Aviation History: 555th Parachute Battalion (Smokejumpers)

A couple of days ago, thanks to Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day Newsletters, I learned about the 55th Parachute Battalion aka smokejumpers, that served at the end of World War II. There is a nice write-up with a video on this military.com webpage. The 555th Parachute Battalion aka the "triple nickles" were based in the Pacific Northwest in World War II on a highly classified mission to protect the Pacific Northwest from incendiary Japanese balloon bombs. These balloon bombs were designed to ignite firestorms. I don't exactly know if the Japanese used these balloon bombs, but I believe that the "triple nickle" helped to fight wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and were eventually called smoke jumpers.

I was not able to embed the video about the "triple nickles" that was shared on this military.com webpage. But I was able to find this Facebook post from the US Army.

Wildfire activiity in Southern Great Plains - Texas

I wrote yesterday (February 26th) about critical fire weather in the Southern Great Plains. Critical Fire Weather continues today in a portion of the Southern Great Plains.

Fire Weather Outlook for February 27, 2018 issued by NWS Storm Prediction Center on February 27, 2018

I don't know of any significant wildfire activity that occurred in Oklahoma yesterday, February 26th. I suspect that there may well be smaller wildfire in Oklahoma yesterday that I am not aware of.

There were at three larger wildfires in Texas on February 26 according to the Southern Area Coordination Center's (SACC)Morning Report for February 27th (the current morning report is found under Southern Area Productions):

• Head 2, Fire started on February 25th, 300 acres is 100 percent contained.
• Newell Fire, started on February 26th. According to this Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Information Twitter Post burned 4,022 acres up from the 2,500 acres reported by the SACC earlier this morning.
• 57 North Fire started on February 26th, 700 acres burned is 100 percent contained.

Enjoy this Youtube video posted earlier this afternoon by the Texas A&M Forest Service. taken from the cab of a dozer by Resource Specialist Cody Lambert as he worked the 57 North Fire

This just in from the Texas A&M Forest Service at about 5:25 EST

Incident Update: #FainRanchFire in Potter County is 40% contained at an estimated 30 acres. Forward progress of the fire has been stopped. TFS has one air attack aircraft and one dozer assisting. Potter County Volunteer Fire Department is also on scene. #txfire

— Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Information (@AllHazardsTFS) February 27, 2018

2017 Fire Season: Mad River Hotshots

I had noted in another post I made today (February 26th) that portions of the Souther Great Plains are experiencing critical fire weather today. As it is too early to know about new wildfires activity in Oklahoma, Texas, and environs, I thought that you might enjoy another fire crew video from the 2017 fire season. This video is from the Mad River Hotshot crew highlighting their 2017 fire season. I enjoyed the introductions to the crew in the first part of this 11 minute video.


Direct link to crew video from Mad River IHC

Critical Fire Weather continues in Southern Great Plains

Critical Fire Weather continues in portions of the Southern Great Plains today. It is still too early to know about any new wildfire activity today in Oklahoma, Texas, and environs. I'll report back if there is substantial new wildfire activity to report, probably tomorrow (February 27th).

Fire Weather Outlook for February 26, 3028 issued by the NWS Storm Prediction Center on February 26, 2018

Wildfire Detection Notification App at work in Tulsa OK WFO

After the launch of GOES-R in the fall of 2016, later known as GOES-16 and now known as GOES East, I spent some time over the winter and spring of 2017 learning a little about the capabilities of GOES-16, how this satellite will improve weather forecasting,  and finally learning a little about how GOES-16 and her sister satellites (GOES-S is due to launch in March 2018) are able to improve detections of wildfires. The result of these endeavors was an eight-part series: Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection. In part 2, I introduced the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) in the GOES-R series of satellites with a video from NASA on the ABI. In part 3 I shared three examples of improved imagery with GOES-16.

With that as background and I moved on to writing about the Wildfire Detection Notification App (WFDN), developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) Norman OK Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in February 2016. In part 5 of my series on the Application of GOES-16 for wildfire detection I wrote about the WFDN Application, an application that uses GOES-16 for wildfire detection, that article may be found here.

I was very excited when the following video report from News On 6 out of Tulsa Oklahoma came across my desk this morning. The News On 6 video report is about how the the WFDN App is being used in the area served by the NWS Tulsa Oklahoma Weather Forecast Office (WFO), one of the NWS offices using the WFDN App (see part 6).The video is short, just under two minutes. My friend from the NWS Norman WFO liked the video report and agreed that I should share this with you. You will see how the WFDN helped first responders quickly respond to a grass fire in Mayes County in northeast Oklahoma last week.

Direct link to Youtube video from News on 6 published on February 16, 2018

Initial Attack on a Grass Fire in Oklahoma

Before I get to the video that I want to share, I want to update you on a couple of wildfires that I wrote about on February 19th. The Red Horse Fire that burned 2,549 acres in Woods County, Oklahoma that I wrote about I checked the February 21, 2018 Morning Report on the Southern Area Coordination Center  where they reported that the Red Horse Fire is at 100 percent containment. On February 20th, the Southern Area Coordination Center's Morning Report noted that the Hwy 34 and 173 Fire is at 100 percent containment. You may find the current Morning Report and other Southern Area Products under Southern Area Reports on this Southern Area Coordination Center Webpage.

Several days ago, I came upon this video from Keith Buntin showing the Jennings Oklahoma Fire Department providing mutual aid to the Yale Oklahoma Fire Department for a grass fire. The video is about 15 minutes long, and depicts initial attack by this engine and crew. The video was shot from the cab of this engine. I believe but am not certain that you are seeing an engine with a small water tanker allowing the crew to use a hose on the grass fire.


