 13 2012 post.

I found a very cool video, almost six minutes long, of footage shot from inside a S2-T tanker. According to a knowledgeable friend, the pilot is Bob Forbes, now retired, and the video was probably shot near Hemet California where his home base (Hemet-Ryan in Riverside County California) was located. I love videos that take me inside the cockpit of a tanker flying a fire. There is no audio, but I found the sound of the engines to be comforting. Enjoy.



Direct link to video

Reflections on the Huey Helicopter for wildland firefighting

When I decided to devote this blog to aerial wildland firefightings and related concerns back in January 2009, I began by writing about the UH-1H super Huey helicopters (Bell Helicopters) service for wildland firefighting. I don't quite recall why I started with Huey's. It might of been as simple as my friend aviation historian friend and former airtanker pilot suggesting that I start by writing about Huey helicopters. But I think it is safe to say that I was probably already vaguely familiar with the Huey, if for no reason then I had heard the Huey's were used in Vietnam.

I have seen a couple Huey's up close and personal, two through visit to two airbases of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) who flies two Huey's (Delta 5 and Delta 6) with 300 gallon (approximate) bambi buckets. On a 2011 visit to San Diego, I took a drive to CAL Fire's Ramona air attack base where I was able to get up close with their Huey.

I know from reading Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation site that CAL FIRE, is in the process of getting new Firehawk helicopters, see for example his October 2019 post on a Firehawk arriving in Sacramento. So it stands to reason that the site of a Huey working a fire in California will be a memory in a couple of years. To the best of my knowledge the NJFFS Hueys are remaining in service. Other states currently have or have had Huey's in service fighting wildfires, such as North Carolina.

Huey's will always be special to me because they were they were the first firefighting aircraft that I wrote about and because I have seen at least three, possibly more up close and personal. There is a certain elegance in watching helicopters work a fire. Because they can go to a water source to dip and fill their buckets they are an important aerial resource to support the wildland firefighters on the ground. They can make quite a number of drops on a fire, and the closer the water sources is to the fire the more drops they can make.

Enjoy these three videos showcasing Huey's working a fire.

North Carolina


Direct link to video


New Jersey


Direct link to video


CAL FIRE (16 minutes)


Direct link to video

Reflections on the A-26 service as an airtanker in Canada

The Douglas A-26 Invader has been retired from active service as an air tanker for many years now. A few years ago I got interested in the Douglas A-26 Invader's service as an air tanker in Canada and wrote a 13-part series, you might want to check out some photos here and here. In the final post in that series, I offered my reflections on the A-26's service as an air tanker in Canada, here is an excerpt:

You served long and well flying fires in Canada, in some cases serving as a tanker in the U.S, and before that your military service. You were and are loved by all those who came in contact with you during your years of service as an air tanker in Canada. … 

Thank-you for you for your long service in Canada. I wish that I had known you then, but I've been privileged to know you through a couple of pilots who flew you, through the videos that I have seen and the material that I read on the internet. Perhaps one day I'll get to meet one of your kind in a museum. Or even better, to see one of your kind flying.  

I love you too. Someday we will both be flying in favorable tail winds and we can fly together. 

Over five years have passed since I wrote that series. I still love the A-26, and as time goes by I wonder if I will ever get to see her fly. But that doesn't matter, because I can close my eyes and see her fly in my meditations.

I close by sharing a video of an A-26 air tanker flying a wildfire, including some shots from inside the cockpit.


Direct link to video

Reflections on Aero Union's P-3 Orion Air Tanker

When I started to write about aerial wildland firefighting over 10 years ago, I quickly learned about Aero Union's P-3 orion air tanker. I never had the opportunity to know one of her pilots nor did I ever meet her in person. But that does not matter because I got to know her through her reputation and through a myriad of videos of air tanker operations over wildfires. With tanks carrying up to 3,000 gallons of retardant, she was a valuable resource. I loved watching videos of her dropping on fires. Even better was watching her work wildfires in the western United States on live stream.

Those days are gone. The U.S Forest Service cancelled its contracts for Aero Union's P-3's in the summer of 2011. Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation writes about the efforts to bring the P-3 back to wildland firefighting configuration here.

I want to honor the work of Aero Union's P-3 tankers. I can think of no better way to do so then by sharing a couple of my favorite videos. The first one has no sound For the record, there was a version with sound and a snappy musical track, but I can no longer find it online. Even without sound you will get to see the P-3  working wildfires. 

