Category Archives: Forest Fires

MARIPOSA, Calif. — A California forest fire just west of Yosemite National Park was steadily growing Saturday after two more firefighters were injured while battling the flames in blazing summer heat to protect mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada. The Ferguson fire was churning northward within Sierra National Forest, sending up smoke that obscured valley views in the park. …Crews were getting a break from light winds but were contending with rugged terrain and sweltering temperatures, said Deputy Chief Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “The vegetation is so dry out there, and it’s so hot. This fire will continue to grow,” he said. …Two firefighters, who were hospitalized Friday after suffering back injuries, have since been released and were expected to fully recover, said fire spokesman Rich Eagan.

While Southwest Oregon is still dealing with the lightning-caused fires that started a week ago, forecasters expect another round of lightning starting Sunday afternoon. The locations affected will be Southwest Oregon and Northern California, including National Forests in the area: Siskiyou, Rogue River, Shasta-Trinity, Fremont-Winema, and Klamath. The best chance for lightning is Sunday, but it could linger through Tuesday. Adding to the lightning threat is low relative humidity which is expected to reach into the teens in most locations Sunday. And piling on to the wildfire danger is the current condition of the fuels.

None of the wildfires burning in Southern Oregon have yet “blown up” or gotten out of hand. But the sheer number of blazes currently burning have impacted air quality and sparked evacuation warnings in four different areas as of Friday morning. The eight major wildfires and multi-fire complexes were ignited by lightning last weekend. They’re now burning across a wide area — from Crater Lake to the Siskiyou Mountains. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a statewide wildfire emergency to provide more resources to fire teams, but firefighters have still been stretched thin. “We’ve been lucky that none of these fires have done the big blowup into several thousand acres,” said Joe Touchstone, public information officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry. “But the conditions are ripe for these fires to grow. We’ve got very hot temperatures, low humidity and wind.

The growth of multiple wildfires in Southern Oregon led to evacuation orders in three areas Wednesday night.  The Grants Pass, Applegate Valley and Wimer areas were each threatened by a wildfire dangerous enough to prompt officials to prepare or require locals to leave their homes.  There are more than 100 wildfires burning across Southern Oregon, most of them sparked by a lightning storm last Sunday. Triple digit heat and gusty winds have exacerbated the problem in a number of areas, spreading fire teams thin as they fight blazes from near Crater Lake to the Southern Oregon Coast.  The impact could be seen Wednesday night, as Medford’s air quality dropped to “unhealthy” while Ashland and Cave Junction saw “moderate” air quality. 

Wildfire season has arrived as fire danger ratings are increasing in national forests and wildlands throughout Montana. The Kootenai National Forest moved to “very high” Wednesday, and the Bitterroot National Forest switched to “high” fire danger this morning following the discovery of two lightning-caused fires Tuesday. The Flathead National Forest and surrounding area has also moved their fire danger to “high” this week. One of two lightning-caused fires discovered in the Bitterroot National Forest Tuesday is growing rapidly. The Reynolds Lake fire is zero percent contained says Forest Spokesman Tod McKay. “We had contained the fire, or at least kept it from growing much larger yesterday. This morning it was estimated at about 11 acres. Unfortunately this afternoon the winds that were predicted have picked up over that fire and it’s grown substantially this afternoon.”

MARIPOSA, Calif. — Hot and dry weather on Tuesday hindered efforts to slow the growth of a forest fire near Yosemite National Park that killed a California firefighter last weekend, leading some tourists to cut short their visits although all park trails remained open. The blaze roaring through dry brush and timber between the town of Mariposa and Yosemite National Park has scorched more than 19 square miles in steep terrain on the park’s western edge, the U.S. Forest Service said. More than 1,400 firefighters were battling the flames threatening more than 100 homes and businesses, the Forest Service said. It’s just 5 percent contained. An inversion layer trapped smoke in the area, limiting air attacks and leading officials to issue a hazardous air alert, saying people with health conditions should stay indoors. 