Direct link to video on Youtube

Oklahoma and Texas Wildfires - February 16 to 18

I heard of three wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas, one that burned at the end of last week (week ended February 16th) and two that were reported on February 18th. There may well have been more wildfires that I do not know about.

Kemohah Fire, near Hominy Oklahoma, 166 acres, one structure destroyed. Reported by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today on February 16, 2017. To the best of my knowledge, this  grass/vegetation fire is contained. It apparently started as a structure fire before spreading to burn 166 acres.

136 Fire, Potter County Texas, (Highway 136 and Cass Johnson Road) was one of a four wildfires (grass?) that were reported and on or about February 18th, most are at or near containment. My understanding is that the 136 fire, a grass fire, was contained at about 10 acres with the help of three air tankers dropping on the grass fire. The Texas A&M Forest Service made three tweets on twitter about this fire all on February 18th: tweet #1 at 11:24 AM on February 18th, tweet #2 at 12:01 PM on February 18th, and finally in tweet # 3 at 2:07 PM  on February 18th they reported that the fire had burned 10 acres and was at 90 percent containment. Thanks to Mike Archer at Wildfire News of the Day for the link to an article with video from MyHighPlains (February 18, 2018) about the 136 fire and the other wild (grass) fires.

Red Horse Fire, Woods County Oklahoma, about 2,549 acres at 35 percent containment, started on or about February 18th. I first learned about the Red Horse Fire from the Oklahoma Forest Service's Daily Situation Report (Facebook) for February 19, 2018. A direct link to the OFS Daily Situation Report may be found on the February 19th entry on the OFS Fire Blog. I found two local media reports about the Red Horse Fire: Woodward News (February 18th) and NewsOK (February 18th). Thanks to Mike Archer at Wildfire News of the Day for the link to the Woodward News article.

The early reports that I saw about the Red Horse Fire from yesterday and early this morning (February 19th) reported that about 3,600 acres were burned. at some point the acreage burned was downgraded to 2,549 acres probably because of better mapping. As I was writing this, I saw the following post on the OFS Facebook page probably posted about 2:45 PM EST.



High 34 and 73 Fire, Rogers Mills County, Oklahoma, 400 acres. I wrote about this wildfire on February 16th, I have no further information on containment.

Critical Fire Weather Continues in portions of Oklahoma, Texas, and surrounding areas

Fire Weather Bundle for days 1-2, 3-8 obtained on February 19, 2018 from http://www.spc.noaa.gov/gis/

Fire Weather Bundle for days 1-2, 3-8 obtained on February 19, 2018 from http://www.spc.noaa.gov/gis/

Update on critical fire weather in So Great Plains on Feb. 14-15

I spent some time over the last two days doing the best that I can to follow any wildfire activity in the Southern Great Plains including but not limited to Oklahoma and Texas during the February 14th and 15th critical fire weather.

I expect that there are wildfires, including smaller wildfires that were quickly contained that I do not know about. I do know of two wildfires that I will mention here.

The first wildfire is a wildfire in Jones County, Texas that broke out on February 14th reported by KTXS. It seems the wildfire burned some automobiles and there houses were threatened for a time.

Jones County #wildfire burns vehicles,  threatens homes https://t.co/lZPUitGu0C @AbileneFire @TXForestService

— KTXS News (@KTXS_News) February 14, 2018

Sometime later on February 14th, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported that the some wildland firefighters were released from the Jones fire as local responders were making good progress in fighting the wildfire.

Incident Update: Texas A&M Forest Service canceled/released from the wildfire in Jones County. Local fire departments have reported progress of the fire has been stopped. #txfire

— Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Information (@AllHazardsTFS) February 14, 2018

The second wildfire that is the Highway 34 & 73 fire in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, first reported on February 16th. I learned of this wildfire from the Southern Area Coordination Center's (SACC) Morning Report for February 16, 2018, the current Morning Report (updated weekdays during fire season) may be found by clicking on Southern Area Products. The fire has burned 400 acres. The SACC reports that the fire is at 59 percent containment when the report went to press.

The Current Large Incidents Map (updated weekly) dated February 16, 2018 - available here - has a box with a drop down menu below the map where you can get current information on a specific wildfire. According to that drop down box, obtained at 3 PM on February 16th, the Hwy 34 & 73 fire is at 80 percent containment.

I should mention that there are other wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas mapped on this Current Large Incidents Map are not, or are no longer being reported, on by the Southern Area Coordination Center (SACC). While I did miss a couple of days, I have been following the Morning Reports from the SACC. I believe but am not certain that the wildfires that I wrote about on February 2nd are contained. I wrote about the East Buford and West Buford wildfires, both in Oklahoma, on February 5th, both have since been contained.

In closing, two maps for you. The first is the Day 2 Fire Weather Outlook issued by the NWS Storm Prediction Center on February 16th where Day 2 is February 17th. The second map is the latest drought monitor map.

Fire Wx bundle for days 1-2, 3-8 obtained on February 16, 2018 from http://www.spc.noaa.gov/gis/

Critical Fire Weather - Feb 14 & 15 - So Great Plains, TX & OK

I recently wrote about the extreme drought that is continuing in portions of the Southern Great Plains, including portions of Oklahoma and Texas, see my February 12th article for more information. Following up on that article on the extreme drought I went to the National Weather Service's Fire Weather page from their Storm Prediction Center (SPC) to get the fire weather outlooks issued today, February 14th.

