A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Air Spray (part 4 of 13)

Air Spray whose corporate offices are in Edmonton, Alberta was founded in 1967, see Air Spray's history page.  Air Spray's founder, Don Hamilton, started the company with one A-26 and a Cessna 310 (birddog) aircraft.  Air Spray acquired one A-26 that was converted for firefighting in 1970 and paired with a Cessna 310 Bird Dog aircraft. Air Spray eventually had 18 A-26 tankers flying them the A-26 into the 2000s. Air Spray finally retired all of their remaining A-26 tankers after the end of the 2004 fire season (see an article by Ruud Leeuw on his 2006 visit to Air Spray's maintenance hanger in Red Deer Alberta, scroll down a bit past some photos of a couple of Lockheed L188 Electras where he writes about Air Spray's A-26 Invaders). Before I go on, some of you will recall that the Douglas A-26 Invader went through a couple of changes in her designation, being designated the B-26 from 1948 through 1962, I write about the changes in her military designation here.

In the course of reading up on Air Spray, I came across a nice article from the November/December 2009 edition of Wings on Air Spray called Position Report: Vintage planes dousing flames (A position report on Air Spray) by Frederick K. Larkin. Wings is an aviation magazine focusing on Canadian aviation.  learned a little more about the history of Air Spray thanks to Larkin's article. That is, David Harrington started the company that was to become Air Spray in 1954, focusing on crop dusting before moving into aerial fire fighting in the early 1960s. If you are interested in this early period in Air Spray's history and find yourself in Edmonton, Alberta with some time on your hands, the Provincial Archives of Alberta Canada has what is known as a fond (documents) from Mary Harrington, David's wife. According to Larkin, the company Harrington founded became Air Spray Ltd. in 1967. Harrington acquired a Douglas B-26 in 1969 (recall that the B-26 was later redesignated the A-26). That is when Don Hamilton, who later became CEO of Air Spray entered the picture. Hamilton acquired a 50 percent interest in this B-26 that was converted to firefighting configuration in 1970. Sometime later, Hamilton acquired the remaining interest in Air Spray becoming the sole owner of Air Spray.

I had heard about the 2000 hanger fire at Air Spray's maintenance hangar In Red Deer as I was doing research for these articles. On October 16, 2000 a fire started in one of Air Spray's maintenance hangers in Red Deer when sparks from an electrical cord that was being unplugged ignited some fuel. The hanger went up in flames and six aircraft were destroyed, including four A-26 Invaders (For more information see a short description of this fire from the Aviation Safety Network.

In my next couple of articles I'll focus on three tankers, one from Conair (Tanker 28), and two from Air Spray (Tankers 31 and 36).

Updated on February 11, 2014: As sometimes happens when I write series like this people contact me with additional information which I do my best to incorporate into the series that I am working on. I'd like to thank one of my tanker pilot friends from Canada who sent me some more information about Air Spray last night, some of which I incorporated into this article, and another piece he sent me will be incorporated into an article later in this series. As sometimes happens when I write series like this people contact me with additional information which I do my best to incorporate into the series that I am working on.

A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Conair (part 3 of 13)

Conair, based in Abbotsford, British Columbia flew A-26 tankers for 16 years from 1970 to 1985 (History of Aviation in the  BC Forest Service Part 2: Air Tanker Operations, 2011, pp. 12, 18).

Around the time that the British Columbia Forest Service (BCFS)  celebrated their 100th anniversary, Gord Bell wrote a wonderful three part paper on the History of Aviation in the  BC Forest Service: A pictorial account for the BCFS Centennial. According the author's information (in the appendix of all three parts), Bell worked for the BCFS for 35 years and spent 25 years working with aviation programs for the BCFS. Part 2 is devoted to airtanker operations and provides some history of Conair, some great pictures and a discussion of Conair's A-26 tanker operations. 

When I first read Linc Alexander's Firebombers into Hell in the fall of 2010 I had been writing about aerial wildland firefighting for about 20 months. Before reading Linc's book, I knew little about the Canadian companies that flew tankers. That changed when I read Linc's book, and Linc's book provided me with my first introduction to Conair. Linc's first season for Conair was in 1974, flying the A-26 tanker. He was to continue flying A-26 tankers for Conair for a total of four years (Alexander, 2010, 248-55). 

I read more about Conair when I read Allan MacNutt's book, Altimeter Rising. Allan was chief pilot at Conair for two years from 1975 through 1977 (Mac Nutt, 2000, 202-5, 245). By the time I read Allan's book I was somewhat more familiar with Conair having done more reading about Conair after they first loaned the US Forest Service some of their tankers after the US Forest Service terminated its contract with Aero Union (go here for more information).

I want to share some information about a Douglas A-26 Invader that saw service with Conair: tankers 22. Tanker 22 is preserved in her Conair colors by the BCAM. I have grown to love the A-26 and I think it is great that tanker 22 is preserved in her Conair colors in homage to all the good work that she and her kin did first in military service and later in service as a tanker. One of these days perhaps I'll get to British Columbia and I'll go to the BCAM and see her up close and personal in all her splendor. 

Finally, some of you may recall that I referenced the napoleon130 A-26 Invader tanker website in my acknowledgements when I first wrote about A-26 Tanker last summer.  The napoleon130 A-26 Invader tanker website has a page devoted to Conair, including but not limited to information on tankers 22 and 28.

I'd like to thank a few pilots who used to fly A-26 tankers for Conair for taking the time to correspond with me about your experience with this incredible airplane. Your help was invaluable.

Note: More information on Linc Alexander's Firebombers into Hell and Allan MacNutt's Altimeter Rising may be found in this acknowledgements post from an earlier series on the A-26.

A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Kenting (part 2 of 13)

I learned about three companies in Canada that flew A-26 tankers from the 1970s through the 2000s: Kenting, Conair, and Airs Spray (see List of Douglas A-26 Invader operators). Before I begin, let me say that there may well be other companies or individual operators that flew A-26 tankers in Canada during this time period that I am unaware of. 

