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, November 08, 2023

2023 Wildfire Season: wildfire activity in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virgnia

I was talking to a good friend of mine who lives in western North Carolina. I visited with them six years ago to watch the solar eclipse, beautiful country. Anyway, they were telling about the wildfires in western North Carolina, one of them is about a 20 to 30 minute drive, as a crow flies, from their house. So I write this post for my friends and for another friend who lives in Virginia (but not near the wildfires).

I understand from talking with my friend that they are very dry which is adding to the wildfire danger. Here is the latest map from the drought monitor

Note the areas of red in North Carolina.

Kelly Andersson of Wildfire Today wrote an article on November 7th about Wildfire Emergencies in Virginia and North Carolina.

I thought the best way I could cover the wildfires emergencies in Virginia and North Carolina as well as wildfires in eastern Tennessee is to share some videos, the first two video are courtesy my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fires Section B10 Website who share wildfire videos each day on their home page (scroll to the bottom of the page to see today's videos. All three videos were uploaded to YouTube on or about November 7th.

Governor of Virginia declares emergency