2023 Canadian Wildfire Season: Yellowknife NWT Evacuees Returning Home

A couple of recent conversations with friends about the devastating wildfire season in Canada inspired me to find out what is happening in Canada as progress has been made on some wildfires and other wildfires are still burning. I knew from media outlets and from Wildfire Today's excellent coverage that the entire city of Yellowknife (see for example this August 17th article from NBS News), Northwest Territories in Canada was evacuated in mid-August 2023 (on or about August 17th and 18th), see this August 17th article from Kelly Andersson of Wildfire Today A shout out to Mike Archer of Wildfire News of the Day who covered the Canadian Wildfires and the Yellowknife evacuation in his newsletters.

I was wondering what happened in Yellowknife so I went to CBC News on Youtube where I looked through their videos until I found a September 6th 15 minute video report on Yellowknife residents returning home, evacuation in reverse. But first I went to the City of Yellowknife NWT to learn about returning home. The video shares most of this information in a little more detail than I will go into here, but I learned some basics of the timeline. Here is a screenshot I got from the Yellowknife Welcome Home Page dated September 2, 2023:

Obtained on September 18, 2023 from https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/living-here/the-road-to-re-entry.aspx#Road-to-Home-Yellowknifes-Planned-Re-entry-Information-September-2-2023

You will see that after it was determined that Yellowknife was safe from wildfire and they checked for damage and identified critical services that essential personnel for critical services were allowed to return on August 29th. On September 4th and 5th basic services began to put back in place. On September 6th, the general public, those not in need of critical services (watch the video) and see this September 4th article from NNSL media.

As I understand it took some time for the general public of Yellowknife to return as there is only one road in, people were encouraged to bring 3 days worth of food and shelters were set up along the way. Because it will take some time for critical workers and services to restored, it could be as long as a month (early October?) before Yellowknife residents needing critical services are allowed back. 

Some basic services such as the library, transit services, some recreational facilities, solid waste pick-up and city hall were up and running on or about September 11th. See this September 7th media advisory from Yellowknife for more information (note I am not certain how long this link will remain active).

I am embedding the September 6th video from the CBC featuring Andrew Chang, allow just over 15 minutes to watch the entire video. You will get a feeling for what returning to Yellowknife entailed as well as a review of the August 17th and 18th evacuations.

Finally, I am not embedding this video, but here is another 15 minute from the CBC about the general public returning to Yellowknife.

Friday Fun: From 43 Grupo of Scoopers Working Wildfires in 2012

 I don't know about you, but I am in the mood for some Friday Fun after a busy week. This week, I am sharing an oldie but a goodie from 43 Grupo (2012), showing CL 415 Super Scoopers working wildfires in Europe with some shots inside the cockpit, footage from cameras on the Scooper and aerial footage. Enjoy.

43 Grupo from Hidros on Vimeo.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: No Threat by Tree Struck by Lightning

 Over the years that I have been writing this blog, I have learned of the possible dangers caused by a tree being struck my lightning. Sometimes a tree strike can lead to a small or large wildfire. There are also the times when the responders respond quickly to the tree strike and if the tree poses no danger will wait and monitor until such a time that the fire caused by the tree strike can be safely contained and put out. 

I also know that there are many small wildfires, some of which are too small to make it into any database. In New Jersey, I believe but am not certain that any fire that is under five acres does not make it into the NJ Forest Fire Service database. Whether or not one calls such small fire a brush fire or something else, I do not know. But the point is that such a very small "brush" fires do happen and are contained and put out before they grow into something larger. Such a "brush" fire happened on or about September 8th. A tree in Green Township in northern New Jersey was struck by lightning, because the Green Township Fire Department determined that the tree was not a threat to to homes, roads, and  power lines they let the tree burn until the tree top fell to the ground. At this time, New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews had been alerted and were ready to put out the fire as soon as the tree top fell to the ground, water was supplied by GreenTownship.

Always Remember September 11, 2001

I will always remember the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the crash of United Flight 93.

The video that I am embedding plays on repeat in the 9/11 museum at Prosper Fire Rescue, I believe but am not sure that Prosper Fire and Rescue is located in Texas. They have a mobile memorial that travels around to schools and events. While I live just outside the New York City metropolitan area and recall all too well the effects of these attacks on the people of the NYC metropolitan area, the attacks affected all of us in the United States as well as affecting many outside the United States. I don't know about you but I found the fact that the Prosper Fire Rescue has this video on a loop at their 9/11 museum is a poignant reminder that these attacks affected the entire United States.

Please be advised that the video contains videos taken at the time of the attacks and words of a woman on one of the planes and may be difficult to watch. 

As a long-time New Jersey resident I want to share with you a September 2021 article from NJ Advance Media in a very poignant article called Never Forget: When Memories of 9/11 Fade Away, Dozens of New Jersey Memorials Will Remind the Next Generations of How We Felt and What We Lost.

