2020 wildfire season: smaller wildfires under 15 acres

 In what is a devastating wildfire season in the western United States, with several very large wildfires or complexes burning. But for all of these very large fires there are a large number of very small wildfires (sometimes referred to as brush fires), under 10 or 15 acres and often smaller. These may often go unnoticed if it weren't for local media that may write about the brush fire. Thanks to Mike Archer's efforts on his five-day a week Wildfire News of the Day e-mail news letter, I get to find out about some of these smaller brush fires. 

Wildland firefighters, on the ground and at times aided by helicopters with buckets and perhaps a small air tanker, work these smaller brush fires in hopes that they be contained quickly before they can get larger. Their efforts are greatly appreciated, and I decided that I wanted to spend a little time writing about some small brush fires to honor the work of these wildland firefighters. They work to contain these smaller brush fires to keep you safe while at the same time keeping themselves safe. Sometimes it will be small crew working the fire.

Thanks to Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day (WNOTD), I found three small brush fires that I will highlight here. Three small brush fires to exemplify the very large number of smaller brush fires that burn in the United States and globally each year. Mike includes link to media accounts in his newsletter so I can provide you with a media report on the fire. I will include the date that Mike reported on each fire in his WNOTD newsletter.

• October 30th WNOTD, Idaho: Twenty wildland firefighters were assisted by two helicopters in working a seven-acre fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest on Thursday, October 29th. See this article from the Idaho Mountain Express (October 30th) for more information.
• November 2nd WNOTD, Colorado: Eight wildland firefighters worked a one-quarter acre fire near Engineer Mountain in the San Juan National Forest, the fire was reported as being fully controlled on Sunday morning, November 1st with containment expected later that same day. The Durango Herald (November 2nd) reported on this fire.
• November 4th WNOTD, Idaho: every fire department in Banncock County Idaho responded to small wildfire of a several acres of grassland (acreage not determined) near a ski area on Tuesday, November 3rd. For more information see this November 3rd article from the Idaho State Journal.

Keeping wildfires (or brush fires depending on local usage) small is important and hopefully minimizes any damage to nearby structures.