To get the Google Earth images that I share with you below, I went to the SPC's shapefile/KML links, looking for kml files that work with Google Earth, about half way down the page I looked for "Fire Weather Outlooks (Day 1,2 and 3-8) bundle" to download and install the kml file on Google Earth. I then go into Google Earth and select only the day that I want to share with you.

In the images below, note that there is elevated fire danger on both day 1 (February 14th) and day 2 (February 15th).

Fire Weather Outlook for February 14, 2018 issued by the NWS Storm Prediction Center  on February 14th

Fire Weather Outlook for February 15, 2018 issued by the NWS Storm Prediction Center  on February 14th

Since I have been following fire weather in the National Weather Service WFO at Amarillo Texas and the National Weather Service WFO at Norman Oklahoma forecast areas, I went to the webpage of each Weather Forecast Office (WFO) to get the following images for you. Both WFOs are forecasting critical fire weather conditions for today. The Weather Forecast Office at Norman Oklahoma carries their fire weather forecast out for six days. Over the next couple of days I will do my best to try to be informed about wildfires that may breakout and report back in a day or two. In the meantime, if you want to see what is going on before I get back to you, please check out the Texas A&M Forest Service Current Situation page and the Oklahoma Forest Service Wildfire Information Page. The Oklahoma Fire News Blog with listings for earlier reports is another good source of information.

obtained on February 14, 2018 from https://www.weather.gov/ama/fireweather

Obtained on February 14, 2018 from the fire weather potential tab on https://www.weather.gov/oun/

extreme drought continues in portions of So Great Plains - Feb 12th update

I wrote about extreme drought conditions in portions of Southern Great Plains (OK and TX) on January 31st. At that time the National Weather Service Amarillo Texas was at day 110 with no measurable precipitation at their weather reporting station. On February 11th they were at day 121 with no measurable precipitation:



Look at the most recent drought monitor the area of extreme drought (D3) in red on the map has grown from what I reported on January 31st as has the area of severe drought (D2)

This severe and extreme drought in Texas and Oklahoma and environs continues to raise concerns for a possibly devastating wildfire season. See this article by The Eagle (February 11th) for some more information about the drought in Texas. Fire Danger for today, February 12th was high in the Texas Panhandle as reported by the Texas A&M Forest Service on their Twitter account.

The wildfire danger forecast for today shows the northern Texas Panhandle in high to very wildfire danger along with an area of high wildfire danger in far West Texas. #txfire #txwx pic.twitter.com/lu9Ke0dmaJ

— Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Information (@AllHazardsTFS) February 12, 2018

2017 fire season: Cascade Initial Attack Handcrew

Today I am embedding a video from the Cascade Initial Attack Handcrew where they highlight their 2017 fire season. I don't exactly know where this Handcrew is based, perhaps they are based in the Pacific Northwest. Before you watch this video, I thought that you might want to read a brief summary of what handcrews do:

Handcrews are the infantry of wildland firefighting forces. Crews of 18 - 20 men and women use hand tools such as pulaskis and shovels to cut containment lines into the soil around a fire. Handcrews eliminate hotspots, so new fires won't start, and monitor unburned areas to make sure sparks don't jump the line and start new fires. Handcrews also work to reduce fire risks by removing flammable vegetation from wildland areas. These firefighters are in excellent physical condition. They may spend 12 hours or more working on the fire perimeter. A typical work day for a handcrew is filled with dirt, smoke, heat, and cold (obtained from USFS Fire and Aviation, Firefighters on the Ground on February 9, 2018)

Allow under nine minutes to watch the video. You will see some footage of helicopters working wildfires. Beautiful country!


Direct link to video on Youtube 

2017 fire season: Los Padres USFS Engine 47

Continuing with sharing crew videos from the 2017 fire season, here is a nice video, just over 20 minutes of showing Engine 47 from Los Padres National Forest. Nice footage of this engine crew as they work various wildland fires. You will see a couple of tanker drops.


Direct Link to video

Oklahoma 2018 fire season: large grass wildfires in Osage County

I read about two large grass fires in Osage County Oklahoma when I accessed this morning's (February 5th) Morning Report from the Southern Area Coordination Center (under Southern Area Products, reports updated daily during fire season). You may also find information on these two wildfires in the February 5th Fire News Blog from the Oklahoma Forestry Services (under fire activity with OFS Response) where the OFS reports that an Aircraft has been dispatched. Note that the KJRH in Tulsa OK reports these fires as one fire. The two large grass fires are located near Hominy Oklahoma in Osage County, both were first reported on Saturday, February 3rd:

• East Buford, burned 6,824 acres, at 40% containment (February 4th) 
• West Buford, burned 1,215 acres, at 40% containment (February 4th)

Report with video (also embedded below) from KJRH in Tulsa Oklahoma (February 3rd)

Direct link to video from KJRH in Tulsa OK

Some large wildfire activity in Texas and Oklahoma (Jan 25th - Feb 1st)

After writing about last weeks critical fire weather in Oklahoma on January 29th and the extreme drought in the southern Great Plains on January 31st, I want to spend a little time today writing about wildfire activity in the Oklahoma and Texas areas of the Southern Great Plains.  I will first write about some of the sources that I used before getting to the meat of this article, larger wildfires in the Oklahoma and Texas areas of the Southern Great Plains. The information presented here represents a work in progress, I hope to have more to follow as information becomes available.