Three Memorials

• World Trade Center Memorial
• The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
• United Flight 93 (Shanksville PA) Memorial

Please join me in pausing to remember those who died that day and all those who worked on the site in the days following the attacks, some of whom suffered severe health consequences and died later

 

Direct link to video from Little Buddy Productions on YouTube.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire Still Burning Underground

The Dragway Wildfire in Wharton State Forest in New Jersey burned 1,700 acres, see my August 22nd post. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) issued a Smoke Advisory for Burlington and Camden Counties in New Jersey due to smoke conditions because the Dragway Wildfire is burning into the duff layer underground. NJ Forest Fire Service crews are on site to monitor hotspots and maintain containment lines, etc. Thanks to the NJFFS crews for your work on this and other wildfires, your efforts help to keep us safe. 

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Plane Crash Caused the Airpark Wildfire

It has been determined that the crash of single-engine plane near Miller Airpark in Ocean County, New Jersey caused the Airpark Wildfire.

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Creek Fire Fresno and Madera Counties (Sept 2020) Three Years Later

I was inspired to write about the still ongoing recovery from the September 2020 Creek Fire after reading Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day Newsletter on September 5th. He shared a September 4th report from ABC30 Action News. According to CAL FIRE's incident report on the Creek Fire, the fire burned 379,895 acres, destroying 856 structures, damaging 71 structures with 26 confirmed injuries. Bill Gabbert wrote extensively about the Creek Fire in Wildfire Today, see for example his September 5th 2020 article. Bill's Creek Fire archives may be found here.

ABC30 Action News sat down with Shaver Lake Fire Chief Steve McQuillan, he started off by saying

"It's easy for me sometimes to forget the devastation because here in the immediate vicinity of Shaver, you look out our windows, and all you see is green. When we respond to a call at Huntington Lake, as soon as you get past Shaver Lake and start heading up into the high country, it's nothing but devastation. Any direction you look, trees gone, and really not much has grown back," explained McQuillan. "A lot of time has gone by since then. We have had to adjust our training a little bit in anticipation of what we might next experience. Of course, we are living on a knife's edge with the threat coming from the East. East of Shaver Lake, the fire did not get to, so we still have miles and miles and miles of green forest, which have still, unfortunately, a large number of dead trees as a result of bark beetle.

The Shaver Lake Volunteer Fire Department had eleven members at the time of the Creek Fire, only six were to respond to the fire. Three members lost their homes. I hope that you take a few moments to read the report from ABC30 Action News.

Communities impacted by large, destructive wildfires may take time to recover, the story of the ongoing recovery from the 2020 Creek Fire is but one story. There are many more stories I am not able to share here. My heart goes out to all who suffered the loss of their homes, businesses, and the loss of loved one.

Direct link to video on YouTube from ABC30 Action News

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Airpark Wildfire (September 4th)

September 4th, 9:45 PM

Thanks to the NJ Forest Fire Service and the local fire companies for working this fire on a holiday weekend. 

September 4th, 11:10 AM

As you can see, the NJ Forest Fire Service is making progress fighting the Airpark Wildfire. I just saw an updated article about the Airpark Wildfire on NJ Advance Media published on September 4th at 11:36 AM by Rob Jennings.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Airpark Wildfire (September 3rd)

September 3rd, 9:40 PM

The Airpark Wildfire is now at 600 acres and is at 50 percent containment. Twenty-five structures are still threatened and road closures remain in place. I have confirmed that there was indeed a fatal single engine plane crash near Miller Air Park in Lacey Township, Ocean County late Saturday night, September 3rd. The pilot was the sole occupant and did not survive the crash. It is unclear if the plane crash did indeed cause the wildfire, but the wildfire which was discovered a short time after the plane crash is very near where the plane crashed. The NTSB is investigating the plane crash and time will tell whether it is officially determined that the plane crash did indeed cause the Airpark Wildfire. More information on the Airpark Wildfire and the plane crash may be found at:

• NJ Advance Media updated at 9:26 PM
• 6ABC Philadelphia reported at 7:29 PM

My thoughts and prayers are with the deceased pilot and their family and friends, may they always fly in favorable tail winds.

September 3rd, 3:45 PM

I went online to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's Facebook page (NJFFS) very early this morning and noted that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was on the scene of a wildfire in near Miller Air Park in Lacey Township in Ocean County, New Jersey. I just went back to the NJFFS Facebook page to see if there were any updates. There is some speculation, perhaps not confirmed, that the crash of a small plane over night sparked this wildfire. At the time I am writing this post, I have no confirmation that the crash of a single engine plane caused this wildfire, and I will follow-up with any updates about the plane crash and the Airpark Wildfire when updates are available. In the meantime, the Airpark Wildfire has burned 325 acres, 25 structures are threatened and road closures are in effect. 

New Jersey Task Force 1 Search and Rescue Deployed to South Carolina

On Monday night, August 28th, New Jersey Task Force 1, one of 28 Federal Urban FEMA Search and Rescue Teams was deployed to South Carolina to assist in search and rescue efforts as Hurricane Idalia strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico. While they were staged in South Carolina awaiting for operational orders, they engaged in training and planning, see this NJ Advance Media article of August 30th and NBC4 New York (direct link to video embedded above) for more information. I understand that a couple of NJ Task Force 1 crews remain in New Jersey in case they are needed locally.