Direct link to video on Youtube

The second video was done by Scorched Sky Productions in 2011 as a tribute to Aero Union's P-3 tanker after Aero Union lost it's USFS contract.

Direct link to video by Scorched Sky Productions

Reflections on the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter

Direct link to video

I became more familiar with the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter about 10 years ago thanks to a good friend of mine who worked with the CH-47 while he was in the military. He was either a flight engineer or a mechanic, I am not sure which. Needless to say, he loved the CH-47 and suggested I learn more about the CH-47 as he knew that they were used for aerial firefighting while he was in the military. He told me to check out Columbia Helicopters and learn more about the CH-47 and the civilian version. I learned a short time later that Columbia holds the type certificate for the civilian version of the CH-47 known as the Columbia 234 Chinook, go here for more information.

I admit that I don't know as much about the CH-47 and her civilian cousin, however, because of my friend I have deep affinity for the CH-47. So when I am perusing videos of aerial wildfire operations, especially wildfires where military reserves have been called into service, I do look out for the CH-47 Chinooks or Columbia's 234 Chinook.  In addition, there are two other helicopter operators that I know of that have CH-47's used for civilian heavy lift operations as well as wildland firefighting operations, Billings and Coulson. Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation has written several articles on the CH-47 used in firefighting operations that you may find tagged on his site. Bill wrote about Coulson's CH-47 on March 1, March 8, and September 5, 2019. He wrote an article on Billings in January 2019 . There may be other heavy helicopter operators that I do not know about.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not mention another incident involving the CH-47 that further ignited my affinity for the CH-47. That is, about five years ago, a pilot friend was taking me on a scenic flight, I believe that we were somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania. He was getting flight following so he was getting advisories of aircraft near are flight path. The controller came over the radio telling him to look out for CH-47 flying north, I believe. I do not recall how far away the CH-47 was, at least five miles? Anyway, it took both of us a several seconds before it registered that what we were looking for, the CH-47 helicopter. So, we both looked and spotted her. She seemed small as aircraft are from that distance, but she was easy to spot. I was thrilled beyond words. I still remember that with a smile on my face. I took out my camera and tried to get a picture, a very bad picture. But I tried. But the better image is what I remember. It is the first, last, and only time I have seen a CH-47 in person, so to speak, with my own eyes.

Reflections on the Erickson Air Crane

Yesterday I read a short article  about an Ericsson Air Crane that has or will soon be delivered to the Korean Forest Service., Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation wrote about this same Air Crane in November while she was still being tested prior to delivery to Korea. This article gave me pause to consider that over the years that I have been writing this blog and looked at countless videos of aerial wildfire operations across the world. Perhaps it is the distinctive look of the Air Crane while she is fire fighting configuration, but I have seen her in several videos while she is in firefighting service outside of the United States. With her large capacity tank, on the order of 3,000 gallons, and her ability to scoop water from a water source, she is a very valuable part of the aerial wildland firefighting fleet of aircraft.

I am not sure if I have seen an Air Crane in New Jersey, if I did I believe that she would have been doing work on utility transmission lines. And It would have been from a distance. 

I am very fond of the Air Crane because she was among the first aerial firefighting aircraft that I wrote about over ten years ago. I am very grateful to Kenny Chapman, long-time pilot of an Erickson Air Crane who answered my questions and walked me through fighting fires with an Air Crane. I occasionally correspond with Kenny over social media, he is a gentleman and he always answers my question. Thank-you Kenny for introducing me to the Air Crane and for giving me a glimpse up close and personal of the Air Crane.

I never tire of the Air Crane and over the years I have shared numerous videos of the Air Crane in action both working wildfires and doing other heavy lifting, you may read them here.

Sometimes a picture, or in this case a video, is indeed worth a thousand words.  I am going to share a 20 minute video about the Ericsson Air Crane by B Dudas Productions where you will see her perform firefighting and other duties. Enjoy.

Direct link to video by B Dudas Productions

2019 wildfire season crew videos: Mill Creek Hotshots

I am back from a short holiday. It is the time of year when I like to post crew videos from this past season. Here is a nice video from the Mill Creek Hotshots with images and videos from their 2019 season. They are based in the San Bernardino National Forest in California. Enjoy.


