Bluecut Fire - San Bernardino National Forest - Update #3

I wrote about the Bluecut Fire (San Bernardino National Forest, CA) on August 17th and August 19th. When I checked out the Bluecut Fire Inciweb page just now, I see that the fire has burned 37,020 acres and is at 89 percent containment. All or most the evacuation orders that were in place last week affecting approximately 82,000 people have been lifted. I-15 is open north and southbound through the Cajon Pass, and many other local roads are now open, in some cases to residents only.

A Damage Assessment Team working under the Blue Cut Fire Unified Command announced today that a preliminary estimate of 105 single family residences and 216 outbuildings were destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire, and 3 single family residences and 5 other structures were damaged (obtained on August 22, 2016 at 5:40 PM EDT from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4962/ - Bluecut Fire Inciweb).

See this report from ABC News (dated August 22nd) for more information.

Honey Creek Fire (Davis OK) contained

While much of the wildfire news of late is focused on various wildfires burning in California and other western States, I was reminded last week about the Honey Creek Fire (Davis, OK) that was burning last week in Oklahoma. The Honey Creek Fire started on Monday, August 15th and by Wednesday the 17the had burned 3,000 acres. Earlier in the week the Turned Falls Park had been evacuated but those evacuations were lifted on the 17th (see this article from Fox25). By Friday August 19th the Honey Creek Fire was contained, having burned 3,360 acres. I understand that aerial resources were used in containing the fire.

When my friend told me about this fire last Thursday, I was reminded that wildfires can crop at anytime, anywhere. I believe that dry conditions in that part of Oklahoma may have contributed to the Honey Creek Fire. I am glad that the fire has been contained, and I am not aware of any injuries or damaged/destroyed property.

Bluecut Fire - San Bernardino National Forest - update #2

I wrote about the Bluecut Fire here with some updates. As I write this at 9:40 AM EDT on August 19th, the Bluecut Fire has burned 35, 969 acres and is at 22 percent containment.

Here are some photos for you of the Bluecut Fire from San Bernardino County Fire

Bluecut Fire, San Bernardino National Forest

August 18, 2016 at 2:30 PM EDT

With better mapping the Bluecut Fire the area burned was downgraded to 25,626 acres, down from 30,000 acres last night. However the latest information from Inciweb's Bluecut Fire page (accessed at 2:30 PM EDT) shows that the fire has grown to 31,689 acres and is at at four percent containment. See this report from ABC7 in LA. Mandatory evacuations remain in place. There is still no count on the number of damaged and destroyed houses.  A few roads have re-opened, including I-15 northbound. I-15 southbound and other local roads in the fire area remain closed.

August 17, 2016 at 7:25 PM EDT

I spent a little time this afternoon watching some live stream coverage of the Bluecut Fire from ABC7 out of Los Angeles. I saw at least two Air Cranes dipping at a Lake and then dropping nearby defending Lytle Creek. In the time that I was watching a couple of tankers dropped on the fire, one of which was BAe-146 T-01 from Neptune Aviation. I understand that the community of Wrighwood is threatened (see this article from ABC7). Mandatory evacuation orders (including Wrightwood and Lytle Creek) along with road closures remain in place. There is still no containment and the fire has burned 30,000+ acres though that could change tonight.

Red Flag warnings remain in place over the Bluecut Fire through this evening local time.

For other media coverage:

• LA Times article (August 17th) with map and photo galleries (limited number of free views, but worth it for the map and the photo galleries).
• Los Alamitos Patch
• WKBW - instagram photos
• NY Times, August 17th (limited number of free views each month, but worth it for photos, video, and social media)
• Washington Post (August 17th) - photos, social media and a video

August 17, 2016 at 12:25 PM EDT

Yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail alert about what is now known as the Bluecut Fire that started the morning of August 16th in San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles, California. I was watching some live streaming footage of the fire from ABC7 out of Los Angeles. At the time I was watching this footage, about 5 PM EDT on August 16th, the fire had  burned about 1,800 acres up from 300 acres earlier that day. I am no expert on wildfire behavior, but I did have a creepy feeling about this fire. As I watched the footage, I saw at least one structure that was in flames, likely destroyed. And it seemed close to other structures as well. As the camera on the news helo zoomed out, I could see a line of retardant on the hillside. I saw some nice footage of two drops from a DC-10 tankers, one of which was tanker 910.

This morning, I woke up to reports from two other national media outlets, NPR (fire size reported at 18,000 acres earlier this morning) and a weather report from MSNBC (sorry I can't find a link for you, you'll have to trust me). I did find this report (with a video) on the Bluecut Fire from the Weather Channel with a map and a discussion of the drought and the winds. I was listening to a news radio station this morning (again no link) with a brief report on the fire. Point being that this fire is in the news.

As I write this at shortly after noon EDT on August 17th, the Bluecut fire has burned 30,000 acres and is not contained. Residences have been destroyed, evacuations (see below are in place), and there are numerous road closures in the area including but not limited to a portion of I-15.  Evacuation centers for humans and animals have been set up. I'd like to quote from Inciweb's latest incident overview on the Bluecut Fire (in large bold print near the top of the page, what you see may be different depending on when you access the Inciweb page:

There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Oak Hills, and surrounding areas. Please follow the evacuation instructions, as this is a very quickly growing wildfire. An estimated 34,500 homes and 82,640 people are being affected by the evacuation warnings. (obtained on August 17, 2016 at 12:10 EDT from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4962/)

I know from Inciweb's latest incident overview on the Bluecut Fire that the following air resources are available to work the fire: two Very Large Airtankers , 8 Airtankers, and eight helicopters.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been providing his usual excellent coverage that I found here (with updates), including coverage of firefighters who were entrapped for a short time with two minor injuries. Bill also has some maps and other links with information about the Bluecut Fire.

There are a few media outlets in the Los Angeles area, I have been checking ABC7, and here is a report on the Bluecut Fire (last updated on August 17th at noon EDT) with a video or two and a photo gallery.

A little more on how IMETs use Weather Balloons

I was writing recently about what a National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist (aka IMET) does when they are assigned to a wildfire, see for example my August 10th article. One of the questions that I had was how an IMET might use a weather balloon and how does the radiosnode attached to the weather balloon transmit data while the balloon is ascending. That is, what might the data look like. Well, I found one answer to this question as I was poking around the internet this afternoon.

