Wildfire Runover

A CREW OF TEN WILDFIRE FF's WERE overun at a fire Thursday  that is believed to be purposely set.  Of the ten, six perished as they all huddled together after being surrounded.  The London Telegraph explains:

The 10 firefighters, private contractors for forestry company Mininco, were trapped by a blaze raging in a mountainside forest in the Araucania region. A helicopter succeeded in pulling the four injured to safety.

"The fire suddenly surrounded them because of the wind, they drew closer together, one against another, and saw the fire pass above them," local governor Miguel Mellado told Canal 13 television.

For more than a week firefighting teams have been tackling a series of blazes in Araucania and the neighbouring Biobio region, rural areas located some 500 to 700 kilometres (310-435 miles) south of the Chilean capital Santiago.

"We have reliable information that makes us presume there is criminal intent behind these fires," President Pinera said. "I believe that we ought to combat not only the fires, but also the criminals behind the fires." The president, who pledged his government would do everything possible to find those responsible, evoked anti-terror laws that could allow for tougher punishments.

Rescue crews remove two of the victims.  (Andrade / Reuters photo)

So far, nearly 50 fires have started in the woodlands along the Pacific coast, fueled by unusually dry conditions during a drought and whipped up by El Nino winds.

Firefighter Nation has MORE.

The Telegraph has also posted some raw video from the fire line:

BBC News image

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Six-Hour Flight For the 2nd-Due

Four Teams of Reinforcements Flown From Paris

REUNION ISLAND IS A FRENCH TERRITORY in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.  The approx. 1,000 sq. mile island is home to about 800,000 French citizens and also the home of Reunion National Park, a primal forest containing many rare and endangered species of trees and flowers. 

AFP

Last Tuesday, 25 October, two arsonists started a wildfire that is still burning as this posting is being written. The major fire that is moving through a mountainous region grew larger than the 400 firefighters that were rounded up on the island could handle and the call for help went to the head of the national fire service in Paris.  Initially 171 firefighters were sent on the 6-hour flight to Reunion to assist, but more help was needed.

AFP

Over the next few days three more groups of additional firefighters, making a total of 820 FF's on the line, were sent along with 50 tons of equipment.  Large firefighting airplanes are impractical because the local airport cannot accommodate them, but several helicopters were flown over to assist.  By this morning the fire was contained but will still be burning for a while.  So far, only one dwelling, a farmhouse has been lost to the fire.  The Minister of Ecology announced that the fire is a "major ecological disaster."

20minutes has the STORY.
Le Nouvel Observateur has MORE.
Clicanoo has fire zone overlays on satellite photos HERE.

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Pilot Escapes Serious Injury

AN AERIAL TANKER WORKING A SCRUB FIRE in southern France Saturday afternoon crashed while making a drop and paritally burned.  The pilot of the Morane class plane was able to extricate himself and escape the flames with only minor injuries.

TF1 News

The Herault region has been experiencing unusually hot and dry climate for several months and on Saturday the wind was blowing at 50 to 80 km/h as at least 13 wildfires sprang up.  Two hundred firefighters were mobilized in the area along with a dozen aircraft including two helicopters.  A Morane-type aerial "bomber" was making a drop on one of the fires when a sudden and violent wind burst slammed it into the ground.  The pilot suffered a head injury, but was able to get out of the wreckage that soon became mostly consumed with a fire.  He will be ok, the medical authorities have said.

In the late afternoon the winds died down and all the fires were either extinguished or brought under control before the sun set.

TF1 News has the STORY.

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Fire Out by Saturday Night

THE STUBBORN WILDFIRE THAT THREATENED the entire island of Brac in Croatia has been extinguished.  (See the Firegeezer report from Saturday HERE.)

The fire was virtually out except for some hot spots Saturday evening, but as a precaution the fire service kept 372 firefighters on standby in case the wind whipped up again.  A long portion of the fire line is inaccessable to ground crews, so a carefull watch was required.  Sunday morning the situation had remained cool and non-threatening.

At 11:30 Saturday night the Prime Minister of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor arrived and spent today visiting the fire area and thanking the hundreds of firefighters, volunteers, and residents for their hard work in preserving the island with only one resident injured and no homes destroyed.