I first came across Kenting Aviation when I read Firebombers into Hell by Linc Alexander (214-17, 227-33, 235-245). He spent a couple of years working for Kenting Aviation, based in Ontario, acquiring two A-26 Tankers in the early 1970s. He wrote about one fire season where he was based first in Fort McMurray Alberta and then in High Level Alberta. High Level, according to Linc is the northern most tanker base in Alberta. Much of the time he was in High Level it rained (Alexander, 2010, 235-45). Kenting sold both of their A-26 tankers to Conair at the end of the 1973 fire season (see the article I wrote on August 7 for more information).

A-26 Tankers in Canada: Introduction (part 1 of 13)

Several months ago I wrote a series about the Douglas A-26 Invader (several posts begin here and a little later I wrote some more beginning here. At long last, I am starting a series about the A-26 service as an airtanker in Canada. I am still working on the last couple of posts in this series, but as you can see from the tentative outline below, I have some time to work out this out. I will be writing about three Canadian operators of A-26 tankers and their tankers. 

Feb 5, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Kenting (part 2 of 13)

Feb 7, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Conair (part 3 of 13)

Feb 10, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Operators -- Air Spray (part 4 of 13)

Feb 12, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Conair A-26 Tanker 28 (part 5 of 13)

Feb 14, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Air Spray A-26 Tankers 31 and 36 (part 6 of 13)

Feb 17, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: on the ramp (part 7 of 13)

Feb 19, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: take-off (part 8 of 13 )

Feb 21, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: enroute (part 9 of 13)
Feb 24, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: flying the A-26 (training video (part 10 of 13)
Feb 26, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: flying fires in an A-26 (part 11 of 13)
Feb 28, 2014 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Air Spray's A-26 fleet in 1994 (part 12 of 13)
March 14, 3024 A-26 Tankers in Canada: Reflections (part 13 of 13)

snow removal in Japan's snow canyon

I am getting ready to start a series of articles on the A-26 Tanker tomorrow. I took a snow day. Literally. Clearing out almost eight inches of heavy, wet snow from my driveway. More to come. Anyway, I came across this video recently of some really heavy duty snow removal in Japan's snow canyon. Enjoy!



direct link to video

WW II aircraft: P38 and Coursair

A friend brought a nice video of the Red Bull P38 and a Coursair showing their stuff at last year's Paris airshow. I thought that you might enjoy this 12 minute video so I'm sharing it here.

Before watching the video, be sure to read the description of the video on youtube, you will need to go to the "about tab" and click on more to read a description of both of these wonderful WW II aircraft.

January wildfires in Oregon

Southern California is not the only west coast State that has seen wildfires in January. Oregon saw some wildfires last week, I'm not sure about Washington. The Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) has a Facebook Page, and I am 99 percent certain that you do not need a Facebook account to see the page, but you will need a Facebook account to access other features. Anyway, I went to the ODF Facebook page to check up on the status of the wildfires that I had heard about last week, and I saw in post that they made on Jan. 28th that the wildfires that were

reported at the end of last week are under control, in mop-up, and final reports are being issued --all fires will continue to be monitored in the upcoming months (ODF, Facebook post on 28 January, 2014)

I am sharing a video report (posted on Jan. 24, 2014) from Fox 12 Oregon on the wildfires that were burning last week in coastal Oregon. 

KPTV - FOX 12

direct link to video

As always, I'm never certain how long this embed will work, so if you are arriving at this page sometime after I posted this and the embed code doesn't work, you'll know why.

Drought emergency and enhanced fire wildfire danger in California

While we in the eastern and midwestern regions of the United States have been in and out of some pretty frigid weather and at least in NJ and environs have had our share of snow and rain this winter, California is in the midst of a very severe drought. Drought often equates to higher wildfire danger, and California has seen an increase in the number of wildfires in January.

Stay safe everyone!


direct link to video


direct link to video

In honor of a special lady -- Martin Mars

I just got back from an eye check-up which means that my pupils are dilated and I am having hard time doing computer work, so I'm taking a few hours off from work. I came across a nice 8+ minute video the other day of the engine start up of the Martin Mars known as the Hawaii Mars. She is one special lady and did a lot of good work for many, many years fighting wildfires in support of firefighters on the ground. I love watching her, and I thought that you might enjoy watching her as well.



direct link to video

Blackhawk working a Colorado Fire - onboard camera

I am dug out from yesterdays snowstorm, got eight inches at my house. A long day, and I'm a little tired. Time for a video! It is possible that I have shared this really cool video of a Blackhawk Helo and bucket working a wildfire in Colorado -- taken from an onboard camera. If this is the case, it is worth seeing again.


direct link to video on youtube

Colby Fire - So. CA #2

Last Friday, I wrote here about the Colby Fire. I want to provide an update. As I write this, the inciweb page on the Colby Fire is reporting that the fire has burned 1,952 acres and is at 84 percent containment. No evacuations are currently in place.

If you are following Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today or Fire Aviation then you have probably seen the photos that of the CL-415 that he posted yesterday and the videos of the CL-415 that he posted on Fire Aviation last Friday. If you haven't already done so, I hope that you go and look at these photos and videos of the CL-415.

I came across a nice video of about 7.5 minutes posted on youtube by Bruce Woodall of a couple of helos working the Colby Fire. The focus of the video is on the helos dipping. I don't know about you, but I like watching helos dipping.



direct link to video

Colby Fire - Southern California

When I got up this morning I saw a short clip on one of national news about the Colby Fire that is still burning in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest in Southern California. The fire started early Thursday morning, has burned over 1,700 acres and is at 30 percent containment. Evacuations are still in place, but some residents have been allowed to return to their homes. I understand that tankers and helos are working the fire including CAL Fire S-2T's, Minden's T-48, and some CL-415 tankers from Quebec (thanks Canada!) on extended contract. Five homes have been destroyed and other structures, including some residences have been damaged. Three injuries have been reported.

CBS in LA has been covering this fire, and here is a link to one of their video reports, and for a written story (including the same video), links to a radio report and a photo gallery, go here. The LA Times has a story here about three men being held in connection with the fire. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has done is usual excellent job covering the Colby fire here, and he just posted a photo gallery earlier today.

And I don't want to forget the wildland fire hotlist thread dedicated to the Colby Fire.