Recent  deployments of New Jersey Task Force 1 are: 

• July 2021, Miami Florida building collapse
• August 2021, Connecticut, Hurricane Henri
• August 2021, Gulf region, Hurricane Ida
• September 2022, Florida, Hurricane Ian
• December 2022, Buffalo New York, winter storm (under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact aka EMAC)

2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (August 29th)

There have been several deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists since August 25th. In the list of deployments, the first link in each deployment is to the US NWS IMET listing on Facebook and the second link is to InciWeb, or if there is no InciWeb information for the fire to another agency (if available).

IMET deployments on Friday, August 25th

• Ridge Creek Fire in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests near Hayden, Idaho. See the Ridge Creek Fire on InciWeb
• Valentine Fire in the Tonto National Forest near Young Arizona. See the Valentine Fire on InciWeb.
• An IMET Trainee was deployed to the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex in the Six Rivers National Forest near Hoopa, California. See the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex on InciWeb.
• Tiger Island Fire near DeRidder, Louisiana. See the August 29th update for the Tiger Island Fire (31,242 acres)  from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry No information on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Saturday, August 26th

• Bedrock Fire in the Williamette National Forest near Vida, Oregon. See the Bedrock Fire on InciWeb
• Camp Creek Fire in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Sandy, Oregon. See the Camp Creek Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Sunday, August 27th to the Tyee Ridge Complex near Sutherlin, Oregon. See the Tyee Ridge Complex on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Monday, August 28th to the  East Fork Fire in the Kootenai National Forest near Trego, Montana. See the East Fork Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Tuesday, August 29th

• Happy Camp Complex in the Klamath National Forest near Yreka, California. See the Happy Camp Complex on InciWeb
• Petes Lake Fire in the Willamette National Forest near Three Rivers, Oregon. No information available on InciWeb. See the August 29th Evening update from Central Oregon Fire Info
• South Fork Complex in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Hayfork, California. See the South Fork Complex on InciWeb.

IMETs save lives! Any errors in these listings are mine.

US Forest Service Awards New Airtanker Contract

I am sure that some of you already know that the US Forest Service awarded five companies a potential of a 10 year contract worth $7.2 billion, especially those of you who follow Fire Aviation as I do. Specifically. Kelly Andersson has written two articles about these contracts, the first was on August 14th announcing the five companies that got the awards, I'll get to that in a minute and a second article on August 17th  where he followed up with some questions that he and his readers had and the answers from  public affairs specialists that NIFC referred him to. I hope that you will read this coverage, especially the Q&A post on August 17th. I am going to summarize to the best of my ability.

Five companies were awarded contracts with a guaranteed minimum of $10,000 (not $10 million) over the ten years of the contract:

• 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC
• Aero Air, LLC
• Aero Flite Inc
• Coulson Aviation USA Inc
• Neptune Aviation

As I understand the $7.2 billion figure will give them flexibility in having the necessary number of airtankers in this year and subsequent years to meet the demand for airtankers. At the time that Kelly wrote the August 17th article the Forest Service had contracted with 25 airtankers, a number that is likely to change as time goes on. Finally, there is no limit to the number of airtankers that can be contracted for each year, the only limit is the total amount of the contract, $7.2 billion.

Kudos to Kelly Andersson of Fire Aviation for providing us with this information and for his efforts in contacting a public affairs specialist who answered his questions.

Friday Fun: Sixty-seven year old Turbine Otter Seaplane

 Just the thing for some Friday Aviation Fun. I was poking around YouTube for a fun aviation video and found this cool video of a beautiful De Havilland Canada Vazar Turbine Otter Seaplane from wcolby.

I am across the country from Seattle but I am loving this Otter Seaplane and wish that I could see her up close and personal. But that will have to wait. This Otter Seaplane is from Kenmore Air.

Direct link to video from wcolby on YouTube

Firefighting Helicopter near miss with a drone in Texas

Direct link to video from KBTX News on YouTube

This story from KBTX News illustrates the dangers in flying drones in fire zones. Last Friday a helicopter was flying a small fire in Caldwell County Texas when a drone came within several feet of colliding with the helicopter. The helicopter pilot had no way of knowing that the drone was near by. Please, no drones in fire zones. Thanks to Mike Archer from Wildfire News of the Day for pointing me to this article in his August 23 Wildfire News of the Day e-mail (go here for more information and to subscribe). 

Updated on August 25th: I only just saw a very good article by Kelly Anderson of Fire Aviation written on August 23rd titled 'PLEASE ground your drone, PLEASE'. He writes about the near miss of a drone and helicopter in Caldwell County Texas and about the importance of grounding drones over a wildfire.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire (Wharton State Forest) Aug 22nd update

August 22nd, 8:45 PM

The Dragway Wildfire has burned 1,700 acres and is at 95 percent containment. Jackson Road remains closed because of smoke impacts and weakened trees from the wildfire. NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) crews will remain on site to monitor containment lines and ensure safety to the public as long as necessary. Click on more to see the complete post from the NJFFS as well as some fire photos. Nice job NJFFS crews! 