Updated story in Dnevnik HERE.

Over 25% of Island Burned So Far

A wildfire that started Thursday night has destroyed 1/4 of the occupied island of Brač in Croatia.  Our correspondent Nenad Ilisic has sent us this report on the situation there:

Thursday July 14 a wildfire fire started on the island of Brač in Croatia.

24 Sata

A strong south wind spread the fire very quickly. Although more than 120 400 firefighters, 40 75vehicles, 4 CL-415 and 1 AT-802 airplanes were engaged, they couldn't stop the fire and the first day ended with more than 2500 burned hectares. Heavy terrain in combination with wind constantly changing direction are the reasons why ground forces were not able to get the fire under control.

24 Sata

Friday, early at sunrise, 5 CL-415, 3 AT-802 and 2 Mi-8 helicopters started to aid firefighters on the ground, who fought the fire all night, with minor success. 250 firefighters are at the moment engaged with more reinforcement on the way. More than 200 persons (tourists and residents) were evacuated. For now there are no reports of injured people. More than 250 sheep didn't survive. Many vineyards and olive groves are destroyed. Last information says that more than 4000 hectares are burned that is almost 1/4 of the island surface. Almost all air forces were engaged during the day to their limits until there was no more visibility to fly.

This Video Shows the Canadair Tankers Refilling From the Sea

Just another day at the beach!

The fire is easy to see from Split. Ash from fire ''snowed'' on the town 17 km away. There is one more night of uncertainty for all people on the island, firefighters included. The only hope is that if the wind weakens during the night, there is large possibility for firefighters to take control of the situation Saturday.

Additional photos available:
24 Sata has a 34-image photo gallery HERE.
Jutarnji has a 30-image gallery HERE.

This graphic animation illustrates the area involved:

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Bring the action to the folks watching at home…

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Record Drought in Southern France

A GRASS FIRE BROKE OUT LATE Wednesday afternoon in the Soyaux region of SW France.  A heat wave joined with a severe drought and 20 km/hr winds whipped the fire up quickly and it raced through about 100 hectares of grass and woodland.

Charente Libre

Sud Ouest

The fire was moving toward several communities before it was slowed down by 150 firefighters.  The town of Garat was in immediate danger for a while, but by this morning the fire crews had contained about 75% of the fire line.

Charente Libre

Charente Libre

All through the fire area the fire brigades were setting up protection between the fire and buildings including a high school that was kept wet with fire hoses.

Sud Ouest

During the night three columns of soldiers were brought in and today the dangers to the communities were gone.  However, the fire is not out yet.

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Burning Since Wednesday

A MAJOR WILDFIRE IS STILL BURNING out of control on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza. The fire started on the Mediterranean playground around noon Wednesday when a beekeeper accidentally started a grass fire when he was smoking his hives.  He has been detained by the civil authorities on possible charges of negligent behavior which he denies.

PA photo

The fire spread rapidly into the mountains that fill the 220-sq.-mile island and has spread dangerously close to the  main city of St. Joan.  So far 200 locals have been evacuated from their homes along with at least 500 tourists, mostly Brits and Germans.  On Sunday many of the tourists were allowed to return to their hotels.

The Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME) was brought
in to assist in the firefighting effort.  (AFP photo)

About 500 firefighters, including some military units, are working the blaze which is not yet contained.  However, higher humidity and lower winds the past day have lessened the aggresiveness of the fire spread.  More than 20 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are assisting on the fire that has consumed more than 3% of the island's land so far.

AP

Some raw video of the fire and firefighting efforts:

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Firegeezer will post updates whenever needed.

The Reader (Ibiza)

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Some Stories Fresh Off the News Ticker

DO YOU RECALL THE story last week about the patient who died in the back of a Kansas City ambulance and the crew didn't know it?  After a 40+ minutes trip during a snowstorm, they learned that the patient was dead when they onloaded him at the hospital.  See the Firegeezer report HERE.

The City Council is going into damage control now by offering to buy off the dead man's heirs with a $205,000 settlement.  The Kansas City Star has the STORY HERE.

