Random Ramblings: Aerial Wildland Firefighting

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.

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

2021 wildfire season: Port St. Lucie Fl brushfire

In my reading of wildfire activity in the United States the last couple of days, I have been focusing on what is happening on the east coast a 94 acre brush fire near the Spanish Lakes community in Port St. Lucie, Florida caught my eye. Partly because I am interested in the Florida environment but also because of the video that I share below with a discussion of one of the lightning strikes that started the fire.

I will reflect on my thoughts about the video, but first a little about this brush fire in Port St. Lucie. According to this May 10th report from NBC 5 WPTV in West Palm Beach Florida: as of Monday afternoon the brush fire which was first reported on Sunday afternoon had burned 94 acres, three homes and two vehicles were damaged. Fortunately there were no injuries. Evacuations were in place on Sunday afternoon and evening for nearby residential communities. According the the Florida Forest Service - Active Wildfire Points Dashboard (see the screen shot), the brushfire burned a total of 104 acres and is contained.

Screen shot taken at 1120 AM on May 12, 2021 from this FL Forest Fire Service Dashboard

My friends from NJFFS Section B10 posts three or four videos of wildfire news from around the U.S. on their home page day. At times they also post wildfire videos from around the world. On May 10th, they shared to following video from WPBF 25 in West Palm Beach FL with a May 10th update about the Port St. Lucie brushfire. As I stated earlier, this brushfire was started by a lightning strike. I have have had lightning strike a tree on my property and am familiar with the scars that lightning causes. I am, of course, aware that lightning is one cause of brush and wildfires. Until now, I had not had the benefit of seeing a knowledgeable wildfire fighter show us ad explain how a lightning strike sparked a brushfire.