2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: An Early Start to the Spring Wildfire Season?

Direct link to video from NBC10 Philadelphia on YouTube

I was not surprised when a friend of mine who is a wildland firefighter for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) told me last night that the spring wildfire season in New Jersey has started earlier for the last couple of years as I had already posted about the wildfires over the weekend of March 1st and 2nd. My friend from the NJFFS was also concerned about the possibility of a very active spring wildfire season in New Jersey. One of the reasons I was not surprised is because of the ongoing drought conditions affecting most of New Jersey, see my graphic of the drought monitor on the right side of my blog for details. Anyway, the e-mail conversation with my friend from the NJFFS inspired me to write this post to point to the early start of the wildfire season in 2025 along with my concerns that the spring wildfire season may be worse. In the video that I embedded at the beginning of this article, you will hear that the wildfires that I wrote about on March 3rd were included in the approximately 50 wildfires of varying sizes, some very small, that broke out over last weekend. Furthermore, you will hear another official from the NJFFS say that so far this year there have been about four times as many wildfire since the beginning of 2025 compared with 2024. Remember that the fall drought contributed to a very busy 2024  fall wildfire season in New Jersey. 

As a subscriber to the Courier News I had access to the North Jersey paper online, where I saw a nice but concerning article about the 2025 spring wildfire season in New Jersey. The article may be found here, and I am pretty certain that this article is freely available to you. This article says in part:

This busy start to the year comes after a very active fall wildfire season fueled by ongoing drought conditions.

"Everybody knows we were crazy in the fall. Coming off one of the busiest falls that I can recall, numbers were off the charts as far as our indices and things like that, and we took a little break over the winter," Donnelly said. "It gets dark, it gets cold, things like that, but we never really got the precip necessary to where we come into this year where things start out slow. We had a warm day Saturday, just as an example, and things went crazy."

Since Jan. 1, New Jersey has seen 215 fires with a total of 515.25 acres burned. During the same period last year, the state had 69 fires and 21.5 acres burned.

I am concerned that the stage is set for a busy and active spring wildfire season. I know that we are expecting some rain in New Jersey later today, but I don't know if it will be enough to end the drought and alleviate a possible active spring wildfire season. I urge all New Jersey residents, including but not limited to those of you living near a wildland to heed the advice given in the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's  NJ Wildfire SMART page with a lot of good information about how you can keep your home safer from wildfires. I am paying attention to the information on this page because while I don't live near a larger wildland or forest, there are open spaces in the form of grasslands along with some wooded areas within a short distance of my house. Finally, while my focus here is on New Jersey, I am aware of the adjoining states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

I thank the wildland firefighters of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service along with local fire companies who respond as a part of mutual aid for taking care to keep us safe from wildfires.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: March 1st and 2nd

direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Direct link to video from 6ABC on YouTube 

The National Weather Service at Mount Holly, NJ issued a Special Weather Statement on March 2nd for an increased risk of wildfire spread due to windy conditions that started Saturday, March 1st and continued into Sunday, March 2nd. As you can see from the two videos from Philadelphia media there were at least three wildfires over the weekend. In addition New Jersey Advance Media reported on these wildfires in a March 2nd article. I have information that I can share from the NJ Forest Fire Service who reported on two of the wildfires that burned over the weekend in New Jersey, the Poor Farm Wildfire in Hopewell Township, Mercer County and a Wildfire on Fort Mott Road in Pennsville Township, Mercer County.

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Poor Farm Wildfire - Hopewell Twp., Mercer County

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in the area of Poor Farm Road in Hopewell Twp., Mercer County.

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 293 acres
🔥 90% contained pic.twitter.com/444MEHVPxQ

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 3, 2025

WILDFIRE UPDATE: Fort Mott Rd - Pennsville Twp, Salem County

New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews have made significant progress in containing a wildfire burning in the area of Fort Mott Rd in Pennsville Twp.

SIZE & CONTAINMENT
🔥 50 acres
🔥 85% contained pic.twitter.com/EX1riYUwyQ

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) March 2, 2025

Friday Fun: Coulson 737 Pilot Shares About a Typical Day

 It has been awhile since I have posted a Friday Fun aviation video. I saw this video on " A Day in the Live of a 737 Tanker Pilot" from Coulson Aviation a few days and knew that I had to share it with you. Follow Jonas, a Coulson 737 Tanker pilot as he takes you through a typical day. Allow over eleven minutes to watch the video, it is worth the watch. Enjoy.

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

2025 Australia Bushfires: Tasmania (February 22)

 I have been thinking about the current bushfire season in Tasmania, Australia, see the Tasmania Fire Service for current local information. According to a February 22nd report on ABC News Australia, this is the third week of a bushfire emergency in Australia with 97,700 hectres burned (241,422 acres) burned and gusty winds have made it difficult for responders to fight the bushfires. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service continues to provide support to Tasmania.

