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, September 06, 2023

Creek Fire Fresno and Madera Counties (Sept 2020) Three Years Later

I was inspired to write about the still ongoing recovery from the September 2020 Creek Fire after reading Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day Newsletter on September 5th. He shared a September 4th report from ABC30 Action News. According to CAL FIRE's incident report on the Creek Fire, the fire burned 379,895 acres, destroying 856 structures, damaging 71 structures with 26 confirmed injuries. Bill Gabbert wrote extensively about the Creek Fire in Wildfire Today, see for example his September 5th 2020 article. Bill's Creek Fire archives may be found here.

ABC30 Action News sat down with Shaver Lake Fire Chief Steve McQuillan, he started off by saying

"It's easy for me sometimes to forget the devastation because here in the immediate vicinity of Shaver, you look out our windows, and all you see is green. When we respond to a call at Huntington Lake, as soon as you get past Shaver Lake and start heading up into the high country, it's nothing but devastation. Any direction you look, trees gone, and really not much has grown back," explained McQuillan. "A lot of time has gone by since then. We have had to adjust our training a little bit in anticipation of what we might next experience. Of course, we are living on a knife's edge with the threat coming from the East. East of Shaver Lake, the fire did not get to, so we still have miles and miles and miles of green forest, which have still, unfortunately, a large number of dead trees as a result of bark beetle.

The Shaver Lake Volunteer Fire Department had eleven members at the time of the Creek Fire, only six were to respond to the fire. Three members lost their homes. I hope that you take a few moments to read the report from ABC30 Action News.

Communities impacted by large, destructive wildfires may take time to recover, the story of the ongoing recovery from the 2020 Creek Fire is but one story. There are many more stories I am not able to share here. My heart goes out to all who suffered the loss of their homes, businesses, and the loss of loved one.