High winds fan wildfire near Reno, Nevada; California
fire quieter
By SCOTT SONNER
4-29-08
RENO, Nev. (AP) A wildfire fanned by winds gusting up to 68 mph
raced along the edge of a valley south of Reno on Tuesday, threatening
homes and spreading thick smoke over the area.
About 300 firefighters were on the line, battling stiff winds and
thick smoke that could be seen 30 miles away. The fire had burned about
1,200 acres and was growing quickly. The National Weather Service reported
42 mph sustained winds with higher gusts.
"The winds have been horrible" but were diminishing by late evening,
Reno fire spokesman Steve Frady told The Associated Press from the scene.
Some homes were threatened but there were no immediate reports any
had burned in the sparsely populated area on the north edge of Washoe
Valley about 10 miles from Reno.
"The crews are having a hard time holding onto even their gear.
Their hard hats are blowing around. Sage brush is blowing into them. It's
pretty intense up there," Forest Service spokesman Franklin Pemberton
said.
Students at Pleasant Valley Elementary School were bused to another
school because of the conditions. The suspected cause of the fire was
power lines downed by the high winds.
"The whole valley is full of smoke, the winds are terrible," said
David Jones, who lives near the fire and was helping neighbors load up
horses to be hauled away in trailers. "The hills are full of cheat grass
so we're all worried about that."
Dozens of fire engines surrounded homes in the area. Three to four
homes were potentially in the path of the fire as it burned to the
north-northeast.
"So far, it's skirted those homes," Frady said.
In Arizona, crews were battling a 2,000-acre wildfire inside the
Kaibab National Forest near the Grand Canyon. Strong winds were driving
the fire, said Jacqueline Denk, a spokeswoman for the Kaibab National
Forest.
"The bad news is we are expecting very high winds and difficult
conditions tomorrow (Wednesday) as well," Denk said.
The fire has not destroyed any buildings or was immediately
threatening any structures or the community of Tusayan, south of the Grand
Canyon, Denk said.
A smoke column from the fire was visible from the South Rim of Grand
Canyon National Park and Tusayan. Authorities believe the X Fire was
human-caused. A fire investigator was sent to the scene to determine the
specific cause.
In Southern California, firefighters extended containment lines and
stamped out hotspots as calmer weather conditions prevailed at a 538-acre
wildfire that earlier threatened homes.
About 1,000 people were told they could return to homes they fled
since the fire started Saturday. Public schools also reopened in Sierra
Madre, about 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Containment was estimated at 57 percent, and about 1,000
firefighters were busy extending the line around the burn area and dousing
burning stumps and hot ash.
"There's no major flames or smoke showing on the fire," said Robert
Brady, fire information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. "No smoke
showing means that a lot of the heat is gone and that's good."
Weather was cooler, winds were light and the humidity was higher
Tuesday than in recent days. Highs were in the 70s rather than the 90s
that firefighters had faced earlier.
At the same time, Reno is undergoing swarms of earthquakes
http://www.greatdreams.com/reno-quake-2008.htm
North Lake Tahoe Fire units respond to
Washoe Valley wildfire
April 29, 2008
Fire units, including the Slide Mountain Hand Crew
and an engine from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District are
responding to a wildfire in the Washoe Valley.
Steve Frady, spokesman for the Reno Fire Department, confirmed a brush
fire started near Eastlake Boulevard in Washoe Valley.
Chief Mike Brown of the NLTFPD said the hand crew, an engine and
overhead were headed down to respond to the wildland fire.
Brown said the crew is fighting the fire on both the East and West
sides of U.S. Route 395 between the Pleasant and Washoe Valleys.
Brown said his firefighters are reporting 40-50 m.p.h winds.
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SW Idaho crews battle season's first
wildfire
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/29/2008
Posted: 6:29 AM- BOISE, Idaho -
Fire crews in southwest Idaho are off to an early start in the
2008 wildfire season.
Crews from the Bureau of Land Management on Sunday battled
a 30-acre grass and brush fire four miles south of the Swan
Falls dam.
Investigators say the blaze started from a campfire.
Carrie Bilbao, a BLM fire investigator, says despite a
steady diet of winter snow, many rangeland areas are currently
very dry. Light spring rains and dead vegetation from last
year have created dry conditions on lands the agency manages
across southwest Idaho.
Agency officials are urging campers to use caution and
care with campfires under the current conditions.
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Wildfire ignites near Idyllwild, visible in Palm
Springs
By Colin Atagi The Desert
Sun April 29, 2008
Firefighters who are hiking to a blaze burning
near Idyllwild this evening are less than a mile
from the scene as of 9:50 p.m., U.S. Forest
The agency reported about 8 p.m. that the fire
in the San Jacinto Mountains burned about 1.5
acres.
Although it's likely the fire has grown since
then, its actual size will not be known until
firefighters arrive at the scene and survey the
area, according to officials.
Smoke and flames from the wildfire are visible
across the Coachella Valley tonight.
The fire can be seen at least as far east as La
Quinta and was even more visible at the base of
the San Jacinto Mountains.
Its coming down the ridge over on to our side of
the mountain ... very high up ... but we can see
it and certainly smell it from Andreas Hills,
said Marie Weigel in an e-mail to The Desert Sun.
She is wife of Palm Springs City Councilman Lee
Weigel, who lives in the Indian Canyons area.
The fire was reported about 4:35 p.m., U.S. Forest
Service spokeswoman Valerie Baca said.
Firefighters are hiking 3.5 miles, starting at
Keenwild Station, on the Pacific Crest Trail to
reach the blaze in the Apache Peak area, she said.
They are expected to remain at the scene all night
and continue their battle Wednesday morning.
Temperatures are expected to be in the low 50s
this morning with 11 mph winds in the Idyllwild
area, according to AccuWeather.