Members continue to support Tasmania with fires burning on the state's west coast. Remote area firefighters, inserted via helicopter, are working to extinguish hotspots on remote fire edges. Two RFS helicopters also remain deployed, providing winch and waterbombing support. pic.twitter.com/VF5grnNid4

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 22, 2025

2025 New Jersey Prescribed Burning Underway

Direct link to video from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on YouTube 

Today, Feb 24, @NJDEPForestFire plans to conduct prescribed fire operations in Burlington, Gloucester, Hunterdon & Ocean counties.

🔥 Active / upcoming prescribed burn map: https://t.co/rOnoLpw39A
🔗 More info about prescribed burning: https://t.co/KkuhK2hswN pic.twitter.com/R1qttx2l5n

— New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) February 24, 2025

The late winter/early spring prescribed burning season in New Jersey is underway.  I saw the first notifications about prescribed burns in New Jersey on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) account on X (formerly known as Twitter) on February 22nd. The video that I embedded above was uploaded by the NJFFS in early spring of 2024. It is a nice short video with good information on the benefits of prescribed burns. The NJFFS has a nice page describing their prescribed burning program including some history, information on planning including the fact that the prescribed burning season is limited to October 1 to March 31, and conducting the burn along with other information. The NJFFS first conducted prescribed burns in 1928. The NJFFS has a good summary of prescribed burns on that page:

The primary purpose of prescribed burning in New Jersey is to reduce the hazardous accumulations of forest fuels. This aids in the prevention of wildfires, reduces the intensity of the fires, and also provides a foundation for safer, more effective fire suppression and protection operations.

It has proven to be an effective and economical practice in protecting New Jersey's forests and safeguarding the state's residents. While the principle reason for prescribed burning is wildfire hazard reduction, it also has numerous secondary benefits, including:

• Wildlife habitat management
• Site management for forestry activities
• Ecological plant and animal management
• Forest disease and pest control

• Nutrient recycling
• Grassland management
• Improved accessibility
• Enhanced appearances

 I will keep an eye on the prescribed burns that the NJFFS is conducting.

Coulson Aviation Retired the Phillippine Mars

 

Direct link to video from 12NewsAz on YouTube

The JRM Mars aircraft or flying boats were built in the early 1940s with delivery of the First Martin Mars in 1945. I believe that only seven were built. 

In 2007 Coulson Aviation bought two JRM-1 Mars aircraft, The Hawaii Mars iI and the Philippine Mars. These aircraft or flying boats were used for aerial wildland firefighting. The Hawaii Mars II saw its last stint fighting wildfires in 2015, when there were no buyers the Hawaii Mars II was retired to the British Columbia Aviation Museum a few months ago. The Philippine Mars required some maintenance overhauls before it could be retired to the Pima Air and Space Museum. The Aviationist has a nice article on the Philippine Mars and the other Martin Mars flying boats, go here to read this article (I hope this link works for you, my apologies if it does not.)

Direct link to video from Tobyn Burton Aviation Videos on YouTube

Direct link to video from AirRailImages on YouTube

As you can see from the videos that I have embedded above, the Philippine Mars took off from Sprout Lake in British Columbus on February 9th.

The legendary Philippine Mars is on her way to Arizona, and thanks to our partnership with SKYTRAC, you can track her journey in real time!  #coulsonaviation #philippinemartinmars 

📍 Track her progress here: https://t.co/Giv1mJwYdm pic.twitter.com/x65yHOpZeY

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 9, 2025

She arrived at Lake Pleasant Arizona on February 11th.

The Philippine Mars has arrived in Arizona! ✈️ After an incredible journey from Sproat Lake, she’s now en route to her forever home at the Pima Air & Space Museum. A historic chapter closes, but her legacy lives on. #philippinemars #aviationhistory #coulsonaviation pic.twitter.com/oVJs1iQ2Xn

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 12, 2025

The Philippine Mars was disassembled for transport to the Pima Air and Space Museum where it will be assembled before going on display at the museum go here for more information.

2024 Wildfire Season: Blue Mt Fire Lehigh Twshp PA (Nov 2-8)

Direct link to video by Northeast Bravest on YouTube

I am often, on the lookout for current or past wildfire activity in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas of the United States. This is another situation where I found the video that I shared about by accident because I had looked at another video by Northeast Bravest on YouTube when I saw a couple of videos of footage from the Blue Mountain Fire that according to this November 8, 2024 Lehigh Valley News Article burned approximately 600 acres near Lehigh Gap in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. I believe but am not certain that the wildfire started on November 2nd. The fire was contained on November 8th. I enjoyed watching this five-video seeing helicopters and buckets and backhoes working the fire along with some nice fire footage. I may of heard about this wildfire at the time, but I was very busy following the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey at the time. I am not meaning to make excuses, but it was all I could do to focus on the wildfire situation in my own State of New Jersey.

New Jersey Wildfire SMART

 

Direct link to video from NJ Spotlight News on YouTube

Some of you know that I did my best to post about the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey, the worst wildfire season in about 100 years. On February 13th New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced an initiative called New Jersey Wildfire SMART aimed at various actions that can be taken to reduce the risks posed by wildfires. In a February 13th press release announcing the New Jersey Wildfire SMART initiative, they say in part:

“New Jersey experienced significant dryness this past fall, resulting in an extended wildfire season throughout the state in 2024 and providing a sobering reminder that we must be prepared for the spring wildfire season,” said Governor Murphy. “It is more important than ever that we share information and continue to work collaboratively to protect lives, properties, and communities.” 