Direct link to video

Thanksgiving: remember first responders

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I want to pause and remember all first responders who will be working on this Thanksgiving holiday and other holidays to keep us safe and to be there for us in case of emergency. You are away from your family's for at least part of the day. Those of you working a wildfire are away from your family for an even longer period. I remember and I thank-you from the bottom of my heart for your service.

Updated on December 20, 2020: the video that I had linked to in this post is no longer available.

wildfire history: 1980 Panorama Fire San Bernardino CA

It is funny how the mind works. I was recently reflecting on the first wildfire that I remember hearing about. It was November 1980 and I was visiting an Great Aunt for Thanksgiving that year. She took ill suddenly so I took her to the hospital. I had just finished college and was still unemployed so I was able to extend my visit. She and I were close. She had no children, but I spent some time communicating with my family want was going on. And I visited her in the hospital.

I had a lot of time to kill. My Great Aunt had a television so I spent some time watching TV and watching local and national news. That is how I heard about what is now known as the Panorama Fire, only I don't think I knew it by that name. As I recall, I heard about this fire on a few news broadcasts in late November. Perhaps it was because of my Great Aunt's illness, she died about three weeks later, what is now known as the Panorama Fire is seared in my memory. No, I did not remember the facts of the fire which I will get to in a moment. But I can say that I knew that it was a bad wildfire with much destruction.

At some point after I began this blog on aerial wildland firefighting, I thought about that fire that burned in San Bernardino in late November of 1980 because it was the first wildfire that I can honestly say made an impression on me. I found some stats on the internet. According to this short wikipedia article on the Panorama Fire, the Panorama Fire was first reported on November 24, 1980, burned 28,800 acres killed four people, destroyed over 300 homes, and damaged another 113 homes. The fire was attributed to arson. The fire was fully contained on December 1, 1980. I also found a nice short 2015 article on the Alpen Horn News by Douglas W. Motley and Rhea-Frances Tetley with a summary of the Panorama Fire.

Here is a nice video, under 10 minutes. You will hear Sue Payne, a survivor of the Panorama Fire share her story and memories of the fire.


Direct link to video uploaded by Norman Feldheym SBPL

Camp Fire: State of CA announces completion of structural debris removal

As we have know passed the one year anniversary (November 8, 2018) of the Camp Fire in Paradise that destroyed over 18,000 buildings in Paradise California. see this CAL Fire incident page for more information about the Camp Fire. I wrote a few articles earlier this year on hazardous waste clean-up and debris removal following the Camp Fire and other fires that burned in California in 2018. In particular, you may want to read my February 13, 2019 and my March 1, 2018 articles.

I had been wondering what was happening with the progress being made on the hazardous waste and debris removal in Paradise and environs following the Camp Fire. I got my answer in a November 19th report from ABC7 KRCR news Redding CA):

The State of California announced in Paradise Tuesday the completion of its structural debris removal operation following the November 8 Camp Fire. 

FEMA and CAL-OES and other entities teamed to clear nearly 11,000 properties of structural damage in nine months time from when they started the process.

Debris removal from 300 properties is not yet completed because the owners are using private contractors. Hopefully rebuilding can begin.

Here is an August 29th article (with a paywall) from the Mercury News on the progress of the post-fire clean-up after the Camp Fire as of late August 2019.

I am not going to underestimate the complexity of the process of hazardous waste and debris removal following a wildfire of the magnitude of the Camp Fire. It is complicated. And writing from New Jersey, I have no first hand knowledge of the process. My hat is off to all contractors who have been involved in the debris removal. My wishes for the residents and business owners who can now rebuild their properties is that the rebuilding goes forward as well as can be expected. As I write this the Town of Paradise Butte County Recovers website is still up chock full of a variety of information on the recovery from the Camp Fire.

Here is a video report from ABC 10 (Sacramento CA) on the rebuilding efforts in Paradise:


Direct link to video from ABC10

2019 wildfire season: NJFFS crews deployed to VA (November 21st)

To the best of my knowledge, the 20 person New Jersey State Forest Fire Service that was deployed to the Kennedy Peak Fire on or about November 17th, see my November 18th article    , is still working the Kennedy Peak Fire . The fire has burned 730 acres and is at 75 percent containment. Photos of the fire may be on found on this inciweb photo page. 