There are a couple of sources that I went to in preparing this article. First is the Southern Area Coordination Center (SACC)   I look at three products, two of the products are the Morning Report  and the Detailed Situation Report from the Southern Area Coordination’s Center Predictive Services Page, click on Southern Area Products. These reports are updated daily during fire season, you are likely to see different reports from those that I reference in this article (reports dated February 2, 2018). The third SACC product that I used is their Southern Area Incident Map (updated daily by 9AM during the week. found under Southern Area Products). The map in combination with the information in the daily Morning Reports and the Detailed Situation Report are very helpful to me because it allows me easily locate a specific fire. Unfortunately, I can not link to any of these products for you. I mention them because I used them in preparing this article and I thought that you might find these products useful.

I also like to look at State Agencies Wildfire Data. Starting with Texas, I went to the Texas A & M Forestry Services Wildland Fire Division. You will afind the Texas A & M Current Wildfire Situation page useful with  a link to a nice interactive map of current wildfires in TX  (not the listing  of wildfires on the right side of the map wildfires. The Oklahoma Forestry Services has a nice fire news blog with daily entries summarizing wildfire activity that may be found here.

A note, when looking at data from the Oklahoma and Texas State Fire Agencies, I found that there some wildfires that I found on the SACC reports (e.g. the Windmill Fire below) that do not seem to be listed in the data from the State Agencies. Perhaps one explanation is what agency (State or Federal) is taking the lead of fighting the wildfire. I believe but am not certain that the Windmill Fire is a Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire.

I wanted to be able show you a map of some of the recent wildfires in the Oklahoma and Texas areas of the Southern Great Plains to give you an idea of wildfires that have burned over the last several days. So I went to the USFS Active Fire Mapping Program. You will see the map of Current Large Incidents when you access this page. If you go to Fire Data in Google Earth, you can download the current Large Incidents kmz file for Google Earth. I created the following map of large incidents for you. You will note that I have included fires in southern and central Texas as well as fires for Oklahoma. Recall that January 30th and 31st were critical fire weather days in portions of Oklahoma, Texas and adjoining areas. This map does not include the numerous smaller wildfires that have burned in the last several days in both States that are mostly contained.

Take a moment to look at the map. I am listing basic information on each wildfire for you (date started, acreage burned, and containment. Any errors in the listing below are mine. The information is taken from the SACC reports cited above and is current as of February 2, 2018.

Oklahoma

• Windmill: date first reported - January 30th; 3,380 acres; 65% containment
• East Side 2: date first reported - January 25th, 757 acres, 50% containment (February 1st)
• Duncan Hollow: date first reported - January31st, 288 acres, 100% containment
• 2073 Command: date first reported - January 30th, 320 acres, 90% containment
• Rogue Dozer: date first reported - January 30th, 425 acres, 95% containment
• Meachum: date first reported - unknown, 348 acres, containment unknown
• Barick: date first reported - Unknown, 637 acres, containment unknown
• Stidham Creek: date first reported - January 31st, 627 acres, 60% containment
• East 8 Mile: date first reported - January 31st, 100 acres, 20% containment

Texas

• 62 (Motley County): date first reported - January 25th; 5,042 acres; 95% containment
• Turkey Creek: date first reported - unknown, 313 acres, containment unknown
• Ledgerock: date first reported - January 30th, 500 acres, 100% containment
• Split Trough 2: date first reported - January 31st; 1,000 acres, 95% containment
• Nursery Road: date first reported - January 29th, 800 acres, 95% containment

Extreme drought in portions of Southern Great Plains - OK and TX

Here is a map of the January 31 2018 Fire Weather Outlook from the NWS Storm Prediction Center (Fire Weather). In creating this map from Google Earth for you, I downloaded a kmz file from the NWS Storm Prediction Center that I then imported into Google Earth to create this image. Note the elevated and critical fire weather for January 31st in portions of the Southern Great Plains including portions of Texas and Oklahoma. According to my friends at the National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma Weather Forecast Office, the fire weather forecast for the next five days (February 1 to 5, 2018) are for low fire weather concerns with the passage of a cold front. See the NWS Norman OK Facebook post of earlier today (January 31st) for more information.

The other day I wrote that the Oklahoma late winter 2018 wildfire season is underway. When I wrote that post I knew from my correspondence with my friend at the National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma Weather Forecast Office that portions of the Southern Great Plains, e.g. western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas, had not seen any rain in 100 plus days. Further there is this post from January 26th from the Facebook page of the National Weather Service Amarillo Texas Weather Forecast reporting that the precipitation measurements from the official observation site of the Amarillo WFO shows no measurable precipitation for 105 days.

Knowing that dry conditions contribute to wildfire danger, I wanted something more specific to give you on the dry conditions in portions of Oklahoma, Texas, and environs. Yesterday (January 30th)  I sent my friend at the NWS Norman OK WFO an e-mail asking for more information about the dry conditions in his forecast area. He did not disappoint, he put together this map on January 30th that he wants me to share with you. In describing the map, he said "this is the past 90 days, percent of normal precipitation, horrible." He went on to say "yes, some locales in western Oklahoma are 100+ days since last rainfall." The map below covers the forecast areas of the NWS Amarillo TX and Norman OK WFO and then some. Note that the areas in the map below that are colored grey have had no rainfall in the last 90 days.