 

“Preparedness is essential, especially as climate change continues to exacerbate the frequency and intensity of wildfires in New Jersey,” said Commissioner LaTourette. “We need to be even more vigilant going into the spring wildfire season and follow the actions of NJ Wildfire SMART, which will help mitigate wildfire risk statewide.”

 

“The Forest Fire Service works year-round protecting New Jersey communities from the threat of wildfires,” said Greg McLaughlin, Administrator for Forests & Natural Lands. “In addition to protecting lives and property, the Forest Fire Service assists with natural disasters, maintains hundreds of miles of roads, works alongside multiple cooperators to develop and implement strategic plans that reduce the risk of future wildfires, and lends their talents to other states when wildfires strike.”



“Meeting with municipal partners ahead of New Jersey’s spring fire season is essential to strengthening communication, coordination and preparedness when addressing wildfire risk and responding to developing incidents,” said Bill Donnelly, Chief of the DEP Forest Fire Service. “We share the common goal of ensuring New Jersey’s communities and forest resources are protected from wildfires, and today’s roundtable allows us to proactively address any concerns.”

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a new webpage devoted to New Jersey Wildfire SMART where they discuss safety, mitigation, awareness, and training along with NJFFS videos on prescribed fire, fire towers, and the use of Single Engine Airtankers to help the firefighters on the ground fight wildfires.

2025 Australia Bushfire Season: Tasmania Bushfire emergency (Feb 14th)

Direct link to video from ABC News Australia

Direct link to video from ABC News in Depth (Australia)

I posted about the bushfire emergency in Tasmania, Australia on February 12th. The bushfire emergency continues in Tasmania. For more information see the Tasmania Fire Service page and the Tasmania Fire Service incidents and warnings page (updated daily), with a map. Evacuations are in place. Please take a few minutes to watch both of the videos that I embedded above. 

2025 Australia Wildfire Season: Bushfire Emergency in Tasmania

 It is winter in my part of the world in the northern hemisphere which means that it is summer in the southern hemisphere. Like other parts of the world, summer in Australia means increased bushfires. I try to keep my eyes open for bushfire activity in Australia. I follow the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) on Facebook where I recently saw that they had sent their tanker, the Marie Bashir to Tazmania to assist with their bushfire season.

With the deployment of aviation assets and logistical support to Tasmania, as well as aerial intelligence aircraft to South Australia over recent days, RFS personnel and equipment are currently deployed to four different state or across the entire east coast of Australia. pic.twitter.com/7QtneG4tG0

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 10, 2025

 

 In addition to sending the Marie Bashir airtanker to Tasmania, they NSWRFS also sent supplies and equipment to Tasmania

A convoy of six large #RFS trucks is traveling through Victoria, carrying supplies & support staff for a 150-person base camp to assist firefighting efforts in Tasmania. Heading to Geelong, they will board the Spirit of Tasmania ferry. Give them a wave if you see them! pic.twitter.com/TGq9VysYMR

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 11, 2025

As you can see from the two videos that I have embedded below, Tasmania declared a bushfire emergency on or about February 12, thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page for sharing this video today. According to the second video from ABC News Australia, sixteen bushfires have burnt 45,000 hectares of bush or approximately 112,000 acres. I wish all the crews on the ground and in the air working the bushfires in Tasmania the best and that may be safe as the fight these bushfires.

Direct link to video from Sky News Australia on YouTube

Direct link to video from ABC News Australia on YouTube

 

C-130 MAFFS working January 2025 CA Wildfires

Direct link to video from US Military Action on YouTube

When there are not enough USDA Forest Service contracted airtankers to go around, there are eight Modular Aircraft Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) that are used by eight C-130 aircraft at three National Guard Unit and one US Air Force Reserve Unit, each military unit has two C-130s that can be equipped with MAFFS:

• 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, Port Hueneme, California 
• 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, Reno, Nevada
• 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne, Wyoming 
• 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force base, Colorado

A MAFFS is loaded onto the C-130 for firefighting, you will see this at about the three minute mark in the video. For more information on the USDA Forest Service MAFFS go to this website.

I only just found out that allC-130's equipped with MAFFS were activated to help fight the wildfires that burned in southern California in January 2025. I had come upon the YouTube video that I shared above. I wanted a little more information to share with you and found a nice article with a video from Air & Space Forces Magazine reporting on the activation of the eight MAFFS equipped C-130s. I checked the Aerial Fire Magazine that I subscribe to and saw this January 22nd Aerial Fire article and video showing a C-130 MAFFS from the 302nd Airlift Wing working the Palisades Fire.

