Wildfire 2021

[Meadow Skipper]

I saw the first bellyaching by a fat old hag on CNN about the firefighters doing it wrong. Where any of you around when USFS fire crews were hated?

Oh yeah, many many times. People who have no clue decide that they’re expert and can tell how it ought to be done. Usually irritating as shit. Rural Nevada is just full of those kinds of asshole that will make sure to tell you what you ought to be doing. Idaho and southern NM too. Everywhere actually.

[Hopeless Sinner]

I experienced the hate in Markleville and Woodfords, CA, basically rural NV. I'd put the uniform on and go marinate in the hate at the coffee shop every work day.

[ntblanks]

rut roh.

this first reported an hour ago as 50 acres. (edit: now 200). 30 mi to the NW in Rice.view from Flowery Trail Passview from a little down the mountainview from town
probably a nothingburger for the grizzled vets on here but definitely made an impression on this east coast guy.

[TBS]

Bootleg fire kicking asses and taking names. “Okay everyone, out of the pool!”
Firefighters pulled off sections of the Bootleg Fire

Highs in the low 90s
Wind: Southwest 15-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
Humidity: As low as 8-12 percent.

The evac area is about 2500 square miles right now
It's bumping up against Silver Lake, home of The Cowboy Dinner Tree
http://cowboydinnertree.net/
Two entre choices - a big ass steak or a whole chicken.
If you are vegetarian, they recommend the steak, because cows eat grass.

And the Fort Rock Cave is only about 15 miles north of the evac perimeter (where 10,000YO sandals were found).

Those are some real values at risk.

[TBS]

On the plus side, just about everything south of 20 west of sisters has burned in the last 10 years so you are probably okay that direction.

There's still some WAY overgrown areas east of 3 Creeks Road. But otherwise, you are right. The District Fire Officer told me a couple of years ago that something like 2/3 of the District had burned in the last 20 years.

[old_newguy]

There's still some WAY overgrown areas east of 3 Creeks Road. But otherwise, you are right. The District Fire Officer told me a couple of years ago that something like 2/3 of the District had burned in the last 20 years.

Yeah, the B and B is getting to that nice age where it can burn and is a snaggy no-go zone.

[abraham]

.

[TBS]

Meanwhile, the Jack Fire is burning 15k acres & counting on the N Umpqua River east of Roseburg OR.

This area was toasted by the Archie Fire last year, including major damage to Steamboat Inn, which lies just west of the current fire. It was a struggle for them to get back running for this summer. I feel for them.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7605/

For those not familiar, the N Umpqua River is a tremendous summer steelhead fishery. Huge numbers of fish hole up just below Steamboat Creek waiting for the water to get cool enough to move upriver and spawn. Ive never seen more abundance outside of AK. Zane Gray spent a lot of time fishing here and writing about it.

[zartagen]

Snip

Two entre choices - a big ass steak or a whole chicken.
If you are vegetarian, they recommend the steak, because cows eat grass.

/snip

As a vegetarian, I think this is hilarious. Hope they don't get hit.

[abraham]

Winthrop/Mazama area mags I hope you know about this.

Red dots appear to be addressees in the second picture

[anotherVTskibum]

Red Lodge, MT, firefighter badly burnt while fighting a fire outside of Joliet:

https://www.ktvq.com/news/fire-watch...-utah-hospital

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/re...ighter-injured

Rough season, just when it seemed like the Robertson Draw Fire wasn't looking so scary.

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[KQ]

Red Lodge, MT, firefighter badly burnt while fighting a fire outside of Joliet:

https://www.ktvq.com/news/fire-watch...-utah-hospital

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/re...ighter-injured

Rough season, just when it seemed like the Robertson Draw Fire wasn't looking so scary.

[/URL]

Injured Red Lodge Firefighter Identified

Red Lodge Fire Rescue has identified the firefighter injured yesterday on the
Harris Fire near Joliet, Montana as Dan Steffensen. Dan has been a firefighter with Red Lodge Fire since 2015. In 2017 Dan was selected as volunteer “Firefighter of the Year” and works on the fuel mitigation/Initial Attack crew where in the summers he works to reduce hazardous fuels around homes and responds to emerging wildland fires. He is a nationally qualified wildland firefighter and has fought fires in Montana, Oregon, California and other western states as an engine boss and tender operator.

Scott Wilson has been identified as the other Red Lodge firefighter on the two-person crew. He was not injured. Scott Wilson joined the fire department this year after retiring to Red Lodge. Dan, Scott and all the other Red Lodge firefighters have committed themselves to regular training and preparation for these kinds of responses.

