75 Uncontained Large Fires (Uncontained large fires include only fires being managed under a full suppression strategy); another day of National Preparedness Level 5 which is the highest level. There are nowhere near enough resources to fight all these fires. Volunteers are being given immersion training summary workshops and then being put into the fights immediately.
Donald Trump and all of them including Hillary & the rest are remaining oddly silent on the issues around the combustion of The West even though day before yesterday Obama Declares Washington state Fire Emergency; Guard, Army, Canada, Australia, New Zealand inbound.
New large incidents: 4 of which 2 are in Northwest Area (PL 5), 1 is in Northern California Area (PL 5), 1 is in Southern Area (PL 3). PL means Preparedness Level which is like a Lickert Scale running from 1 to 5 where 5 is highest possible. Each Geographic Area (see map) has it own PL; the current National PL is 5.
Predictive Services Discussion: A cold front will move through the northwestern U.S. bringing cooler conditions to the Northwest, the northern Rockies, and the northern Great Basin. Windy conditions will develop along the Front Range of the Rockies with wind gusts in excess of 30 mph in parts of the High Plains from Montana to Colorado. Showers and thunderstorms will move into the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest ahead of the front. Scattered thunderstorms will also form over the Southwest and into the southern Rockies. Warm weather will continue over the southwestern U.S. Warm and humid weather will remain over the South with scattered afternoon thunderstorms developing along the Gulf Coast and through the Mid-Mississippi Valley. http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/...
Realtime Updates at InciWeb the Incident Information System: Current Incidents
Thompson Divide Complex (3 fires), Glacier NP. IMT 2 (Leach). Three miles southwest of Essex, MT. Timber. Minimal fire behavior. Numerous structures threatened. Area and trail closures in effect. This complex is comprised of the Sheep, Granite and Spruce Fires on the Flathead National Forest and the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park. Fire Information: (406) 387-4854/ (406) 314-1669, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Resources - Total Personnel: 268 and Injuries: 1 Structures Lost: None Hand Crews: 5 20-person, 1 Wildland Fire Management Modules, 1 Helitack Crew (10), Smokejumpers (3) Air Support: Helicopters (2 Type-1 & 2 Type-3), Engines: 13
Highway US-2 is reopened, with pilot cars escorting traffic in both directions to ensure safe traffic flow through the fire area. Pilot cars will run 24 hours a day, but the highway could be closed due to changing fire conditions. Expect delays of 10-15 minutes. Call 511 or visit http://www.mdt.mt.gov/... for current road status. There will be a public meeting at the Izaak Walton Inn tonight, Sunday, August 23rd at 8:00 pm. ‘Set’ stage alert is still in effect for residents and businesses in the vicinity of Essex for possible evacuation.
The BNSF and Amtrak trains have been running. For more information on Amtrak call 1-(800) 872-7245.
Stage II Fire Restrictions are in effect for Northwest Montana.
Today weather conditions will continue with a warming and drying trend that will bring higher temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees in the valleys. A mild inversion is expected to break early afternoon. Fire activity is expected to increase to moderate, with more ventilation.
Narrative: The Bear Lake Fire was reported August 20 at 8:00 p.m. which was located and confirmed aerially on Friday morning. By early afternoon, smokejumpers, retardant planes and a helicopter were activiely trying to supress the fire. The fire is burning on National Forest land. There are two Forest Service owned structions threatened at this time; Bear Lake Cabin and a small cabin at Anderson Cow Camp. The fire is burning in Spruce Fir and Lodgepole pine, which includes a large percentage of red, dead trees from the beetle epidemic with a considerable amount of downed jack-strawed fuel on the ground. Twenty-two (22) local firefighters and twelve (12) smokejumpers are currently on scene. The fire was pretty quiet yesterday due to lighter winds. Fire behavior is mostly smoldering and creeping with a few trees torching on the interior and at the heel of the fire. Hose lays were completed around the Bear Lake Cabin and the cabin at the cow camp. We received The Blue Ridge Hotshots from Arizona and they are on there way to the fire this morning. A Type 2 team from the southeast will be arriving on Monday to assume control of the fire.
There will be 2 Community Meetings Monday evening, August 24th , 2015:
Wise River Community Building 5:00 p.m. and
Polaris at the Grasshopper VFD 7:30 p.m.