Looking Back on New Jersey's 2024 Wildfire Season

 I follow the NJ Forest Association, they are a good group that advocates for all forests in New Jersey, see their about us page for more information on their mission, organization and objectives. One of the things they do is to do a monthly webinar on backyard forestry with seminars on a variety of issues affecting people who live in or near forests, perhaps owning some forest lands. Last January their webinar focused on forest fire risk and prevention, and sharing about the 2024 wildfire season in New Jersey with representatives from the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS). Their 90 minute January webinar is on YouTube and may be found here. They start by discussing some history of the NJFFS and their organization. For those who are interested, the information on New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season that I am referring to in this article starts at about 22 minutes into the video and continues for about 25 minutes (57 minutes), if you watch the video you will get a lot more information. I am barely skimming the surface on the New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season.

Thanks to the NJ Forest Association's January 2025 webinar on forest fires in New Jersey, I had access to more detailed information on the 2024 wildfire season then I usually do. I thank you at the NJ Forest Association for presenting the January 2025 webinar and to the NJ Forest Fire Service presenters and staff who put the information in this video together. 

Using some of the information in the NJ Forestry Associations January webinar on forest fires in New Jersey I am to provide some new and updated information to the post that I made on November 11th, Asides from adding information for one fire and adding some clarification, I am not revising the acreage burned numbers, these numbers can be considered preliminary and in a few cases the NJFFS revised acreage burned later on with better mapping and the like. Note that I only have information on major fires, fires that burned at least 100 acres. 

Before moving onto some more detailed information on New Jersey's 2024 wildfire season, I want to briefly mention the organization of the NJFFS. As you can see from the map, there are three divisions, division A in northern NJ, division B in central NJ and Division C in southern NJ. See the NJFFS Organization page for a description of the management of these divisions. 

Obtained on February 6, 2024 from https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/docs/adminboundaries.pdf

In 2024 there were 1,440 wildfires that burned 12,445 acres. If you are wondering how the 2024 wildfire season in New Jersey compares with prior NJ wildfire seasons, the NJFFS provided information on the number of NJ wildfires from 2013 to 2024. You will see that the 2024 wildfire season has the most wildfires.

• 2013: 990
• 2014: 924
• 2015: 1051
• 2016: 1053
• 2017: 636
• 2018: 629
• 2019: 737
• 2020: 1,033
• 2021: 946
• 2022: 1,175
• 2023: 1,193
• 2024: 1,440

The material presented by the NJFFS in the January webinar allowed me to break down the 2024 total acreage burned of 14,440 acres down into divisions:

• Division A: 544 wildfires burned 3,416 acres
• Division B: 410 wildfires burned 7,787 acres
• Division C: 486 wildfires burned 1,221 acres

I was interested in the information that the NJFFS provided on major fires (100 acres or more) in 2024. Please note that some of the numbers differ from what I presented in my  November 11th post on the 2024 fall wildfire season in New Jersey. This is because the exact number of acres burned can change after the fire is contained  because better mapping and other updates on the fire size were available.

• County Line Fire was started on April 24, burning 510 acres.
• Tea Time Hill Fire was started on July 4, burning 4.000 acres 
• Whip-poor-will Fire started on July 26, burned 1,167 acres
• Fishers Pit Fire started on September 9, burned 189 acres
• Industrial Parkway Fire started on October 26, burned 196 acres
• Halloween Fire started on October 31, burned 137 acres
• Craigmeur Lookout Fire started on October 31, burned 211 acres
• Shotgun Fire started on November 6, burned 350 acres
• Bethany Run Fire started on November 7, burned 360 acres
• Pheasant Run Fire started on November 7, burned 133 acres
• Cannonball 3 Fire started on November 8, burned 182 acres
• Jennings Creek Fire (NJ and NY) started on November 8, burned 2,283 acres in NJ

Thanks to this webinar, I can also provide NJFFS wildfire responses in 2024 by month:

• January: 34
• February: 89
• March: 229
• April: 228
• May: 89
• June: 208
• July: 110
• August: 86
• September: 168
• October: 507
• November: 392
• December: 84

2024 Wildfire Season: Idaho City Hotshots Crew Video

Enjoy this 15 minute minute from Krossed Saints summarizing the Idaho City Hotshots 2024 Wildfire Season.

Direct link to video by Krossed Saints on YouTube

Super Scoopers in Southern California Jan 2025

Among the aircraft used in aerial wildland firefighting in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere are the Canadair Aerial Firefighters, amphibious purpose built aircraft for wildland firefighting. De Havilland Canada holds the type certificate for these aircraft, The Canadair Aerial Firefighter aircraft are often referred to as Super Scoopers for their ability to quickly scoop water from various water bodies and return to the fire. There will often by a suitable water body for scooping in close proximity to a wildfire so Super Scoopers can make many drops in a short time period.

Quebec Canada has an arrangement to send two of their Super Scoopers to California each year. To the best of my knowledge these two Super Scoopers worked the January 2025 wildfires including but not limited to the Palisades and the Eaton Fires , in addition, at least two other Super Scoopers from Canada went to southern California to assist fighting these fires, see this article from Skies Magazine for more information . I do know that Bridger Aerospace out of Belgrade, Montana sent two of their Super Scoopers to southern California in mid January to help, see this article from Globe Newswire .

One of the Super Scoopers was struck by a drone, the person who flew the drone has been charged with unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to an  article on Fire Aviation for information about these charges.