Please watch these two videos that I will embed below. In the first video, Ryan Walbrun, an IMET that was assigned to the Sobranes Fire (burned 72,566 acres in and near Los Padres National Forest, CA, and is at 60 percent containment) is interviewed. You will hear Mr. Walbrun discuss what IMETs do and what he did as an IMET on the Sobranes. One of the things that he discusses is that he monitored the height of the marine layer.

Direct link to video uploaded by NWS San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey CA (Here is the website for the NWS San Francisco)

In the second video, you will see the IMET and his assistants launch the weather balloon, here about how Mr. Walbrun will use the data from the weather balloon to monitor the height of the marine layer (among other things), and get a chance to see some of the data that the radisnode is transmitting. Very cool, this brings out the weather geek in me.

Direct link to video from NWS San Francisco

A flight in EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast

I love the B-17 and when I was looking for something different and fun to post today, I came upon a video of EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast in flight. The video, uploaded to Youtube by David Sirak shows husband a wife team Ken and Lorraine Morris flying Aluminum Overcast over Orlando, Fl. Great footage from some GoPro Cameras. Looks like fun. Enjoy.


Direct link to video

NJ Forest Fire Crew demobilized & more on IMETs

After I made yesterday's (August 10th) post , I found out that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service crew (NJS #1) has been demobilized from the Roaring Lion Fire. Not only did I see this reported on social media, but I also saw this reported on the August 10th Eastern Area Interagency Resources Representative (IARR) Crew Report, the latest report is available here. The IARR is, I think, updated a few times a week while crews from the Eastern Area are deployed outside the eastern area, so what you see may be different from the IARR that I saw last night. The IARR is available from the Eastern Area Coordination Center.

I'd like to thank the NJS #1 crew for all the good work that you did working the Roaring Lion Fire which has burned 8,274 acres to date and is at 65 percent containment. I understand that the crew visited the Smokejumper base in Missoula Montana, you may see their photo below.

I'm not quite sure if NJS #1 crew is coming home now or if they are going somewhere else. I'll update this post as I find out what they are doing.



And speaking of the Roaring Lion Fire, recall that I wrote about the IMET, Dan Borsum from NWS Billings Montana yesterday. I was able to get in touch with Mr. Borsum via e-mail yesterday thanks to the NWS Billings MT who forwarded my e-mail to him. I am very impressed by his dedication as an IMET to providing weather forecasts and briefings to keep all the firefighters working the Roaring Lion fire safe including but not limited to those from outside the area (like the NJS #1 crew and other crews from the east) who may have been unfamiliar with the area.

The Roaring Lion Fire is in the Bitterroot National Forest which includes some mountainous terrain. I know enough to know that  weather forecasts involving mountainous terrain such as the mountains in the Bitterroot National Forest can be challenging. I am again left with a renewed appreciation for the complex nature of weather forecasting, including fire weather forecasting. I was chatting with a now retired wildland firefighter last night about IMETs, he commented to me that IMETs save a lot of lives. Nice work Dan! Thank-you all IMETs.

Dan shared a photo with me of a thunderstorm that affected one of the camps at the Roaring Lion Fire one night. He gave me permission to share this with you. Wow. I'm glad that you were there to keep all safe from these thunderstorms.

Thunderstorm impacting Roaring Lion Camp

Roaring Lion Fire - Incident Meteorologist

I have been writing about the Roaring Lion Fire recently, see my August 3rd and August 8th articles, because the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a crew that is working the Roaring Lion Fire along with other crews from the Eastern Area. As I write this, the Roaring Lion Fire (in the Bitterroot National Forest near Hamilton Montana) remains at 8,274 acres and is at 60 percent containment, perhaps thanks in part to some cool and wet weather yesterday (see this August 9th report from KXLH 9 with video). Evacuation orders are still in place.

I want to take the opportunity to draw your attention to the very important work done by IMETs, also known as Incident Meteorologists. As I understand it, Incident Meteorologists are National Weather Service Meteorologists that have received special training to provide on-site weather forecasting services to incidents including but not necessarily limited to wildfires. Deployments typically last two weeks or until the wildfire is maintained, see this article on IMETs from the National Weather Service for more information. I am introducing IMETs now because there is an IMET working the Roaring Lion Fire, he describes what being an IMET involves in this video (uploaded on Aug 7th) that I found on Inciweb's Roaring Lion Fire photo page. One of the things that an IMET does is to launch a Weather Balloon with a radiosonde. A radiosonde has a variety of instruments to take upper air readings that Meteorologists use to help them make forecasts. Here is a very short video of the Roaring Lion Fire IMET launching a weather balloon. Here is an article describing yesterday's weather on the Roaring Lion Fire from NBC Montana.

I'd like to thank the IMET, Dan Borsum from the NWS Billings Montana Office, for all that he is doing providing meteorological services to the Roaring Lion Fire, to help the fire crews stay safe and work the fire effectively. Thank-you Dan! I share a brief reflection on what I am learning about IMETs and share a photo that Dan shared with me to share with you in my August 11th post.

Thanks to my friends from the NWS Mt. Holly for helping me with a brief fact check in writing this article.

NJ Forest Fire Service Crews working the Roaring Lion Fire

I wrote in my August 3, 2016 blog article that a New Jersey Forest Fire crew is working the Roaring Lion Fire. According to the latest Daily Managers Briefing from the Eastern Area Coordination Center (EACC, see note 1) this crew (known as NJS#1) was mobilized out west on July 29th. If I am not mistaken, this is a two week assignment. As I write this, the Roaring Lion Fire has burned 8,274 acres and is at 30 percent containment (this inciweb page is updated frequently while the fire is active, so you may see a later version). The cause of the fire, first reported on July 31st, is unknown.

I understand that there were evacuations in place and that some residents are allowed back in to their homes. An update on the evacuations (dated August 7th at 7:30 PM local time) from the Ravilli County Sheriff may be found here. According to an August 5th update from the Ravilli County Sheriff sixteen residences were destroyed and 49 outbuildings and nonresidential structures reported as seeing some level of damage from the fire.

The Missoulian (August 8th) is reporting on additional evacuations and closure of a portion of the Bitteroot River issued on August 8th.

Aircraft have worked the fire, see for example helo photo 1 and helo photo 2.

Additional Media reports on the Roaring Fire:
KPAX8 (August 5th) with photos
KPAX8 (August 7th)
Missoulian (August 7th)

Note 1: this briefing, also referred to as the Morning Briefing is updated daily so what you see may not be what I am referring to. The latest Morning Briefing (also referred to as the Daily Briefing or Managers Briefing) is posted on the EACC Intelligence Page under Predictive Services. If you want to see the latest Morning Briefing, go here.