ANOTHER STOLEN AMBULANCE, this time in Macon, Georgia.  The Macon Telegraph reports that a man got into an ambulance that was parked in front of a doctor's office Friday afternoon and drove off.  As it happened, an off-duty police officer witnessed the theft and the chase was on.  Read the STORY HERE.

WHO NEEDS EXTINGUISHERS AND DETECTORS?  The people who operate the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York think those things are overrated.  The facility is just 24 miles north of New York City and has had problems in the past, including fires.  But recently they have been getting piecemeal exemptions from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that have effectively left most of the facility without the minimum coverage that federal law requires.  The New York Daily News, in an article about the situation, writes:

Indian Point's two active reactors are divided into 275 fire zones, of which 198 lack automatic fire suppression systems, according to records that plant owner Entergy gave the NRC in 2009.

That means 72% of the facility lacks things like sprinklers and automatic deluge water sprays.

One vulnerable hot spot is the spent-fuel pool at Indian Point 3, where radioactive and superheated fuel rods are kept cool. A spent-fuel pool triggered Japan's nuke accident.

There are no manual fire suppression systems such as hydrants or fire extinguishers in 111 fire zones – 40% of the plant.

Fire detection systems common to most major office buildings such as smoke, heat or flame detectors are unavailable in 173 zones – 63% of the plant.

The Daily News also prepared this video report on their visit to the facility recently:

Entergy's argument is that detectors aren't needed in places where there's little chance of a fire occurring.  The State Attorney General is filing a complaint with the NRC.  Read the entire article HERE.

WE HAVE A SAD FOLLOW-UP to our report HERE on May 17 about the wildfire in Alberta province that destroyed nearly half of the town of Slave Lake.  On Friday a helicopter that was part of the forestry firefighting effort at Slave Lake crashed in the lake in about 4 feet of water.  The pilot died on the scene before rescuers could reach him.  Twelve firefighters had to be treated for hypothermia from their immersion to retrieve the pilot and to search the wreckage for any other possible passengers.  CBC News has the full STORY HERE.

Most of the Fires Are Still Out of Control

CURRENTLY THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 WILDFIRES burning in northern Alberta Province.  The firefighting resources are not sufficient to get control over them yet as hundred of firefighters are being flown in from across the country.  The Calgary Fire Department which is located about 200 miles away has dispatched 12 engines and over 100 firefighters to Slave Lake to control the fires there.
Update:  Firegeezer friend Jay911 has sent along the following information regarding the mutual aid responses:

Calgary FD sent 1 quint, 1 aerial, 5 engines, 1 air-light, a district chief, and support staff (shop mechanic & supply truck), along with 100 FFs. Edmonton sent 70 with an unknown amount of equipment. Calgary also mobilized CAN-TF2, one of five HUSAR teams in Canada very similar to the FEMA USAR teams in the USA. CAN-TF2 sent one 53' cache semi, one 60' mobile hospital semi, and various communications gear and staff to operate/assist with all said equipment.

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In the past two days, three wind-whipped blazes have attacked the town of Slave Lake (pop. 7,000) sending the residents to refugee stations 60 miles away.  Currently more than 40% of the town's structures have been destroyed, including the high school, the major shopping mall, and the town hall.

The Slave Lake town hall and government center was
completely destroyed.  (CBC images)

The town was totally evacuated on Sunday on a moment's notice when winds shifted and sent one of the fires directly into the populated area.

The evacuation Sunday was sudden, but orderly.  (CBC)

This morning's report from CTV adds:

According to the latest Alberta government bulletin issued late Monday night, there are more than 100 wildfires burning across the province, 36 of which are out of control. Fifteen of those are in the Slave Lake area.

The largest include a wildfire east of the town that's already burned 20 square kilometres and another to the south that's scorched a 150-square kilometre area.

Besides the mass evacuation from Slave Lake, which Alberta cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk said is the largest single-day displacement of Albertans in the province's history, evacuation orders are also in effect for Loon Lake in the Red Earth Creek area and Chisholm southeast of Slave Lake.

Multiple forest fires north of Fort McMurray have also seen the evacuation of about 2,000 oil workers.

Reuters

CTV News has provided this excellent video report:

For more in-depth coverage of the Slave Lake fire, check periodically with Wildfire Today website HERE.

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