Bridger Aerospace talked to CNN a couple of weeks ago about their Super Scoopers and took them on a tour of one of their Super Scoopers. The report on the Super Scoopers is at the beginning of the video, accounting for the first three minutes. The rest of the video is a report by Anderson Cooper on the progress that was then made on the Palisades Fire on or about January 16th. The Palisades fire was declared 100 5 contained on January 31st 

Direct link to video from CNN on YouTube 

Friday Fun: Fun with KLM's Bluey

I was looking around for a fun airplane video to share with you for Friday Fun when I came across this animated video for children from KLM. The video may be for kids but this adult loved it, it made me smile. Not only was this video funny but I learned something at the time. I thought that some of you might enjoy it as well.

Direct link to video from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on YouTube

2025 Wildfire Season: Aircraft Working Southern CA Wildfires plus Jan 29th Update

I will share the latest information on the major wildfires that are still burning in southern California in a moment. But first, please enjoy these two short videos of aerial firefighting over these fires.

Direct link to Jan 25th video from The Union Tribune on YouTube

Direct link to Jan14th video from The Sun (UK) on YouTube

Current wildfires in Southern CA, obtained from Cal Fire Incidents Page on Jan 29th at 3 PM EST

The image of the map from Cal Fire that I shared above is a little small of necessity so I could show the location of the four fires that I will update below. This information was obtained from the Cal Fire Incidents Page  and is current at the time I post this article. Recent rainfall in southern California has no doubt aided the firefighters in fighting these fires.

• Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County, 23,448 acres burned, 96 percent contained
• Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, 14,021 acres burned, 99 percent containment
• Hughes Fire, Los Angeles County, 10,425 acres burned, 98 percent containment
• Border2 Fire, San Diego County, 6,625 acres, 90 percent contained

2025 Wildfire Season: Rainfall on Wildfires in and around Los Angeles County (Jan 26-27)

Direct link to January 26th video from KCAL News on YouTube

I know from following some media outlets as well as checking the National Weather Service Forecast Office Los Angeles that there was light to moderate rainfall over Los Angeles County including the areas burned by the recent wildfires for the last 48 hours.. I know enough to know that this rainfall has helped firefighters as the work to contain wildfires in and around Los Angeles County. If you go this Facebook post from the NWS Forecast Office in Los Angeles (close the page asking you to log on to Facebook to see the post) where I hope you will see a link for their latest rainfall summary. I am not intimately familiar with the geography of this area but I hope that you will see that light to moderate rainfall was fairly widespread. I also know enough to know that with rainfall comes the risk of flooding and in areas burned by wildfires, risks of debris flows that can further impact any structures still standing as well as impacting roads and bridges. 

I saw a nice article earlier this morning from the New York Times by Tim Balk published on January 26th and updated on January 27th the recent rain over the fire areas and the risk of mudslides, you may go here, please note that I can give you 10 days of free access ending on or about February 6th.

Some of you might be interested in reading more about debris flows, shared by the NWS Forecast Office in Los Angeles has some good information from the USGS, For example, on the link titled "what is a debris flow you will find this useful definition from the USGS on what a debris flow including the increased risk to areas burned by wildfires.

Debris flows are fast-moving landslides that are particularly dangerous to life and property because they move quickly, destroy objects in their paths, and often strike without warning. They occur in a wide variety of environments throughout the world, including all 50 states and U.S. Territories. Debris flows generally occur during periods of intense rainfall or rapid snowmelt and usually start on hillsides or mountains. Debris flows can travel at speeds up to and exceeding 35 mph and can carry large items such as boulders, trees, and cars. If a debris flows enters a steep stream channel, they can travel for several miles, impacting areas unaware of the hazard. Areas recently burned by a forest fire are especially susceptible to debris flows, including the areas downslope and outside of the burned area. Debris flows are a type of landslide and are sometimes referred to as mudslides, mudflows, lahars, or debris avalanche.

I close with the latest information from the Cal Fire Incidents page on wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles, note this page is updated frequently so you may see information for different fires on that page. The fire information that I post below is current as of January 27th at 12:30 PM EST

obtained on Jan 27th at 12:30 PM EST from the Cal Fire Incidents page

• Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County, 23,448 acres burned, 94 percent contained
• Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, 14,021 acres burned, 98 percent containment
• Hughes Fire, Los Angeles County, 10,425 acres burned, 95 percent containment

2025 Wildfire Season in San Diego County California (Jan 24th Update)

Direct link to January 23 video from NBC 7 San Diego on YouTube

Direct link to January 24th  video from Fox 5 San Diego on YouTube

I have been thinking on the Santa Ana Winds that affected San Diego County yesterday with Red Flag Warnings continuing into this morning (January 24th) in portions of San Diego County and adjoining areas. Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared the videos about the wildfire situation in San Diego County that I embedded above. The first video refers to a few smaller wildfires in San Diego County, I could only find information for one fire, the Gilman Fire on Cal Fire. In the second video, you will learn more about the Border2 Fire which I read about online yesterday, I am glad to have watched this video. Regarding the two San Diego County wildfires that I referred to in my January 23rd post the Lilac fire is 100% contained at 85 acres and the ncfr3-4 fire is not a Cal Fire Incident and there is no further information on this 80 acre fire at the time I write this post.