Updated on August 11, 2016:  neglected to mention that when the Eastern Area Coordination Center has eastern area crews deployed outside the eastern area, that there is report known as the Interagency Resource Representative Report (IARR) that is updated when eastern crews are deployed outside the eastern region. The latest IARR report is available here.

Time for some helos (again)

I have been taking care of some personal business this week which is now resolved. Everything is good. Then I took some rest and recreation this afternoon. Many of you know that I have a special fondness for helo videos, so I am sharing some that came across my desk this week. Enjoy.


Direct link to video


Direct link to video


Direct link to video

New Jersey Forest Fire Service Crew working out west

August 3, 2016 2:40 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has mobilized a crew that is currently working the Roaring Lion Fire, that has burned 7,130 acres in the Bitteroot National Forest near Hamilton, Montana. As I write this, the fire is not contained. I understand from the morning briefing that I saw on the Eastern Area Coordination Center that I saw today that the eastern region has three crews in addition to the NJ Forest Fire Crew working the fire. I am very happy that crews from the east are helping fight this fire.

Updated on August 8, 2016: the Roaring Fire has burned 8,274 acres and is at 30 percent containment. Evacuations are in place and 16 residences have been destroyed, see my August 8th article for more information.

Updated on August 11, 2016: The New Jersey Forest Fire Service crew (NJS #1) that was working the Roaring Lion Fire has been demobilized, see my August 11th post for more information. Also, I neglected to mention that when the Eastern Area Coordination Center has eastern area crews deployed outside the eastern area, that there is report known as the Interagency Resource Representative Report (IARR) that is updated when eastern crews are deployed outside the eastern region. The latest IARR report is available here.

Turn Around, Don't Drown

I share a Facebook post from a Rescue Squad in my corner of NJ. Several inches of rain over 24 hours from July 30th into July 31st lead to flash flooding. The photos tell the story of why it is important to "turn around, don't drown." The First Responders and those they rescued are all safe.



Kudos to members of the Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad. Mutual aid responders from Whitehouse Rescue Squad were on the truck assisting in the rescues. The really cool orange truck you see is Flemington-Raritan's Special Services 495 (go here for more information and scroll down the page. I am not sure what other agencies provided mutual aid.

And I'd be remiss if I did not embed a video showing Special Services 495 in action.


Direct link to video

About the Erskine Fire (Kern County, CA)

I saw incredible footage of the Erskine Fire on Facebook yesterday which I will embed and link to in a little while. The Erskine Fire began sometime in the afternoon of June 23rd near Lake Isabella in Kern County, California. At the last update on Inciweb on July 6 2016, the Erskine Fire had burned 48,019 acres and is (or was) at 98 percent containment. Kudos to the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air who worked this fire, some of whom are on mop up duty as I write this.

A couple of items interested me from the Erskine Fire's Inciweb news page:

• June 26th news item: two confirmed fatalities.
• A June 27th news item: a drone incursion on June 26th shut down air operations for about 30 minutes.
• Another June 27th news item reporting that 257 structures were destroyed and 75 were damaged.

You will want to check out Bill Gabbert's (of Wildfire Today) report with updates on the Erskine fire that may be found in this June 23rd article (with updates).

Burned Area Emergency Recovery on the Erskine Fire has started, for more information go to Erskine Fire BAER page on Inciweb.

Now for the videos. Both videos that I am embedding here are from High Desert News. The two videos are shot by and copyrighted by David Johnson of High Desert News. David, great footage!

June 23rd video by David Johnson of High Desert News is fire footage from the first day of the fire. Incredible footage, allow about seven minutes for the video.

Direct link to video on Facebook

July 2nd video by David Johnson of High Desert News, an interview with the Kern County Fire Department Captain (about seven minutes) includes information for residents that were affected by the fire and then current information on the status of the fire. The Erskine Fire is the largest wildfire to date in Kern County,

Direct link to video on Facebook

Sand Fire (Angeles National Forest, CA) -- July 27th

I suspect that many of you may have seen or heard some of the media coverage of the Sand Fire that is currently burning in and near the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California. As I write this, according to the Sand Fire's Inciweb page (accessed on July 27th at 12:15 PM EDT), the fire has burned 38,346 acres and is at 40 percent containment, with aircraft working the fire. Here are links to a couple of photos of aircraft from the Sand Fire's photo page on Inciweb: Neptune BAe-146 Tanker 40 and a helo dropping retardant.

As I write this, the latest information (late in the evening of July 26th) about evacuations and road closures may be found in this news article on the Sand Fire's news release page (Sand Fire News Release Page on Inciweb is here).

I hope that you are following the articles on the Sand Fire written by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation: video of a DC-10 Tanker dropping (bottom of post), article on a building in the Angeles National Forest destroyed by the Sand Fire, and finally he has been reporting (with updates) on the Sand Fire in this July 25th post (including a map). You might want to check back at Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation for later updates.

I thought you might be interested in some media coverage of the Sand Fire:

CNN report with video  and photos (July 26th, 10:40 PM)
ABC7 in Los Angeles, CA (article, video and photos) -- July 27th
NY Times video (from Tyler Celio/Instagram) - July 25th

August 3, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

The Sand Fire is at 100 percent containment, and burned a total of 41.432 acres (see the Sand Fire's Inciweb page for more information.).

Hayden Pass Fire, July 25 (Coaldale CO)

I wrote about the Hayden Pass Fire that is burning in Coaldale (Fremont County), Colorado on July 13th. As I write this, according to the latest update from the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb Page, the fire has burned 16,520 acres, much of the acreage burned is in the Pike And San Isabel National Forests and is now at 55 percent containment. As some of you know, active fire information on Inciweb is updated periodically while the wildfire is burning, so the information that I am reporting here may not be current. I was interested to see that the wildfire had grown by a little more than 4,000 acres since I last wrote about the wildfire on July 13th.

On or about July 23rd, an Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response was sent to the Pike And San Isabel National Forests  to begin work on a burned area survey, see the Hayden Pass Post-Fire BAER page on Inciweb for current information.

I don't know about you, but I find it useful to look at maps showing a wildfire perimeter, especially when you can see some of the nearby roads. Here is a map showing the fire perimeter on July 21st.