For more coverage of the Colby Fire, you may want to check out these articles:

smoke advisories issued
inmate firefighters working the colby fire

Wildfires burning in Chile and Australia

CHILE

I have been hearing about the bad wildfires that have been and continue to burn in Chile. This is a video report from January 6, 2014 showing some fire footage and health alerts in 

Santiago because of the smoke conditions.

direct link to video

And here is another update (dated January 15) talking about the current situation in Chile where more sixteen wildfires continued to burn and eight of fifteen regions in Chile have areas of varying sizes burning. On the 13th, Chilean officials asked for international help including but not limited aircraft, go here to read that story

AUSTRALIA

As I understand it, wildfires continue to burn over many regions in Australia. The BBC News has a short video (with footage of helos working fires) that may be found here. The Telegraph has a nice photo montage of the bush fire season and the accompanying heat wave that may is located on this webpage.

Winter wildfires in Southern California

The other day, I wrote here about Red Flag Warnings in Southern California, and I'd like to provide an update on what's been going on. I am able to provide these updates because of the very fine work that Michael Archer does in his Wildfire News of the Day (WNOTD), which I get by e-mail (info on how to do this on his blog. I am referencing Archer's January 14th and January 15th editions.

• San Diego County had extra engines and airtankers on ready
• Four to six acre fire near Vandenberg Air Force Base
• Helo works one-half acre fire near Prundale
• Photos and report on Pacific Coast Highway Fire
• CL-415 works Pacific Coast Highway Fire
• Wildfire in Carbazon contained, had prompted evactuations
• Soda Fire in Sequoia National Forest

In addition, don't forget about the WildlandFire Hotlist California and Hawaii forums where I am sure you can find information about most of the fires that I wrote about above. Since I'm not sure if I can match each individual wildfire hotlist thread to the articles abov, I'm not even going to try. Hotlist threads:

• Brown Fire
• PCH Fire
• Soda Fire
• Kimball Island
• Mission
• Malki
• Jalama
• Doe

Reading about River Ice Jams

From time to time I am going to take a slight diversion from the normal things that I write about here and tell you what I've been up to, even if it is not related to arial wildlland firefighting. I've been busy the last couple of days on a project that is almost completed, reading up on river ice formation. I got interested in this because of the ice jam on the Delaware in Trenton NJ last week and because I make ice observations for the National Weather Service. While these types of ice jams do not occur all that frequently in New Jersey, I wanted to do a bit of reading so that I can do a better job with my river ice observations the next time we face the risk of ice jam flooding in NJ. If any of you should be so inclined, and want to read a little more about ice jams and ice jam flooding, I'd suggest that you go to the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Ice Jam page

and take  a look at their technical information, it is a little on the technical side, but I was able to learn something from reading some of these documents. I also came across another nice document, also from CRREL titled Introduction to River Ice Jams and Mitigation during my wonderings on the internet this afternoon.

I'll be back shortly with an update on what's been happening wildfire wise in California.

Fire danger in California and Texas

If you live in Southern California, chances are you know that Red Flag Warnings are up through Wednesday, January 15 for portions of Southern California including (but perhaps not limited to) Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange and Counties. I'm not sure if San Diego County is under a Red Flag Warning, and if they are not, they are under a high wind advisory. CAL FIRE has an advisory for the current Red Flag Warnings and Fire Watches here as well as a News Release (1/11/2014) about strong winds and high fire danger

Or perhaps you follow Wildfire Today where Bill Gabbert has reported on the red flag warnings in Southern California on January 12 and again today. Some of you may subscribe to Michael Archer's Wildfire News of the Day as I do and I saw that he referenced a few articles in today's WNOTD. If you don't subscribe to WNOTD, I recommend it, just go to his blog (includes an abbreviated edition of WNOTD) and follow the link in the current entry. 

For example in today's edition of WNOTD, Archer referenced these articles on the fire danger in Southern California:

USA Today on Santa Anna winds

Orange County CA on alert

Restrictions in Los Padres National Forest due to elevated fire danger

High wind watch in San Diego County

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service (NWS) has web page devoted to fire weather outlooks where you can get information, in addition to going to the main page for the NWS, weather dot gov and using the map to navigate to the portion of the country you are interested in.

Back to California where in addition to Red Flag Warnings in the southern portion of the state, there are also Red Flag Warnings in the mountains outside of San Francisco today into early Tuesday (Jan 14). Stay safe everyone! I know that you've already had some wildfire activity, check out CAL FIRE's incident page or the California page on inciweb

Finally, I don't want to leave out areas of Texas that are also under Red Flag Warnings today. And portions of Oklahoma were under Red Flag Warnings yesterday.

Stay safe everyone! Thanks for all you do to keep us safe!

Update on icing in NJ Rivers including Delaware

Last Thursday I wrote here about an ice jam in the Delaware River in Trenton NJ/Morrisville PA. To the best of my knowledge that particular ice jam had weakened by last Friday.

I was busy on Friday and Saturday making river ice observations on a River near my house for the National Weather Service. I had seen some larger ice chunks covering half the channel near a bridge abutment and another smaller area of large ice chunks near a bend in the River. With the anticipation of a warm up with what may have been a heavy rainfall last Saturday I have to admit that I was a little concerned about ice jams. Fortunately, the rainfall was lighter than predicted and when I went out early Sunday morning to look at my river, the large chunks were gone with no apparent flooding.

So if you were wondering what happened to me last Friday and Saturday, now you know. I'll be back later today with another post.

Ice Jam on Delaware River near Trenton NJ/Morrisville PA

direct link to video and report from 6ABC in Philadelphia

We in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania shared the frigid temps that many in the eastern half of the U.S. experienced earlier this week. And I suspect other areas are sharing in the woes of ice jams on rivers. The Delaware River that forms the border between NJ and Pennsylvania has an ice jam near a bridge in the Trenton NJ/Morrisville PA area of the river. I knew from reading discussions from the National Weather Service (NWS) Office in Mt. Holly NJ that a Coast Guard Vessel was on the Delaware opening up a channel south of the ice jam. I looked around for a video to share with you where you can see the Coast Guard Cutter on the Delaware and found the video from 6ABC in Philadelphia.