According to this ABC3 WHSV report   the fire is burning in remote, steep, and rugged terrain; wildland firefighters have to hike 3.5 miles to get to the control lines. 

I do not know if any aerial resources are being used in the fire. No residential areas are threatened. 

I know that the NJFFS crew continues to hard to help contain the fire. Your work is appreciated and you honor New Jersey by your work. 

2019 wildfire season: New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews deployed to Virginia

Yesterday, one of my friends told me that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) was deployed a twenty person crew over the weekend to the Kennedy Peak Fire in Virginia. As I write this the Kennedy Peak fire has burned 411 acres in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Page and Shenandoah Counties, near Roanoke, Virginia. It is at twenty percent containment. I understand that the fire grew from a little over 100 acres to 411 acres over the weekend due to high winds. The fire is burning in rugged terrain. The fire was first reported on Thursday afternoon, November 14th. More information about the Kennedy Peak fire may be found on this inciweb page. A news report with a video about the fire may be found at WHSV3.

I am very proud of the NJFFS crew working the Kennedy Peak Fire, you honor New Jersey with your service. Stay safe.

I do not know how long the NJFFS crew will be deployed to the Kennedy Peak Fire. Deployments are usually for a maximum of two weeks.

Screen shot obtained on 11/18/19 from https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6660/#

The Lives We Lost: Camp Fire, Paradise CA, one year later

On November 7, 2018 the Camp Fire burned through Paradise California, killing 85 people and destroying over 14,000 homes. Paradise and surrounding communities are still rebuilding, a process that may take years. This documentary from ABC 10 in Sacramento California, The Lives We Lost, gives us a glimpse into Paradise one year after the Camp Fire, but more importantly remembering those who died. It is a moving story focusing both on the emotional and psychological trauma of the survivors, but also of resilience. Some may not come back to Paradise, but others can not think of living anywhere else. Allow 22 minutes to watch the video.


Direct link to video from ABC10 in Sacramento California

Australia 2019-20 bushfire season: November 12th

I have noted that areas of Australia, especially New South Wales have seen extreme fire danger recently with hot and dry summer weather. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been reporting on the bush fires in New South Wales (NSW) recently, see his November 8th article on homes destroyed in NSW Bush Fires, his November 10th article on extreme bush fire weather expected on November 11th in NSW and his article earlier today (November 13th) on tanker and helicopter contracts in Australia.

Here are two video news reports on the recent bush fire activity in Australia.


direct link to November 11th video on youtube


direct link to November 12th video on youtube

Thank-you Veterans

I want to pause on this Veterans Day here in the United States to thank all veterans as well as those of you currently serving in the military for your service. Some of you are now wildland firefighters either on the ground or in the air. Many veterans died in service for our country. Your service is appreciated. I will remember.

Updated on December 20, 2020: the video that I shared when I first posted this article is no longer available.

2019 wildfire season: thank-you firefighters

2019 is not yet over and I suspect that there will be more wildfires to come here in the United States. But, I do want to pause to thank all the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air for all you have done to protect us. What you do is dangerous and the work is hard. You take care of each other as you fight wildfires and perhaps you find time for a moment of humor, a quick bite to eat and then some sack time in a safe space. Many of you make the sacrifice of being away from your families, loved ones, and friends for months at a time. I make this post to honor your work and sacrifices to keep us safe from wildfires.


direct link to video from MacCloud Entertainment


Direct link to video from Ryan Gendron

2019 wildfire season: firefighting operations at small fire in CA

Here is a video, under 10 minutes, of air and ground resources fighting a 37 acre fire on or about October 25th. According to the information posted with the video (click show more), the fire destroyed 3 outbuildings, one home was destroyed and evacuations were in place.

If you fly drones over fires tankers and helos can not fly

There was an unauthorized UAS (unmanned aircraft system) aka "drone" over the Maria Fire in Ventura County, California last week. Air tankers and helicopters and other aerial operations over the fire were grounded until the UAS cleared the area, see these articles  from Mashable and NPR for more information. As I write this the Maria Fire is at 80 percent containment having burned 9.412 acres.

The US Forest Service has a webpage with information about why drones over fires are dangerous.