August 22nd 4:40 PM

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

This update from the NJ Forest Fire Service (shared below) about progress made on fighting the Dragway Wildfire is current as about 4:40 on August 22nd. I believe that the last update was at about 11:30 AM on August 22nd.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire (Wharton State Forest) Aug 21st update

August 21st, 9:30 PM update

This just in. Scroll down for earlier updates from the NJ Forest Fire Service and a video from Fox 29 Philadelphia.

August 21st, 9 PM

As you can see from the NJFFS update below, the Dragway Wildfire has grown to 1,200 acres and is at 40% containment. Jackson Road continues to be closed and no structures are threatened. 

  

Here is an early evening report on August 21st on the Dragway Wildfire from Fox 29 in Philadelphia.

Direct link to video from Fox29 Philadelphia on YouTube

August 21st, 11:15 AM

Last night, August 20th, I posted about the Dragway Fire that is burning in the Wharton State Forest, go here to see that post. As I write this, according to the latest update (embedded below) from the NJ State Forest Fire Service, the Dragway Wildfire has burned 600 acres and is 10 percent contained. Jackson Road will be closed at 11:30 AM. With the additional acres burned, the Dragway Wildfire is now in Camden and Burlington Counties.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire, Wharton State Forest, Camden County

Thanks to my good friend at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 website for telling me about the Dragway Wildfire. The Dragway Wildfire was reported late on the afternoon of August 20th. At the time I write this post, the Dragway Wildfire has burned 100 acres and is not contained. No structures are threatened and there are no road closures. New Jersey Forest Fire crews are currently working to build containment lines. 

Update: August 20th, 10:21 PM

NOAA Incident Meteorologist Deployments as of mid-August 2023

As I write about the deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMET) to wildfires, and other missions as appropriate, I am always curious about the number of IMET deployments year to date. Every so often the US National Weather Service IMET (office) posts this information and I am always on the lookout for this information. As I was checking the US NWS IMET Facebook page late last night, I saw that they had made a post with this information on or about August 16th. I am embedding their post below. While they had 20 qualified IMETs and 2 trainees deployed at the time the IMET office posted on Facebook, I suspect that these numbers have changed, perhaps increasing? I saw this because at the time I write this I have noted several more deployments since they posted their year to date number for 2023. 

IMETs save lives!

New Jersey Forest Fire Service: Catfish Fire Tower

Back when my knees were in better shape I did a lot of day hiking in and near the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on sections of the Appalachian Trail as well as other trails. One of my favorite trails was the loop up to the Catfish Fire Tower is a moderate hike up the ridge via a loop trail, go here to access a trail map and description of the trails. The ridge is beautiful and I recommend the hike to the Catfish Fire Tower (aka Fire Lookout Towers) and beyond. While it has been years since I hiked that trail, I have clear memories of seeing the Fire Tower from the trail. It is awesome.

The Catfish Fire Tower is one of several Fire Towers operated by the NJ Forest Fire Service to detect wildfires. You can see from the NJFFS map of NJ Forest Fire Service Lookout Tower Locations that all three NJFFS Divisions are well represented by Fire Lookout Towers.

Obtained on August 16, 2023 from https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/docs/towerlocations.pdf

What NOAA Incident Meteorologists Do: A NOAA Photostory (Sept 2022)

 I check the NWS Incident Meteorologist Facebook page every day or so to see where IMETs are deployed and to get other news about IMETs. I am always interested in stories about what IMETs do so when I saw a reference to a September 2022 NOAA Photostory on what Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) do, I knew that I wanted to share the story with you. It is well worth checking out this photostory. You will see a couple of YouTube videos about IMETs in the photostory, one on protective gear and the second on using balloons for upper air weather observations. The photostory is divided into sections, each with a picture, you will learn about:

• Goal: keep firefighters safe
• Long days and nights (16 hour days
• Wildfire i
• Gearing up (protective gear)
• Clearing a path
• Communications is key
• Wildfires blaze across the West (late summer 2022)
• Wildfire impacts go beyond acres burned
• A team effort
• Eyes on the sky for firefighters on the ground
• Going forward

2023 Wildfire Season: Update on Maui Wildfires (August 11)

Direct link to video from The Washington Post on Youtube

I wrote about the wildfires in Maui on August 10th, and I continue to follow these fires. I found an update on the current status of the fires in Maui courtesy of the good reporting of CNN:

• current death toll is 55, numbers expected to climb when emergency workers go into burnt structures.
• Thousands of people are evacuated from their homes and businesses, including both residents and tourists.
• The historic town of Lhaina on Maui is "all gone" per the Maui County Mayor.
• The wildfire that devastated Lhaina is currently at 80 percent containment
• Power outages and disruptions in communications are continuing.

This just in (August 11th, 4:40 PM) On a slightly busier than normal afternoon I just checked in with Wildfire Today to see what they posted today. In today's post on WildfireToday, August 11th, 'Opinion: Maui fire shows that Hawaii paradise was a dream', Wildfire Today references an opinion piece by Naka Nathaniel, an opinion columnist for Honolulu Civil Beat, linking to an opinion piece he wrote on CNN. I found Nathaniel's piece very illuminating and I learned something, I hope that you take a few moments to read it.