More information including video reports and photo galleries may be found at:

NJ dot com (story and photo gallery)
Philly dot com (picture of Cutter)
10NBC in Philadelphia (also links to aerial footage of ice jam - must see)

The NWS at Mt. Holly has raised both flood warning and flash flood warnings for Mercer County NJ and Bucks County PA:

FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY
449 PM EST THU JAN 9 2014

...THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN NEW JERSEY...
PENNSYLVANIA...

  DELAWARE RIVER AT TRENTON AFFECTING MERCER AND BUCKS COUNTIES

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SAFETY MESSAGE...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. THE WATER MAY BE
DEEPER THAN YOU THINK.

&&

NJC021-PAC017-100749-
/O.CON.KPHI.FL.W.0001.000000T0000Z-140110T0900Z/
/TREN4.1.ER.140108T2251Z.140109T0030Z.140110T0300Z.NO/
449 PM EST THU JAN 9 2014

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
  THE DELAWARE RIVER AT TRENTON.
* AT 4:15 PM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 19.0 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 20.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE THIS EVENING.
* IMPACT...AT 20.5 FEET...ROUTE 32 SOUTH AT EAST COLLEGE AVENUE IN YARDLEY
  BOROUGH BEGINS TO FLOOD.

$$

                   FLD     OBSERVED           FORECAST
 LOCATION          STG    STG    DAY TIME     CREST

DELAWARE RIVER
  TRENTON          20.0   18.99  THU 4 PM     20.5    THU 7 PM

&&

FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1219 PM EST THU JAN 9 2014

NJZ015-019-PAZ071-106-100130-
/O.EXT.KPHI.FF.A.0001.000000T0000Z-140110T1300Z/
/00000.0.IJ.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MERCER-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-PHILADELPHIA-LOWER BUCKS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...TRENTON...MOORESTOWN...MOUNT HOLLY...
PHILADELPHIA...MORRISVILLE...DOYLESTOWN
1219 PM EST THU JAN 9 2014

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...

THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR

* PORTIONS OF NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...INCLUDING
  THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN NEW JERSEY...MERCER AND NORTHWESTERN
  BURLINGTON. IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...LOWER BUCKS AND
  PHILADELPHIA.

* THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING

* AN ICE JAM CONTINUES ON THE DELAWARE RIVER NEAR TRENTON. THIS
  HAS RESULTED IN FLOODING UPSTREAM TO THE NORTH OF THE ICE JAM.
  WHEN THIS ICE JAM BREAKS, THERE MAY BE ENOUGH WATER BEHIND THE
  JAM TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING DOWNSTREAM.

* ICE JAMS ARE UNPREDICTABLE, BUT AS TEMPERATURES WARM, ARE MORE
  LIKELY TO BREAK UP. HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE
  NEAR FREEZING. HIGH ON FRIDAY WILL BE IN THE LOWER 40S AND HIGHS
  ON SATURDAY WILL BE NEAR 60.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED. PLEASE EVACUATE IF TOLD TO
DO SO BY EMERGENCY RESPONDERS.

&&

$$

KRUZDLO

Neptune Aviation Sole Source Contract under protest

I wrote about the the sole source contract that was awarded to Neptune Aviation on Dec. 12, 2013, on Monday, January 6. What I did not learn until today is that a four companies have protested this award. On December 23, protests were filed by Coulson Aviation USA, Minden Air, AeroAir, and 10 Tanker Air Carrier with the General Accountability Office. According to Fire Aviation the four companies

are protesting the non-competitive contract that the U.S. Forest Service gave to Neptune Aviation for two BAe-146 air tankers on December 12.

According to an article published about the protest in today's today's Missoulian (written by Ron Chaney) a decision by the GAO is due by March 28, 2014.

Neptune Aviation and Next Gen Contract

I admit that I am rather late in writing that on December 12, 2013 Neptune Aviation was awarded a sole-source to provide two 3,000 gallon BAe-146  jet tankers effective 2014. It is a four year contract with the option for five one-year extensions. My understanding is that the tank systems on the jets under this contract are not the same tank systems used by T-40 and T-41 in 2013. These "new" jets have reconfigured tanks. For more information see a Dec. 13, 2103 article in the Missouian and this Dec. 12. 2103 article on Fire Aviation.

For details and more documentation on the contract go to this page on the General Services Administration website.

Updated on January 8, 2014. I just found out that Neptune Aviation's contract is under protest, I wrote about it here. 

Miracle emergency landing on NYC expressway

A single engine airplane (Piper PA-28) with what may have been engine trouble made an emergency landing on a busy NYC expressway yesterday afternoon. Thanks to an alert DOT crew doing pothole repair who stopped traffic and the skill of the pilot, there were no fatalities. I can't seem to get the embed code from FoxNewsNYC or CBS2NYC to work, but I've provided links to both reports and video here. If you check out the video from FoxNewsNY, you'll see a video clip of the plane being towed off the expressway.

link to report and video on FoxNewsNYC

link to video on CBS2 NYC

link to report with video and radio audio clips on CBS2 NYC

Campbell Fire in Lassan National Forest CA

I heard about the Campbell Fire, currently burning in the Ishi Wilderness in the Lassan National Forest, yesterday. Thanks to a friend who gave me a heads up. There is a page on inciweb devoted to the Campbell Fire. According to the latest report on inciweb available to me, the fire has burned 220 acres in rugged terrain and is currently 35% contained. I understand from reading the Campbell Fire thread on Wildlandfire Hotlist that CAL FIRE tankers 80 and 81 out of Hollister were working the fire yesterday along with some helos and air attack Bravo 55. Structures are not threatened. The hope is that the fire will be contained at about 12:00 AM on Sunday, January 5.

I found a short article from KRCR 7 ABC on the fire

As a friend of mine told me a few years, it is always fire season in California. Stay safe everyone.

Ground crews and helos working wildfires in Australia

Over the almost five years that I have been writing about aerial wildland firefighting on this blog, I have often said that tankers and helos who fly wildfires do so to support the wildland firefighters on the ground. As I write this it is summer down under in Australia and fire season. The two videos that I am embedding here are of wildfire activity in Australia. Both videos, by ApexImagery, show firefighters on the ground and in the air, I'll get to that in a moment. According to the description on the first video (Toolleen Grass Fire), the footage is of a wildfire in Victoria, Australia. I believe but am not certain that the second video (Sedgwick Fire) is of wildfire footage in Victoria, Australia. 

