Wildfire Examiner

USFS report says steep slopes and vegetation conditions inhibited initial attack of Station fire

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:52:56 -0700

After a review of the first 46 hours of the management of the Station fire, a five-person panel concluded that the appropriate decisions were made on the fire which eventually burned 160,000 acres on the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles. Th...

Seattle TV station exposes railroad-caused fires in Washington

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:17:27 -0700

Wildfire Today has frequently written about wildfires caused by the negligence of railroad companies. For example:Fires caused by railroads are much more numerous than people think. Most railroad fires are caused by improperly maintained turbo charge...

Climate change researchers: Yosemite NP to have 19% more fires

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:03:21 -0700

Yosemite National Park. Photo by Bill Gabbert According to researchers who published a recent paper in the International Journal of Wildland Fire (Volume 18[7] 2009), climate change will increase the number and burn severity of fires in Yosemit...

Fire academy to be on Reality television

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:13:11 -0700

I didn't know (or care) that my DIRECTV service included the "Fox Reality Channel" until I checked tonight, but on Saturday, October 24 they will carry the first of 10 one-hour episodes of a reality show that will follow 29 fire recruits as...

Official fire perimeter of Sheep fire in southern California

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:50:49 -0700

The official perimeter is now available for the Sheep fire near Wrightwood in southern California. The map is current as of 11:00 p.m. October 4. The map data is provided by the U.S. Forest Service. Base map by Google Earth.For more information: Wild...

Evacuation order lifted for Williams, AZ, fire

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:51:59 -0700

At 10 a.m. Monday the evacuation order for the Twin fire near Williams, Arizona was lifted, making it possible for families to return to their homes. Strong winds on Sunday tested firefighters but they were able to keep the fire from adding additiona...

Sheep fire--thousands evacuated, but winds calmer today

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:11:55 -0700

Sheep fire photo by Carol Underhill, USFS, October 4 Thousands are still evacuated in the Wrightwood, California area as firefighters continue to battle the 7,500-acre Sheep fire. On Sunday firefighters conducted a large burnout operation near t...

Sheep fire requires evacuations near Wrightwood, CA

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:51:39 -0700

A map of the Sheep fire showing heat detected by satellites at 2:46 a.m. PT Oct. 4. The red areas contain heat that was detected within the previous 12 hours. The Sheep fire near Cajon Pass on the San Bernardino National Forest in southern Calif...

Wildfire outlook for October through January

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:42:27 -0700

Wildfire and weather outlooks for October, 2009 through January, 2010.

Temperature outlook, October through December

Precipitation probability, October through December

Arnica fire in Yellowstone temporarily closes Grand Loop road again

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:41:59 -0700

This updated map of the Arnica fire shows heat detected by satellites at 3:40 a.m. MT Sept. 27. The red areas contain heat that was detected within the previous 12 hours. Several fires from previous years are also shown. GEOMAC Pushed by a st...

Yellowstone fire closes Grand Loop Road

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:10:14 -0700

As you can see on the screen grab from the Mt. Washburn web cam, the Arnica fire north of West Thumb in Yellowstone National Park is cranking out some smoke and probably quite a few acres too. Yesterday afternoon the size was estimated at 250 acres....

Map of Guiberson fire near Fillmore, California

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:02:56 -0700

The Guiberson fire between Fillmore and Moorpark in southern California grew to about 8,500 acres Tuesday night. Here is an updated map of the Guiberson fire near Fillmore and Moorpark in southern California showing heat detected by satellites at 3:...

Red flag warning brings fires to southern California

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:38:22 -0700

Some areas in southern California are under a red flag warning, so it comes as no surprise that firefighters are busy there this afternoon. The Guiberson fire north of Los Angeles near Moorpark and Fillmore is being pushed by a "moderate santa a...

Satellite image of Station fire

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:51:55 -0700

This satellite image of the Station fire near Los Angeles was acquired on September 7 around noon. It shows burn severity and was prepared for the teams that are assessing the impacts of the fire in order to write a plan to rehabilitate the areas th...

Station fire area "reduced to wasteland"

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:14:44 -0700

Mill Creek Picnic area, burned by the Station fire. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / September 4)The LA Times has two interesting articles about the Station fire near Los Angeles. One is titled "L.A.'s nature haven, reduced to wasteland"...

Update on Station, fire, Saturday

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:00:43 -0700

Here is an updated map of the Station fire near Los Angeles showing heat detected by satellites at 3:21 a.m. PT Sept. 5. The red areas contain heat that was detected within the previous 12 hours. The yellow area is the latest fire perimeter provided...

Updated map of Station fire, Sept. 4

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:28:56 -0700

Here is an updated map of the Station fire near Los Angeles showing heat detected by satellites at 2:34 a.m. PT Sept. 4. The red areas contain heat that was detected within the previous 12 hours. The yellow area is the latest fire perimeter provided ...

Update on Station fire near Los Angeles

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:39:52 -0700

Photo from the official Station fire Facebook page, Firing on Division CIncident Commander Mike Dietrich gave a briefing at 7:12 a.m. this morning about the Station fire near Los Angeles. Here are some of the key points. The fire has burned 144,...

Video of Martin Mars dropping on Mt. Wilson

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:02:23 -0700

Here are two videos of the 7,200-gallon Martin Mars air tanker dropping on Mt. Wilson during on the Station fire near Los Angeles. The first one was shot from cameras on-board the aircraft and from the air tanker's lead helicopter. The next o...

Firefighters make progress on Station fire

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:43:29 -0700

Photo from the official Station fire Facebook page In a press conference that just concluded at about 5:20 p.m., Incident Commander Mike Dietrich and his staff provided the following updated information about the Station fire near Los Angeles: ...