Winds blew about 26 mph in 60-degree temperatures
this evening.
A helicopter and air tanker were used to battle
the fire this afternoon but had to be grounded.
The weather caused some problems for us, Baca
said.
Officials expect to launch the aircraft again
Wednesday morning, Baca said.
As of 9:15 p.m., Cal Fire crews have not been
called in to assist with the fire, officials there
said.
Visit mydesert.com for more updates on the fire
throughout the day.
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Battle against stubborn California wildfire enters 4th
day
4-29-08
SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) Lower temperatures and increased
manpower on Tuesday allowed firefighters to tame much of a three-day-old
wildfire that had gotten perilously close to dozens of homes and led
hundreds of people to evacuate.
The fire in the rugged San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los
Angeles was 57 percent contained early Tuesday after covering 538 acres,
or less than a square mile.
Most of the more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes had
been allowed to return and public schools in the community of about 11,000
residents were reopening Tuesday. No homes have been lost in Sierra Madre,
15 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
A cool front moved into the area after three days of temperatures in
the 90s. Tuesday's highs were expected to stay in the 70s. Humidity had
increased and there was almost no wind Tuesday morning.
Flames moved close to homes early Monday but firefighters stood
their ground and turned the flames back.
More than 1,050 firefighters were expected to be on fire lines
Tuesday, up from 700 on Monday, said Ed Gililland of the U.S. Forest
Service.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries, authorities said. One
small outbuilding was destroyed.
The cause of the blaze, which broke Saturday, remained under
investigation.
Elsewhere, crews in central New Mexico had declared 95 percent
containment on a blaze that has burned nine weekend or summer homes and
several outbuildings. The fire blackened 4,832 acres, or 7.5 square miles.
Officials at one point urged a voluntary evacuation of the communities of
Manzano and Torreon, but few people heeded the call.
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California wildfire rages, 1,000 people evacuated
LOS ANGELES, April 27 (Reuters) - A wildfire that began
along a popular hiking trail forced 1,000 people to evacuate their homes
in the hills northeast of Los Angeles on Sunday, officials said.
The cause of the nearly 400-acre (162 hectares) fire, which
started Saturday afternoon as Southern California logged near-record
temperatures, was still under investigation, said Elisa Weaver, a
spokeswoman for the city of Sierra Madre, California.
Fifty people celebrating a wedding at a mountain campground were lifted
from the area by helicopter after the fire cut off their exit trail. No
one in the group was harmed.
Temperatures ere expected to climb to 97 degrees Fahrenheit
(36 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. Low winds and humidity, however, were
expected to help the firefighting effort.
"A lot of that area hasn't burned in 40 years, but the weather has been on
our side," Weaver said.
Between 400 and 500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation
order, Weaver said, though only one building -- a small storage shed --
had been burned.
The blaze was expected to take up to four or five days to contain fully.
About 400 firefighters were assigned to the fire, which was about 5
percent contained early Sunday morning. Water-dropping
airplanes and helicopters were also
fighting the blaze.
Sierra Madre is about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Late last year, strong winds, high temperatures and parched brush after a
record drought were blamed for spreading a series of blazes from Santa
Barbara to the Mexican border that destroyed thousands of buildings and
drove hundreds of thousands of Californians from their homes. (Reporting
by Nichola Groom; editing by Philip Barbara)
100 homes evacuated as SoCal wildfire creeps toward
town
4-26-08
SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) Authorities were evacuating 100 homes as
a 100-acre wildfire crept closer to neighborhoods near Pasadena on a hot,
dry Saturday in Southern California, authorities said.
The fire about broke out Saturday afternoon and earlier forced the
evacuation of a scout camp and left hikers temporarily stranded, said
Elisa Weaver of the Arcadia Fire Department.
Firefighters had hoped to have the blaze contained Sunday, Weaver
said, but it was still burning out of control late Saturday night.
Fire crews were aided by a dozen engines, three water tankers and
three helicopters as they take on the blaze, Weaver said.
Two shelters have been set up in the area for evacuees.
The blaze was reported just after 1:40 p.m. in a wooded area off
Santa Anita Canyon Road about 10 miles northeast of Pasadena, Weaver said.
The flames brought the evacuation of the Trask Boy Scout camp and
left about 100 hikers stranded in a parking lot near Chantry Flats, Weaver
said.
Most of the Boy Scouts had already left the camp by the time the
evacuation was ordered, Weaver said.
The hikers were escorted out of the forest by sheriff's deputies,
she said. No injuries were reported.
The fire was moving mostly northward, away from homes, but had crept
far enough to the south to prompt the mandatory home evacuations.
Flames outlined steep ridges about a mile above Sierra Madre, a San
Gabriel Mountains foothill community of about 11,000 popular with artists.
~~~~~~~~~
SIERRA MADRE, California (AP) -
4-26-08- A wildfire in
Southern California that has scorched 270 acres and forced the evacuation
of about 100 homes in neighborhoods might not be under control for days,
officials said Sunday
Firefighters originally had hoped to
have the blaze contained Sunday, but gusting winds late
Saturday night kept the fire burning out of control and
creeping toward nearby homes, said Elisa Weaver of the
Arcadia Fire Department.
The mandatory evacuation order came
shortly before 11 p.m. The fire broke out on a hot, dry
Saturday afternoon about 10 miles northeast of Pasadena,
Weaver said.
More than 100 hikers were escorted
out of a forest by Los Angeles County sheriff's
deputies, and Boy Scouts were evacuated from a camp,
Weaver said. No injuries were reported.
Containment was not expected for two
to three days, Weaver said.
"I think the biggest concern is this
area ... has not burned in 10-plus years, so there's a
lot of fuel up there for this fire," Weaver said.