The FAA calls drones and wildfires a "toxic mix": "It's a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with fire-fighting efforts on public lands. Additionally, Congress has authorized the FAA to impose a civil penalty of up to $20,000 "against a drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergence response operations. The FAA treats these violations seriously and will immediately consider swift enforcement action."


direct link to video from US Forest Service National Interagency Fire Center


direct link to video from CAL FIRE

2019 wildfire season: California update (November 1st)

I continue to follow what has been a very active several days for wildfires in southern California. I noted yesterday that there were a number of wildfire starts the last two days. Fortunately, Bill Gabbert  of Wildfire Today has done his usual great job of reporting, he wrote a nice article yesterday reporting on new wildfire starts in southern California. You will want to take a few moments to read Bill's article. Of the fires that he wrote about, I had noted the Easy Fire and say some live stream footage of this fire the other day from one of the news stations in southern California. The Easy Fire burned in Simi Valley near the Ronald Reagan Library, as I write this the fire has burned 1,860 acres and is at 80 percent containment, evacuations were in place and are now lifted. Another fire that I heard about through perusing southern California media is the Hill Fire that burned 628 acres and is also at 90 percent containment.

I learned last night that the National Weather Service Los Angeles Oxnard Weather Forecast Office extended Red Flag Warnings in portions of their forecast area through 6PM PDT this evening.

Obtained on November 1, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/lox/

So I was not terribly surprised to wake up and hear that there was a new wildfire start last night in Ventura County, the Maria Fire. As I write this, the Maria Fire has burned 8,730 acres with no containment. Evacuations are in place. Bill Gabbert reported on the Maria Fire in an article he wrote this morning, November 1st, go here to read Bill's article.

I do know that air tankers and helicopters have been working these wildfires and the other wildfires that burned earlier in northern and southern California. I will try to look around for some videos to share with you and will update this article if I find any.

2019 wildfire season: extreme fire danger in southern California (October 30th)

Yesterday I wrote about the dangerous fire weather that will occur in portions of California through tonight (Wednesday, October 30th or tomorrow (Thursday, October 31st). The timing on the end of the dangerous fire weather (Red Flag and High Wind Warnings) varies by Weather Forecast Office.

I am holding all in southern California who are currently experiencing these dangerous fire weather conditions in my meditations: firefighters on the ground and in the air battling these blazes, other first responders and emergency relief workers, all who have lost their homes or businesses, those who are evacuated, livestock and other animals, meteorologists in NWS Weather Forecast Offices, and anyone else that I am not naming here.

I feel wholly inadequate in writing this blog article today. I opted not to try to write about the wildfires that are cropping up in California today, nor am I going to report on wildfires that I have written about the last couple of days.

I was not quite sure what to write about today. I decided to focus on the current weather in southern California that are contributing to the high fire danger, winds and humidity. At the very least, I want to offer this post so that all affected who might read this at some point know that I was paying attention. I knew about the National Weather Service Weather & Hazards Data Viewer (takes you to viewer for the Los Angeles California area) from my wonderings on various National Weather Service (NWS) websites. I went to the viewer and loadedL Red Flag Warnings, wind speed and direction. wind gusts, and humidity. I copied a screen image for you at about 3:25 PM EDT this afternoon. You will see a graphical notation for wind speed and direction that may be referred to as a wind barb, some of you will be familiar with wind barbs but if you want a refresher (I did), a friend from the NWS Mt. Holly Weather Forecast Office sent me some good information about wind barbs including a nice graphic and a definition that may be helpful, it may be found here.

The screen image is below.  The numbers in green are the humidity, note how low they are with little water vapor in the air in some places. The numbers in red are wind gusts, with the wind barbs indicating wind speed and direction. Humidity readings are represented by the green numbers, note how low (little water vapor in the air) many of the readings are. The areas colored in red are Red Flag Warnings, go here for more information on Red Flag Warnings. Red Flag Warnings indicate low humidity, high winds and dry fuels with exact criteria varying by Weather Forecast Office. You should be able to click on the image to get a bigger picture. I bookmarked the link I used to get the map for you. Caution is advised in looking at the link because I believe that what you see at this link will change over time, so what you see may be different.

Screen Shot taken at 3:25 PM EDT on October 30, 2019

You may want to see some wind speed information in tabular format, thanks to the folk at the Iowa State University Iowa Environmental Mesonet for their great archives of current and past text products from NWS Weather Forecast Office, I can give you good permanent links to the latest high wind speed data from NWS Los Angeles and NWS San Diego. Note that there are several observations from both Weather Forecast Offices of 55 mph and above. These data may be preliminary.

