Posted on 06/21/2006 6:29:29 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum
Here's today's wildfire news thread. Today, there are several big fires to watch: The Mato Vega in Colorado, the Brins in AZ, several fires in the Gila NF, and the fire in the Los Padres NF in California.
Blaze near La Veta Doubles in Size
FORT GARLAND -
The Mato Vega fire marched slowly Tuesday toward the summit of La Veta Pass, doubling in size and threatening a subdivision directly in its path.
The lightning-ignited blaze, which burgeoned Monday night and Tuesday morning to nearly 9,000 acres, was only 5 percent contained but had destroyed no homes and appeared to be stagnating Tuesday night.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Larry Klock, a fire line supervisor stationed along U.S. Highway 160, near the front of the fire. “But today we have a little reprieve. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Highway 160, shut down Monday as
flames licked to its edge, was expected to remain closed today between La Veta and Fort Garland as crews set fires close to the road in an effort to get rid of dead grass and other fuels.
The Mato Vega fire was spotted about noon Sunday and had grown to 800 acres by the end of the day. It exploded to 4,500 acres Monday, then burned through the night, a time when fires normally calm down. That’s because it’s so dry, firefighters said.
By Tuesday morning, the fire was at 8,960 acres, burning in an area that includes sage and pine trees.
“It’s doing what it wants to do,” said fire information officer Carl Brauneis. “It wants to burn.”
Yet the combination of slightly higher humidity, cooler temperatures and the topography kept the fire “skunking,” not racing over new terrain as it had earlier, Brauneis said.
That helped firefighters achieve their goal of preventing the blaze from leaping to the south side of the highway.
Throughout the day, two helicopters dumped buckets of water on the blaze, while about 283 firefighters worked on the ground.
The price tag for fighting the fire had reached $350,000 by the end of the day.
Residents, asked Monday to leave about 280 homes in the Paradise Acres, Wagon Creek and Forbes Park subdivisions, stayed away Tuesday. Paradise Acres, with about 70 homes, is directly in the path of the fire.
It wasn’t clear how many residents had left; a number of the homes are owned by seasonal residents and weren’t occupied at the time.
Tuesday, the highway was empty, and smoke hung like a soupy fog, sometimes turning bright orange as flames torched the dry pines.
A couple of black bears were seen scurrying from the woods, said Myers Archuota, who sat in his pickup along the highway, guarding the entrance to Forbes Trinchera Ranch, a 175,000-acre property. “I’ve never seen a fire that size,” he said as smoke billowed over the ridge.
“I’ve lived here all my life. We’ve had fires, but we’ve been able to put them out.”
Without the usual stream of tourists heading down the highway to visit the Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa and other places in the San Luis Valley, Fort Garland was quiet Tuesday.
The antique shops and cafes will suffer if the road isn’t opened soon, resident Bernie Roybal said. “We depend on that type of business,” he said.
What the fire is taking away in dollars, it’s adding in activity, he added. “This town hasn’t seen this much excitement since our house burned,” said Roybal, who said his house was destroyed in a December fire.
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0285 or
deedee.correll@gazette.com
http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1318590&secid=1
Hat tip to moondoggie
Thanks for posting the pics:-)
Midday News update:
From the Western Great Basin GACC:
Barth 1 fire discovered @ 2330 last night southwest of Carlin in the Palisade area. Blew up @ 0230 and burned actively all night. Reported @ 2000 acres this morning. Tanker 00 and a lead plane coming from EBC. Ruby Mtn Hotshots committed. Silver State Hotshots, Helicopter 0CR, and Air Attack 3SA enroute from Ely as the Aveden fire wraps up. Multiple NDF resources on scene presently and 3 SEATs ordered.
http://gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/information/newsandnotes.htm
Updates on the top fires (in Sedona, AZ, Fort Garland, CO, and Santa Maria California):
SEDONA, Ariz. -- Firefighters struggled Wednesday to stop a 2,450-acre wildfire from jumping a highway in scenic Oak Creek Canyon and roaring into an area of evacuated homes and resorts.
Nearly 600 firefighters were on the lines Wednesday, backed by at least a dozen aircraft and nearly three-dozen fire trucks, but the blaze was only 5 percent contained in the steep, rugged terrain.