More than 200 firefighters were
aided by a dozen engines, three water tankers and three
helicopters as they took on the
blaze, Weaver said. She said more air support was
expected later Sunday morning.
"They plan on hitting this thing at
full force as soon as dawn hits," Weaver said.
Meanwhile, two shelters have been
set up in the area for evacuees.
Flames outlined steep ridges about a
mile above Sierra Madre, a community of about 11,000 at
the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains that is
popular with artists.
Copyright
2008 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved
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Wildfire Scorches
1,100 Acres In Page 20 Structures Threatened But Unharmed By Blaze
By
Pete DeLea
4-19-08
STANLEY - In a small, gravel lot in
downtown Stanley, residents Sam Holt and
Mike Uram peered at a massive wildfire that
interrupted their usual scenic view of the
mountain landscape. A controlled burn by a
Lucas Hollow Road resident burned out of
control Thursday night, and by Friday
morning the fire had spread to 1,100 acres,
fire officials said. Firefighters finally
got the upper hand in the afternoon by
creating a back-burn, which eventually
knocked the blaze out.
"There was white smoke just rolling from
the bottom. It was unbelievable," said Holt,
who stood there and watched the fire for
about 45 minutes Friday afternoon. "It just
gradually came together."
Uram said he woke up to see a ring of
smoke in the distance and knew the fire must
have been large.
"Things happen, but you don't want to see
this," said Uram, who brought his camera
with him to take photos of the blaze, which
had caught the attention of many of
Stanley's residents.
One-Acre Fire Quickly Spread
At about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the Stanley
Volunteer Fire Department responded to a
call for a small brush fire.
Chief Terry Pettit said firefighters
began to attack the fire but it spread too
quickly, consuming private land between
Lucas Hollow and Keystone roads, about a
mile outside of Shenandoah National Park.
"It was too dangerous to go after,"
Pettit said.
After the fire department realized how
severe the fire was, they called in the
Virginia Department of Forestry, which took
over control of the scene.
Steve Moyer, a forest technician for the
department, said he thought his crews would
be able to get control of the fire quickly
because there were roads on either side of
the blaze.
But, Moyer said, he and his crews would
soon realize that wouldn't be the case.
"If we could have found a place to put
lines down we would have been fine," Moyer
said. "But when you have 50-, 60-, 70-foot
flames shooting up, you can't put people in
front of that. We had to back off."
He said several tractor-trailers with
bulldozers were called in to the scene so
firefighters could fight the blaze with
land-moving equipment.
Blaze Threatened 20 Homes
Meanwhile, the blaze continued to grow
and began to threaten homes, so Stanley
firefighters started protecting the
structures.
"We have been protecting about 20
structures," Pettit said.
Helping Stanley were crews from Luray,
about a dozen firefighters from the Forestry
Department and members of the Augusta Hot
Shots, a wilderness firefighting team based
in Augusta Springs. In total, Pettit said
about 50 firefighters helped battle the
fire.
"The fire company's job is to protect the
structures while the department of forestry
puts out the fire."
Anthony Owen Gochenoul, 18, lived at one
of the homes on Keystone Road. Only the road
separated his house from flames.
"It's scary, but I didn't think it was
going to cross the road," he said, adding
that he's seen larger fires in the area.
"Last time, it was blowing toward here a lot
more."
Pettit said the fire department was on
the scene from Thursday evening until about
1:30 a.m. Friday. Stanley firefighters
returned about 6 a.m. after a flare-up put
more homes in danger.
Pettit said the fire department's job was
to spray down the areas around the homes,
and, depending on the type of roof, sprayed
the houses with foam.
He said local firefighters with the
assistance of the forestry department
created back-burns away from the buildings.
"This isn't our first fire this large,"
said Pettit, who added there have been four
or five fires this size in roughly the same
location in the last decade. "We do have
experience behind us that helps."
Firefighters Gain Control
At about 1 p.m. the fire and back-burn
collided and the blaze was extinguished,
except for minor hot spots in the wooded
area.
No homes were damaged.
Moyer said the person who started the
fire could be charged with a criminal
violation, but most likely will be held
responsible for the cost of fighting the
fire. No cost estimate was available Friday.
Holt said he was glad to see the fire
dwindle.
"If there was a heavy breeze, it could
have spread a lot," said Holt. "Good thing
there was no real intense wind today."
Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or
pdelea@dnronline.com
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| Hundreds battling huge N.M. wildfire
4-25-08
MANZANO, N.M. (AP) Firefighters have been able to make some
progress against a blaze that has charred an estimated 4,875
acres in the Manzano Mountains.
"So far they've been able to hold the
line, but there's still a lot of heat on the ground," said fire
information officer Deanna Younger.
There are 506 people assigned to the
blaze, along with four air tankers, five helicopters and more
than a dozen engines. The cost of fighting the blaze is $4.5
million so far.
The fire was 53% contained late Thursday,
and crews planned to continue concentrating on the northern and
southern sides Friday, said fire information officer Dan
Bastion. He said more wind was forecast for Friday.
Ground crews were helped Thursday by
water-dropping helicopters. The air tankers that have been
instrumental in the fight over the last couple of days were
grounded by noon because of strong winds, Younger said.
The fire burned nine homes, nine
outbuildings and two recreational vehicles. It has been burning
in mainly oak brush and pinon, juniper and ponderosa pine trees.
Investigators believe the fire was human
caused.
Cibola National Forest officials said the
Sandia and Mountainair ranger districts will be under increased
fire restrictions beginning Monday because of the severe dry
conditions in the area. Campfires and coal and wood stoves will
be prohibited.
Another fire has burned nearly 25,000
acres of desert grass and shrubs on mostly private ranch land on
the eastern portion of New Mexico's bootheel.
"It's just kind of sitting out there by
itself, not really bothering anybody," said Dan Ware, state
Forestry Division spokesman.