Extreme Fire Danger Continues in California

I have been writing about the extreme and dangerous fire weather in California on October 25th  and October 28th. Extreme fire dangers continues in portions of California today. Before I get to that, according to the latest update, the Kincaid Fire has burned 75,415 acres with 15 percent containment. One hundred twenty-four structures have been destroyed, 23 structures have been damaged and there are two injuries. At the time I am writing this,  the Getty Fire has burned 656 acres with 5 percent containment. Thousands of people remain under mandatory evacuation orders for both fires. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been doing a great job covering these fires, including the Kinkaid, Getty, and the Glen Cove and other fires in northern California. Bill has also written about the dangerous fire weather in California here and here.

As you can see from the map below, Red Flag Warnings are in place over portions of California and portions of Arizona. I believe that the Red Flag Warnings in northeastern Arizona are in place from 12 noon through 6PM MDT today. Red Flag Warnings with extreme fire danger conditions including high winds (offshore) are in place in California from today (October 29th)  through Thursday (October 31st), the exact timing varies by National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office.

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fire2/?wfo=mfr

Graphics illustrating the extreme fire danger (aka Weather Story), where available, from individual NWS Weather Forecast Offices are shared below. Not included below is that the NWS Medford OR Weather Forecast Office has Red Flag Warnings for their forecast area (northern California) through Wednesday, October 30th.

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/sto/

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/mtr/

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/hnx/

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/lox/

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/sgx/

Obtained on October 29, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/psr/ (includes SE CA)

2019 wildfire season: California Wildfires Oct 28th update

Last Friday, October 25th, I wrote about the Red Flag Warnings and High Wind Warnings that many areas in California were experiencing that day and continued into this morning in northern California.

For all wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air, I thank-you and I am thinking of you, stay safe. For all the meteorologists in National Weather Service Weather Forecasts Offices that saw Red Flag and High Wind Warnings this weekend and will see these dangerous fire weather conditions later this week, I know that you have been working hard to provide those in your forecast area the best possible forecasts because you want them to be as safe as possible.

Northern California will see a short reprieve from offshore high winds today into tomorrow before high winds and red flag conditions return tomorrow. I'll got to those warnings in a minute.

But first, I want to follow-up on two wildfires I wrote about on October 25th as well as two  new fires in California. The Tick Fire has burned 4,615 acres in Los Angeles County and is currently at 70 percent containment, 22 structures were destroyed and another 27 were damaged.

The Kincaid Fire has more than doubled in size since Friday because of the high winds experienced in the fire area over the weekend and into this morning. As I write this, 66,213 acres have burned and the fire is only at 5 percent containment, 96 structures have been destroyed and 16 structures have been damaged. Thousands of people are under mandatory evacuation orders.  In the video below you will hear about mandatory evacuation orders affecting Windsor California.  Other towns are under mandatory evacuation orders, see the October 28th incident update from CAL Fire more information. US National Weather Service San Francisco Area/Monterey Bay California IMET has been deployed to the Kincaid Fire. IMETs save lives!


Direct link to video

I learned about two new fires that started in California on Sunday, October 27th.

The Getty Fire is burning in Los Angeles. As I write this 618 acres have burned and evacuation orders are in place. US National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard IMET has been deployed to the Getty Fire. IMETs save lives!


Direct link to video

The Glencove Fire is burning in Vallejo (Salano County, in the San Francisco Bay Area). I-80 was shut down for awhile.


Direct link to video

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been doing a great job covering these fires, including the Kinkaid, Getty, and the Glen Cove and other fires in northern California.

Red Flag and High Wind Warnings return for portions of California Tuesday October 29th into Thursday October 31st.

Obtained on October 28, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/sto/

Obtained on October 28, 2019 from http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/

Obtained on October 28, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/lox/

Obtained on October 28, 2019 from http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/psr/

2019 wildfire season: Kincaid and Tick Fires in California

Earlier this week I did know that much of California was forecast to see Red Flag conditions along with high winds from the north east. I first learned of the Kincaid and Tick Fires from the Apple News Feed on my iPhone and iPad. I suspect that I get news of wildfires because I spend some time on Apple News reading news articles about wildfires, so my news feed is configured to feed me these stories. However, as is often the case, news of wildfires such as the Kincaid and Tick fires will make national news, a friend of  mine who relies on over the air broadcast news asked me this morning if I knew about the Tick Fire.