Obtained on July 25, 2016 from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/COPSF/2016-07-10-2348-Hayden-Pass-Fire/picts/2016_07_22-10.50.59.473-CDT.jpeg

Mandatory evacuations were in place for residents near the fire perimeter (County Road 45 and County Road 6). Mandatory evacuations were lifted for County Road 45 residents on July 19 while evacuated residents of County Road 6 were allowed to re-entry on July 21st.

There are some videos (daily reports) and photographs that you may access on the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb page.

I read a nice article with a video on FoxNews21 (July 18th) about the base camp set up for the Hayden Pass Fire.

I was interested in some of the aircraft that have and continue to work this fire. I understand from the July 22-23rd report on the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb page that as of July 25th two helicopters (one large and one small) are at an airport close to the fire to provide support.  I found the video of a Chinook Helicopter that I am embedding below from the Hayden Pass Fire Facebook Page (I believe this is publicly available, but I could not get the direct link to video that they posted on July 25th to work).



Here are some links to photos of some of the aircraft that worked the fire.

Kaman K-Max waiting for duty and her bucket
Chinook taking off from Salida Helibase
Airtanker (very large airtanker?) dropping
Helicopter and bucket
Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation shared a nice photo from Weston Burch of DC-10 Tanker 912 dropping, and for those of you following the Sand Fire, Bill Gabbert also shared a nice video of a DC-10 Tanker dropping in the aforementioned article.

Malheur Heli-Rappel

Continuing with videos of helitack and heli-rappel crews crews. Here is a nice video from feener productions of Life on the Malheur Rappel Crew uploaded in September 2013. The video is about eight minutes long, there is no audio. I looked the footage so I am sharing it here. Enjoy. Thanks Malheur Rappel Crew for all you do and stay safe!


Direct link to video

ODF Helitack (2015)

Continuing with videos from helitack crews, here is a nice video about the Oregon Department of Forestry helitack crew highlighting their 2015 season. Nice work everyone and have a safe 2016 season.


Direct link to video

Kootenai Helitack (2015)

Continuing with more videos. Today I am sharing a very nice video showing the Kootenai Helitack 2015 fire season. Kootenai Helitack is based in Libby, Montana and is used as an initial attack resource. Thanks for all you do, and have a safe 2016 season/


Direct link to video

Time for some helicopters

Some of you know that I have a special place in my heart for helicopters. On a slightly warm, but pleasant summer afternoon I am sharing some footage of various helicopters that work wildfires. Thanks to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page where I first watched these videos a few weeks ago (they change their videos on their video page once a week on Friday or Saturday)

These are for you Matt.

I start with some footage from the Mesa Verda Helitack 2013 season

Direct link to video

Here is a short video of helicopters (bucket and snorkle) working a wildfire in China

Direct link to video

I finish up with a video from my friends at Erickson Air Crane

Direct link to video

Hayden Pass Fire, July 13th (Coaldale CO)

As I was making my rounds earlier today of today's wildfire news, I noted the Hayden Pass Fire that has burned 12,193 acres near Coaldale, Colorado. The fire started on July 8th and was probably caused by natural events. It is not contained. As usual, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been covering this fire with some photos taken from space with a thread on the Hayden Pass Fire that he has been updating, last update on July 13th. I check Bill's blog at least once a day to see the latest wildfire news, including his reports on wildfires.

Here are a couple of nice videos about the fire that I found.

Last night (July 12),  Denver 7 - The Denver Channel had a report on the Hayden Pass Fire. There was an interview with an artist who has lived near Hayden Pass for thirty years and has to leave behind some art work in the event of an evacuation. He has most of his art work in the back of his van.


Direct link to video

Here is a nice video of some images of the smoke from the Hayden Pass Fire. The smoke is in the background, with photos of the local area.


Direct link to video

Neptune's BAe 146 Tankers

It is one of those rare perfect summer days in northwest New Jersey, temps in the low 80s with low dew points. So I took a little play time today. Hope that those of you who are able are taking some time off during the summer.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I love hanging out and watching airplanes landing and taking off. One of the great things about the internet is that I can partake in watching tankers landing and taking off courtesy of many fine videos on Youtube. Today, I am sharing a video of Neptunes BAe-146 Tankers 1 & 2 working out of Boise, Idaho on August 26, 2015, uploaded by airailimages. Enjoy!

Team from South Pole Rescue back home

On June 24th, I wrote about a rare successful mid-winter aerial rescue of two sick workers from the South Pole in Antarctica. The other day a read a report from CTV in Alberta Canada, with a few videos) that the two crews from Kenn Borek Air who flew this rare mid-winter trip Antarctica arrived back home in Calgary, Alberta on June 30th.

The article along with nine videos from CTV may be found on this CTV webpage (dated July 5, 2016). CTV reporters interviewed the Kenn Borek crews that participated in the mid-winter rescue from the South Pole on July 5th. I tried, but was unable to get the embed code to work here, sorry.

I am never certain how long these reports and the videos will be available, so I am highlighting for you some of the key points that I learned from reading the report and watching the videos. Watching all nine videos takes about 15 or 20 minutes tops.

• The two Twin Otters and their crews, traveling together,  arrived home in Calgary on June 30th.
• They traveled a total of 21,054 nautical miles.
• The two Twin Otters had extended fuel tanks taking up much of the "passenger area" and were equipped to handle winter weather in the Antarctic.
• The crews had Antarctic experience. The crew that flew to the South Pole talked about flying the route from Rothera Base to the South Pole in October (late spring and summer in the Antarctic), saying that even in the summer they often spent the 10 hour flight from Rothera to the South Pole in the clouds.
• The crews are committed and well trained. When the CTV reporter asked who would volunteer for such a mission in the future all raised their hands.
• In addition to using GPS for navigation the pilots used celestial navigation.
• The two Twin Otters left Alberta on June 14th, making their last stop of the day in Texas. Pilots from Kenn Borek air flew on a commercial flight to Texas so that the team could continue to fly, at night to the next stop in Costa Rica.
• By June 17th the Twin Otters had arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile. Medics joined the Kenn Borek teams in Chile.
• The Twin Otter that stayed behind in Punta Arenas had her skis on until just before the Twin Otter (KBG) that flew to the South Pole arrived back in Punta Arenas when they changed out her skies for wheels.

Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

I have been considering and reflecting on what to share in this final “reflections” post to wrap up my series, “About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).” I think that I can let the articles that I wrote (see bottom of this post for a list with links) stand for themselves. However in parting, I have six reflections or thoughts that I'd like to share with you.