I found an excellent video from Fox Weather (uploaded on or about August 10th) discussing the meteorological factors that contributed to the wildfires. There is also some footage of photos before and after the wildfire. 

Direct link to video from Fox Weather on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: Maui (Hawaii) Wildfires

 I first knew of the wildfires in Maui from coverage in both the New York Times and the Washington Post, both of which I subscribe to but their articles are behind a paywall and while I can get gift articles from both newspapers for free access. But the free access is good for only ten days so this is not appropriate for my blog. I did link to today's coverage from both the New York Times and the Washington Post, but am uncertain if you will be able to access the articles, but out of appreciation for the fine coverage of both newspapers, I have to try.

Fortunately, Wildfire Today has provided excellent coverage in an article they posted on August 9th (with videos and links to media reports) where they report on an untold number of businesses and residences being burned, the western portion of Maui being closed to traffic, power outages, and people jumping in the ocean to get away from the flames. You may want to check out the coverage from Wildfire Today. Among the media reports cited by Wildfire Today is coverage from CNN, I found an updated article in this morning's news feed from CNN, you may find it here (with a video and a map). 

The coverage I referenced earlier from the New York Times and the Washington Post reports that (at least) 36 people have died in the wildfires. 

Here is an earlier video report on August 9 from MLive with some very impressive fire footage. 

Direct link to video from MLive on YouTube

Here is some helicopter footage of the Maui Fires.

Direct link to video from 11Alive on YouTube

Flying a drone in a wildfire zone means firefighting aircraft are grounded

It has been awhile since I have written about the dangers of drones over wildfire zones. So, I am here to remind everyone that if you have a drone, please do not fly it over a wildfires of any size. If you fly your drone, all firefighting aircraft are grounded and it may be illegal. to do so. I want to thank my friend at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 for the inspiration to write about the danger of drones over wildfire zones. 

From the New Jersey Forest Fire Service

From the Forest Service - Interagency Fire Center

Direct link to video from the Forest Service - Interagency Fire Center on YouTube

Wildland Firefighter death on August 4th near Powers Oregon

 Over the weekend, I checked out WildfireToday where I first learned of the tragic death of 21 year old Benjamin Charles Sapper in a vehicle accident while he was on duty on August 4th near Powers, Oregon, Wildfire Today wrote about the loss of Benjamin in an August 6th post. He was traveling with his fire crew when the accident happened. Benjamin was from Boulder, Colorado and had recently graduated from college this year. He was a first-year wildland firefighter. Antonia Velez of 9News out of Denver,  Colorado wrote a nice article on August 6th about Benjamin (with video).

I offer my condolences and prayers for Benjamin's family friends, colleagues and all who loved Benjamin. May he rest in peace.

Three firefighters who died in mid-air crash in Carbazon CA identified

obtained from @CAL_FIRE (X, formerly known as Twitter on Aug 7 at 3 PM

Earlier this morning, I wrote about the mid-air collision of two helicopters early in the evening of August 6, 2023. You may find my earlier post here.

In a recent tweet on X (formerly Twitter), CAL FIRE released the names of the deceased, but you will probably need a Twitter account to see the tweet, CAL FIRE's tweet may be found here. Fortunately, I just saw an article  on CBS Los Angeles identifying the namse of the deceased:

• CAL Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof
• CAL Fire Fire Captain Tim Rodriquez
• Exclusive Use Helicopter Pilot Tony Sousa

I offer my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families, colleagues, CAL FIRE, friends, and all who loved the deceased. May you rest in peace and always fly in favorable winds.

Three firefighters dead in mid-air collision over Cabazon Fire in Riverside County, CA

I am very saddened to learn of the mid-air collision of two helicopters over the Cabazon Brush Fire in Riverside California early in the evening of August 6th. I learned of this mid-air collision from my friends at NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 who post wildfire videos each day. According to the KCAL News video report that I embedded, three occupants on board a contract Bell Helicopter that was reported to be doing observation over the fire died, names have not been released: CAL Fire Division Chief, CAL Fire Air Captain, and the pilot of the Bell. The other helicopter involved in the mid-air is a Sikorsky SkyCrane that may have been dropping water on the fire, the SkyCrane landed and the two occupants survived. A report from CBS News in Los Angeles (with the video I embedded) may be found here. In addition, you will want to check out Fire Aviation's coverage of the mid-air posted on August 7th.

I offer my prayers to the families, colleagues, friend, CAL Fire, and all who loved those who died in the crash, may they always fly in favorable winds. I also offer my prayers for the two occupants of the Sikorsky SkyCrane who survived the crash.