Map dated January 30, 2018, past 90 day percent of normal precipitation, courtesy of NWS Norman OK WFO

I just had a chance to talk to my friends at the NWS Amarillo TX WFO this afternoon (January 31st), they are now up to 110 days with no measurable precipitation at their observation site (NWS Amarillo TX WFO) and they are well beyond the previous record set in 1957 of 75 days with no measurable precipitation. We talked a little more about the dry conditions in the Amarillo TX WFO forecast area. My friend said that "this extreme dry weather raises concerns of a potential active and devastating wildfire season." My friend at the NWS Norman WFO shares these concerns, saying that this may well be an active and prolonged wildfire season.

And here is the latest drought monitor map (dated January 23rd) from the United States Drought Monitor. Note the areas in red, "extreme drought," in the panhandle of Texas and western Oklahoma.

As I get more information on the wildfire season in the Southern Great Plains, including but not necessarily limited to Oklahoma and Texas, I'll share more here.

Note: The NWS Amarillo Texas WFO forecast area adjoins the NWS Norman OK WFO.

Oklahoma late winter 2018 fire season underway

Last year I got interested in a Wildfire Detection Notification App (WFDN) that was first developed and used by the staff of the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Norman Oklahoma Weather Forecast (WFO) in the spring of 2016 . The Norman OK WFO continued to use the WFDN in the spring 2017 (link to July 3 2017 article) which is making a big difference. I remain interested in wildfire activity in OK and knowing that Oklahoma and environs may soon be entering wildfire season I have been trying to pay attention to what is going on wildfire wise in that part of the United States.

I noticed late last week when looking at the NWS main website that portions of Oklahoma and environs were under red flag warnings. I was tied up in other matters, so did not have a chance to check into this further until today. One of the first things that I did was to check out the WFO Norman OK Facebook page. Like many WFO’s Norman OK posts forecast updates as well as alerting their residents of fire danger and other significant weather events. I found their post warning the public about a red flag warning on January 25th and another post today (January 29th) alerting people in their forecast area of elevated fire danger for Tuesday, January 30th. Current fire danger information from the Norman OK WFO may also be found on the WFO Norman OK fire weather page

I then went to the NWS fire weather page (out of the NWS Storm Prediction Center) where I noted that elevated and critical fire danger for January 30th in portions of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado. I downloaded a kmz file that I loaded into Google Earth to get the following image to share with you.

There has been wildfire activity in and around Oklahoma, but to the best of my knowledge, the wildfires are not (yet) severe. The WFDNA continues to be used in the Norman OK forecast area. 

The Oklahoma Forestry Service has a nice Fire News Blog with updates about wildfire activity, it may be found here.

Here are a couple of media reports that I found about the early wildfire season in Oklahoma:

News9 January 19th report and video on grass fire in the Oklahoma City area 

News9 January 21st report and video on two large grass fires near Calumet 

News9 January 27th report and video on two grass fires near Clinton 

Pawhuska Journal-Capital January 26th report on recent wildfire activity and burn bans 

I will be doing my best to try to keep informed, as I can, about wildfire activity in Oklahoma and environs and will report back here. 

Next up on January 31, 2018: extreme drought in portions of the Southern Great Plains -- OK and TX

Stay safe!

2017 fire season: Alaska

I came across this video sometime in the last couple of weeks, perhaps from my friends at B10 NJ Wildland Fire Video of the Week page. I then came across the video again while on Youtube earlier this weeks perusing other wildfire related videos. I believe that the video, a 2017 fire season highlight video created by Micah Booze, shows an Alaska wildland firefighting crew.

Note the female pilot in the helicopter. Nice footage of helicopter operations including some shots from inside the helicopter. I enjoy all fire season videos by crews. I especially enjoyed this video for the great shots of aircraft working wildfires and the footage in a part of the country that I have not been to. Along with a shot of a little critter scurrying along the ground.

Allow about five minutes to watch the video.


Direct link to video by SmokeyLens by Booze on Youtube

2017 fire season: Bear Mountain & Black Hat Handcrews

Based in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Bear Mountain and Black Hat Handcrews are type 2 initial attack handcrews. Both crews are available for out of state deployments to wildland fire incidents, When they are not assigned to wildland fires, they spend time on hazard fuel reductions on public and private lands in the Black Hills.  To read more about these handcrews, see this page from South Dakota Wildland Fire

Enjoy this video highlighting their 2017 fire season from SD Wildland Fire on the SD Wildland Fire Youtube page


Direct link to video from SD Wildland Fire

2017 fire season: Vista Grande Hotshots

Enjoy this video highlighting the Vista Grande's Interagency Hotshot Crew's 2017 fire season. the Vista Grande Hotshots are out of Idyllwild California.

In memory of Brent Witham of the Vista Grande IHC, 29 years old, who died on the Lolo Peak Fire in Montana after being struck by a falling tree on August 2, 2017. May you rest in peace. My condolences and prayers are with his family, friends, and the Vista Grande Hotshots as you mourn his loss.


Direct link to video from Kris Massie

2017 fire season: Midewin Hotshots

Today I am sharing a video highlighting the Midewin Hotshot's 2017 fire season. The Midewin Hotshots are the only Interagency Hotshot crew in the eastern region (region 9). Their home base is the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois. You may also find the Midewin Hotshots on Facebook. Finally  they also have an unofficial webpage that may be found here that is chock full of all kinds of goodies including links to fire season videos from prior fire season and seasonal accomplishment reports, see for example the report on their 2017 fire season. If you take the time to read their 2017 fire season accomplishment report you will find information about the Midewin crew and length of service; training; deployment to prescribed fires, wildfires, and other deployments among other information.