1) As I reflected on what I had learned in researching and then writing my series on “About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs”, I found myself thinking early on in this process that fire weather and fire weather forecasting is complicated. I came away thinking that I had no idea just how complicated fire weather and fire weather forecasting is before I started doing background research for this series. 

2) I have a great deal of respect for the NWS WFOs who issue Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Forecasts. To all at the NWS WFOs, I say thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. I know that wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air use Red Flag Warnings (RFW) and other Fire Weather Forecasts to know how the weather is affecting their fire. To all of you who work fires on the ground and in the air and on support teams I say thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. 

3) I call myself an ordinary citizen who is interested in knowing about current weather forecasts, including fire weather forecasts in my corner of New Jersey in the United States. So I go to my local WFO website and keep an eye out to see if they have issued any Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings. Sometimes not all the RFW criteria will be met, but conditions will warrant the issuance of a Special Weather Statement for Enhanced Fire Danger. For example, perhaps the relative humidity (RH) is below RFW criteria but the winds and fuel moisture criteria are above RFW criteria, so the local NWS WFO will issue a Special Weather Statement for Enhanced Fire Danger (or another product with similar wording). I appreciate knowing about any possibility of enhanced fire danger if for no other reason than I can be more vigilant. Often local media will pick up on upcoming Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings.

4) I don’t know about you but I do try to be fire aware on any day and try not do anything that might lead to a wildfire. I am especially mindful to be extra careful on days when Red Flag Warnings or Enhanced Fire Danger Warnings are issued by my local NWS WFO. These are some of things that are on my list: I no longer smoke, but if you are a smoker being careful not throw a cigarette on the ground. Also on my list are no outdoor burning, checking my car for a pipe that might drag on the road, if I am camping checking for current camp fire regulations and perhaps going the extra mile and not lighting a camp fire, being sure that camp fires are fully extinguished, and if I am going to compost ashes from your indoor fireplace or wood burning stove I will be sure that ashes are fully extinguished. Your State fire agency will have a list of what you should and should not do on a high fire danger day. Of course, it is always good to be fire aware even if you are not under a RFW. 

5) Thank your local NWS WFO, social media is great for this. Whether it be RFW or warning us about any weather event (flood, hurricane, snow storms, thunderstorms and tornadoes to name a few), they are all about keeping us safe. 

6) Finally, a prayer, meditation, or thought for wildland firefighters doesn’t hurt. 

Articles in this series:

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products Part 2 (part 4 of 5)

Today I continue with the second part of my interview with Lee Robertson, fire weather focal point for the National Weather Service (NWS), Mt. Holly NJ. This is part 4 of a 5 part series "about red flag warnings & other fire weather productions from NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs)." For those of you who are landing here, in part 2 of this series I provided a framework for discussion of red flag warnings and other fire weather products. The first part of my interview with Lee Roberts is presented in part 3, posted on July 1st.

As you continue reading my interview with Lee, please remember that fire weather operations in the NWS Mt. Holly are appropriate for the fire regime in the Mt. Holly Forecast Area. Further Mt. Holly’s fFire Weather Operations Plan is customized for their core audience (or partners). Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan that is available at http://www.weather.gov/phi/fire under “additional fire weather information”

Q5. Random Ramblings: 6. Where does Mt. Holly get their observations from, I noted some observation sites on your fire weather page. And what is included. Can you add anything to what I can read in the sites linked to on your fire weather page?

Lee: Our observations come from a variety of places.  The main observation is Automated Surface Observation System or ASOS, which we use for everything from Aviation, to public forecasting.  There is the RAWS network which are the sites listed on our Fire Weather page.  There is also the Citizen Weather Observation Program aka CWOP network.  

Note: ASOS observations are available at This FAA website for ASOD observations (click on your State in the map). RAWS and CWOP observations are available at from this Mesowest website based in Utah, where you can select your state and then use a drop down box to select the observations you want to see (ASOS observations are also available at the same Mesowest website based in Utah where they are listed as “NWS”).

Q6. Random Ramblings: How often does Mt. Holly issue your Fire Weather Forecast (FWF) and if issued, your Red Flag Warnings?

Lee: We update our Fire Weather Forecast (FWF) twice daily; around 4 am and 4 pm.  This was changed from only 4 am several years ago to give an updated forecast to the next day for our fire weather partners.  When conditions are not representative to the forecast, such as relative humidity being much lower than forecast (for instance 20% occurring, versus 35% forecast) our forecasters should be updating the forecast.  Also, if a Red Flag Warning is issued, the FWF is to be updated as well.  

Q7. Random Ramblings: Can you briefly talk about the spot weather forecasts that Mt. Holly issues?

Lee: Spot Forecasts are requested by our Fire Weather partners when they need weather information for a specific locations when they are working individual fires.  Sometimes they request Spot Forecast for prescribed burns, other times they request Spots when an active wildfire is ongoing.  Other times, we do not get any requests from them because they are able to use the FWF and current conditions to suit their needs.  There is a website where they can request the Spot Forecast, and access the actual forecast output when we issue it.  Once they send their request, an alert pops up on our screen in our office and we work up our forecast, then send it out.  Depending on forecaster workload and other factors, once the request is issued, it can take as little as 5 minutes, sometime up to 15-20 minutes to show up on the website.  Our partners also have our number, so if there is a concern about the foreast or if they didn't get it, they can always call us.

On July 6th I will close out this series with some reflections on what I have learned while researching and then writing this series about red flag warnings & other fire weather productions from NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).

Other Articles in the series

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products Part 1 (part 3 of 5)

Recall that I live in the NWS Mt. Holly’s weather forecast area. I’d like to thank Lee Robertson, fire weather focal point for the National Weather Service (NWS), Mt. Holly NJ. Lee and I spent a few e-mails discussing the fire weather operations in NWS Mt. Holly. As you read my interview with Lee, please remember that fire weather operations in the NWS Mt. Holly are appropriate for the fire regime in the Mt. Holly Forecast Area. Further Mt. Holly’s Fire Weather Operations Plan is customized for their core audience (or partners). Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan that is available at http://www.weather.gov/phi/fire under “additional fire weather information.”

This is part 1 of my interview with Lee Robertson, part 2 will post on Monday, July 4th.