Obtained on Jan 24m 2025 at 12 PM EST from https://www.weather.gov/sgx/

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Diego CA
300 AM PST Fri Jan 24 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST TODAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS, SAN DIEGO VALLEYS, INLAND EMPIRE, INLAND ORANG COUNTY, AND THE SAN GORGONIO PASS FOR GUSTY SANTA ANA WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

CAZ248-250-255>258-265-554-241800-
/O.CON.KSGX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-250124T1800Z/
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-
300 AM PST Fri Jan 24 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS, SAN DIEGO VALLEYS, INLAND EMPIRE INLAND ORANGE COUNTY, AND THE SAN GORGONIO PASS FOR STRONG GUST WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

* WINDS...East 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Isolated gusts to 40 to 50 mph through 6 AM.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 2 percent.

* IMPACTS...If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorableor rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior.

* LOCATION...San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys  -TheInland 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 and Orange County Inland Areas.

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.

&&

$$

http://www.weather.gov/sandiego

2025 Wildfire Season: Wildfires in Southern California

 

Current wildfire statistics from the Cal Fire Incidents page at 6:45 AM EST on January 23rd

• Palisades Fire, 23,448 acres, Los Angeles County 70 percent contained, started 1/7/2025, 11 fatalities (fire personnel and civilian
• Eaton Fire, 14,021 acres, Los Angeles County, 95 percent contained, started 1/7/2025, 17 fatalities (fire personnel and civilian
• Hughes Fire, 10,176 acres, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties,14 percent contained, started 1/22/2025
• Sepulveda Fire, 40 acres, Los Angeles County, no containment, started 1/23/2025, this is not a Cal Fire incident. Thanks to an article on wildfires in the Los Angeles area in the Washington Post, I learned that the Los Angeles Fire Department has an update on the Sepulveda Fire saying that forward progress has been stopped, evacuation orders are lifted, no structures were damaged.
• Clay Fire, 39 acres, Riverside County, 65 percent contained, started 1/21/2025

Obtained on January 23rd at 7:15 AM from the National Weather Service in San Diego

I have been reading about extreme weather and Santa Ana winds leading to wildfires in San Diego County. I wanted to find some information specific to San Diego County and as no wildfires were listed in San Diego were listed on the Cal Fire Incidents page that I referred to here, I did some digging and found two incidents on Cal Fires Incident Archive Page (accessed at 7 AM on January 23rd). I do believe that there are other wildfires burning in San Diego that I have no incident information on. I just checked Inciweb and saw nothing in San Diego County. If I am not mistaken Inciweb only lists fires on federal lands. There is likely other information, including the media about other wildfires in San Diego County beyond the two that I listed here.

• Lilac Fire, 85 acres, San Diego County, 100% contained on January 22nd, started 1/21/2025.
• Ncfr3-4 Fire, 80 acres, San Diego County, no containment, started 1/21/2025, this is not a Cal Fire Incident and I have not been able to find any other information on this fire.

In Honor of Martin Luther King: Black Pilots in WW II

In honor of the day we celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday, I am sharing a 14 minute video from the Black Journal about Black pilots in WW II, there fight to even be pilots in the military, the birth of the Tuskegee Airmen and the training of Black military pilots, the role of the Tuskegee Airmen, the prejudices they faced, and their important role in the air war in WW II, and their role after WW II in the military and in the civilian population.

Direct link to the video from the Black Journal on YouTube 

2025 Wildfire Season: Update on Wildfires in and around Los Angeles County (Jan 17th)

 

Obtained on January 17th at 10:30 from the Cal Fire Incidents Page

I am always saddened by the loss of life from any wildfire. For the last few days, I have seen the figure that there are 24 fatalities attributed to the wildfires currently burning in LA County and environs.. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who have perished in the Palisades and Eaton fires. I went to the individual incident page for each of the three wildfires that I have listed below to get a breakdown of the fatalities attributed to each fire.

Current wildfire statistics from the Cal Fire Incidents Page at 10:30 AM EST on January 17th:

• Palisades Fire, 23,713 acres, 31 percent contained, started 1/7/2025, 8 fatalities.
• Eaton Fire, 14,117 acres, 65 percent contained, started 1/7/2025, 16 fatalities.
• Auto Fire, 61 acres, 85 percent contained, started 1/13/2025.

I have also seen media reports that there are dozens of missing persons from these fires, most notably the Eaton Fire, but there may be missing persons from the Palisades Fire and other fires. It seems that a number of the missing persons are senior citizens. I am glad to see the media reports on these missing persons, asking the nearby public if they have seen these persons. 

Direct link to report on YouTube from NBCLA on YouTube

I am sure that many of you are already aware of the fatalities and missing persons from following various media outlets, however I felt that I needed to mention these fatalities and missing persons in this post.

While searches go on for the missing and families, and loved ones grieve those who have perished in these fires, there is a bright spot in the rescue of Ms. Patty Phillips by LA County Fire Captain Malcom Dicks. Captain Dicks risked his life to save Ms. Phillips. Ms. Phillips told the story of her rescue to a reporter from KCAL News. The video report is slightly over eight minutes.