You will see helos working fires in both videos. In the first video (below) you will see footage of a grass fire near Toolleen in Victoria Australia. At about 28 seconds and then again at about 1 minute 47 seconds you will footage of a helo dropping water from their belly tank near were an engine crew is working the grass fire with their hoses. 

direct link to video

In the second video (allow just under six minutes) you will see some footage of the wildland firefighters on the ground including shots of guys talking on radio and another shot of what looks like a hand drawn map of the fire. Point being that I know enough to know that there is a lot of radio communications going on between various wildland firefighters on the ground and also with those crews providing aerial support. So, as you watch these sections on the video, think about the importance of radio communications in all aspects of any kind of firefighting.  

In addition, you will some nice footage of an Erickson Air Crane working the fire, including a couple of shots of what could be the 'Crane filling her belly tank. In these shots (1:55 and 2:49), it looks like the 'Crane is disappearing behind some trees, but I think that she may be filling her belly tank from a water body. At about 4:16 you will the 'Crane dropping on the fire.

direct link to video

A funny airplane video on this New Years Eve

For you viewing pleasure, a funny airplane video from Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt. Stay safe everyone on this New Year's Eve.



direct link to video

The Shepard

direct link to video and to learn more about Alan Maitland

I love The Shepard. I consider embedding this video a holiday tradition, something that I have been doing for four years now. Enjoy.

Happy Holidays

Still more on the Erickson Air Crane in action

Here is As the Rotors Turn with Erickson Air Crane II (2012 edition) by B Dudas. Allow about 20 minutes for the video.



direct link to video

More on the Erickson Air Crane

I finally finished chipping and otherwise clearing the icy snowpack from my driveway, at least 95% of it. And like many of us, I've been getting ready for the holidays and getting over a cold. I leave you with this nice trailer about the Erickson Air Crane called "As the Rotor Turns" by B Dudas.



direct link to video

Erickson Air Crane can move snow

Thanks to temps that got above freezing today, with warmer temps to come at the end of the week, I have been making progress with getting the latest layer of snow/ice off of my driveway. After I wrote my article on Monday I found a video on youtube of a "crane moving snow for a previous Olympics. Ok, so I will happily eat some crow. Anyway, the video amused me, so I am sharing it with you. I wish that I could have seen a picture of the "Crane with the bucket of snow. But you will get the idea.



direct link to video

chipping away at ice and the Erickson Air Crane

Interesting title, huh? Between getting used to some changes in my google account and chipping away at the ice on my driveway, much of the day flew by. Yesterday we had our third snowfall in a week, and tomorrow a clipper system with some snow is coming through. I've measured almost seven inches of snow on my property. I had just finished cleaning up my driveway on Friday in anticipation of snow and freezing rain the next day. Saturdays snow was more difficult to get rid of because 3.5 inches of fluffy snow was compacted down to 1.5 inches after about 2/10th of freezing rain accumulated on top of the snow.

Still have some of this compacted icy snow in portions of my driveway, but it is passable. At least we have access. And after the snow ends tomorrow, I'll spend more time working on my driveway. I'm feeling greatfull for my ice chipper. Best thing since sliced bread. I do have a snow blower, but it is not real effective in 1.5 inches of compacted snow with a good ice crust on top.

Just one month ago I was worried about the dry fall we have been having. I found myself thinking about the fall fire season we had in November as I was chipping away at some of the icy residue on my driveway today. A rainstorm a couple of weeks ago and the snow this week has likely ended the fall fire season.

Now the Erickson Air Crane doesn't have a whole lot to do with chipping away at the thin layer of icy snow on my driveway, but it does have a whole lot to do with putting out fires. So, I'll leave you with this video that I found recently on youtube where you'll get to know the Erickson Air Crane up close and personal.



direct link to video

Enjoy!

Will be back later

I took a few days off to take care of some personal business. I'll be back later today with an article.

Air Attack Operations

On a cold day after scraping off the latest round of winter off of my driveway, I am feeling lazy and perhaps fighting a minor cold or some such. So, I thought you'd enjoy this video that I found on youtube last summer of air attack operations over the Stratton Creek Fire (OR)

direct link to video

MAFFS -WY National Guard

Two short videos of Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) from the Wyoming National Guard:

Taking off:

Making a drop:

These two videos and some photos of MAFF mission preparations on this flickr set from the Wyoming National Guard. Thanks for your help!

43 El Grupo Memorial

Here is a nice memorial video done by 43 Grupo posting by Bombardier 415. May you always fly in favorable tail winds.



direct link to video

Dromader crash in NSW Australia (10/24/13): update

About six days after the fatal crash of a Dromader tanker on Oct. 24, 2013

while on a firebombing run in New South Wales Australia the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (aka CASA) Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation reported that CASA grounded seven Dromaders. A week later, on or about Nov. 6, CASA grounded all Dromaders as a cautionary measure, (see this article on AUNewsYahoo for more information). 

Later in November, CASA came out with directives requiring all Dromaders to pass specific maintenance checks on their wings and new inspections before they are deemed airworthy. On or about Dec. 2, 2013 the Australian Transport Safety Bureau issued its preliminary report of the Dromader crash citing fatigue cracking in a left wing lug. Witnesses reported seeing the left wing separate from the plane just prior to the fatal crash, for more information see this Dec. 2 article on AUNewsYahoo.

I continue to keep the family, friends, colleagues and all who love David Black, the pilot of the Dromader in my thoughts and prayers. May you continue to fly in favorable tail winds.

SEATs in action (2012)

Speaking of SEATs, here is a short video of SEATs in action in Idaho, Colorado, and Utah in 2012. Thank-you SEAT pilots for all you do to keep us safe.



direct link to video

Fighting wildfires in Western Australia

As we approach winter here in America and elsewhere in the colder climates of the northern hemisphere, summer is approaching in the southern hemisphere. And with summer in Australia comes wildfire or bushfire season. 

I literally stumbled on some wonderful videos of bushfire activity in Western Australia from the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) in Western Australia where they have some videos showing firefighters in the air and on the ground fighting bush fires on their youtube channel.