The Center Peak Fire started April 14,
probably from an abandoned campfire south of Animas, he said. No
structures are threatened.
The Forestry Division is monitoring the
fire by air, and ranch personnel are monitoring it on the
ground, Ware said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
N.M. crews fighting wildfire face 2nd day of windy
weather
4 -21-08
MANZANO, N.M. (AP) Firefighters braced for windy
weather Monday as they battled a wildfire that had
dashed between two towns in central New Mexico.
More crews poured into the area during the night
and additional air tankers were ordered, officials said.
The blaze was 30 percent contained Monday after
charring nearly six square miles, or 3,745 acres,
between Manzano and Torreon, fighters reported.
Voluntary evacuations remained in effect Monday
for the two towns southeast of Albuquerque, although few
people paid any heed, said Deanna Younger, lead fire
information officer with the New Mexico Type II Incident
Management Team.
"We can't force people to leave their homes," she
said.
The National Weather Service said a red flag
warning remained in effect Monday for parts of the
state, with low humidity and wind up to 30 mph possible
in the afternoon with gusts up to 50 mph.
Crews used bulldozers during the night to cut fire
breaks around the blaze.
"We still have some areas that are unstable,"
Younger said. "We will have red flag (windy) conditions
again today ... and the danger factor is still there.
It's a critical day as far as fire suppression goes."
On Sunday, wind-driven flames jumped a fire line
and crossed the Cibola National Forest boundary onto
private land, Younger said.
Officials urged people to leave about 130 homes
around Manzano and Torreon on Sunday, but few left.
"They were standing there right in the middle of
town watching it go past the town," Younger said.
There was no confirmation whether any buildings
had burned because crews could not get into some areas
to check, Younger said.
Firefighters completely contained a fire Wednesday
near Weed, in southern New Mexico, that burned about 640
acres, fire information officer Margo Whitt said.
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N. Michigan wildfire burns 6 homes, forces I-75 closed
4-24-08
GRAYLING, Mich. (AP) Authorities say a wildfire in northern
Michigan has burned six homes and forced part of Interstate 75 to
close.
Up to 20 homes have been evacuated. No injuries have been
reported.
Authorities say a patrolling U.S. Forest Service helicopter
spotted the fire after it started Thursday near Grayling about 175
miles north of Detroit.
Brisk winds, dry, warm conditions and abundant jack pine trees
aided the fire's spread across 1,100 acres, or nearly 2 square
miles.
But Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Mary
Detloff says the flames have slowed as it nears a wetland and golf
course.
Federal, state and local firefighters have the blaze about 30
percent contained. The cause wasn't known.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grayling-area wildfire under control
Friday, April 25, 2008 | 5:58
By Kristen Abraham
GRAYLING
(WJRT) -- (04/25/08)--More than 1,000 acres in Northern
Michigan were on fire Thursday into Friday. The wildfire
forced the evacuation of 50 homes on Thursday just south of
Grayling in Crawford County.
That's 100 miles north of Saginaw. The Department of
Natural Resources say the forest fire blew across I-75.
The DNR says the fire damaged six homes. Friday
afternoon, it was mostly contained, but was still burning.
Officials say the fire started near the interstate,
sparked by several small fires around a railroad line
Overnight drizzle helped fire crews get a hold of the 1,100
acres smoldering Some of the 50 residents evacuated were back
home Friday.The forest fire forced the closure of
I-75 Thursday. It re-opened around midnight. A DNR transport
vehicle was destroyed. No one has been hurt.
Brisk winds and dry, warm conditions and abundant jack
pine trees helped the fire spread.
A U.S. Forest Service helicopter spotted the fire.
Officials say Northern Michigan is considered a prime location
for wildfires because of dry weather and high winds.
This wildfire may be the tip of the ice berg for what's
to come.
(Copyright ©2008 WJRT-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Wildfire engulfs 27 acres in New Hampshire
4-24-08
(NECN) - A large wildfire was burning on the slopes of
Mount Major in Alton, New Hampshire Friday afternoon.
Firefighters from southern and central New Hampshire
have been battling the blaze since late Thursday. By noon
Friday it had spread across 27 acres, and was still
burning out of control.
Helicopters air-lifted water from nearby Lake
Winnipesaukee to dump on the fire.
Mount Major is popular hiking mountain, boasting
spectacular views of the Lake. Trails remain closed while
the fire is burning.
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Pilot issued maydays before crashing at wildfire
Reported by: ABC15.com staff
Last Update: 4/23 6:34 pm
posted by:
Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer
created: 4/24/2008 4:59:33 PM
FORT CARSON The pilot killed when his plane
crashed during a wildfire at Fort Carson called in
a series of maydays and said, "I'm going down,"
just seconds after dropping retardant on the fire.
That is according to a preliminary
investigation report by the NTSB into the crash
that killed 42-year-old Gert Marais of Montana on
April 15.
Marais was based in Sterling.
The report does not pinpoint the cause of the
crash. The NTSB says that process could take
several months.
The fire was contained on Wednesday after it
burned about 14 square miles at a remote part of
Fort Carson
(Copyright KUSA*TV. All rights reserved.)
NTSB Issues Preliminary Report On CO Air
Tanker Downing
Fri, 25 Apr '08
Says Pilot Made Series Of Mayday Calls
Before Impact
It's sad enough when we must report
on the loss of a pilot's life. It's even
harder to bear when it appears the pilot in
question saw his end coming... Ed.
NTSB Identification: DEN08GA076
14 CFR Public Use
Accident occurred Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in
Fort Carson, CO
Aircraft: Air Tractor AT-602, registration:
N602AA
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject
to change, and may contain errors. Any errors
in this report will be corrected when the
final report has been completed.