Flames approached the canyon's two-lane highway in places during the night but crews were able to light backfires to remove fuel from its path, officials said Wednesday morning.
"That's really good news," said Bill Watt, a fire information officer for the team fighting the fire.
The fire was approaching the area of Slide Rock State Park, a popular recreation spot that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
If it jumps the highway "then it's a whole new ball game for trying to catch the fire," said Larry Sears, a fire crew supervisor. Officials said the fire could be drawn up the other side of the canyon and into thick wilderness.
The fire started Sunday as a campfire and spread quickly, forcing the evacuation of about 400 homes and businesses in the canyon more than 90 miles north of Phoenix. About 100 homes in five subdivisions on the north side of Sedona were also evacuated.
Elsewhere, crews in Colorado battled an 8,960-acre wildfire that forced the evacuation of more than 270 homes.
Lighter wind, lower temperatures and slightly higher humidity were forecast for the area. "It will be a cool, moist surge" moving in Wednesday night, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kathy Torgerson.
The fire, ignited by lightning and reported Sunday, was located near Fort Garland, about 150 miles south of Denver.
"I've never seen a fire that size," Myers Archoata said as he sat in his pickup along U.S. 160. "I've lived here all my life. We've had fires, but we've been able to put them out."
In Santa Maria, Calif., firefighters battled a 10,000-acre blaze that had stopped short of a critical ridgeline in Los Padres National Forest. No homes were threatened as the fire burned away from the small town of New Cuyama, about 45 miles east of Santa Maria.
Wildfires have charred more than 3.1 million acres nationwide so far this year, well ahead of the average of about 900,000 acres by this time, the National Interagency Fire Center reported. Huge grass fires that swept through Texas and Oklahoma this spring account for much of the increase.
http://www.ksat.com/weather/9403843/detail.html?rss=ant&psp=news
Press release on the Mato Vega fire:
Mato Vega Fire Information Inquiries: (719)-379-3783 June 20, 2006
Fort Garland, CO — Crews continued to burn out vegetation along Highway 160 to secure fire lines and keep the Mato Vega fire north of the highway. The highway remains closed to public travel. Fire weather conditions improved somewhat today allowing crews and aviation resources to remain engaged in fire suppression throughout the day.
Residents in the Wagon Creek Subdivision, Paradise Acres subdivision and Old La Veta Pass remain under mandatory evacuation orders. Residents in the Forbes Subdivision are under voluntary evacuations. There are approximately 280 homes affected by the evacuation orders.
Despite the extreme fire conditions crew did make some progress on the south end of the fire gaining 5% containment.
Tomorrow, crews will focus on structure protection and burn out operations near the Paradise Acres Subdivision. Firefighters will continue to construct and strengthen fire line along the south flank of the fire.
Fire Facts:
Size: 8960 acres
Personnel Assigned: 283
Aircraft: 2 Helicopters assigned and fixed wing air tankers are available
Structures Threatened: 280
Land Ownership: Private
Type 1 Crews: 3
Type 2 Crews: 4
Engines: 24
Water Tenders: 8
Dozers: 7
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/fire_info/malovega.htm
This is the time of day when fires tend to rev up, so expect more news in a few hours.
Thanks. The small fire that I mentioned yesterday continued to burn and spread through dry grass and sparse Ponderosa pines very slowly after winds increased. The fire is burning next to Wright's Reservoir and 4-Mile Fire Department in Teller County. It's even smaller than reported by television news yesterday but not yet contained. It's also amazing that so much expense and risk is required to contain such a small fire.
And BTW, potential site-seers should stay away from the Wright's Reservoir fire. There's only one narrow road, and it's busy with firefighters and police support. You can see details and a map behind the following link.
http://www.co.teller.co.us/
Residents in the Wagon Creek Subdivision, Paradise Acres subdivision and Old La Veta Pass remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
Residents in the Forbes Subdivision are under voluntary evacuations...
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/fire_info/malovega.htm
Thanks for adding me to the ping list. Here is another great wildland fire resource: http://www.wildlandfire.com/
Good links are always welcome!
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from Highway 160, about ten miles east of Fort Garland, Colo., Monday, June 19, 2006
Fire fighters love those Aspen tree stands !