I am embedding and sharing four videos from the DPaW here. I will supply a direct link to each video and I encourage you to use that link to go to the about page for each video and read what the DPaW says about the bushfire activity that you are seeing. The videos are not taken at the same fire.

In the first video you will see a front end loader in action. According to the description on the about page for the video, "a front end loader is being used to construct a mineral earth break along the fire edge to assist fire tankers in containing the fire." 

direct link to video

The second video shows a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) making two drops from 80 meters (262 ft) above ground level. 

direct link to video

The final two short videos show dozers, front loaders, and other ground pounders fighting fires on the ground.

direct link to video

direct link to video

Added on Dec. 5, 2013. The SEAT in the second video is a Dromader. It was a Dromader that crashed in New South Wales Australia on Oct. 24. The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority later grounded all Dromaders, requiring passing safety checks on wings along with passing a new inspection before being deemed airworthy. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a preliminary report on the crash recently, I have an article with more information and a couple of links that I posted on Dec. 5, 2013.

Next Generation Air Tankers: Coulson's C-130Q and Aero Flite's RJ85

Two short videos of US Forest Service Next Generation Air Tankers. The first video shows Coulson's C-130Q (N130FF) dropping on the. Wheeler Fire

. Thanks to my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 for posting the video on their video of the week page (new videos every weekend).

direct link to video (with some info on the tanker).

I was looking at Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation Site when I noticed that he had written an article last October embedding a short video of Aero Flite's RJ85 making what appears to be a test drop (go here for Bill's article. Thanks for all your good work Bill!

direct link to video.

"Old Fire" (Old Bridge NJ) contained

As some of you may know, we here on the east coast of the U.S. have been under the influence of a coastal low that has brought rain and snow. According to my friends from New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Section B10, there was 1.8 inches on the fire near Old Bridge NJ that I wrote about on Nov. 24 and again  on Nov. 25. The fire, named the "Old Fire" because it started near Old Road, burned 230 acres and was declared contained at 8 AM this morning. I expect that rain probably helped to bring this fire into containment. 

A special thank-you to all firefighters on the ground and in air who worked the various wildfires in NJ, NY and elsewhere in the eastern region over this past weekend. I hope that with the rains, you can catch up on your sleep and then enjoy the holiday with your family and friends. You worked in very cold in windy conditions on Sunday, and those of you who where working or moping up a fire yesterday and last night where working in rain (and perhaps snow??). Thank-you for all you do to keep us in the eastern region safe from wildfires.

Speaking of rain, I am thankful for the rain that we here in NJ have received from this storm as it has been dry here the last couple of months. Not as dry, of course, as other areas of the U.S. I am sure that the NJFFS wildland firefighters and firefighters who provided mutual aid on the various wildfires around the state last weekend (and firefighters elsewhere on the east coast) are glad for the rain. Granted it comes on the busiest travel day of the year here in America. 

For those who are traveling today, stay safe.

Wildfire in Middlesex County NJ is almost contained

The wildfire in Old Bridge NJ that I wrote about yesterday is nearing containment. According to the latest report from my friends at NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10, the fire was at 80 percent containment at 5 AM this morning, be sure to check out some great shots of a helo and bucket (NJFFS Delta 5).

Go here to see a short article from NJ.com and a photo gallery of photos from the fire.

As for wildfires elsewhere in NJ and nearby NY, according to an article I saw yesterday in the Courier News there were numerous wildfires around NJ over the weekend (this article was written well before wildfire in Old Bridge was contained). CBS2 in NYC reported yesterday on two brush fires on Long Island.

Winds have died down considerably since yesterday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a nor'easter for Tuesday night into Wednesday. Depending on the exact tract of this storm, we could see some welcome rain. Although at a bad time for holiday travels. Stay safe everyone.

Wildfire in Middlesex County NJ

My friends in New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B-10 are battling a multi-acre fire in Old Bridge, NJ. The wildfire was first reported about 8 AM this morning. Evacuations are in place and Cheese Quake State Park has been closed and evacuated. A helo with a bucket is on the way. Winds are gusting from 30-40 mph in places and Red Flag Warnings are in place until 6 PM. For more on this fire read this article from the Courier News and check out the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B-10 webpage (scroll down a bit to their current fire news).

This is the only wildfire that I know of, so there may well be other wildfires that I don't about.

I'm having intermittent problems with my internet connection. If I am able to get update information on the wildfire, I'll update later. Otherwise, check out the two links that I provided.

Red Flag Warnings for most of NJ and portions of adjoining states

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
343 PM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ007>010-012>027-PAZ060>062-
070-071-101>106-241145-
/O.NEW.KPHI.FW.W.0002.131124T1500Z-131124T2300Z/
NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD-
QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-
MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-
GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-
ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-
COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-
DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-WESTERN CHESTER-EASTERN CHESTER-
WESTERN MONTGOMERY-EASTERN MONTGOMERY-UPPER BUCKS-LOWER BUCKS-
343 PM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM EST SUNDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM EST SUNDAY.

* LOCATIONS...MUCH OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...MARYLANDS EASTERN
  SHORE...ALL OF DELAWARE AND ALL OF NEW JERSEY EXCEPT SUSSEX
  COUNTY.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 TO 25 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...FROM THE MID 20S TO THE MID 30S.

* IMPACTS...DESPITE THE UNUSUALLY COLD TEMPERATURES...ANY OUTDOOR
  FINE FUEL FIRES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD MORE RAPIDLY THAN
  USUAL DUE TO THE STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AND THE GENERALLY VERY
  DRY CONDITIONS OF THE PAST 3 MONTHS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY DUE TO A COMBINATION
OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND DRY FUELS. ANY
FIRES THAT DEVELOP MAY QUICKLY GET OUT OF CONTROL AND BECOME
DIFFICULT TO CONTAIN.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WILDFIRE DANGER...BURN RESTRICTIONS...
AND WILDFIRE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION...PLEASE VISIT YOUR STATE
FORESTRY OR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WEBSITE.

&&

$$

---

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
345 PM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

...VERY DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ON SUNDAY...