On April 15, 2008, approximately 1810
mountain daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602
single-engine air tanker airplane, N602AA,
was destroyed when it impacted terrain
while maneuvering near Fort Carson, Colorado.
The commercial pilot, who was the sole
occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The
airplane was operated by the Department of
Defense, Fort Carson, Colorado, for public use
firefighting missions, and registered to
Aero-Applicators, Inc., Sterling, Colorado.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed,
and a company flight plan was filed. The
flight originated from a private airstrip in
Sterling, Colorado.
According to the registered owner, they
were contacted by the Colorado State Forest
Service Pueblo dispatch and requested to
assist with aerial fire suppression efforts at
the 9,800-acre Training Area 25 wildfire near
Fort Carson, Colorado. The airplanes departed
a private airstrip near Sterling, Colorado, at
1700, with full fuel tanks and 500 gallons of
water and Class A foam.
The United States Forest Service (USFS)
air-to-ground contact, who was located near
the intended drop area, stated that he was in
radio contact with the two airplanes when they
arrived to the wildfire area. The USFS contact
informed the accident airplane pilot the
intended drop location and expectations. The
intended drop area was a line of pine trees
located to the north of a gravel road and the
existing wildfire, and the contact wanted the
trees protected in case the wildfire crossed
the road. Prior to the live drop, the accident
pilot performed a dry run, and the second
airplane flew approximately 500 feet overhead
as a spotter. After completing the dry run,
the airplane circled around to the south and
east to set up for the live drop, which was an
east to west flight pattern. The airplane flew
to the west over the top of a tall pine tree,
and the pilot released the load approximately
500 feet west of the intended drop location.
The load was dropped on top of the ground
contact and his vehicle.
After a second or two, the contact
overhead the pilot reported a series of
maydays and "I'm going down." The contact
looked up to the west and observed the
airplane's right wing impact the terrain. The
contact stated the wind was from the southwest
and gusting to 30 to 40 knots.
The accident site was located on a grass
covered hill adjacent to highway 115 at an
elevation of approximately 6,600 feet mean sea
level. The airplane came to rest in an upright
position on a measured magnetic heading of 340
degrees. Examination of the wreckage showed
that the right wing was crushed aft and bent
up, and the fuselage was crushed to the right.
The main landing gear struts and wheel
assemblies were separated. The left wing was
bent forward and the aft fuselage attach
fitting was separated. The right horizontal
stabilizer was bent aft and up, and the left
horizontal stabilizer was bent forward. The
5-blade propeller assembly was separated from
the propeller shaft, and one blade was
separated from the hub.
A
fire burning in a remote portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forest has crossed over containment lines.
The
Eagle Fire started as a prescribed burn. It has
burned more than 4,000 acres, but most of that burn
was planned, according to the forest managers.
Winds blew it out of control 35 miles South of Alpine.
Highway 191 is still open to motorists.
Fire
crews warn drivers to beware of heavy smoke in the
area.
Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved
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| Forest Service chief says wildfire season
starting out busy
10:05 a.m. April 24, 2008
DENVER U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell
says it looks like it could be a busy wildfire season.
Kimbell points to wildfires burning in Arizona and New Mexico
and last week's fires in eastern Colorado as evidence that it's
already busy. Drought in the Southeast has fueled wildfires
there, helping boost the Forest Service's firefighting costs to
$400 million so far this year.
Kimbell says a proposal in Congress to establish a fund to
pay for catastrophic wildfires would help the Forest Service.
The agency spends about half its roughly $4 billion budget on
firefighting.
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Crews Plan Burnout to Contain NC Wildfire
Posted: Apr. 24, 2008
MARION, N.C. Fire crews are
planning to burn about 1,200 acres near a wildfire in western
North Carolina to limit damage from the blaze.Fire team
spokesman Eric Mosley said Thursday about 200 firefighters were
preparing for the burnout by building fire lines along the
perimeter of the area.
The burnout is scheduled to begin Friday.
The blaze has burned about 740 acres north of Marion.
Helicopters, fire engines and bulldozers were brought in to
help firefighters manage the blaze, which is about 50 percent
contained. Mosley said the fire started April 18, but what
caused the fire is still unclear.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Wildfire near Marion still not under control
Dale Neal
dneal@ashevill.gannett.com
published April 22, 2008 12:15 am
MARION
About 280 firefighters, including crews from Idaho,
Arkansas and Oklahoma, continued a four-day battle
today against a wildfire that has burned more than
800 acres in the Pisgah National Forest in the North
Cove area of McDowell County.
Sunrise fire was still about 50 percent contained
around noon today, said Eric Mosley, a spokesman for
the U.S. Forest Service.
The blaze is about 15 miles north of Marion off
U.S. 221. Deborah Walker of the Forest Service said
the firefighters want to contain the blaze between
Bridge Branch and Pond Branch and west of N.C. 105,
which runs along the Linville Gorge Wilderness.
The fire could possibly grow to as much as 2,000
acres later this week as crews plan a backfire to
hold the advancing wildfire on its southern flank,
Walker said. Its very tough terrain. The problem
is we have a lot of dead and down trees that were
killed by beetles a few years back. Thats what
feeding the fire.
Mosley said they hope rain forecasted for
Saturday will help them gain final control over the
blaze.
The Sunrise fire borders the Linville Gorge
Wilderness, which suffered a wildfire last summer
that burned 5,400 acres.
The Sunrise wildfire was sparked by an electrical
fire that destroyed a house Friday morning.
Homeowners from three area subdivisions were
evacuated to help trucks and bulldozers navigate the
winding back roads, but all residents are back in
their homes Monday, Walker said. No houses have been
destroyed.
In Haywood County, 88 firefighters were able to
fully contain the Pinnacle Ridge fire Monday, which
had burned 425 acres around Balsam Gap.