Q1: Random Ramblings: I understand that NWS Mt. Holly’s Red Flag Warning Criteria, from the Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan, are as follows:

PA: wind >=20 mph (sustained/frequent gusts), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=10% 

NJ: wind >=20 mph (sustained/frequent gusts), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=10%

DE and MD: wind >=20 mph (sustained), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=8%

I have read the Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan. I understand that a Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions (red flag warnings) may happen in the next 12 to 72 hours. Red flag warnings are issued by NWS office when critical fire weather conditions are imminent expecting to occur within the next 12 to 24 hours, The exact criteria vary from office to office.  I know that your fire weather plan uses other language to describe when you issue a Fire Weather Watch and Red Flag Warnings, but I want to use hours here because I think that this is language that everyone will recognize. Finally, you will sometimes issue a special weather statement for elevated fire risk. Can you elaborate on these fire weather products?

Lee: There really isn't much other way to describe Red Flag Warnings/Fire Weather Watch and their criteria.  Fire Weather Watches (PHLRFWPHL) are issued for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th 12 hour period of a forecast (24-48 hours). A Red Flag Warning (also PHLRFWPHL) is issued for the 1st or 2nd period of a forecast (12-24 hours).  The three criteria ALL have to be met at the same time to be considered a Red Flag Warning.  Some regions/offices have more or less criteria, but it's the same that all criteria have to be met.  If say, the Relative Humidity is not less than 30%, then it would not be a Red Flag Warning day even if winds gust to 30 mph and fuels are dry, and same for the other ones not being met.  You listed the criteria.  We forecast the RH (relative humidity) and Wind Speeds.  Fuel moisture is determined by our Forestry partners.  We coordinate with them to see who fuels have reacted to recent rainfall and drying conditions to determine of a RFW is needed.  Sometimes it is determined that fuels are not critically dry, or winds and/or RH will be marginal, and a RFW is not needed, so we may issue a Special Weather Statement to highlight the threat so people can be aware of the dangers of fires, and also give a heads up to our fire partners that it could be a dangerous day, but not critical RFW conditions.  We coordinate via a chat system with our neighboring NWS offices about the conditions we expect, and then coordinate with our Forestry partners our concerns for the day and determine what statements, if any, will be needed whether that be an RFW or SPS (Special Weather Statement) or a mentions in our Synopsis in our Forecast Discussion.

Q2. Random Ramblings: Who are Mt. Holly’s forestry partners? Do you have any idea how your forestry partners determine fuel moisture?

Lee: Yes, our partners are the Forestry/Forest Fire Services with each state.  

They have instruments in the field that give them actual measurements for fuel moisture.  But they also take into account recent rainfall and drying.

Q3. Random Ramblings: I know that the SPC does fire weather forecasts, can you briefly explain how Mt. Holly interfaces with SPC regarding forecast fire danger?

Lee: SPC does do a Fire Weather Forecast that covers the entire country.  They have specific criteria that they use to determine if they will issue an enhanced, critical, or extreme fire weather day.  You can view their criteria here. Again, we coordinate via our chat system concerns on either end.  There are days when they will have us in an outlook and our partners are less concerned due to fuels not as dry as thought, and there will be days when we have statements out when no outlook is in effect for various reasons, one being SPS uses Temperature as a criteria, while we do not.

Q4. Random Ramblings: How does Mt. Holly coordinate with adjoining office on fire weather forecasts. For example on March 23, 2016 (the day I first wrote Lee) Upton issued a special weather statement for elevated fire risk a couple of hours before you did. Did you talk to them?

Lee: As mentioned above, we have a chat system we use to coordinate with neighboring offices, or we use a phone call.

Other Articles in the series

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

Recall from my introduction to this series that I am writing a five-part series about Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs. This is part two.

In parts three and four of this series, I will discuss fire weather operations used by my local  Weather Forecast Office (NWS), the NWS in Mt. Holly. Before I get to parts three and four, I need to begin by providing a basic framework for these later discussions of NWS Mt. Holly’s Fire Weather Operations. Before I go any further, I want to thank several new friends from various National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices for listening to me and answering my questions. These articles would not be possible without their help.

1. I found the concept of fire regimes very helpful as I was researching these articles. Thanks to a friend who is a NWS meteorologist knowledgeable about wildland fires for referring me to the definition of fire regimes that I am using here. “An important concept in fire ecology that captures many interactions between fire and vegetation types, landscape settings and climate Zones is the fire regime. A fire regime can be thought of as a recipe made up of various interrelated components shaped by both vegetation and climate.; it can be defined as ‘the pattern of repeated fires expressed as a frequency, season, type, severity, and areal extent" (Fire on Earth: An Introduction by Scott, Bowman, Bond, Payne and Alexander, 2014, p. 125).

2. When considering the fire weather forecasting criteria used by each National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (NWS WFO), remember that the Red Flag Warning Criteria and the Fire Weather Forecasts used by each NWS WFO is appropriate for the fire regimes and related weather conditions in each NWS WFO’s forecast area.

3. Each NWS WFO has a fire weather operations plan setting out the criteria they use for their fire weather operations. This plan follows criteria set forth by National Weather Service Directives under operations and services for NDS 10-4 Products and Services to Support Fire and Other Incidents. A document called NDS 10-4 Products and Services to Support Fire and Other Incidents provides a summary a list of all the procedural directives supporting fire and other incidents that may be found under NDS 10-4. The plan may be written by the individual WFO or it may be written by the State referring to the WFO in state. In some cases, there is a regional fire weather operation plan which refers to the individual fire weather operations plan for each WFO in the region. If you are interested in the fire weather operations for your local WFO look around on the NWS webpage for your local WFO for fire weather information.

4. In writing their Fire Weather Operations Plan (which includes but is not limited to the Red Flag Warning Criteria they use), each NWS WFO recognizes who is the core audience for their Fire Weather Operations Plan and customizes this plan as appropriate. As the WFO adopts or revises their Fire Weather Operations Plan and their Red Flag Warning criteria they will do so in collaboration with their core fire partner agencies (one example could be a State Forest Fire Agency)

Next Up:

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

This past spring I got interested in learning a little more about the different fire weather products issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). Now, I had known of Red Flag Warnings issued by local NWS Weather Forecast Offices (NWS WFO) for quite some time. Sometime later, I had an awareness that the Storm Prediction Center was involved in fire weather. So, in early April, I started out by learning more about the Storm Prediction Center’s Fire Weather Outlooks, in a three part series that I wrote starting on April 1st (with links to other articles in the series),  

Even as I was finishing up my series on the SPC’s Fire Weather Outlooks, I knew that fire weather, like weather in general is complicated. I knew that I had to learn more, so I  took some time to do some background research on the internet, some additional reading, and some discussions with some wonderful Meteorologists from around the country as well as from my local NWS Weather Forecast Office.  The result is this series.

