AN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE AL QUEDA PUBLICATION is advising its demented followers in the U. S. to start forest fires as a means to inflict personal and financial pain, and fear on Americans.
The Rapid City (South Dakota) Journal is reporting:
Terrorists who want to strike fear in the hearts of Americans would do well to set wildfires in Montana, al-Qaida advises in the most recent issue of its English-language magazine, Inspire.
"It is difficult to choose a better place other than in the valleys of Montana where the population increases rapidly," Inspire’s "AQ Chef" columnist writes.
The magazine disappeared for a while after its founders, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, were killed last year in a U.S. missile strike. But it recently reappeared online, its grammatically challenged cover urging "It is of your freedom to ignite a firebomb." Inside, the AQ Chef gives three pages detailing the recipe for an "ember bomb" – along with the suggestion to deploy such bombs in Montana.
The article includes detailed instructions on how to build an "ember bomb" along with hints on which weather conditions are favorable and the best locations for rapid fire growth and spread. CBN News illustrates these tactics in this video report:
Despite the emphasis on Montana, all the western states are taking this threat seriously and adding it to their check sheets and email lists to let everybody know that there may be some related activity from the fanatical fringe.
KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported on how New Mexico is responding to this release:
A RARE WILDFIRE OF LARGE SIZE STRUCK Suffolk County in Long Island, New York this week. A continuing drought and high winds have brought dozens of large wildfires along the east coast in recent days. One of the hardest-fought was in Suffolk for the fire that started Monday afternoon around 3 pm. in the Manorville area. It is believed that the fire began where someone was burning leaves or trash and the wind blew the embers into the dry woods where it took off.
WABC-TV
More than 1,000 acres were involved and at least nine structures including three homes were destroyed. Aproximately 109 fire departments from across Long Island worked the fire with containment finally coming on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday morning it was mostly a mop-up operation chasing down hot spots.
WABC-TV reported on three firefighters whose "stump jumper" truck became overrun by the fire:
Three volunteer firefighters were injured when their truck got stuck in the sand. One of the men, Jim McGarry, spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News about the terrifying ordeal.
"The fire was basically chasing us because the wind was whipping," he said. "The fire was surrounding us all around." The men had to abandoned their truck and run to escape the flames that were quickly closing in.
"I can't even explain what goes through you mind," McGarry said. "It's just the instinct to escape, you know. Just your natural instincts of we gotta get out of here. We have to run through the fire to get out of the fire."
Two of the men were treated for smoke inhalation. The third, William Hille, suffered first and second degree burns to his face. Covered in burns and bandages, Hille recounted the moments when the fire truck became trapped.
"The flames were coming straight at my face," he said. "I was trying to knock them back as best I could." Hille, a correction officer at Rikers Island, said the two-hour long wait to be rescued brought on a fear like he's never encountered before.
Hille was interviewed in this video report from WABC:
At 5 pm Tuesday the Manorville FD announced that the fire was "out" and operations suspended, but several crews remained through the night and all day Wednesday clearing up the hot spots and monitoring the fire zone.
Some Great Stories Posted on Some Other Fire and EMS Websites
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* Dave Statter has posted the funeral details and schedule for the two Philadelphia firefighters who died in the Line of Duty on Monday. They are on STATter911 HERE. If you haven't yet gotten the full story about the unusual circumstances of this tragic incident, Dave has extensive coverage of the entire operation HERE, HERE, and HERE.
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* Did you know that those solar panels up on the roof can electrocute you while you are trying to ventilate? The Green Maltese shows how new building codes in Oregon are successfully protecting the firefighters in those situations HERE.
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* One of ChicagoAreaFire's photographers, Tim Olk has grabbed the title of "Smoke Showing" away from Larry after his adventure on I-94 Sunday. Tim was witness to a spectacular wreck between two cars that were both traveling well in excess of 90 mph. After calling 9-1-1, he began snapping with lots of fire and car parts to POST HERE.
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* FireNewsNet has a photo story about a collision between an FD rapid-response car and a tractor trailer the left two FF's injured HERE. Jeff Harkey's website also has a new look on the front page. Check it out HERE.
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* Wildfire Today has good background on the proposed "next generation" air tanker HERE.
Coulson via Wildfire Today
Also, with wildfire season taking off like…well, wildfire… you should be checking the site out daily HERE.