At the time of the incident, Dan and Scott were fighting the Harris Fire when strong winds suddenly shifted toward them. Dan attempted to reach safety, but was overrun by the fast moving fire. Scott acted quickly to inform the incident commander and get Dan to Emergency Medical care. Due to the severity of his burns, Dan has been admitted to the University of Utah Burn Center in Salt Lake City. He is in serious condition. His family and firefighting colleagues are travelling to be with him.

“We’d like to thank the wildland firefighting community for reaching out to us with offers of help and words of support. Please keep Dan and his family in your thoughts and prayers during these difficult times,” said Fire Chief Tom Kuntz. “This event is a reminder that firefighting is dangerous and we are truly grateful to those who answer the call to help others in time of need.”

Those wanting to help support Dan Steffensen (pictured on the left) and his family can donate via the Go Fund me page set up for his benefit. https://gofund.me/afe4ca97

[TBS]

Meanwhile in Siberia, huge wildfires are burning the taiga and thawing the permafrost

Last year, wildfires scorched more than 60,000 square miles of forest and tundra, an area the size of Florida. That is more than four times the area that burned in the United States during its devastating 2020 fire season. This year, more than 30,000 square miles have already burned in Russia, according to government statistics, with the region only two weeks into its peak fire season

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/17/w...gtype=Homepage

[PB]

Whoa; as if burning the Amazon and Indonesian jungles wasn't enough smoke. Gonna be a wild ride for the next 50-100 years.

[ill-advised strategy]

Meanwhile, the Jack Fire is burning 15k acres & counting on the N Umpqua River east of Roseburg OR.

This area was toasted by the Archie Fire last year, including major damage to Steamboat Inn, which lies just west of the current fire. It was a struggle for them to get back running for this summer. I feel for them.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7605/

For those not familiar, the N Umpqua River

Site of my first fire and my last fire. Came back to the same spot like a salmon.

[neufox47]

Makes ya wonder what fires will be like this fall. Or when we get a day with 50+mph wind. Cmon early rain.


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[TBS]

Site of my first fire and my last fire. Came back to the same spot like a salmon.

When was this? Big fires?
That area gets a lot of industrial and recreational pressure, as well as heat & lightning. The fires down there are kinda like eastern OR, they all kinda run together

In news to the SE of there, Bootleg fire is now 340K+ acres, mostly spreading to the north and east. Crown runs and pyrocumulus conditions are the order of the day.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/

Evac area is approaching 3000 square miles. Cowboy Dinner Tree in Silver Lake is under Level 1 (Be Ready)
https://kcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/w...5b04c3cbd1da21

Firefighters were able to keep the fire out of the Mitchell Monument, which commemorates the loss of five kids and a pregnant woman to a Japanese balloon bomb during WW2. Only war casualties on CONUS soil.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/frem...a/?recid=59797

[neufox47]

Seems like the bootleg is going to burn until the rains come. Only good news is it looks like there is fuck all for people and structures to the N and E of it.


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[TBS]

Oh, and this little Nugget...
A crew on the early days of the Grandview Fire north of us was denied service at McDonalds in our little burg. The nicest place in town learned of this and opened their doors on an off-night to feed them gratis.

Firefighters given free meal after being denied service at Sisters McDonald's
https://www.kptv.com/news/firefighte...b581e127d.html

Chops Bistro FTW
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chops-bistro-sisters

[ill-advised strategy]

When was this? Big fires?

1996 and 2008…Both big-camp IMT project fires for sure. In both cases the camp was on an airstrip in tokatee falls.
Nice country. One of those places I would’ve liked to visit when not at work.

Edit 1996 was called the Spring fire, 16,500 acres in the boulder creek wilderness area. 2008 was called the Rattle fire in the same ground and was 19,775.

[TBS]

Woah, you weren’t exaggerating about same ground.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...rdb5315055.pdf

That is some gnarly terrain up there. Fighting using MIST must have been a bitch - especially when you had to leave snags the first time thru.

Did you get assigned in 08 because of your local knowledge?

[ill-advised strategy]

Nope, random dispatch both times.
96 was a MN-SUF crew.
08 was national helitack out of UT-R04

Just a warmbody

[KQ]

Beginning Friday, July 23, DNR is closing all recreational and public access to DNR-managed lands in eastern Washington due to the extreme fire danger and ongoing drought east of the Cascades.

This closure will apply to DNR-managed state lands, conservation areas, community forests and any associated roads, trails, campgrounds, recreational sites or recreational facilities.

DNR staff will continually monitor conditions, and a reopening date for recreation access will be determined once these factors improve. DNR has been working closing with all the affected partner agencies who agree that the fire risk is too great not to move forward with the closure.

To get updates on recreation openings and closures, visit dnr.wa.gov/open.

[Benny Profane]

Holy crap, hazy smokey day today in NY tri state. Supposedly sourced in western Canada.

[gravitylover]

It's down to a mile and a half (or less) visibility now. I saw a few of the small local airports are IFR or closed due to low vis.