The more I learned, the more I respected the complexity of Fire Weather Forecasting and my respect for the NWS Meteorologists increased. 

Here is a schedule of the articles in this series (About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs):

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

Kudos on successful and rare winter-time medical evacuation from South Pole

Direct link to CBS This Morning June 21st report on then upcoming rescue mission to South Pole 

Direct link to CBS This Morning June23rd report after sick workers evacuated from South Pole 

I am sure that most of you are aware of the evacuation of two ill workers from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the bottom of the world. The South Pole is in the midst of winter, six months of darkness and brutally cold and often windy conditions. Flights into and out of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station cease from February through October, resuming in summer. This medical evacuation is only the third time workers have been evacuated from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, earlier evacuations being in 2001 and 2003 (http://www.inews880.com/2016/06/22/dangerous-antarctic-rescue-mission-continues-for-alberta-pilots/?sc_ref=facebook, http://www.nature.com/news/daring-antarctic-rescue-mission-sets-off-for-south-pole-1.20135?WT.mc_id=FBK_NatureNews). 

Kenn Borek Air Ltd, of Alberta Canada has a large fleet of Twin Otters, specializing in flying into polar regions, the Arctic and the Antarctic. The Twin Otters can operate in very cold conditions, down to -75C (http://www.nature.com/news/daring-antarctic-rescue-mission-sets-off-for-south-pole-1.20135?WT.mc_id=FBK_NatureNews). Two Twin Otters left Alberta on June 14th, reaching Punta Arenas, Chile on June 16th, bad weather delayed their departure for the Rothera Research Station until June 20th. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/kenn-borek-air-south-pole-june-22-1.3646966).  One June 21st, one Twin Otter and crew, including a medical technician, made the dangerous ten-hour, 1,500 mile flight to the  Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station while the second Twin Otter and crew remained behind in case a search and rescue was needed (it wasn’t). 

There is a nice article from the CBC dated June 17th where you a former Kenn Borek Air pilot who flew to the Antarctic on the 2001 and 2003 medical evacuation flights about what flying in the Antarctic in the dead of winter is like and the perils of such a flight. 

I am very glad that these flights to evacuate the two workers from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station were successful. I know that many agencies as well as Kenn Borek Air were involved in the evacuation operations. We are all very thankful that the Twin Otters made these flights successfully. Kudos to all who were involved in the evacuation operation. A round of applause to the pilot and crew who flew to and from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and for the pilot and crew in the second Twin Otter who were ready to fly a search and rescue.  

Behind the scenes at 10 Tanker Air

Listen to Kevin Hopf, Chief Pilot at 10 Tanker Air talk to WeatherNation TV about what goes on behind the scenes during tanker operations at wildfires. He also discusses their DC-10 tankers.

Direct link to video from WeatherNation on Facebook

Tenderfoot Fire (AZ)

I just came across a couple of nice videos regarding the Tenderfoot Fire (started on June 8th, likely human caused) that burned 4,087 acres near Yarnell Arizonia and is at 97 percent containment as I write this. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote about the Tenderfoot Fire on June 8th, last updated on June 11th.

I saw the first video just this morning on the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3 Facebook Page,  showing sights and sounds of the Tenderfoot Fire.

Direct link to video from the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3 on Facebook

The second video is from Scorched Sky Productions showing tanker operations from the Prescott AZ airattack base for the Tenderfoot Fire.

Direct link to video from Scorched Sky Productions on Youtube

Wildfires in AZ & NM and where to go for wildfire information

Among the wildfires that are currently burning in the U.S. are these two wildfires: The Cedar Fire in Arizona and the Dog Head Fire in New Mexico.

As I write this, the Dog Head Fire started on June 14th has burned about 16,000 acres with evacuations are in place. Twenty-four residences and 21 minor structures have been destroyed.  Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been doing his usual great job covering this fire, his post (with updates) may be found here.

The Cedar Fire started late at night on June 15th. I believe that this fire has burned about 9,652 acres. Bill Gabbert has been covering this fire in this article (with updates).

Finally, Bill Gabbert wrote a nice summary of wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico on June 15th and he shared a satellite photo of smoke from three wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico in another June 15th post.

If I hear about a wildfire from conventional media or perhaps elsewhere on the internet, one of the first first places I go to is  Bill Gabbert’s Wildfire Today. I also check out inciweb which lists most wildfires involving federal lands. The National Weather Service’s Fire Weather page has a mapping interface with a layer for large fires. Alternatively, you can go to USFS Active Fire Mapping Program whose large fire map is updated on Fridays or as conditions warrant; they have links to other mapping information.. For more localized information you can go to the Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACC) and find the region of the US that you are interested in. The GACC has links to a variety of other useful information.

Finally, if you want news articles on wildfire concerns, Mike Archer’s Wildfire News of the Day is worth subscribing to. Mike sends out an e-mail five days a week. Subscription information may be find here. There are other places that you can go for wildfire information, these places are the ones that I use most often and will get you started.

Historical Wildfires: 1958 Malibu Fires (CA, 12/26/58)

Time for some footage of historic wildfires. This one is a wildfire at Malibu, California that started on December 26, 1958. I don't know about you, but I think history is important. Enjoy, allow about 26 minutes to watch the video.


Direct link to video

By the way, I posted some historic wildfire footage about three to six years ago. Some of those video links don't seem to be working, sorry. I will try to go in and look at these articles to see if I can find updated links.

Update: Butler Place Fire - Woodland Twshp NJ ( near Burlington/Ocean border)

The wildfire that I wrote about yesterday (June 12, 2016) is called the Butler Place. Route 72 and nearby roads that were closed yesterday afternoon were reopened to traffic sometime last night. Charlie 1, an Air Tractor 602 from Downstown Aero, worked the fire yesterday. The latest report that I have seen is that this wildfire has burned 357 acres and is at 80 percent containment (from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page, updated at 10:30 AM EDT on June 12th). According to the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page the following were deployed to the Butler Place Fire: 

18 Forest Fire personnel. EQUIPMENT DEPLOYED: - 9 Type 6 engines (brush trucks), 1 water tender, 2 dozers.  

- Cooperator assistance included:  State Police, local police and fire, NJDOT,    Burlington County
- Aircraft for observation as or if needed.
- 2 tanker engines from local volunteer companies available on site. (obtained on June 13, 2016 at 3:55 PM EDT from B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page)

Media reports:
NBC10 Philadelphia (June 12, 2016) with video report 
NJ dot com (June 13, 2016,  12:40 PM EDT)

Just in: wildfire near Burlington/Ocean County NJ border

I just learned about a wildfire burning off of Route 72 in Woodland Township NJ from these two tweets from NJFFS Section B10: Tweet 1 and Tweet 2. The wildfire is in NJ Forest Fire Service Section B3. No structures are in danger.