Oregon Department of Forestry crews worked throughout the night to contain a dozen fires still burning from Sunday’s lightning storm, including a stubborn 100-acre blaze about 17 miles north of Rogue River. Six to seven fires are burning in the area, sending smoke visible from Wimer. The Oregon Department of Forestry said in its most recent update that “countless aerial resources were dedicated to this incident until sundown” Tuesday. The fire grew rapidly in the triple-digit heat, the update said. All 65 fires burning in the Wagner Creek and Garner Complex total about 460 acres and are 30 percent contained, the update said. No structures have been destroyed or are currently threatened, and no injuries have been reported.

MARIPOSA, Calif. — A wildfire that killed a California firefighter grew quickly and forced the closure of a key route into Yosemite National Park as crews contended with sweltering conditions Sunday, authorities said. The so-called Ferguson Fire that broke out Friday scorched nearly 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) of dry brush along steep, remote hillsides on the park’s western edge. It was burning largely out of control, and officials shut off electricity to many areas, including Yosemite Valley, as a safety precaution. …Evacuations also were ordered in rural communities just outside the park, and people in nearby lodges and motels were told to be ready to leave if flames approach. A stretch of State Route 140 into Yosemite was closed, and motorists were urged to find alternate routes.

Thunderstorms ignited more than 75 small wildfires in Southwest Oregon over the weekend. Firefighters extinguished many of the starts, but at least three have become large fires. …Hot dry weather and more thunderstorms are forecast Monday in Southwest and Northeast Oregon. Carol Connolly, with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, says firefighters are preparing for new lightning-caused fires. …Oregon currently has five Forest Service air tankers, several smaller aircraft and 40 smoke jumpers ready to respond to new fires. More than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed so far this year. Fire danger is rated high across most western Oregon… State fire managers are asking people to use caution and good sense while working, recreating, and camping. …More than half the wildfires in Oregon this year were caused by human activity. Of 435 fires so far, humans started 261.

LOS ANGELES — A second-generation California firefighter who was using a bulldozer to prevent a wildfire from spreading was killed Saturday near Yosemite National Park, state fire officials said. Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney, 36, died in the morning hours, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The blaze broke out Friday night in Mariposa County, near the west end of Yosemite National Park and Sierra National Forest. Fire officials said it had burned about 150 acres (61 hectares). Varney worked through the night and was driving the bulldozer to cut a firebreak to keep the fire from extending into a nearby community, according to fire chief Nancy Koerperich. Investigators were working to determine further circumstances surrounding Varney’s death, but they believe he was working his way out of the fire area when he was killed, Koerperich said. 

CROUCH, Idaho – With fire danger high across the west, fire crews near Crouch are hoping to make progress on the Lodgepole Fire that started as a prescribed burn. The fire is roughly 1,600 acres and 25% contained. Officials are worried about smoldering heat expanding to dry brush and expanding the size of the fire beyond the project boundary. Emmet District Ranger, Richard Newton, says the hot weather isn’t helping firefighters on the ground.  “We have been actively engaged in fighting this fire for about two weeks now with all of the resources at our disposal, but with the anticipated future weather, difficult terrain, and challenges obtaining additional fire-fighting resources, I have decided to declare this prescribed burn a wildfire,” said Newton. There are several red flag warnings in place across southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, which could make things more difficult for the 113 firefighters on the ground fighting flames.

Fire incident commanders already rejoicing in Mother Nature’s contribution to wildfire emasculation — monsoonal rains — have armed fire crews with a pine tree-shredding machine called the “Masticator.” These industrial-sized mulchers that can shred a tall pine in 30 seconds are ideal for creating fire lines even in thick forests, said Jessica Borden, spokeswoman for the Spring Creek fire. The forest-menacing machines are the closest the U.S. Forest Service comes to Paul Bunyon. Still, the biggest foe to Colorado wildfires has been monsoonal rains, which are expected to take a heavy toll if not deliver a knockout punch Wednesday and Thursday to wildfires across the state in this year’s devastating fire season, one of the biggest in history. The following are updates on the largest and most active of Colorado’s 15 wildfires…