Direct link to report from KCAL News on YouTube

2025 Wildfire Season: Update on Wildfires in and around Los Angeles County (Jan 15th)

I start with embedding a January 14th video from NBC News where reporter Ellison Barber rode along on a Cal Fire helicopter to get an aerial view of some of the wildfires currently burning in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and a discussion with Operations Section Chief Christian Litz.

Direct link to video from NBC News on YouTube

In my wonderings in preparation for this post, I came across a nice article on USA Today that I hope is freely available to all (I am not a subscriber to USA Today). This January 14th USA Today article discusses the different aerial assets that are currently being used to fight the wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The article lists these aerial assets with a drawing and specifications, it is an easy read. In particular the article refers to the : 

• CL-415 Super Scooper (1,600 gallon tank)
• Bell UH-1H "Super Huey" Helicopter (380 gallon tank)
• Sikorsky S-70i "Fire Hawk' Helicopter (1,000 gallon tank)
• Grumman S-2T Airtanker (1,200 gallon tank)
• North American OV-10A Bronco Air Tactical Aircraft
• C-130 Hercules Airtanker (4,000 gallon tank)

Extreme fire danger continues in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties through Thursday, January 16th with a Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning through 3 PM on Wednesday, January 15th.

Obtained on January 15th at 11 AM EST from https://www.weather.gov/lox/

Current wildfire statistics from the Cal Fire Incidents Page at 11:30 AM on January 15th:

• Palisades Fire, 23,713 acres, 19 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Eaton Fire, 14,117 acres, 45 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Hurst Fire, 799 acres, 97 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Auto Fire, 61 acres, 47 percent contained, started 1/13/2025.

obtained from the Cal Fire Incidents Page at 11:10 AM on January 15th

2025 Wildfire Season: Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warnings in LA County (July 14th)

Direct link to video from NBCLA on YouTube

When I posted yesterday, January 13th about the wildfire situation in Los Angeles County, I included a graphic warning of Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warnings from the National Weather Service in Los Angeles from 4 AM Tuesday January 14th through Noon on Wednesday January 15th. The NWS in Los Angeles updated their PDS Red Flag Warning yesterday after I posted on January 13th. See the graphic below.

I wanted to give you more information about how the NWS defines a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) as relates to Red Flag Warnings. The video I shared is good, they explain about Santa Ana Winds and then discuss what a PDS is. 

2025 Wildfire Season: Update on Wildfires in Los Angeles County (Jan 13th)

Direct link to January 13th video from CBS News on YouTube

I want to update my January 10th post on the wildfires that are currently burning in and around Los Angeles County. As you can see from the video report that I shared, at least 24 people have died and thousands of structures are damaged or destroyed. High winds will again be present over the fire area, but not as high as last week. 

I took a screen shot of the latest map on the CAL Fire Incidents Page using my Firefox browser. 

Image taken at 11:30 AM on January 13th from the CAL Fire Incidents Page

At the time I write this update, the status of the five wildfires that I reported on in my January 10th post are:

• Palisades Fire, 23,713 acres, 14 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Eaton Fire, 14,117 acres, 33 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Kenneth Fire, 1,052 acres, 100 percent contained, started 1/9/2025.
• Hurst Fire, 799 acres, 95 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Lidia Fire, 395 acres, 100 percent contained, started 1/8/2025.

There continues to be a lot of national and international media coverage of the wildfires currently burning in and around Los Angeles County. I myself have seen good coverage on the New York Times and the Washington Post (both have limited access for non subscribers) as well as local newspapers. I expect that most of you can find coverage in your newspapers and other media outlets.

Note: For some unknown reason, I had a problem accessing the map on the CAL Fire Incidents page using Safari and Chrome on my Mac desktop perhaps because of the way the two browsers are configured. I was able to access the page using safari and chrome on my devices and a friend told me they could access this page on both browsers on their Mac laptop.

2025 Wildfire Season: Wildfires in Los Angeles County

Direct link to video from Inside Edition (January 9th) on YouTube

Direct link to video from KCAL (January 9th) on YouTube

Direct link to video from KCAL (January 9th) on YouTube

I am heartbroken about the destruction caused by various wind-driven wildfires in Los Angeles County and vicinity. Stories about these wildfires are in all the digital newspapers I subscribe to and then some. So I am sure that most of you know about the wildfires. I will let you watch these three short videos that I have embedded above. One is sharing about calling in the National Guard, a second is reporting on some 1,000 homes that have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and vicinity, and the third is reporting on evacuations being lifted. These videos are only a small look at what local media in Los Angeles have been reporting. Then there are other articles in various newspapers, chances are if you subscribe to a newspaper you are reading about these fires, then there will be articles in your newsfeed for those of you who have a newsfeed. Evacuations orders are still in place and many structures have been destroyed.

I know of at least five wildfires of various sizes that are burning in Los Angeles County and environs, information and links are obtained from the CAL FIRE incident page you can go there to look at more maps.