Direct link to video from KCAL News on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (August 4th)

There have been several deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists since July 31st. In the list of deployments, the first link in each deployment is to the US NWS IMET listing on Facebook and the second link is to InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Monday, July 31st

• Flat Fire in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest near Agness, Oregon. See the Flat Fire on InciWeb.
• Colt Fire in the the Lolo National Forest near Seeley Lake, Montana. See the Colt Fire on InciWeb.
• Eagle Bluff Fire near Oroville, Washington. See the Eagle Bluff Fire on InciWeb.
• Hayden Fire near Leadore, Idaho. See the Hayden Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Tuesday, August 1

• Big Knife Fire near Arlee, Montana. See the Big Knife Fire on InciWeb.
• Elkhorn Fire near Warren, Idaho. See the Elkhorn Fire on InciWeb.
• The York Fire is burning in the Las Vegas Nevada Mojave National Preserve, 47 miles NW of Needles, California. See the York Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Wednesday, August 2 to the Dry Lake Fire in the San Juan National Forest near Bayfild, Colorado. At the time I write this I could not find an InciWeb listing for this fire.

IMET deployments on Thursday, August 3

• An IMET trainee was deployed to the Dry Lake Fire in the San Juan National Forest near Bayfild, Colorado. At the time I write this I could not find an InciWeb listing for this fire.
• Big Knife Fire near Arlee, Montana. See the Big Knife Fire on InciWeb.

IMETs save lives! Any errors in these listings are mine.

2023 Wildfire Season: NJ Forest Fire Service Crew in New Mexico

I recently wrote that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) sent a 20-person type 2 initial attack crew to New Mexico to assist in fighting wildfires in New Mexico, see my July 28th post. By now the crew is in New Mexico working wildfires, I don't exactly know where, that does not matter. What matters is that this crew, from NJFFS Division A (northern New Jersey) is providing important service helping New Mexico during this part of their wildfire season. You honor New Jersey with their service, stay safe.

Fourth Wildland Firefighter Died in Canada

 On July 17th I wrote about two wildland firefighters who died in Canada. On July 21st I had the sad task of writing about a third wildland firefighter who died in Canada. Yesterday I learned of a fourth wildland firefighter who died in Canada. The 25-year old male firefighter from Ontario died in British Columbia when the truck he was driving overturned, see this June 29th article on Fire Aviation. In addition you may also want to see a July 31st article from Firehouse News. I learned of the Firehouse News article from Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day newsletter on July 31st. Thanks to Firehouse News and the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 for the video that I share below. I offer my prayers to the family, friends and all who loved these deceased wildland firefighters.

Direct link to video from CBC News on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: New Jersey Forest Fire Service Sent Crew to New Mexico

On July 3rd I wrote that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service sent two engines with five crew to southern California. I am not quite certain if the two engines are still in southern California. On or about July 24th the New Jersey Forest Fire Service deployed a 20-person type 2 initial attack hand crew to New Mexico. All crew members from the July 3rd and later deployments to southern California and the 20-person hand crew just deployed to New Mexico honor New Jersey with your service. You are taking time away from your families and life in New Jersey to help fight wildfires. Stay safe.

2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (July 26th)

Direct link to video from ABC15 Arizona on YouTube

I have been following the National Weather Incident Meteorologists on Facebook for a few years now. To the best of my knowledge you do not need a Facebook account to access their site (but you may be prompted for an account which you should be able to bypass by clicking the "X). During wildfire season they post deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) to wildfires for what is typically a two week deployment. The also post news of IMETs who have completed their IMET training, IMET retirements, and occasional posts about what IMETs do along. 

For the last few weeks, I have noted the deployments of IMETs to various wildfires, on their Facebook page but I think that I have missed some, happens.  I am not going even try to list them all. To give you a sampling of IMET deployments I will list deployments since Sunday, June 23rd. For each deployment the first link is to the NWS IMET Facbook post referencing the specific deployment. The second link is the wildfire on Inciweb. My notes are in italics.

• There was one Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployed on Sunday, July 23rd to the Grapevine Fire near Prescott Valley, Arizona, see the Grapevine Fire on Inciweb. 
• On Monday, July 24th, one IMET was deployed to the Golden Fire near Bonanza, Oregon. For more information see the Golden Fire on Inciweb.
• A second IMET was deployed on Monday July 24th, specifically one IMET Trainee was deployed to the Colt Fire in the Lolo National Forest near Seeley Lake Montana. For more information see the Colt Fire on Inciweb. Note, when an IMET Trainee is deployed to a fire there is already an IMET on the fire to provide the training.
• There was a third IMET deployed on Monday, July 24th, this IMET was deployed to the Bedrock Fire in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon. For more information see the Bedrock Fire on Inciweb.
• As I write this there was only one IMET deployed on Tuesday, July 25th. The IMET deployment was to the Diamond Fire in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. For more information see the Diamond Fire on Inciweb. Note as I write this there are two Diamond Fires on Inciweb, the one I linked to is the one in the Tonto National Forest

IMETS save lives! Any errors are in these listings are mine.

Hurricane Hunters: About a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight through Hurricane Ian

 I don't mind saying that I have a great deal of respect for the NOAA and the US Air Force crews that fly into hurricanes to gather important scientific data on hurricanes in order to provide the latest data to aid forcasters at the National Hurricane Center provide up to date forecasts. Because I have been thinking recently about the dangerous conditions facing crews of Hurricane Hunter aircraft I wanted to find a relevant to share with you. I found one, listen to NOAA Aerospace Engineer Nick Underwood's experience on a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying into Hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022. The video is courtesy of CNN whose reporter, Erin Burnett, interviewed Mr. Underwood.