According to their 2017 Accomplishment Report, the Midewin Hotshots worked that they worked wildfires in the following areas:
Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri,
Big Cypress National Park, Florida,
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
Winnemucca District, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada
Wasatch-Unita National Forest, Utah
Boise District, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho
Miles City District, Bureau of Land Management, Montana
Montana DNRC, Helena Montana
Lolo National Forest, Montana
Beaverhead/Deerlodge National Forest, Montana

Their season started in February and ended in early September 2017.

Enjoy this video that includes some footage of tankers and helos. It is a little under nine minutes long.


Direct link to video

2017 fire season: Vale Hotshots

Continuing with crew videos of the 2017 fire season, here is a video with highlights of the Vale Hotshots 2017 fire season. From Steven Baker.


Direct link to video by Steven Baker

Western Australia Bushfire - ground crews initial attack (Dec 2016)

On this holiday for some in the United States, enjoy this video published in December 2016. As you know it is summer in Australia, the height of their bushfire season. The video was recorded by Junky DIY Guy in Western Australia of a bush fire. You will see how quickly the firefighters put out the fire.


Direct link to video by Junky DIY Guy on Youtube

Helos from Camp Pendleton (2014): San Diego County CA

Enjoy this video of helicopters from Camp Pendleton in southern California working a 2014 wildfire in San Diego County, California. This is for you Matt, may you rest in peace and continue to fly in favorable tail winds.


Direct link to video

Mud slides in area burned by Thomas Fire

Mudslides over night on January 8th-9th 2018 in Montecito area of California. The mudslides, at least in some areas, can be attributed to the Thomas Fire (281,893 acres burned at 92% containment). Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today covered the mudslides in a January 9th article.

Here are a couple of Youtube videos, one from ABC News published on January 9th and a second from CBS Los Angeles published on January 10th.

God speed to all affected . . .


Direct link to video (Jan 9th ABC evening news)


Direct link to video (Jan 10th)

MAFFS 4 (2013) drop run from take-off to landing

Enjoy this video of MAFFS 4 from the 146th Air Wing of the Air National Guard (Port Hueneme, California). In this video, shot by Col. Bryan Allen, MAFFS 4 is working the 2013 Springs Fire near Newbury Park, CA. Col. Allen takes us along on a drop run from take-off to landing with radio transmissions.

You will hear the crew talking to each us during the flight as well as other radio transmissions relating to the drop run. Among the highlights of the video are the crew going through various check lists, setting up a show-me run where the lead plane shows them the location of the planned drop with smoke, the drop run itself, and the flight back to base. You will hear vocal alerts from the C-130: altitude, landing gear, and terrain warnings. I think but am not sure that the crew had the landing gear down during the drop run. Remember that the MAFFS and other tankers fly at a low altitude when making their drops, hence the altitude and terrain warnings.

Allow just over 15 minutes to watch the video.



Direct link to Col. Allen's video on Youtube

Colorado National Guard Black Hawk Helicopters - Bucket Work (2013)

Enjoy this video of a Colorado National Guard Black Hawk Helicopter working the Black Forest Fire in Colorado Springs in June 2013. Video by Capt. Darin Overstreet, Joint Force Headquarters. Allow a little over five minutes to watch the video.


Direct link to video

Dozers working the 2016 Pinnacle Fire

I wanted to find some more videos of dozers working wildfires to show. The two videos that I will share here are footage from the November 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire that burned over 10,000 acres.  I believe but am not certain that the Pinnacle  Mountain Fire burned in South Carolina, I think. But because I am not sure I won't post any more information on that fire. My point in sharing the videos is to show some footage of dozers. The location could be anywhere. Revised on December 19, 2018L the nine minute video that I had originally embedded is no longer available, but the direct link to the four minute video, below is still available.

Direct link to video from Honey Coop, showing wildland fire crews working the fire along with a dozer (under 4 minutes). There is no embed available, but I hope you go to the link and take the time to watch the video.

2017 Fire Season: Lone Peak Hotshots

Happy New Year!

Enjoy this video of the Lone Peak Hotshots based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The video shows highlights of their 2017 fire season, published by Utah Wildfire.


Direct link to Youtube video from Utah Wildfire

2017 Fire Season Video: Mill Creek Engine 34

Among the many different types of wildland firefighting crews that work wildfires are engine crew. Here is a nice video from Demetreus Gonzales highlighting the 2017 of Mill Creek Engine 34. While the total run time of the video is over 10 minutes, I think that the video stops at about  the 7 minute 21 second mark. I am not quite certain where Mill Creek is, perhaps in California?

Direct link to video from Demetreus Gonzales

Thomas Fire - Footage from Dec. 18th

If you are wondering what fighting the Thomas Fire was like from the point of view of the boots on the ground, then you will want this four and a half minute video shot by the Daisy Mountain Fire Department on December 18th. As I write this on December 28th, according to the December 26th update from CAL FIRE, the Thomas Fire has burned 281,620 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in California, and is at 88 percent containment. There have been 1,063 structures destroyed, 280 structures have some damage, and structures remain threatened. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today most recent post on the Thomas fire was on December 24th.

For all the boots on the ground and as well as air tankers and helicopters providing aerial support, stay safe. Thank-you for all you have and will continue to do.


Direct link to video from Daisy Mountain Fire Department

Happy and Safe Holidays - The Shepard

I wish all who a happy and safe holiday season on this Christmas Day. I'd like to take a moment to pause and thank all the wildland firefighters who are working today, including but not limited to those of you working the Thomas Fire (281,620 acres; 86% contained) in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties California.