"It has stalled for the moment on a ridge of aspen about a mile from the Paradise Acres subdivision, but we’re getting a pretty good flare-up on the northern flank right now and it could find a way to get around the ridge and double back toward the homes," fire information officer Karl Brauneis said.
"We don’t have the personnel to set a backfire in the meadow north of the subdivision to starve off the fire if it turns."
He said fire bosses are asking for additional crews to supplement the 283 firefighters currently on the lines.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4791013,00.html
One in Florida (late for them!)
New wildfire buring in western Broward
By DIANA MOSKOVITZ
dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com
West Broward County residents may see smoke and a glow in the distance because of another fire burning in the Everglades.
The new blazed, likely sparked by lightning yesterday, is covering about 2,750 acres between the Sawgrass Expressway and U.S. 27, near the Broward and Palm Beach County line, according to the Florida Division of Forestry.
No homes are in danger.
''When it gets up to a couple thousand acres, you get a pretty good glow. And it's growing,'' forestry officer David McCarty said.
Forestry officials are letting the fire burn because their equipment can't get to it. The fire is in a swampy area with a lot of muck, and the equipment would sink, McCarty said.
This fire comes near the end of wildfire season, when hot temperatures dry out the Everglades and there is little rainfall to put fires out. Several fires sent smoke and ash into western Broward last month.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/14870884.htm
Blaze grows to 10,000 Northeast of Santa Maria
June 21, 2006 - Warm weather and dry conditions posed a challenge for firefighters battling a 10,000-acre wildfire that threatens to expand into Los Padres National Forest.
By early Wednesday, more than 800 firefighters had contained about 35 percent of the Perkins Fire, which burned south through chaparral and away from the small town of New Cuyama about 45 miles east of Santa Maria. No homes were threatened.
Temperatures in the 90s and even drier conditions in the heavily brushed area will likely require even more firefighters Wednesday, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Joe Pasinato.
The main focus will be to keep the blaze from reaching a ridgeline bordering a wilderness area that has larger trees and brush but no vehicle access, Pasinato said.
"We do not want that to happen," Pasinato said.
While the fire grew by about 4,000 acres Tuesday, Pasinato said firefighters were able to make gains by dusk. The fire expanded to about 10,270 acres overnight.
The fire began about 1:30 p.m. Monday when a piece of metal blew into electrical wires, authorities said. Three trailers that belonged to an oil company and two sheds were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters were aided by four air tankers and six helicopters, as well as heavy brush that was still moist from the spring rains.
Meanwhile, smoke from the fire was choking air quality in southern Nevada, where an advisory was in effect until Tuesday evening. Children, seniors and people with respiratory problems were warned to stay indoors.
The Southern California fire season has started strong with 15 small brush fires charring pockets of the Angeles National Forest in recent days.
Authorities predicted that late spring rains would present only an average risk of wildfires this season.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=state&id=4293967
FIRE NEAR PENROSE CONTAINED
Firefighters "Keeping An Eye" On Embers -- Nobody Fighting The Fire At This Time
by Associated Press
6/21/2006
CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) _ Fire crews near Penrose hope to get a wildfire completely extinguished Wednesday, before high heat and winds have a chance to trigger a flare-up.
The blaze was first reported along Beaver Creek about two o'clock Tuesday afternoon.
Thirty-mile-per-hour wind gusts and 96-degree heat caused the fire to more-than quadruple in size from three- to 14-acres in just a short time.
Assistant Penrose fire Chief Steve Shannon says trees literally exploded as flames jumped from treetop to treetop among thick junipers and cottonwoods, before racing through sagebrush.
Crews from at least eight departments battled those flames at the height of the fire.
No damage or injuries have been reported.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
http://www.krdotv.com/DisplayStory.asp?id=11406
Notes from the Southwest GACC
6/21 0620 TAZ NM State, Cimarron District, new start, Bartlett Fire: No size reported at this time, air tanker and lead request to SWCC. SEATS and air attack committed. Located 6 miles north of Raton, NM (36 58.87 x 104 26.38).
6/21 1450 SWC Quiet this afternoon for air orders through SWCC... SWCCC did send an air tanker and lead earlier for initial attack on Dog Fire, Coconino NF. Dropped one load and cancelled the following. No problems anticipated.
I heard an illegal is suspected of causing the Brins Fire....
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