Were looking to scale back to a skeleton crew
(today) and Wednesday as the fire creeps down to the
containment lines, said David Brown, of the N.C.
Forest Service.
The fire is still burning in some pockets, Brown
said. We had some significant smoke in the Allen
Creek community.
The Blue Ridge Parkway will reopen today from
U.S. 23-74 at Balsam Gap to N.C. 215 at Beech Gap.
The scenic road was closed over the weekend as the
fire crossed over at the Pinnacle Ridge tunnel.
|
Minnewaska wildfire tied to smoking items
By Christine Pizzuti Poughkeepsie
Journal April 24, 2008
The wildfire burning at Minnewaska
State Park since Thursday is believed to have been started by
discarded smoking materials
Yancey Roy, spokesman for the state Department
of Environmental Conservation, would not say
what the exact cause of the fire was. The
conclusion was made given the absence of
tell-tale arson materials or debris associated
with campfires. Also, the point of origin of the
fire was close to the roadway, Roy said.
"Our
investigators are fairly certain this was a
smoking-related fire," Roy said. "Based on the
place of origin and how it spread."
He said Route 44/55 reopened Wednesday night,
as the fire is considered contained.
However, they are being cautious because they
see "red flag conditions," Roy said. These
include warm temperatures, low winds and low
moisture, he said.
The National Weather Service has issued a
fire weather watch for the area from this
afternoon through this evening.
"They're going to be very vigilant about
maintaining control over the fire to make sure
that the weather change doesn't start new
problems," Roy said.
Helicopters are on standby today, Roy said,
and night operations are planned for this
evening as the "mop-up" phase of the fire
continues.
"They are continually looking to dig out the
ground and put out smoldering spots," Roy said.
"It's standard for those operations to take a
while."
Reach Christine Pizzuti at
cpizzuti@poughkeepsiejournal.com or
845-437-4882.
|
N.Y. wildfire blackens 3,100 acres
Published: April 21, 2008
NEW PALTZ, N.Y., April 21 (UPI) --
Firefighters said
Monday they made good progress in taming a
wildfire that had burned about 3,100 acres in
New York's Catskill Mountains.
Mid-Hudson News Network reported that while
the blaze was still burning at Minnewaska
State Park, it was 80 percent contained. The
network said there were reports of minor
injuries by fire crews but the only structure
to be destroyed was a ranger hut.
More 200 firefighters from more than 30 fire
departments have been fighting the blaze,
aided by aerial water drops.
The fire started Thursday near New Paltz,
N.Y., about 90 miles north of New York City.
Capt. Dan Walsh of the rangers called it the
largest wildfire in the area in 60 years, The
New York Times reported. The cause had
not been determined, the newspaper said.
© 2008 United Press International. All
Rights Reserved.
|
Arizona Wildfire
Burns 4,470 Acres
Monday, April 21,
2008
NOGALES,
Ariz. A wildfire in remote and rugged terrain along
the Arizona-Mexico border grew to 4,470 acres by
Monday morning.
The fire in the
Coronado National Forest was 40 percent
contained. No homes or buildings were threatened by
the blaze, which is about 11 miles west of Nogales,
said Heidi Schewel, a spokeswoman for the Coronado
National Forest.
High winds caused the fire,
first spotted on Friday, to grow over the weekend.
Winds were lighter on Sunday.
Officials attributed the fire's
latest growth to intentional fires that were used for
building protection lines around the blaze.
Crews plan to continue building
and maintaining the protection lines Monday. The fire
was expected to be fully contained by Thursday.
|
Wildfire is contained near Great Salt Lake
Published: Monday, April 21, 2008 2:16 a.m. MDT
A wildfire that burned more than 1,500 acres of
land near the Great Salt Lake has been contained.
The Pintail Flats fire started Saturday
afternoon and burned between 1,500 and 1,800 acres of
land on the western edge of Ogden Bay, according to a
statement from the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Firefighters had contained the blaze by about
3:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The high winds that fueled the flames continued
to blow Sunday afternoon, and firefighters were still
monitoring for potential flare-ups.
The cause of the fire is unknown but is being
called suspicious
|
Smoldering trash sparked deadly Colo. wildfire
Blaze killed two firefighters and forced 1,200
residents to flee
updated
12:35 a.m. PT, Sat.,
April. 19, 2008
ORDWAY, Colo. - A smoldering trash pile is being
blamed for sparking a wildfire in a Colorado farming
community that left two firefighters dead Tuesday.
No criminal charges are being recommended in the
blaze in Ordway, Colorado, about 120 miles southeast
of Denver. The fire torched at least eight homes and
forced all 1,200 residents to flee.
The flames ignited dry grass under a wood-beamed
bridge over a ditch on a state highway. The two
volunteer firefighters were killed when their fire
truck crashed through the weakened bridge and
plunged into a ditch.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has found no
criminal acts by the private property owner.
|
3 injured fighting 600-acre wildfire
By
From
Staff Reports
Published: April 19, 2008A Virginia
Department of Forestry employee was in intensive
care Saturday night at the University of Virginia
Medical Center after suffering upper-body burns
while fighting a large brush fire in Buckingham
County.
Two other firefighters were treated for smoke
inhalation at local medical facilities.
The fire, which covered about 600 acres near
Routes 622 and 676, was brought under control
after about nine hours, said Kevin Flippen of
Buckingham emergency services.
All five of the countys fire companies battled
the blaze throughout the day.
The brush fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. and
the forestry employee was taken to the hospital at
2 p.m.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
|
|
FIRE MAP FOR APRIL, 18, 2008 |
Tennessee Wildfire
Started by Motorcycle Crash
Thursday, April
17, 2008
GATLINBURN, Tenn. A fire blazing in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park was started by a motorcycle
crash.