CTZ005>012-NJZ002-004-006-103>108-NYZ067>075-078>081-176>179-
240445-
/O.NEW.KOKX.FW.W.0003.131124T1500Z-131124T2300Z/
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX-
NORTHERN NEW LONDON-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN-
SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX-SOUTHERN NEW LONDON-WESTERN PASSAIC-
EASTERN PASSAIC-HUDSON-WESTERN BERGEN-EASTERN BERGEN-
WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-WESTERN UNION-EASTERN UNION-ORANGE-
PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-
NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX-RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-
KINGS (BROOKLYN)-NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-
SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHERN QUEENS-
NORTHERN NASSAU-SOUTHERN QUEENS-SOUTHERN NASSAU-
345 PM EST SAT NOV 23 2013

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM EST SUNDAY FOR
CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE RAPID SPREAD OF WILDFIRES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE RAPID SPREAD OF
WILDFIRES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM EST SUNDAY.

* AFFECTED AREA...LOWER HUDSON VALLEY...NEW YORK CITY...LONG
  ISLAND...NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY...AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 25 PERCENT.

* TIMING...FROM LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON ON SUNDAY.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE SPREAD IF IGNITION OCCURS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE
GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Still more fall wildfire activity in the Mid-Atlantic

As I sit here and contemplate the meager rainfall that I have recorded in my rain gauge coupled with yet more enhanced fire danger weather this week and more enhanced fire danger expected this Sunday in my corner of NJ, I want to take a bit of time to note some of the wildfire activity that I have noted in the eastern region of the United States. But first, please read this article on the persistent fire danger in NJ this fall

• A Nov. 19th report from WVMetronews that the Smoke Hole Fire in WV was at 70 percent containment. Today's morning briefing from the Eastern Area Coordination Center reports that the fire is 90 percent contained.
• The Landfill Fire has burned 1,507 acres in Wythe County VA and is at 85 percent containment as I write this.
• The South Fork Fire has burned 600 acres in Page and Shenandoah Counties VA and is at 50 percent containment as I write this.
• Five to seven acre wildfire in MA (11/16/13)
• Wildfire in Berks County, PA (11/19/13
• A wildfire that burned hundreds of acres in Orangeburg NY (north of NYC) was was thought to be extinguished on Sunday, Nov. 17 only to rekindle on Tues. Nov. 19, 2013

Thanks to all the firefighters who have been working these fires. Stay safe everyone!

Note: I'm never sure how long news articles that I link to will be freely available. I viewed all of the articles before posting this article.

RIP Walt Darran

Walt,

You died on November 15, 2013 after a battle with cancer. You leave your beloved wife Christine, two sons, two grandchildren, your extended family and many friends and colleagues who love you. May you rest in peace.

It is my loss that I never got an opportunity to meet you in person. However, I have known you through your presence on the Associated Aerial Firefighters (AAF) Website.  It was not long after I began writing about aerial wildland firefighting in early 2009 that I first ran across your posts  and articles on the AAF. It did not take me long to learn that you flew as a tanker pilot for CAL Fire before you retired. I only recently learned that you flew in Vietnam and flew for the airlines. You did not just retire and disappear, you continued to have the best interests of the tanker biz in mind through your work with the AAF where, among other things, you  served on their board as well as working and writing about safety in the tanker biz. Over the last almost six years you have taught me a lot about the tanker business.  Somehow saying thank-you seems wholly inadequate. 

I suspect that you may have been a quiet follower of my blog over the years and you quietly had my back. Thank-you. We exchanged e-mail a couple of times, and you were most generous with your time, answering my questions and steering me in the right direction. Somehow saying thank-you seems wholly inadequate.

I know that you are flying in favorable tail winds. I offer my thoughts and prayers for your family, friends, colleagues and all who love you and mourn your death. 

To learn more about Walt's life, you might want to read some reflections on Walt's life by tanker pilot's and friends on the AAF webpage. Bill Gabbert, of Fire Aviation reposted an an interview with Walt that he did earlier this year. 

Entiat Hotshots in Action

direct link to video

A video highlighting the Entiat Hotshots 2012 fireseason. The Entiat hotshots work in the Pacific Northwest.

NJ Forest Fire Services helping out at WV Wildfire

The Smoke Hole Fire is still buying in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The wildfire (WV-MOF-130010) continues to be reported in the morning briefing (under the intelligence page) of the Eastern Area Coordinating Center (EACC). In this morning's briefing (Nov. 15), the EACC reports that the fire has burned 1,450 acres and is 30 percent contained, reporting that crews have made significant progress in constructing line.  A helicopter continues to work the fire.

I knew from media reports that other states had sent wildland firefighters and equipment to West Virginia to help fight the Smoke Hole Fire (go here). I found out yesterday from both the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 website and this article dated Nov. 13 from MetroNews - The Voice of West Virginia that New Jersey send a crew to work the Smoke Hole Fire. According to the NJFFS Section B10 website, the NJFFS sent a type 4 truck and 3 crew to West Virginia.

A photo gallery from photographer Darin Vance who was embedded with the U.S. Forest Service posted this photo gallery on WV MetroNews. Another article about the Smoke Hole Fire with links for more information may be found on the WJLA --ABC7 -- Weather Blog (Nov. 14).

More fall wildfire activity in the mid-atlantic

As I write this on November 13 we are experiencing an enhanced risk of wildfire spread through early this evening on the 13th in much of New Jersey (except for the five northeastern counties, southeastern Pennsylvania. Delaware, and the Maryland eastern shore. This is from the special weather statement issued by the Mt. Holly Office of the National Weather Service at 11:28 AM on Wednesday, Nov. 13 2013:

...ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE SPREAD THROUGH EARLY EVENING...
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS, GUSTY WINDS AND DRY FINE FUELS WILL
CONTINUE AN ELEVATED RISK FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES THROUGH
EARLY EVENING. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES IN THE LOW 30S
WITH WIND GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH ARE EXPECTED BEFORE WIND DECREASES BY
EARLY EVENING.