I got more information from the B10 Wildland Fire Page (content is update frequently), scroll down to see current NJ wildfire activity. At 8 AM on June 12th they report about this major wildfire in:

Woodland Twp- off Savoy Blvd south of Route 72. Originally spotted by NJFFS aircraft Delta 10 while on daily routine flight, 2 fires were spotted south of Rt 72 and west of the RR trestle. Delta 10 talked crews in. Crews now burning out a large block. Air tanker from Downstown Aero now on scene working with an observation helo. Acreage expected to increase to over 350 acres.  Traffic is being effected on Rt 72. (obtained from B10 Wildland Fire Page on June 12, 2016 at 3:20 PM EDT.

ABC ActionNews6 in Philadelphia has a short report about the wildfire, burning near the Ocean-Burlington County border in NJ, available here.

According to NWS Mt. Holly, winds have been gusty today contributing to enhanced fire weather conditions:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
228 PM EDT SUN JUN 12 2016

DEZ001-002-MDZ008-012-015-NJZ001-007>010-012>025-027-PAZ054-055-
060>062-070-071-101>106-130000-
NEW CASTLE-KENT-CECIL-KENT MD-QUEEN ANNES-SUSSEX-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-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-
LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-WESTERN CHESTER-
EASTERN CHESTER-WESTERN MONTGOMERY-EASTERN MONTGOMERY-UPPER BUCKS-
LOWER BUCKS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER...ELKTON...
CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE...NEWTON...WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN...
FLEMINGTON...SOMERVILLE...NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...SANDY HOOK...
TRENTON...PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO...CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...
MOORESTOWN...MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...MILLVILLE...HAMMONTON...
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE...OCEAN CITY...ATLANTIC CITY...
WHARTON STATE FOREST...JIM THORPE...STROUDSBURG...READING...
ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...EASTON...MEDIA...PHILADELPHIA...
HONEY BROOK...OXFORD...WEST CHESTER...KENNETT SQUARE...
COLLEGEVILLE...POTTSTOWN...NORRISTOWN...LANSDALE...CHALFONT...
PERKASIE...MORRISVILLE...DOYLESTOWN
228 PM EDT SUN JUN 12 2016

...GUSTY WINDS AND LOWERING RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THIS AFTERNOON...

GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO RANGE FROM 30-40 MPH THIS AFTERNOON
WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS TO 45 MPH. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL
LOWER THIS AFTERNOON AS DRIER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION...DROPPING
INTO THE 20-30% RANGE. ENHANCED FIRE WEATHER SPREAD CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BE MINDFUL IF OUTDOORS NOT
TO HAVE ANY OPEN FLAMES WHICH COULD QUICKLY SPREAD. GUSTY WINDS
MAY ALSO LEAD TO DIFFICULT TRAVELING AND BLOW AROUND LOOSE
OBJECTS.

More from the 2016 Jones Beach Airshow

Continuing with the 2016 Jones Beach Airshow, from John's Flying Channel at Youtube, here are the Geico Skytypers. Six T-6/SNJ aircraft comprise the Geico Skytypers team. At the end of their show you will see their missing man formation in memory of Bill Gordon. Enjoy.


Direct link to video from John's Flying Channel

So African Wildland Firefighters dancing in Edmonton (May 29th)

Some of you will recall that I posted on May 27th that wildland firefighters from the U.S.A. and South Africa were helping fight the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Here is a nice video of the South African wildland firefighters dancing in the airport at Edmonton, Alberta after they arrived in Canada. Enjoy


Direct link to Youtube video from Alberta Wildfire

RIP Bill Gordon warbird pilot

As some of you no doubt know, Bill Gordon (of Key West Florida), an experienced warbird pilot died on Friday night May 27, 2016 when the P-47 Thunderbolt he was piloting crashed into the Hudson River just south of the George Washington Bridge. Gordon's P-47, owned by the American Airpower Museum, was flying with two other warbirds in a promotional photo shoot at the time of the crash. The two other warbirds landed safely. He was scheduled to fly the P-47 in the Jones Beach Airshow last weekend to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the P-47.

According to this May 28th article from the Washington Post, Gordon had over 25 years experience flying in air shows and was formerly the chief pilot at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York. The Washington Post refers to Gordon's profile (now offline?) from an April Key West airshow saying that he was an "Aerobatic Competency Evaluator for the air show industry” who certified air-show performers to executive “low level aerobatics,” a profile from an April Key West airshow says about him."

I join all who loved Bill Gordon -- his family, friends, warbird and airshow pilots -- in offering my thoughts and prayers. I know that he is flying in favorable tail winds.

The American Airpower Museum has a nice tribute to Bill on their Facebook Page.

The GEICO Skytypers flew a missing man formation in the Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show (Jones Beach) in memory of Bill Gordon. The American Airpower Museum shared the video on their Facebook page (May 29th),  but I had trouble with the video in one of my browsers. However, I was able to find a video of the missing man formation posted on youtube which I am embedding here:

RIP Capt Jeff Kuss -- Blue Angels 6

I want to pause today and remember Captain Jeff Kuss, pilot of Blue Angels 6, who died on June 2nd when Blue Angels 6 (F18) crashed in Smyma Tennessee. The Blue Angels airshow scheduled for this coming weekend, a part of the Great Tennessee Airshow, has been cancelled. Captain Kuss, 32, leaves a wife and two children. Please join me in remembering Captain Kuss, may you always fly in favorable tail winds. My thoughts and prayers are with Captain Kuss's family, friends, Blue Angels team, and all who love him.


Direct link to tribute video by John's Flying Channel (Youtube)


Direct link to video from the Cradle of Aviation Museum

Airshow -- Jones Beach 2016 (opening)

Here is a nice video of the opening of the 2016 Jones Beach Air Show. The video is just under 18 minutes. You will see the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute team and Sean D. Tucker performing aerobatics in the Oracle Challenger III.


 Direct link to video on Youtube from John's Fying Channel