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* Eric Lamar is back at the Turnout Blog with another probing commentary, this time on "ethics and hiring" HERE.
THIS DOCUMENTARY FILM showing Smoke Jumper training and procedures from the late 1940's is provided by the National Archives and Records Administration. The video runs for 54 minutes, so grab a cuppa first, then sit back and enjoy:
THE WIND-WHIPPED GRASS FIRE THAT took out more than six square miles in just over two days near Reno, Nevada,has been fully contained according to the fire officials. Aiding the containment was a 2-inch rainfall that dumped on the area early Saturday.
Fox News
The blaze sprung up Thursday and was blown up by 80+ mph winds, but was finally controlled after 400 firefighters were rushed to the area. At least 29 homes were destroyed and the body of a 93-yr.-old woman was found in a small apartment next to her daughter's home afterward. It is not yet known if her death was related to the fire or not.
An unidentified elderly man voluntarily came forward Saturday and disclosed that he had accidentally started the fire by not disposing of his fireplace ashes properly. The police describe him as "extremely remorseful" and the local prosecutor has not decided whether to charge him.
The Associated Press filed this post-fire video report:
A BRUSH FIRE THAT SPRUNG UP around noon Pacific near Reno, Nevada, on Thursday has raced through six square miles and burned at least 27 homes so far. The fire was beyond control most of the day because of 80+ mph winds whipping it along.
Reuters / Glover
Firefighters working all night have temporarily halted the progress of the front line of the fire which was traveling directly toward Reno. Early this morning the fire bosses said that the fire has been 50% contained, but they could lose that edge if the high winds continue.
MSNBC has posted this brief home video that captures some of the fast destruction:
More than 10,000 people had been evacuated from the threatened area, however all but 2,000 have been allowed to return home.
Some fire crews from California were dispatched to help, but the storm has dumped a heavy snowfall closing the Donner Pass forcing them to turn around and return. A light rainfall during the night has created some hope for the firefighters that they will be able to get ahead of the fire.
The Associated Press via KNRV-TV has some more raw video:
The state of emergency is still in effect at the time of this posting. The story will be updated when appropriate.
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.
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.
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.
A LIGHT PLANE CRASHED SUNDAY MORNING near Tehachapi, California, killing the pilot and starting a destructive grass fire. A stiff breeze with 40 mph gusts fanned the fire in the sparsely occupied area and before fire units were notified and responding, it grew to several hundred acres and consumed one home.
Tehachapi News
The Cessna 210 went down at 11:30 am killing the pilot and his passenger on impact. Initially 30 homes were evacuated, but later it was expanded to 100 homes.
The Associated Press prepared this video report prior to the discovery of the 2nd victim:
By 9:30 pm Sunday night the fire had grown to cover 3,500 acres with 0% containment. There are 600 firefighters on the scene, but extra-rugged terrain is preventing them from getting an effective perimeter around the fire. Seven air tankers and four helicopters joined the fight before dark.
The Bakersfield Californian has the STORY.
KERO-TV has MORE.
A GRASS FIRE IN FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS, swept into what was the hospital center for the Fort Chaffee Army Post Wednesday night and consumed approximately 110 long-vacated buildings that made up the 80-acre medical complex. The entire post had been abandoned by the U. S. Army more than 20 years ago, but the Arkansas National Guard has been using it for training exercises since then.
Fort Smith Times Record
The fire blew up Wednesday night about 10 pm and winds swept it into the collection of old, wooden buildings where the firefighters could not get enough water to control it. In the middle of the night it was decided to forego trying to save the buildings and instead set backfires to meet the fire line and get it under control. That action subsequently led to the total destruction. One official estimates that only one of the 120 buildings will have survived the fire.
KFSM-TV posted this raw video of the main hospital building burning:
Fort Chaffee possesses a rich history with many movies, including "Biloxi Blues," filmed on the property. It is best known in popular culture as the site where Elvis Presley entered the Army in 1958 and had his hair shorn in a crew cut.
The government began Camp Chaffee in 1941, paying $1.35 million to acquire the land. The first soldiers arrived on December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day. It served as a training camp as well as a German prisoner-of-war camp.
Fort Chaffee was a processing center for refugees from the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s. It has also housed Cuban refugees and Hurricane Katrina evacuees, but many of the buildings that housed them burned in 2008.