Image taken on January 10th, 2025 at 1:09 PM EST from the CAL FIRE incident page

• Palisades Fire, 20.438 acres, 8 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Eaton Fire, 13,956 acres, 3 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Kenneth Fire, 1,000 acres, 35 percent contained, started 1/9/2025.
• Hurst Fire, 771 acres, 37 percent contained, started 1/7/2025.
• Lidia Fire, 395 acres, 75 percent contained, started 1/8/2025.

Words can not adequately express my gratitude for all the hard work of wildland firefighters, and various mutual aid responders from local and regional fire departments, the National Guard, and other first responders are doing in working these fires under extreme conditions. When conditions all, tankers and helicopters will fly but these assets are grounded in the winds are too strong.

2025 Wildfire Season: Pacific Palisades Wildfire

Direct link to video from KCAL News (January 8th, about 6 AM PST) on YouTube

I follow Wildfire Today and it's sister site Fire Aviation, both sites are reporting on the Palisades Wildfire, Wildfire Today's most recent post (Jan 7th) may be found here and Fire Aviation posted later in the evening on Jan 7th. This is a fast moving fire fueled by extreme winds. The winds are hampering aerial operations which according to this report from CBS News were shut down January 7th at 8PM, the report includes a map of the fire area and reports on the Hurst and the Eaton Fires. Evacuations due all three fires  are in place, residences have been destroyed, and there are road closures in the area. Schools have also been closed. 

The New York Times reported on these fires this morning, the article is gifted for 10 days. The Washington Post is also reporting on these fires in an article posted today (gifted to you for 10 days).

Life threatening winds occurred Tuesday, Jan 7th and Wednesday morning January 8th for the Los Angeles area.

Neptune Aviation Transitioning to Airbus A319 for 2027 Season

Neptune Aviation is transitioning to a new aircraft for wildland firefighting, the Airbus A319 that they expect to be ready for the 2027 wildfire season. This decision comes after they spent two years doing extensive research to come up with the right aircraft, they will partner with Aerotec & Concept. The retardant capacity of the A319 will be 4,500 gallons. According to their December 3, 2024 news release

“The Airbus A319’s increased capacity and advanced features make it an ideal choice for wildland firefighting. Our team is committed to ensuring that Neptune’s new fleet is optimized for maximum efficiency and safety. With our extensive experience in aircraft modification, we are confident that this transition will enhance Neptune’s aerial firefighting capabilities,” says Aerotec & Concept CEO Johan Clochet.

With its new aircraft selected, Neptune Aviation becomes the first company to convert the A319 for aerial firefighting operations. Moving to the A319 will increase retardant capacity to a minimum of 4,500 gallons, compared to the maximum 3,000 that can presently be carried by the BAe 146. The A319 also has greater fuel capacity, which will allow Neptune to reach remote fires located outside of their current service window with a full payload.

As part of the A320 product line, the Airbus A319 is equipped with advanced avionics, featuring a revolutionary fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. The FBW system uses computers to process pilot inputs and then sends electrical signals to control the aircraft’s flight surfaces, ensuring the desired flight path. These capabilities enhance safety, reliability, and maneuverability, while reducing weight by eliminating traditional cables, pulleys, and rods.

Draughon (Jennifer Draughon, President of Neptune Aviation) says the transition to the A319 will happen gradually over a number of years and expects that Neptune will operate between 10-15 aircraft in their fleet—a mix of A319s and BAe 146s—depending on the evolving demands of aerial firefighting.

I am about a month late in posting about this and while I suspect that many of you already know that Neptune will be transitioning to the A319, as the title of my blog is aerial wildland firefighting,  it is appropriate that I report on this development. You might be interested in reading other articles about Neptune's transition to the A319:

• FireAviation
• Fire and Safety Journal
• Aerial Fire Magazine
• Newsfile

• 
  

News from Coulson Aviation (January 3rd)

 Coulson Aviation is deploying to Australia and has already deployed to Chili after a busy wildfire season in the western United States. See these short posts from X, formerly Twitter for more information.

Today, Coulson Aviation marks 15 million gallons of water and retardant delivered on fire missions this year. Every drop represents our unwavering support for firefighters and the communities they protect 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/0h1NsR5RrM

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 30, 2024

 

As 2024 ends, we’re reflecting on an incredible year of aerial firefighting operations. Thanks to the Coulson Crew, partners, and local orgs for trusting us to protect communities worldwide. Here's to a safe, impactful 2025! #happynewyear #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/107L7bYiaV

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 31, 2024

 

 

Take to the skies with Tanker 138! Before deploying to Western Australia earlier this year, this Herc completed a test flight, ensuring it in tip-top shape for the upcoming fire season. Join us for a glimpse of this incredible aircraft in action 💪 #coulsonaviation #c130 pic.twitter.com/xIQrnXHqU8

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) January 2, 2025

Day 1 on contract in Chile, and Tanker 137 is already making an impact. Our Coulson Crew hit the ground running, ensuring smooth operations and keeping the mission on track. Getting it done is what we do 💪 #coulsonaviation #aerialfirefighting pic.twitter.com/WfPa4GxHxN

— Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) December 27, 2024