National Park Service spokesman Bob Miller said
the fire had grown to about 10 acres by Wednesday
night and would expand further Thursday while
firefighters worked to contain it.
It began when a rider crashed
his motorcycle on U.S. 129 in a winding area known as
"the Dragon."
Miller said the steep and rocky
terrain prevents firefighters from making a direct
attack on the fire. They were working to contain it
between the highway and the Topoco power line.
Officials said the motorcyclist
walked away from the crash.
|
Colorado wildfire 20 percent
contained after overnight snow
April 17, 2008
DENVER Overnight snow helped
firefighters extend containment lines Thursday at a
14-square-mile wildfire in southern Colorado that
claimed the life of a firefighting pilot earlier
this week.
The fire at Fort Carson was 20 percent contained,
up from 10 percent the night before.
Snow moved into the area Wednesday night, blanketing
a wide swath of foothills and grasslands. The
National Weather Service could not say how much snow
fell on the fire, but 2 inches was recorded in
nearby Colorado Springs, about 60 miles south of
Denver.
The fire was one of three that erupted on
Tuesday.
A fire in Ordway, a tiny farming community about
120 miles southeast of Denver, killed two
firefighters, destroyed at least eight homes and
prompted authorities to order all 1,200 residents to
evacuate. It was 100 percent contained Wednesday
night.
A blaze near Carbondale in the western Colorado
mountains, about 120 miles west of Denver, was also
100 percent contained. It damaged two buildings and
slightly injured a fisherman.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Department said the
Carbondale fire started after high winds exposed an
ember from a property owner's controlled burn.
No burn ban was in effect, but Carbondale Fire
Chief Ron Leach said his department had not issued
any burn permits required for controlled burns
that day. The investigation was continuing, and no
one had been charged.
The causes of the other fires were still under
investigation.
Pilot Gert Marais of Fort Benton, Mont., was
killed Tuesday when his single-engine plane crashed
after dumping fire-retardant slurry on the Fort
Carson blaze. Marais, 42, worked for a Sterling,
Colo., company that supplies aerial firefighting
services to the Colorado State Forest Service.
The National Transportation Safety Board was
investigating.
Volunteer firefighters John Schwartz, 38, and
Terry Devore, 30, were killed at the Ordway blaze on
Tuesday when their fire truck plunged into a ravine
under a bridge that had been damaged by flames. It
wasn't immediately clear if the bridge collapsed
under the weight of the truck or had fallen earlier.
Schwartz and Devore were corrections officers at
a state prison outside Ordway and were members of
the Olney Springs Volunteer Fire Department.
|
Firefighters Hope Storms Will
Help Stifle Colorado Wildfires That Killed 3
ORDWAY, Colo.
Firefighters resumed the battle Wednesday against three wildfires
that blazed through nearly 20,000 acres in Colorado, killing three
people and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.
Two of the dead were volunteer firefighters
who were killed when a bridge damaged by flames collapsed under
their fire truck, a state lawmaker said. The third was the pilot
of an air tanker.
Wind gusted up to 50 mph along the Rocky
Mountain Front Range and eastern plains on Tuesday, fanning flames
that quickly spread across 8,900 acres or 14 square miles of
grassland near Ordway. All 1,200 residents of the town were told
to leave, and they had not been allowed back in by Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, wind was blowing at less
than 10 mph at Pueblo, about 50 miles west of Ordway,
the National Weather Service said. Firefighters hoped rain and
snow expected later in the day would help them corral the blaze.
The Ordway fire was 80 percent contained by
Wednesday morning but had damaged at least 24 buildings, eight
within town limits, fire information officer Katherine Sanguinetti
said.
Authorities said firefighters John Schwartz
Jr., 38, and Terry Davore, 29, died in the bridge collapse. Both
were corrections officers at a state prison outside Ordway and
were members of the Olney Springs Volunteer Fire Department, said
Ari Zavaras, director of the
state Department of Corrections.
State Rep. Cory Gardner, whose district
includes Ordway, told legislative leaders both men had young
children.
Former state Rep. Mark Cloer of Sugar City,
near Ordway, told lawmakers that ranchers would need emergency
feed for cattle because the fire destroyed feedlots.
A firefighting plane crashed near Fort Carson,
killing the pilot, Gert Marais, 42, of Fort Benton, Mont., Fort
Carson spokesman Maj. Sean Ryan said.
Marais worked for a Sterling, Colo., company
that supplies aerial firefighting services to the
Colorado State Forest Service, Ryan said.
The
National Transportation Safety Board was investigating.
Marais was battling a blaze there that charred
9,600 acres about 15 square miles and forced the evacuation of
people living near the Army base.
Authorities could not say how many people had
been evacuated at the Fort Carson fire, but none had been allowed
back into their homes by Wednesday morning.
About 300 firefighters were at the fire but no
containment lines had been established, El Paso County sheriff's
Sgt. Jeanette Whitney said.
Firefighting aircraft were grounded for a
safety stand-down after the fatal crash but were cleared to fly
again Wednesday if needed, said Steve Segin, a spokesman for the
Rocky Mountain Area Coordinating Center, which organizes state and
federal firefighting agencies.
A team from the coordinating center was
preparing to take control of the firefighting effort later
Wednesday, an indication of how serious the situation was.
Two shelters were set up at the post and a
third at a nearby community college to house evacuees. The cause
of the fire at the base outside Colorado Springs, about 60 miles
south of Denver, hadn't been determined.
A third fire, near Carbondale in the western
Colorado mountains, damaged at least two homes and left a
fisherman with minor injuries.
Rain was possible in parts of the area during
the afternoon and there was a chance of up to a foot of snow in
Colorado's eastern mountains beginning Wednesday evening and
lasting into Thursday morning, the weather service said.