Direct link to video from CNN on YouTube

A third wildland firefighter (flying a helicopter) died in Canada this week

In Canada's worse wildfire season in history, another firefighter died this week fighting wildfires. A 41 year helicopter died near Peace River Alberta while doing bucket work on a wildfire on Wednesday evening, July 19th. Rescue crews performed CPR to no avail, the pilot died at the scene. The pilot was the only occupant of the helicopter. This is the third death of a Canadian wildland firefighter this year, the third in about a week. A sad shot out to my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 who shared this video on their webpage this morning. May he fly in favorable tail winds, I offer my prayers to his family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him.

Added on July 31st, Fire Aviation published an article on this line of duty death on  July 21st, go here to read the article, identifying the deceased pilot as 41-year old Ryan Gould of Whitecourt, Alberta

Direct link to video from CityNews on YouTube

NJ Forest Fire Service Helps Clean-up after June 16th Landslides in Warren County NJ

Direct link to video from CBS NewYork on YouTube

Heavy rain in a section of Warren County NJ on Sunday afternoon June 16th resulted in a landslide on US Rte 46 along with road flooding and mudslides in nearby Belvidere, NJ. As I write a stretch of US Rte 46 in Warren County NJ remains closed. New Jersey Advance Media has been reporting on these landslides and floods in Warren County, NJ, see their July 18th article for more information specific to the landslides and mudslides. New Jersey Advance Media reported on homes in Belvidere NJ that are uninhabitable following the June 16th storm. I got information on the location of the road closures (both lanes) of US Rte 46 in Warren County from the July 18th article on New Jersey Advance Media so I could save a map from Google Earth for you; the highway is closed from Upper Serapta Road to Route 519/Hope Bridgeville Rd. Note that US Rte runs along the Delaware River just north of Upper Serapta Road to the I-80 interchage.

Clean-up from the landslides and mudslides is still ongoing as I write this. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has deployed some of their firefighters to help with this clean-up.

Two wildland firefighters died in Canada

 I am saddened to read about not one but two wildland firefighters who died recently fighting wildfires in Canada. A male firefighter, not identified, died on Saturday fighting a wildfire in the Northwest Territories. On Thursday, 19-year old Devyn Gale died while she was fighting a wildfire in British Columbia, Wildfire Today wrote a July 15th article about Devyn's death, May both firefighters rest in peace and I offer my prayers and condolences for their families, friends, colleagues and all who loved them.

Updated on July 18th, 12:11 PM EDT: Sometime after I posted this article yesterday morning, Wildfire Today posted an article reporting on the death of the wildland firefighter who died fighting a wildfire in the Northwest Territories. To the best of my knowledge at the time I write this update, the identity of the firefighter has not been released.

Direct link to video from CBC Vancouver

Direct link to video from CBC News: The National

Funerals for Newark NJ Firefighters

Newark NJ Firefighters Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. died in the line of duty on July 5th fighting a fire in a container ship in Port Newark, see my July 6th post for more information. On July 13th, Augusto Acabou was honored at funeral services.

Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube

The funeral for Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. was this morning, July 14.

Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: South Africa Sends Firefighters to Canada

Following up on the article I posted on July 10th on a Vermont Forester Helping Fight Fires in Quebec, I just found a nice video from the AP Archives that starts out with South African firefighters who are or were deployed to Canada before moving some images of these wildfires, a soundbite from a one women who lost her home in the Canadian Wildfires, and a soundbite from a Canadian Firefighter. If you go directly to the Video on YouTube from the AP Archives and click on show more you will see a description of what is in the video.

I continue to pray for all affected by these wildfires and all those firefighters from Canada and around the world working these wildfires.

2023 Wildfire Season: Vermont Forester Deployment to Quebec

I knew from social media that some northeastern states had deployed firefighters to Canada to assist in fighting the massive wildfires in Canada, but I did not know specific details until I saw a recent report on Vermont Public (Radio) with an interview of a Vermont Forester, Choloe Sardonis, who recently spent two weeks as a part of a team from the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact deployed to Quebec. She joined firefighters from New York, New Hampshire, and Maine on a two week deployment to Maniwaki, Quebec. Before I get to the interview from Vermont Public, I want to share a little about the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission.

Here is an overview of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact: 

The Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission (commonly called the Northeast Compact) is the pioneer forest fire protection compact in the United States. Its mandate is to provide the means for its U.S. member states and Canadian provinces to cope with fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member through information, technology and resource sharing (mutual aid) activities.

Several U.S. States, Canadian Provinces, Federal Agencies and one US. City are members of this compact, see this NFFPC webpage for more information:

• State of Connecticut
• State of Maine
• State of Massachusetts
• State of New Hampshire
• State of New York
• State of Rhode Island
• State of Vermont
• New York City (in the State of New York)
• Federal Agencies in the NFFPP include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. National Park Service
• Province of New Brunswick (Canada)
• Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada)
• Province of Nova Scotia (Canada)
• Province of Prince Edward Island (Canada
• Province of Quebec (Canada)

Two Teams from the NFFPC are currently deployed to Quebec, information about current and recent deployments by the NFFPC may be found here. Allow just under seven minutes to listen to the interview.