"The hospital … was a structural record of what military medical care here used to be like," Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Claude Legris told Reuters.
"Although that part of the complex had not been renovated, it's difficult when a natural disaster such as this one eliminates future restoration as an option."
The medical complex had also become a popular spot with paranormal enthusiasts in recent years, with some ghost hunters visiting the hospital every weekend.
The fire was started accidentally Wednesday afternoon by National Guard troops who were training with weapons.
KFSM-TV has a video report on the fire that includes some good fire footage:
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.
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:
AT THE 49th PARIS INTERNATIONAL AIR SHOW last week, among the many new and developing aircraft on display was the recently designed Russian firefighting aircraft/tanker, the Beriev 202.
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Firegeezer thanks Mark Donovan for finding and sending along those pix as well as the information that:
The Russian Emergencies Ministry signed a $330 million contract with the Beriev design bureau for the procurement of eight Be-202 Altair amphibious planes configured for firefighting according to the Russian news agency Novosti. The Altair is the largest multipurpose amphibious aircraft currently operational. This acquisition comes as a quick reaction to the criticism of Russian authorities failing to contain wildfires raging through western Russia for two months in the summer of 2010.
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Our Balkan correspondent Nenad Ilisic sends us another story about a firefighting airplane:
On the island of Brac in Croatia, a wildfire force of five firetrucks with 15 firefighters, 2 CL-415 aircraft, two AT-802's (AirTractor), and one MI-8 helicopter were attacking a wildfire that started in a garbage dump on Saturday afternoon about 3:30 pm.
One of the AirTractors crashed in a creviss in the mountains and the pilot was injured. The area is almost inaccessable, but he was removed successfully and transported to the hospital where he is expected to recover.
The downed plane is seen in the lower left of the photo
(Photos via Dnevnik)
Police and aircraft safety investigators are on the scene. Online newspaper Dnevnik has the STORY.
They also filed this brief video with coverage of both the fire and the plane. Unfortunately the obscured the picture with the maddening credit overlay:
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.
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:
A WILDFIRE BURNING JUST SOUTH OF SILVER CITY, New Mexico, is still burning out of control this morning after a night of destruction fanned by 50-mph-winds.
Sun-News photo
The fire started Monday along Highway 90 between Tyrone and Silver City and has consumed more than 1,000 1,770 acres so far. It traveled through two communities overnight and destroyed between 15 and 20 homes so far. The Silver City Sun-News is reporting this morning:
Silver City Fire Chief Rudy Bencomo said because the winds were still fueling the blaze, firefighters were in a defensive mode Monday night, evacuating people as necessary and trying to save as many homes as possible. “Containment really isn’t possible right now,” Bencomo said.
As many as 80 firefighters from all Grant County volunteer fire departments, along with Silver City, and firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and New Mexico Forestry Department, were battling the blaze into Monday evening.
KOB-TV had their news helicopter over the fire last night and filed this video report:
Update: 40 dead as prison bus burns. Scroll down.
Update, 12:40 pm Eastern: Complete village burned down. More info. and video added. Scroll down. Update, 2:15 pm: Three high-ranking emergency personnel missing at fire scene. Scroll down. Update, 7:30 pm: Additional info., more video added.
ISRAELI FIREFIGHTERS ARE BATTLING a raging wildfire today (Thursday) that was first discovered around 11 am this morning. The wind-whipped blaze in the Carmel Forest has blown up to several square miles already and is directly threatening a town and a high-security prison.
YNet News
The fire command has informed the police to evacuate the Damon prison and all 500 inmates were re-located temporarily at several local jails. The town of Beit Oren was also evacuated and other nearby towns and resort hotels have been put on alert. Update: A second village, Usafiya has just been evacuated also.
Several roads are cut off now and the authorities alerted Haifa University to be prepared for evacuation if it becomes necessary.
There is a strong easterly wind accelerating the fire, but it is also moving it toward the seacoast where hopefully it will be contained.
A police source told Ynet that detectives were probing a lead saying an illegal dumping ground caused the large blaze in the Carmel forest.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav visited the site and said authorities had known of the illegal activity for some time. “It was just a matter of time until a calamity occurred,” he said.
