Tag Archives: Firefighters

Firefighters to battle against flames, dry California weather

Wildfire in California June 2016

(Reuters) – Firefighters on Thursday were set to face high temperatures and gusty winds as they battle five large fires burning in drought-stricken California, officials said, though progress allowed authorities to lift some earlier evacuation orders.

The National Weather Service issued so-called red flag weather warnings for a tract of southern California for Thursday, including for mountains in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties where wildfires were already burning.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said the weather conditions could fuel existing blazes or contribute to new fires.

“We’re preparing for what could be another busy day,” Berlant said.

Authorities on Wednesday lifted evacuation orders on 534 homes in foothills northeast of Los Angeles that had been imposed as firefighters struggled to get control of two wildfires called the San Gabriel Complex. Evacuation orders were still in effect for another 324 homes.

As of Wednesday night, the blaze had charred 4,900 acres of chaparral and short grass, and containment lines had been drawn around 15 percent of the flames, according to fire information website InciWeb.

To the south, firefighters managed to slow the spread of a massive fire near the Mexican border town of Potrero, prompting officials to lift some evacuation orders there as well. Fire officials said some 200 structures were under threat as of Wednesday night, down from a peak of 1,000.

That fire, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of San Diego, has blackened more than 6,700 acres and was 20 percent contained as of Wednesday night, fire officials said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday said the risk of catastrophic wildfires had increased because of the 66 million trees that had died in California from 2010 to October 2015. Some 26 million of them were in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Alison Williams)

drcolbert.monthly

Smoke From Wildfires Grounding Firefighting Aircraft

Firefighters trying to stop the biggest wildfire in Washington State history are being dealt another blow as heavy smoke is forcing the grounding of firefighting aircraft.

“We’re still socked in,” firefighter spokesman Rick Isaacson said. “There’s maybe one mile of visibility.”

The dense smoke continues to cause respiratory problems for firefighters and for residents in the surrounding areas.  In Spokane County, an area of 500,000 residents, has air quality that has been rated “unhealthy.”

“Everybody up here is rubbing their eyes,” fire department spokesman Donnie Davis said. “It’s brutal.”

The fire in Okanogan County is now at 438 square miles and is only 17 percent contained by 1,300 firefighters.

“You can imagine how stretched thin everybody is,” said Dan Dallas, deputy incident commander of the Okanogan fire. “We’re all working without the resources that in a normal year — which I don’t think there is such a thing anymore — that we might have.”

Firefighters are also struggling with swarms of yellow jackets while they fight the fires. It has been reported that a lot of the stings are located on their faces and necks since their equipment leaves very few gaps for the insects to attack.

Crews are being told to stay away from hives until they are removed leaving uncontained fire lines.

Military Troops Brought in to Fight Western Wildfires

With over 100 wildfires burning in Western states, the U.S. military is now training troops to join the fight against them and provide relief to some of the 25,000 firefighters on scene.

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that 200 active duty troops will be split into 10 units of 20 men and all deployed to the same fire.  The move marks the first time that active duty military has been called out to fight domestic fires.  The troops will come from 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington.

National Guard troops have already been on the scene at several fires to help firefighters.

Officials in Idaho reported that an elderly woman died and 50 homes were destroyed in a cluster of fires along the Clearwater River.  The “Clearwater Complex” fire has burned more than 50,000 acres of timber & brush.

A spokesman for Clearwater fire command said that they are facing significant shortages and have had requests for reinforcements for ground forces and aircraft returned “UTF” or “unable to fill.”

Currently fourteen major wildfires are impacting Idaho.  Oregon and Washington have more than 30 large fires and have totaled the highest property losses from the flames.

At least 32 homes were destroyed in fires burning in north-central Washington near the resort town of Chelan.

Chinese Firefighter Rescued After Being Trapped 32 Hours

In what might be the only good news to come out of the massive explosion at a Chinese port late Wednesday, a lone firefighter was found alive after 32 hours of being classified as “missing” by Chinese authorities.

The 19-year-old firefighter, Zhou Ti, was quickly rushed to a local hospital where it was reported he has significant injuries to his face, chest and feet.  Fire officials said that they are continuing to search for other missing fire personnel.

“Forces from all sides are searching for the (remaining) missing firefighters,” Tianjin Fire Department head Zhou Tian said at a news conference Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Chinese government officials confirmed that 56 people have died because of the explosion including 21 firefighters.  Over 700 remain hospitalized because of blast related injuries.

Western officials are now asking if the firefighters contributed to the intensity of the explosions because many of the chemicals reportedly stored at the site react with water to form explosive compounds.

David Leggett, a chemical safety expert, told Reuters that calcium carbide reacts with water to form acetylene, a highly explosive gas.  That could have ignited ammonium nitrate that was stored at the facility. (By comparison, ammonium nitrate and acetylene were used by terrorist Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.)

“In my mind, the presence of ammonium nitrate makes it easier to explain the level of devastation,” he told the news agency.

Second California Firefighter Killed Fighting Wildfires

A second firefighter is dead in the battle against multiple wildfires raging through drought-stricken California.

Michael Hallenbeck, 21, died from injuries sustained when he was struck by a falling tree while fighting a fire in the Lake Tahoe area.  Cal Fire reported that Hallenbeck was struck by the tree during the crew’s initial attack on the fire south of the Echo Summit mountain pass.

“The grief we are feeling at the sudden loss of two of our firefighters … reminds us of the sacrifices these men and women make every day,” said Randy Moore, the agency’s Pacific Southwest regional forester.

Cal Fire reports over 10,000 firefighters are currently fighting 18 wildfires in the state.

The largest fire, the Rocky Fire, has burned over 109 square miles including 43 homes, 53 outbuildings and 8 other buildings.  Cal Fire says the fire is 85% contained as of Sunday evening.

Some of the firefighters fighting the Rocky Fire have moved to fight a nearby fire outside the community of Lower Lake.  The flames are threatening the Jerusalem Valley, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents who had just returned Thursday from a forced evacuation due to the Rocky Fire.

Cal Fire Capt. Joe Fletcher said the two fires will likely merge.

Waitress’s Good Deed Leads To Surprise Blessing For Her

A waitress at a New Jersey diner wasn’t expecting anything in return when she did a good deed for a group of firefighters that sat at one of her tables.

Liz Woodward, 24, approached a table to find two firefighters who had just spent the last 24 hours fighting a warehouse fire.

“I had been following the New Brunswick fire on the news,” Woodward told TODAY.com. “This was their first meal in over 24 hours; the least I could do was buy it for them for all they do every day.”

Woodward picked up the bill and left this note on the guest check:

“Your breakfast is on me today — Thank you for all that you do; for serving others & for running into the places everyone else runs away from. No matter your role, you are courageous, brave, and strong…what an example you are. Get some rest.”

The firefighters thanked the woman and even posted a photo of the diner on Facebook, encouraging people to eat there.

But the story doesn’t end there.

The firemen found out that Woodward had been on GoFundMe trying to raise enough money to get a wheelchair-accessible van for her father, a quadriplegic.  The firefighters returned to the social media network.

“Turns out, the young lady who gave us a free meal is really the one that could use the help…,” firefighter Tim Young posted.

The firefighters and their friends and family pulled together to raise $67,000…much more than the goal of $17,000.

“This is just one example of how so many people in this world have incredible hearts and they pay it forward so the circle keeps on moving,” Woodward said.