Interview of Vermont Forester Chloe Sardonia by Jenn Jarecki of Vermont Public (Thursday, July 6, 2023) Allow just under seven minutes to listen to the interview.

Newark NJ firefighters died fighting a fire on a ship in Port Newark

Direct link to video from Eyewitness News 7 New York on YouTube

New Jersey Advance Media July 6th article identifying the firefighters who died and reporting on the fire.

Rest in Peace Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. I offer my sincere condolences and prayers to your families, friends, and fellow firefighters and all who love you.

About five Firefighter from Newark and Elizabeth were injured in the fire, I offer my prayers for their healing. 

As I write this roughly 36 hours after the blaze broke out on the container ship in Port Newark, the fire is still ongoing.

2023 Wildfire Season: US Forest Service Airtankers on Contract

I want to write about the US Forest Service Airtankers on contract with the US Forest Fire Service in 2023. I am only able to do this because of the work of Fire Aviation in their June 2, 2023 article (which may be updated as time goes on). What I write here is current on July 5th and I am copying some information from my Airtankers 101 page. I refer you to the June 2, 2023 Fire Aviation article for more thorough information and a chart listing the tankers on contract. To sum up:

The US Forest Service has twelve air tankers on Exclusive Use Contracts with an estimated 160 days of mandatory availability ranging from a start date of March 16 to May 27 2023. Estimated ending dates of the mandatory availability period range from September 17 to November 30, 2023

• 1 DC-10 tankers (10 Tanker)
• 1 B737 (Coulson)
• 2 MD-87 tankers (Aero Air)
• 4 RJ85 tankers (Aero Flite)
• 4 BAe tankers (Neptune Aviation)

Call When Needed Activations: 

• 1 DC-10 tanker (10 Tanker), mandatory availability ends on October 3, 2023
• 2 CL-415 scoopers from Aero Flite mandatory availability ends on September 23, 2023

Here is some information I have on my Airtankers 101 page with a little more information about the contractor and their airtankers on USFS contract.

Contractors with large and very large airtankers and Scoopers that have contracts with the US Forest Fire Service in 2023. Some contractors have other types of tankers in their fleet. 

• 10 Tanker DC-10 tankers has four DC-10 tankers as of July 2023 that carry 9,400 gallons of retardant each, go to this 10 Tanker page to download a fact sheet with more information
• Coulson Aircrane, Coulson has a Facebook Page. Among the aircraft they fly on fires is the C-130Q, 4,000 gallons and a 737 Fireliner (I believe but am not certain it carries 4,000 gallons) You can read about the Coulson fleet here.
• Aero Flite Inc. has RJ-85 tankers. Each tanker can carry 3,000 gallons of retardant. Aero Flite also has CL-415 scoopers that can carry 1,621 gallons of water and 90 gallons of foam
• Aero Air, LLC. Aero Air flies the MD-87 airtanker Aero Air wholly owns Ericsson Aero Tanker. Ericsson Aero Tankers has MD-87 tankers with a capacity of 3,000 gallons of retardant.
• Neptune Aviation has a fleet of nine BAe-146 tankers each can carry 3,000 gallons of retardant.

 

A little Housekeeping

A couple of points of housekeeping I want to bring to your attention.

1. Believe it or not, I do try to minimize my use of sharing (embedding or direct links) to social media such as Twitter and Facebook. However, sometimes I get the best information from government agencies on their social media accounts, sometimes their social media accounts are the only way to get this information. Recent changes to Twitter mean that I may still be able to embed twitter content but a Twitter account is required to access that content directly. I used to rely on Twitter when their content was freely available with out an account because some accounts on Facebook require a password. I am hoping that I will still be able to embed content from Twitter, but if that is not possible I will deal with that if and when it happens.

2. I let more than two and a half years go by without updating my Airtankers 101 page, I have made what I hope some significant updates today with more to come as I try to find current information for you.

3. I have updated the links on three other pages: 

• Aviation Info and Links 
• Looking for Info on a Wildland Fire.
• Favorite Links page.

Thanks to all of you for your patience and for following my blog. I appreciate all of you.

Happy 4th of July

 

Here in the United States we are celebrating our Independence Day on the 4th of July. As I write this, I am thinking of all wildland firefighters and other first responders who are on call today or working an active wildfire to keep us safe. I wish all a happy and safe 4th of July.

2023 Wildfire Season: New Jersey Forest Fire Service Sending engines and crew to CA

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Every year the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) sends engines and crews to help fight wildfires in other states. I am very thankful for when I hear that NJFFS are deployed out of state. The other day I learned that the NJFFS has sent two engines with five crew members to southern California to help fight wildfires in that region. I am especially appreciative of this as I have some family and friends in southern California. As I understand it the engines and crew left on Saturday, July 1st for southern California. Thank-you NJFFS crew for helping out in southern California and taking time away from your families during a holiday weekend. Stay safe.