As I write this, the Kincaid Fire (started on Wednesday, October 23rd) has burned 21,900 acres near Geyserville in Sonoma County. The fire is at 5 percent containment. Forty-nine structures have been destroyed and evacuations remain in place including but not limited to the Town of Geyserville.

The Tick Fire was first reported on Thursday afternoon, October 24th in near Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County. It has burned 4,300 acres and is at 5 percent containment.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today us reporting on the Tick and the Kincaid Fires. I want to note that I am only mentioning these two larger wildfires, there have also been some smaller wildfires in California over the last couple of days, see the CAL Fire incident page for current information about wildfires burning in California, including an interactive map.

As I write this, I am thinking of all the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air as well as their support teams. I am also thinking of the Meteorologists in the following Weather Forecast Offices in California as the do what they do to keep their residents safe:

• NWS San Diego Weather Forecast Office
• NWS Los Angeles Weather Forecast Office
• NWS Sacramento CA Weather Forecast Office
• NWS San Francisco Weather Forecast Office

Obtained on October 25, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/lox/

Obtained on October 25, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/sto/

Obtained on October 25, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/sgx/

Obtained on October 25, 2019 from https://www.weather.gov/mtr/

Blue Angels: Lemoore Airshow 2019

Following up on the post I made yesterday about the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, here is a 22 minute video of the Blue Angels performing at the 2019 Lemoore Airshow. I believe but am not certain that this event took place near Fresno California. Enjoy.



Direct Link to video uploaded by Air Boyd

Blue Angels in Seattle August 2019

It has been awhile since I shared some videos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Enjoy these two videos.


Direct link to video


Direct link to video

2018 wildfire season: Baker River IHC 2018 crew video

As promised, I have one more 2018 crew video to share with you, albeit in the last months of 2019. Enjoy this look at the Baker River Hotshots based in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy this six minute crew video. I always learn a little more about the crew when I watch a video. You will see some fottage scattered throughout the video of helicopters and tankers working the wildfire in support of the Baker River Hotshots and other crews on the ground.



Direct link to video uploaded by Johnny Brady

2018 wildfire season: Breckenridge Hotshots 2018 crew video

I was going through my bookmarked files today and found a couple of 2018 crew videos that I did post earlier this year. You will see a couple of shots of airtankers and a helicopter with a bucket making drops. Remember that the tankers and helos fly wildfires to help the crews on the ground fight wildfires. And in this case the crews the tankers and helos you see are helping the Breckenridge Hotshots. I like the crew videos because I get to know the crews, not only as they work fires but training and having fun. What stands out to me in this video are the shots of butterflies and smaller critters towards the end of the video as well as the cowboys on horseback in Wyoming.

I will be looking forward to their 2019 crew video when it comes out.

The videographer discloses on Youtube that the video is not officially endorsed by the US Forest Service, the US department of Agriculture of Sequoia National Forest.



Direct link to video from James Lazaro

Geronimo Hotshots: from the 2014 season

Many of you know that I follow the Geronimo Hotshots, an Apache crew. I have exchanged messages with one of the crew in years past, he was very nice and complimentary. They are good at what they do and know how to keep safe. Wherever they are working during the season they do this to keep you safe.

To the Geronimo Hotshots, stay safe.

Enjoy this video courtesy of The Atlantic.


Direct link to video from The Atlantic

2019 wildfire season: wildfire activity in southern CA as red flag warnings continue

Red flag warnings and gusty Santa Ana winds continue in southern California today. As I write this red flag warnings are still in place. See the graphic from the NWS Los Angeles-Oxnard Weather Forecast Office for more information. To the south of Los Angeles, red flag warnings will continue in the San Diego area through 6 PM PDT, see the Red Flag Warning issued by the NWS San Diego Weather Forecast Office.

obtained from https://www.weather.gov/lox/ on October 11, 2019

National Weather Service San Diego CA
752 AM PDT Fri Oct 11 2019

 CAZ248-250-255>258-265-554-120100-
/O.CON.KSGX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-191012T0100Z/
San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys - The Inland Empire-
San Diego County Inland Valleys-San Bernardino County Mountains- Including The Mountain Top And Front Country Ranger Districts Of The San Bernardino National Forest-Riverside County Mountains- Including The San Jacinto Ranger District Of The San Bernardino National Forest-Santa Ana Mountains- Including The Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest-San Diego County Mountains- Including The Palomar And Descanso Ranger Districts of the Cleveland National Forest-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning- Orange County Inland Areas-
752 AM PDT Fri Oct 11 2019