There were 15 fire companies working the fire while dozens more are being called to the incident to assist. Air drops have also been initiated.
UPDATE, 11:30 am Eastern: 40 prison wardens burned alive. A bus carrying 40 prison guards to Damon Prison to assist in the prisoner evacuation was caught in the fast-moving fire and everyone on board was killed when it overran the bus. The Jerusalem Postreports:
The majority of the 40 people burned to death in a bus caught up in the Carmel forest fires were prison wardens en route to the Damon prison. The wardens were meant to assist in the evacuation of some 500 prisoners from the facility, situated near Kibbutz Beit Oren, when their vehicle became engulfed in fast moving flames which had spread to the narrow mountain road linking Atlit to Kibbutz Bet Oren.
(Firegeezer has not confirmed if this is the same bus. Yeshiva World photo)
A firefighter spokesman said the fire had traveled 1500 meters in less than three minutes, adding, “the bus had no chance. They tried to escape but were burned alive. It was a horrific scene.”
The spokesman added at the fire was very far from the road on which the bus was travelling when it first set off towards the prison, but had spread far faster than expected.
UPDATE #2, 12:40 pm Eastern:
Yeshiva World has just filed this video report showing firefighting:
The total (unconfirmed) number of people killed has been placed at 51.
Heavy response was dispatched to Givat Wolfson (recently) for reports of 20 people trapped in a fire. This is approximately 2 kilometers from Beit Oren where the main fire originated. FD reports that the people have successfully been evacuated.
A senior police official from Haifa – possibly the Chief of Police – has been killed in the fire.
The IDF has dispatched “D9 Bulldozers” to Northern Israel to assist firefighters in the huge fire in the forests of Mount Caramel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the leaders of Russia, Italy, Greece and Cyprus and appealed to them for assistance in extinguishing the Carmel fire which broke out on Thursday. Netanyahu asked the countries’ to send fire extinguishing planes into the area in order to help Israel contain the fire.
Under changing circumstances in the Carmel fire, emergency services have decided to evacuate the following communities: Nir Etzion, Ein Hod and Ein Hod. Fire officials state that this fire may take days to bring under control.
Sources report that the village of Beit Oran has been totally destroyed.
Greece tells Israel that they have dispatched fire-fighting aircraft to Northern Israel.
UPDATE #3, 2:15 pm Eastern: A report has come in that three high-ranking emergency personnel are missing at the scene. Also, reports from the fire zone say that there may be as many as 70 people who have perished so far.
Hundreds of IDF (Israeli Army) troops have been deployed to the fire to assist the firefighting and relief efforts. A military command post has been set up, also. Police are talking to witnesses who state that this fire was intentionally started by someone. Additionally, this fire started in as many as four places (unconfirmed….ed.).
UPDATE #4, 7:30 pm Eastern:
Turkey has sent two firefighting aircraft to assist and Egypt has provided five aircraft. Planes from several other countries will begin arriving during the early morning hours of Friday.
More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. More people have just now been evacuated from one of Haifa’s neighborhoods as the fire shows potential of being capable of moving into the city.
ITN News filed this video report (in English) that includes good images taken from a helicopter:
THE RESIDENTS OF BEAVER COUNTY, UTAH, ARE SICK of being sickened by the smoke from a wildfire that the U. S. Forest Service has allowed to burn for more than two months. The named Twitchell Canyon Fire was started by natural causes, but evidence shows that the U. S. Forest Service, who has jurisdiction over this area, has deliberately allowed the fire to continue burning in order to clear out underbrush.
Twitchell Canyon fire photographed from the
International Space Station. (NASA photo)
After 74 days of the acrid smoke hanging over their homes, many residents are literally getting sick from the air. The Associated Press reports:
Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel said he’s given up trying to cooperate with federal land managers. “My concern is that if any farmer in Beaver burns a ditch bank and it gets out of control, I have to go and arrest him with reckless endangerment — but what do we do with the Forest Service?” Noel told The Spectrum of St. George. “There are 42,000 acres burned and not a thing we can do about it. That’s sick.”
Noel said he’s been swamped with complaints about the fire, but can’t do anything about it. “I’m not real happy with the BLM and Forest Service and the way they do things with law enforcement,” he said.
The fire has actually burned more than 44,000 acres, or about 68 square miles, and is only 28 percent contained, fire officials said.