I first learned of The Shepard by Frederick Forsyth from a good friend eight years ago. The CBC has a broadcast of the Shepard, read by Alan Maitland that I understand is rebroadcast every year on Christmas Eve on some Candadian Broadcast System radio stations. Fortunately, the broadcast is available on You Tube so I can continue to share The Shepard with you today.

Direct link to video on You Tube

Dozer working wildfire

When you consider the ground crews that work wildfires, let us not forgot that ground crews are not only boots on the ground, but also dozers and other vehicles. I am always on the look out for good videos showing dozers working a wildfire. I became aware of this video thanks to the my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page "Video of the Week" posted on December 15, 2017.

You will see both the dozer, and some ground crews on the fire line. Great shots of the dozer working this section of wildfire near some homes. The video that I originally embedded here is no longer available on Youtube, that happens sometimes. So, I found these two videos of dozers working wildfires to share in its place

Direct link to video on Youtube


Direct link to video on Youtube

MAFFS6 dropping on Thomas Fire (December 8th)

Here are two videos of MAFFs 6 of the 146th Air Wing of the  Air National Guard (Port Hueneme, California) dropping on the Thomas Fire (Ventura County, California). Both videos are filmed by Col Bryan Allen. Allow about 14 minutes to watch both videos. According to the information provided by Col Allen, "The location of this drop area is Northwest of the City of Fillmore, Northeast of Ventura, on the larger mountain above Fillmore/Santa Paula"

Thank-you 146th Air Wing!


Direct link to video on Youtube


Direct link to video on Youtube

Thanks to US Navy "Black Jacks" HSC Sea Hawks for helping with San Diego County Wildfires

It was not only the Marines who sent helicopters to help out with the recent wildfires that burned in San Diego County, California. At least one Sea Hawk Helicopter from the "Black Jacks" of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 based in San Diego.

In this video, just under nine minutes, you will see an MH-60s Sea Hawk Helicopter assigned to the "Black Jacks" working the wildfire. I like the video because I get to see the crew loading the helicopter, attaching the bucket, dipping, and then dropping. There is also some nice footage shot from behind the two pilots looking out front as they lift off.

Thank-you "Black Jacks"

RIP Cory Iverson

Cory Iverson, A CAL FIRE firefighter, died on December 14th fighting the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County, CA. Thoughts and prayers for his wife who is pregnant with their second child and their young daughter; his friends and CAL FIRE colleagues, and all who love him



Direct link to video report on Youtube from CBS Los Angeles

Thanks to the Marines for helping with the Lilac Fire (San Diego County, CA)

I knew from media reports that the Marines from Camp Pendleton, CA helped with the Lilac Fire that burned 4,100 acres (95 percent containment) in San Diego County, CA. I went looking for some videos to share with you from DVIDS, Defense Video Imagery Distribution Systems. I was in luck because I was quickly directed to a page devoted to Marine Corps Support to California Fire.

The three short videos that I am embedding below feature the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA 267), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. They supplied two UH-1Y Venom with 320 gallon buckets. All the videos are dated December 8, 2017.

Thank-you Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA 267)!!

In the first video you will hear how the Marines were helping CAL FIRE, video by Lance Cpl. Dylan Chagnon.


Direct link to video with description of video

This short video shows some images of the two UH-1Y Venom along with images shot over the fire, video by Sgt. David Bickel


Direct link to video with description of video


Finally, this last video shows one of the UH-1Y Venom's dipping, video by Cpl. Sarah Ralph.


Direct link to video with description of video

Thomas Fire (Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties, CA) grew over the weekend

Direct link to video from CBS San Fran Cisco Bay Area

While the Lilac Fire (San Diego County CA) is now at 80 percent containment having burned 4,100 acres the Thomas Fire, now in its eighth day, in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties California has grown over the weekend to 230,500 acres (15 percent containment).



Smoke images posted about 2 PM PDT on December 12th


Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today on the Thomas Fire: December 10th update and photos of east side.

Media reports
Washington Post (Dec 10th) nice article with photos and videos
Washington Post on Santa Ana Winds with graphics (great information with great graphics)
CNN (Dec. 11th) with a photo gallery
CBS2 Los Angeles photo gallery
Los Angeles Daily News article, discussion on containment

Southern California Wildfires - Lilac Fire (San Diego County) December 2017

Update, December 9, 2017 7:30 AM EST

According to the CAL FIRE Lalic Fire Incident Page, last updated at 9:38 PM PDT the Lilac Fire remains at 4,100 acres burned and as at 15 percent containment. Depending on when you access this post, what you see on the CAL Fire Incident Page for the Lilac Fire may be different.

Update, December 8, 2017 7:30 PM EST

The Lilac Fire remains at 4,100 acres burned and zero containment per the CAL FIRE Lalic Fire Incident Page; as I write this there have been no updates on acreage burned or containment since this morning. The good news is that winds in the San Diego County and the Lilac Fire area were not as bad today. I believe that some air tankers and helicopters made some drops on the Lilac Fire, but I have no confirmation of that.  A smaller fire, known as the Sweetwater Fire has burned approximately eight acres near Alpine in the southern part of San Diego County in the Cleveland National Forest.

The bad news is that the Santa Ana winds will pick up in intensity over the weekend, especially Saturday night into Sunday. Hopefully diminishing early next week. Here is a video report from the NWS San Diego dated December 8, 2017.

Direct Link to Video from NWS San Diego

In my wonderings today, I found another nice interactive map, this one from ABC10 San Diego. You may click on icons in the map for more information - videos, pictures, evacuation centers, etc. The direct link to the ABC10 report and video may be found here.