According to the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) website, Division A (northern NJ) and Division C (southern NJ) are experiencing moderate wildfire risk today with Division B (central NJ) experiencing a high risk of wildfire danger. The NJFFS does have a webpage where they report wildfire danger levels, permits, and restrictions that may be found here. This page is updated as conditions change so depending on when you are reading this article the information that you see will be different, but you'll get an idea about current fire danger current fire statistics, and current fire danger. You will see a map showing the counties that make up each of the three NJFFS Divisions (A,B, and C).

I wrote a few days ago about the dry weather that I've been experiencing in my little corner of NJ, along with linking to some media reports about some wildfire activity or concerns in the eastern region of the US. 

Before I get to wildfire activity that I know about in NJ and other states in the east, I want to continue with the dry weather we've been experiencing. In the image below, you can see that northern and portions of central New Jersey were abnormally dry on November 5, 2013. 

direct link to map

And here is the same map for the United States.

direct link to map

Todd B. Bates, the EnviroGuy from the Asbury Park Press, wrote an article yesterday on the dry conditions in New Jersey and the related wildfire danger yesterday. He has a few good maps from NOAA in his article.  Todd's article may be found here. Thanks to my friends at the NJFFS SectionB10 website for providing me with the link to this article.

Moving on to recent wildfire activity in New Jersey:

An 80 acre wildfire in a remote area of Atlantic County NJ is now contained, go here and here to read about the fire and see some short video clips. The fire is now contained.

In addition to reporting on the Atlantic County wildfire, my friends from the NJFFS SectionB10 website reported on these wildfires in their current wildfire activity area (information may be different depending on when you access their site):

two wildfires totaling two or three acres in Monroe Township (Middlesex County; 

a 2.5 acre wildfire in Allaire State Park in Howell Township (Monmouth County), 

and a 13-acre wildfire in Lakewood NJ (Ocean County) not far from the Garden State Parkway.

Today's Morning Briefing from the intelligence division of the Eastern Area Coordinating Center

lists only one large fire, the Smoke Hole that started on Nov. 10, 2013 in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia (WV-MIF-130010) that has burned 1,400 acres to date and is 20 percent contained. According to today's morning briefing:

The fire is burning in hardwood litter and blow-down. Crews are cutting hand-line. A Type-3 helicopter is doing bucket work. A major gas pipeline is threatened and secondary residences are threatened. Steep difficult terrain is impeding containment efforts.

According to an article dated November 12, 2013 from Your4State crews from five states are assisting West Virginia crews in fighting the fire.

There may be other smaller wildfires in other areas of the eastern region that I do not know about that either are burning or are now contained.

Rim Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response (2 of 2)

direct link to video

This video from the Tuolumne River Trust shows aerial footage shot in 2008 of the area burned in the Rim Fire in the first two minutes of the video. In the final two minutes you will see some footage shot on the ground in early September 2013 of some of the burn area. I believe that the river you see in the footage is the Tuolumne River which runs through the area burned by the Rim Fire, go here to see a map of the Rim Fire burn area on inciweb (it might take a couple of minutes to load).

I found the video when I read a nice article from a KQED report on the Rim Fire BAER. I also found a Sept. 8, 2013 article from the Huff Post Green (with photos) on the team of scientists involved in the Rim Fire BAER.

I was interested in some pictures of the Rim Fire Burned Area Emergency Response that are posted on this flickr page. In addition there are some more photos, some of them seem to be identical or similar to the ones posted on flickr that I found on Inciweb's Rim -- BAER photo page, with captions so you know exactly what you are looking at. There are over 60 photos on this page, I was interested in the damage to the soil and how the area has recovered in the weeks immediately following the fire, so I am highlighting these photos here:

soil damage

soil stabilization

water repellency

recovery 1

recovery 2

recovery 3

recovery 4

Revised on November 19, 2015 to correct URLs to Rim Fire - BAER on Inciweb. I am never quite certain how long such links remain active.

Super Typhoon Haiyan

direct link to video on youtube

I am taking a time out from writing about the Rim Fire Burned Area Emergency Response to remember all those impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Phillipines early on Nov. 8, 2013. I found the video that I embedded above from this article from NASA - Goddard. Winds around the eye could be as much as 195 mph. Here are some radar images of Haiyan and a link to an animated (gif) satellite image.

Various media outlets are covering the Typhoon, here is a report from NBC News, and a report from the National Geographic.

Added at 5:21 EST on 11/8/13: 
visible satellite landfall loop from the Korean COMS-1 satellite courtesy of Scott Bachmeier of the University of Wisconsin CIMSS group I found this link on Dr. Jeff Masters blog on wunderground for Nov. 8, 2013.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by Haiyan.

Rim Fire - Burned Area Emergency Response (1 of 2)

Some wildfires cause damage that if unchecked could jeopardize the ecosystem, watersheds, and even human populations (see U.S. Forest Service on Burned Area Emergency Response). Where there is post fire damage Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) kicks in, the USFS has a webpage with some background information on BAER that may be found here.

It has been a couple of years since I have written about BAER, and when I saw a couple of references on the internet about the Rim Fire BAER, I thought I'd write an article or two about BAER. Recall that the Rim Fire burned 257,314 acres or 402 square miles late last summer and was not fully contained until Oct. 24th.

There are three main stages of rehabilitation after a wildfire (see the Rim Fire - BAER page on inciweb for more information, 

1. fire suppression repair

2. emergency stabilization - BAER

3. long-term recovery and restoration

The latest progress report (Oct 30th, 2013) available to me as I write this on 6 November of BAER accomplishments at the Stanislaus National Forest where the Rim Fire burned may be found on this inciweb page. Among other things, one focus of BAER in the aftermath of the Rim Fire is to prepare for rain.

Stay tuned for more on the Rim Fire BAER in my next article.

Revised on November 19, 2015 to correct URLs to Rim Fire - BAER on Inciweb. I am never quite certain how long such links remain active.

Wildfires in New South Wales Australia in pictures

I suspect that many of you saw news of the wildfires that burned in New South Wales, Australia recently. The NSW Rural Fire Service has a webpage chock full of information and maps where you may go for current information.

I came across a slide show showing images from the State Mine Bushfire that burned near Lithgow in NSW from ABC Central West NSW (on Oct. 30, 2013). Along with the slide show is an audio report from Clarence resident, Matthew Millet talking about his experiences with the State Mine Fire.