Closures: An area closure is in effect for roads and trails to the east of the fire. The Pioneer Scenic Byway and associated campgrounds and dispersal sites remain open.
Do GOP statements about abolishing EPA, Forest Service, Agriculture Dept. and the like make sense to anyone who is smarter than a paint peel? Will a federal government shutdown bring the relief needed from the fires?
Northwest Area (PL 5) New fires: 5
Northern Rockies Area (PL 5) New fires: 46
Northern California Area (PL 5) New fires: 12
Great Basin Area (PL 4) New fires: 7
Southern California Area (PL 3) New fires: 16
Southwest Area (PL 2) New fires: 5
Southern Area (PL 3) New fires: 3 U.S. National map here
This report contains information derived from the National Fire and Aviation Management Web Applications (FAMWEB) system and other sources to provide relative information about emerging and ongoing incident activity. This information is considered operational in nature, and it is all is subject to change.
Okanogan Complex (5 fires), Northeast Region, DNR. IMT 1 (Pechota) and IMT 2 (Rabe). Eleven miles northwest of Omak, WA. Timber. Active fire behavior with short crown runs and torching. Numerous structures threatened. Evacuations, road and trail closures in effect.
North Star, Colville Agency, BIA. IMT 2 (Nieto). Twenty-four miles east of Omak, WA. Timber and light logging slash. Moderate fire behavior with group torching, flanking and backing. Numerous structures threatened. Evacuations, road and area closures in effect.
Chelan Complex (3 fires), Southeast Region, DNR. IMT 1 (Templin). IMT is also managing the Wolverine and First Creek fires. Started on BLM land one mile south of Chelan, WA. Timber, closed timber litter and short grass. Active fire behavior with group torching and uphill runs. Numerous structures threatened. Evacuations and road closures in effect.
Wolverine, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF. Three miles northwest of Lucerne, WA. Timber, brush and short grass. Extreme fire behavior with short-range spotting and group torching. Numerous structures threatened. Road, area and trail closures in effect.
First Creek, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF. Eight miles northwest of Chelan, WA. Timber and short grass. Extreme fire behavior. Numerous structures threatened. Road closures in effect.
Kettle Complex (4 fires), Colville NF. IMT 2 (Ciraulo). Fifteen miles northeast of Republic, WA. Timber, dormant brush and hardwood slash. Active fire behavior with group torching, spotting and creeping. Numerous structures threatened. Area and trail closures in effect.
Carpenter Road, Northeast Region, DNR. IMT 2 (Esperance). Five miles south of Fruitland, WA. Timber. Extreme fire behavior. Numerous structures threatened. Road and area closures in effect.
Grizzly Bear Complex (8 fires), Umatilla NF. IMT 2 (Gales). Twenty miles southeast of Dayton, WA. Timber, medium logging slash and brush. Active fire behavior with torching. Numerous structures threatened. Road, area and trail closures in effect.
Kaniksu Complex (3 fires), Colville NF. IMT 2 (Tom Kurth). Ten miles northeast of Usk, WA. Timber and medium logging slash. Active fire behavior with single tree torching, uphill runs and flanking. Numerous structures threatened. Road, area and trail closures in effect. Reduction in acreage due to more accurate mapping.
MIA (Missing In Action): Federal Budget for 2016 that starts on October 1 with no end to wildfires in sight. Since January 1 2015 These fires have burned areas that when combined are the same size as a square 108 miles by 108 miles of which all is a Carbon Polluter rather than a carbon sink as healthy forest & range should be...
2015 (1/1/15 - 8/23/15) Fires: 41,715 Acres: 7,448,217 note: 1 square mile = 640 acres
Imagine this photo as wildfire burn.
Dead red trees cover Ni-chebe-chii mountainsides in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is just one location in the Rockies where mountain pine beetles have killed millions of trees. The destructive beetles have multiplied quickly throughout the mountain range, largely because of warmer temperatures. These trees are on high rocks sometimes called Ni-chebe-chii in language used by some Hinono'eino or Inun-ina (a.k.a "Arapaho") and might translate to English as "Never No Summer". The Never Summer Mountains are near Gould, CO.
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