December 8th, 11:20 AM EST

I have loved ones in and around San Diego County, they are ok! So, I am going to focus on the Lilac Fire that was first reported on December 7th about 11:30 AM near Bonsall, California (San Diego County). As I write this about 11 AM EST), the fire has burned 4,100 acres and is burning out of control. At least 65 structures have been destroyed, and evacuations remain in place, and there are road closures in the area. There have been four civilian injuries, burns and smoke inhalation. For more current information about the fire you might want to check out the twitter feed of the CAL FIRE San Diego Unit or the CAL FIRE San Diego/San Diego Fire Authority Facebook page.

The Lilac Fire as well as other wildfires burning in Southern California have been driving by Santa Ana Winds. Red Flag Warnings are in place for much of Southern California through Sunday evening. The graphic that I am embedding below is from the NWS San Diego, posted about 7:40 AM PST. As you can see, Santa Ana Winds are forecast to continue through Sunday, December 10th.



I found the map of the area burned by the Lilac Fire that I am embedding below from a December 8th report by NBC San Diego. I accessed the map at about 8:10 AM PST on December 8th. Go here to view a larger map and be sure to check the box saying evacuations to see more detail on the areas that were under voluntary or mandatory evacuations at the time the map was published.



If you are interesting in current news of the Lilac Fire you might want to check out NBC San Diego, or CBS8 San Diego.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote about the Lilac Fire on December 7th and again on December 8th.

Some current media reports as of 11 AM EDT.

• CBS8 report (December 8th) with live stream
• December 8th report by NBC San Diego
• Photo Gallery from San Diego Tribune

Southern California Wildfires - December 2017

Like many of you, I have been following the news of yet another round of Santa-Ana wind driven wildfires over the last 36 hours, this time in southern California. The largest of these, and the one I first heard about yesterday morning is the Thomas Fire in Ventura County California. As I write this the Thomas Fire has burned 65,000 acres, is not contained, 12,000 structures are threatened, and evacuations are in place.

Video from NBC Los Angeles' News Helicopter over wildfires (December 5th) compared to before the wildfires


direct link to video from NBC 4 in Los Angeles

Short aerial footage from Guardian News

Direct link to video on Youtube from Guardian News

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been covering these southern California wildfires, both on Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation:

• Skirball Fire closes I405 in Los Angeles
• Thomas Fire burns to ocean
• Southern California wildfires from space
• California temporarily reconstitutes aerial fleets
• MAFFS and 747 tanker activated

A sampling of media reports:

• Washington Post - photo essay (December 6th, limited free views)
• New York Times - photo essay (December 6th, limited free views)
• KSBY - central California Air Attack assisting in southern California wildfires
• NBC Bay Area - Bay area crews assisting in southern California wildfires
• NBC 4 Los Angeles - Wind driven wildfires
• NBC 4 Los Angeles - Traffic woes, evacuations, etc. (video, photos, and map)

Prescribed Burns in New Jersey (late Nov-Early Dec 2017)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service did some prescribed burns in late November extending into December 3rd, 2017. The facebook post below from the New Jersey Forests was posted on November 28, 2017.



And here are some images from NJ Forest Fire Service Section A3 showing some prescribed burns in their district in northern New Jersey. Not the prescribed burn sign in the first set of images after the short video. I have seen these road signs if I was out and about near a prescribed burn.

Evergreen's B-17 (N207EV) sold to Collings Foundation

After I shared the video on historic B-17 air tankers in Alaska (1960-75) on November 27th I wanted to find a video to share of a B-17 starting her engines and taking off, preferably one that had seen service as an air tanker.

I lucked out, and the video that I am embedding below cropped up on Youtube in the up next area as I was viewing Evergreen B-17 N207EV, 44-83785 starting her engines at a 1995 Warbirds show in Fresno CA. The video is just over two minutes.


Direct link to video

The video in question is titled "Saying goodbye to Evergreen's B-17 with a start up and take off" (published on August 5, 2017). It is just over 17 minutes long. I admit that I hesitated to share this with you because of the length of the video. But when I saw the description (go to the direct link where you will see this description. I was hooked.

For years this gentle giant has sat inside of Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Now owned by the Collings Foundation, they flew the bird out of KMMV one last time as we all said good bye to the old gal. She will be missed by us here at Evergreen.

 I started to watch the video and felt the love that everyone at Evergreen had for a B-17. So I watched the video honoring this beloved B-17 as she took off for her new home at the Collings Foundation. This video shows that you can love an airplane. Note the cars parked along the road as people came to watch her take off from KMMV and Evergreen Aviation for the last time.


Direct link to video uploaded by planesguy

The Collings Foundation will spend the next year restoring her. Perhaps she will join their Wings of Freedom Tour in the future? Will she spend part of the year at their American Heritage Museum when it is completed? Depending on when you arrive at the American Heritage Museum page, you may see their Capital Fundraising campaign appeal. I am not soliciting funds for them, but I wish them well as the raise the necessary funds for this museum. I can't wait to go.



For more information on NJ207V, 44-83785 the Warbirds Registry has a nice information page that does not reflect her transfer to Collings Foundation ownership. This B-17 saw many years of service as an air tanker first by Intermountain Aviation (1969 to 1975), and then by Evergreen Helicopters (1975 -1992).

I am certain that N207EV will be loved in her new home. Many outside of the Collings Foundation will love her and see her up close and personal whether or not  she goes on the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour after her restoration is complete.