KTVX-TV Ch. 4 Salt Lake reports on this situation and interviews the sheriff via telephone in this video report:
The Forest Service public spokeswoman adamantly insists that the fire is not “out of control.” But a fire burning for more than two months and still only 28% contained renders that statement to be dubious at best.
Now with the Forest Service being publicly embarrassed by the ill-advised decision, they are bringing in more firefighters, including six hotshot crews, and engines to try and knock the thing down. Just in the last two days they have increased the containment boundaries to 65%.
AN OUT-OF-CONTROL GRASS FIRE is threatening the entire community of Herriman, Utah, Monday morning and the wind-whipped fire is being pushed into the settlement. The police say that “several” homes are burning and more than 1,000 others are threatened.
Deseret News
The fire began around 3:30 pm Sunday on the lands of a National Guard training facility, Camp William. While the NG troops were practicing machine-gun fire, their action sparked a grass fire at the range. The NG tried to put out the fire with their own resources, including bringing in 3 helicopters and several bulldozers to cut fire breaks. But when the wind grew to speeds of 40 to 50 mph it overwhelmed them and a few hours later they called the Unified Fire District for assistance. By then it was too late. The Associated Press reports:
“It was kind of a perfect storm scenario where once the fire started on the firing range at the National Guard base, the wind really kicked up,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Don Hutson, who saw homes catch fire. “Literally, the fire was coming down into the backyards of many of these residents.”
Deseret News
Winds racing through the area at 40 to 50 miles per hour pushed the fire over a mountain ridge and into the Salt Lake Valley, Hutson said. “It was lifesaving efforts trying to get people out of the area because of a very, very fast-moving fire — literally moving faster than anybody could run,” he said.
Deseret News
So far, 1,400 homes have been evacuated. As the sun comes up today, authorities will be better able to assess the damage so far. The fire has not yet been contained.
SAN BRUNO, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCED SATURDAY afternoon that the bodies of two more fire victims have been found, raising the official death count to six fatalities. They did not disclose any other details of the discovery or where they were found. Despite yesterday’s announcement that the search for victims has been suspended, San Bruno police are saying that the search with cadaver dogs is continuing.
AP
The police chief also stated that there are seven known fatalities, so any numbers issued are not confirmed yet. All press releases are in agreement that there are six people still unaccounted for. It is not known if they are missing in the fire aftermath, or if they have just left the area without advising the local authorities.
Here is some raw video of the San Bruno “ghost town” via RT tv:
THE FOURMILE CANYON WILDFIRE NEAR BOULDER, Colorado, is almost 80% contained and the fire officials are confident that it will not spread any further. The destructive fire that started on September 6 burned out an area of 10 square miles while destroying at least 169 homes. All of the homes are primary residences, as opposed to vacation cabins, and the damage estimate has not yet been accounted. The Boulder newspaper, The Daily Camera researched the land valuation records of the areas known to be devatated and gleaned a damage estimate of $76.9 million in housing destroyed.
Some 1,000 firefighters from 20 states dug lines and tamped out hot spots. “It’s great. We’re looking better and better,” said Jim Thomas, head of the federal incident response team leading the effort.Fire spokesman Terry Krasko said Sunday operations are beginning to be scaled back and some crews are being relieved. An infrared flight over the burn area showed several areas of isolated heat but no large pockets of intense heat, as previously seen. Firefighters focused on those areas, especially ones near buildings.
Inside the burn area Saturday, crews worked to snuff out smoldering stumps, using shovels, axes and water carried on backpacks. Fire trucks and water tenders ferried water up the mountains and down the canyons while helicopters dropped water on hot spots.
“There is a lot of unburned fuel and a lot of houses at risk,” warned Don Ferguson, a spokesman for the incident command.
TPI News
The Denver Post is reporting that the team of investigators that is trying to determine the site and cause of the fire is concentrating on a fir pit at one of the homes.
Among the theories being considered in the Labor Day blaze is whether a property owner had a fire in the pit the previous day that wasn’t fully extinguished — or whether he had been burning that morning, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.
The cause of the fire has been classified as “human,” according to the U.S. Forest Service’s latest report on the blaze. But to date investigators have said only that they were still investigating the origins of what was dubbed the Fourmile Canyon fire.