 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

 * Wind...Northeast to east winds 20 to 35 mph with gusts 50 to 60 mph. Isolated gusts to 70 in the northern Santa Ana Mountains and below the Cajon Pass this morning. * Humidity...Lowest daytime of 3 to 6 percent with poor overnight recovery tonight.

 * Timing...Strongest this morning. Weakening this afternoon.

 * Impacts...Current fires and any new fires may spread rapidly and exhibit extreme fire behavior. Active burning through the night due to gusty winds and extremely dry conditions. Outdoor burning is not recommended. The strong winds could blow around unsecured objects and make driving high profile vehicles more difficult. Areas of blowing sand and dust will be possible, which could lead to sudden visibility restrictions.

 * Outlook...Very low relative humidity will continue into Saturday, but with with weaker and less widespread winds near the coastal slopes of the mountains on Saturday morning.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.


In an effort to know about wildfires that are going on today in southern California, I have been watching live stream of CBS2 in Los Angeles. I already knew about the Saddle Ridge Fire (started October 10th at 9 PM PDT) burning in northern Los Angeles County from an article Bill Gabbert posted on Wildfire Today today. Bill wrote that as of 9:30 AM PDT 4,700 acres have burned with zero containment. At least 25 houses have been destroyed and evacuations are in place. The Los Angeles Fire Department has a web page set up with information about road closures, mandatory evacuations and evacuation centers along with other information about the Saddle Ridge Fire that may be found here. In watching the live stream, I have seen that aircraft included one of the Erickson tankers and a large helicopter have been working the fire. One person has died.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, as of about 5:30 PM PDT on October 11, 2019, the Saddle Ridge Fire has burned 7,542 acres and is at 13 percent containment

In watching the live stream on CBS Los Angeles as well as checking out San Diego media I learned of the Sandlewood Fire (started on October 10th) near Calimesa that has destroyed 76 mobile hones and 1 person has died in that fire (see this LA Times article for more information). I learned about a wildfire in El Sereno that started around mid-day today, no other information is available about this fire. At the time that I was watching the live stream the fire was small, under five acres.

2019 wildfire season: Red Flag Warnings and Santa Ana Winds

There are others such as Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation as well as Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day who do a great job on reporting current news about wildfires and related concerns. Today, I offer this post on today's red flag warnings in California and the Southwest as well as forecasted high winds in California, not so much to report but to let all wildland firefighters, aerial wildland firefighters, emergency management officials, and the personnel in the affected National Weather Forecast Office that I am thinking of you. All of you want your residents to be safe. For those on the ground or in the air and your support people, stay safe.

Today, October 9, 2019 there are red flag warnings in portions of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.

Red Flag Warnings for October 9, 2019
obtained from https://www.weather.gov/fire/ on October 9, 2019

To complicate matters in California, high wind warnings, some of which may be santa ana winds are expected in California from today through Friday depending on location. This will result in critical fire weather conditions. I have taken graphics from four National Weather Service Forecast Offices in affected areas of California to illustrate the high to extreme fire danger through Friday. I will share those at the end of this post.

In a somewhat controversial move, utilities in some areas of California under red flag and high wind warnings have cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in a move to minimize wildfires, see this LA Times article (paywall) and Bill Gabbert's Oct 9th article on Wildfire Today for more information.

All I can say at this point is that time will tell what happens.

Here are the promised graphics from National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office who have issued red flag and high wind warnings. Each Weather Forecast Office has Facebook and Twitter accounts which you should be able to find by following the link for each NWS Weather Forecast Office.

NWS San Diego

obtained from https://www.weather.gov/sgx/ on October 9, 2019

NWS Los Angeles

Add cobtained from https://www.weather.gov/lox/ on October 9, 2019

NWS Sacramento

obtained from https://www.weather.gov/sto/ on October 9. 2019

obtained from https://www.weather.gov/sto/ on October 9. 2019

NWS Bay Area

Obtained from https://www.weather.gov/mtr/ on October 9, 2019