All but a handful of Ordway residents had left
for the nearby communities of Sugar City and Crowley, where
officials set up a shelter. An unknown number of residents were
allowed to remain in a nursing care facility in a section of
Ordway not threatened by the fire, fire information officer Chris
Sorensen said.
Armed with a chain saw, shovel and hose, Brian
Walker stood ready to save his house from the flames.
"Well, I got a yard, and I got a home and I
want to keep it," said Walker, 45. "I thought if the fire came, I
thought I could do whatever I could to stop it."
Helicopter footage showed at least three
houses fully engulfed in flames near the town about 120 miles
southeast of Denver. Two state highways were closed.
At least three heavy air tankers, each capable
of carrying up to 2,500 gallons of fire retardant, were sent to
Ordway, Segin said.
Crowley County Sheriff Miles Clark said he
asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to help investigate the
cause.
All three fires broke out after a wetter than
normal winter was followed by a dry March.
Gov.
Bill Ritter declared a state of emergency, freeing up state
resources to help fight the fires. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency also agreed to provide money for the
firefighting efforts.
The wildfire near Carbondale, in the mountains
about 120 miles west of Denver, blackened about 1,000 acres. It
was about 25 percent contained Wednesday.
|
Big Sur wildfire closes Highway 1
By Monterey County Herald
Article Launched: 04/17/2008 09:45:22 AM PDT
A wildland fire burning just outside Los Padres National
Forest along the Big Sur coast closed Highway 1 in both
directions and forced the evacuation of several
residents Wednesday.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
spokeswoman Jan Bray said the fire was burning in
"extremely heavy and tall brush on steep slopes" uphill
from Highway 1 about 15 miles south of Big Sur.
The fire started around 1 p.m. about a mile south of
the Esalen Institute. Although it appeared to be
threatening structures, the fire was kept at bay and no
houses were damaged, said Joe Pasinato, spokesman for
the U.S. Forest Service.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office reported that
residents on Dolan Road were supposed to be evacuated in
the early afternoon, but as one resident tried to drive
down a steep, narrow dirt road, the driver swerved to
avoid another car and rolled over, deputies said,
blocking the evacuation route.
It took two hours to remove the wreckage with a
bulldozer, deputies said. The driver was not injured.
Officers aboard the new sheriff's office helicopter
flew over residences and announced evacuations while
other deputies knocked on doors.
Five residents agreed to leave, deputies said, while
two stayed in their homes.
Deputies said they would remain in the area until it
was safe for residents to return, which was predicted to
be sometime late Wednesday.
By 9 p.m., firefighters said the blaze had consumed
10 acres and was
about 60 percentcontained, with full containment likely
by tonight.
Several "hot spots" remained Wednesday, but officials
said there was "no appreciable rate of spread."
One lane of Highway 1 was open by 9 p.m. Wednesday,
with both lanes expected to be opened by this afternoon,
according to the California Highway Patrol.
No injuries to firefighters or residents were
reported.
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire and the
Big Sur Volunteer Fire Department fought the fire on the
ground, while a Santa Barbara County Fire Department
helicopter dropped water. A state prison inmate fire
crew also helped on the ground.
The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 1 in
both directions just north of Esalen Institute and at
Dolan Creek to the south.
While an early report indicated the fire may have
been started by a car whose driver was changing a tire,
officials later said the cause of the fire has yet to be
determined.
Cal Fire officials said an unrelated controlled burn
is scheduled to take place at 11 p.m. today on the
Silacci Ranch east of Salinas and advised residents not
to be alarmed.
|
DeSoto, FL wildfire mystifies officials: Burning patchwork chars 330
square acres
(Last
updated: April 18, 2008 8:09 PM)
A contained wildfire in DeSoto County is expected to take a week
before burning out.
By CAROL SAKOWITZ
DeSoto News Editor
DeSOTO COUNTY A wildfire slowly smoldering on property 2 miles
inland from County Roads 760 and 769 is expected to take at least a
week before it burns out, officials from the state Division of
Forestry said.
The Addison Avenue Wildfire, accessed on Addison Avenue and
Southwest Aurin Grade, is invisible from the commonly traveled
roads, which possibly caused a delay in its discovery. It has burned
in uneven patches over an area of approximately 330 square acres,
fueled by the dead trees and debris left by Hurricane Charley.
The wildfire currently is under investigation, according to
Patrick Mahoney, the division's wildfire managment specialist. He
said the investigation is continuing because the source of the fire,
whether natural or manmade, is unknown. Mahoney said that anyone
with knowledge of the source of the wildfire or any suspicious
fire should call the Arson Alert line at 800-342-5869. Kelley
Johnson, whose land is part of the fire site, said he first saw
smoke on Sunday afternoon while working on his property. He said he
monitored the wildfire's progress, expecting it to die out in the
cypress swamp area on his land.
|
4.18.2008 9:07 AM
Texas Wildfire Destroys 6 Homes
A Brisk, Deadly Start to the 2008 Wildfire Season
Wildfires near Odessa, Texas, have
destroyed six homes, and led to the evacuation of 150 other
homes, according to the Associated Press. The fire comes just
days after a Colorado wildfire killed three, led to the
evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and burned 11 square
miles.The fires are among more than 13,555 recorded
already in 2008. That's a slightly lower total than the
five-year average to date, but the acreage burned 1.1 million
is 45.7% above the five-year average, and 97.7% above the
average since 2000. The totals do not include this week's fires,
including those in Colorado and Texas.
Despite a wet winter that typically tamps down on fire
risk, a particularly dry March has made conditions ripe for
fires in much of the West.
Scientists warn that fire risk will increase with global
warming, as mountain snowpack diminishes, summer heat increases
and vegetation become more susceptible to drying out.
More fire activity is likely today, as the National
Weather Service has announced red flag warnings due to fire risk
across several parts of the U.S.
|
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