According to Colorado law, a fourth-degree arson charge can be filed against a person “who knowingly or recklessly starts or maintains a fire or causes an explosion, on his own property or that of another, and by so doing places another in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another in danger of damage.”
The charge is a felony “if a person is thus endangered,” and a misdemeanor if only property is threatened.
Investigators will be working to compare physical evidence and eyewitness accounts to any statements made by the man who owns the property where the fire was thought to have started, the source said.
THE FOURMILE CANYON FIRE NEAR BOULDER, COLORADO, has destroyed at least 135 homes so far, and is only 10% contained. Four people are missing and 3,500 people have been evacuated. There are 500 firefighters on the scene, but the extemely rugged terrain is hindering their ability to make progress against the fire that has now consumed nearly 8,000 acres.
AP / McClain
Nine of the local volunteer firefighters have also lost their homes to the flames. A combination of rain and cooler temperatures Wednesday helped as the fire teams made their first line of defense in the fire that started four days ago.
Daily Camera / Leffingwell
The Associated Press filed this video summary Wednesday:
Control of the fire was handed over to Federal officials on Tuesday evening. The Denver Post reports:
Earlier Wednesday, incident commander Tom Smith said high winds and dry timber continued to fuel the fire, but officials believe they have reached a point where they can keep the fire from growing. He said it could be 10 days before the fire is contained.
Planes equipped with infrared technology mapped the blaze late Tuesday and early Wednesday, said Smith, of the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Incident Team.
The data collected during the night flights was used to guide heavy tankers to the hottest parts of the fire Wednesday. Officials said seven or eight slurry bombers dropped 100,000 gallons of retardant. Helitankers also were used.
For continuing updates and detailed reports, check Firefighter Blog HEREand Wildfire Today HERE periodically.
A WIND-WHIPPED WILDFIRE NEAR DENVER, COLORADO, has swept across more than 3,500 acres Monday and this morning, destroying an unknown number of homes including four houses owned by firefighters working the blaze.
KWGN-TV
About 1,000 homes had to be evacuated Monday as 100 firefighters and three aerial tankers attacked the flames. Four additional aircraft have been requested for this morning’s assault and another 75 FF’s have arrived to help. One fire truck has been destroyed, but we have no further info on that yet.
The Associated Press relates that the fire’s cause was unknown. Officials said it was too early to say how much, if any, of the fire was contained. The AP also filed this video report on the named Four Mile Canyon Fire:
Boulder County sheriff’s Cmdr. Rick Brough said the fire moved quickly through difficult country. “It’s very rocky, hilly, mountainous terrain,” he said. Authorities are saying that it will take several days to contain the fire.
A FOREST FIRE STARTED FRIDAY IN LANDES, FRANCE, on Friday and was determined early to have been an arson. The fire has destroyed 167 hectares since Friday afternoon and was still out of control early Saturday afternoon. ”This is an arson because there were three remote, simultaneous fires so far identified,” said Capt. Patrick Huchet, commander of the gendarmerie company Parentis.
all photos via Sud Ouest
About 50 firefighters, assisted by two Canadair and three bulldozers were still on site early Saturday afternoon to “surround the fire so it does not set boundaries,” said Stephane Poyau Commander Centre departmental operational fire and rescue (CODIS). According to him, a total of 167 hectares of forest have burned, which represents the largest fire of the summer in the Landes forest. ”The coming hours will be fateful, however, stated Mr. Poyau, recalling that the air temperature is high and the wind, although not significant, is likely to rekindle the fire in some locations.
On-site technicians of criminal investigation and police investigators continued Saturday afternoon to “collect evidence and intelligence,” said Jean-Pierre Lafitte, the prosecutor of Mont-de-Marsan said while on site Saturday morning. ”We have no suspects yet,” he said, adding that an appeal for witnesses has been launched with people who would have noticed, Friday at 2:00 p.m., “suspicious behavior at the road that connects Sanguinet Biscarosse.
BFM-TV posted this video report from the scene that shows a variety of fire apparatus including the command post:
Significant human resources and air support were brought in Friday afternoon to control the fire, which necessitated the evacuation as a precaution for a few hours of thirty houses. At the height of the event more than 150 firefighters, two Canadair, two Dash and two other aircraft from Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhone) were on hand.
Update: It was announced Saturday night that the fire has been contained.
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