But remember that we've been saying someone set those fires here in Colorado Springs. TWO of them. BIG ones. BOTH man-caused. No one has been caught. AND the Sheriff won't put out ANY information whatsoever in regards to who they think did it.
The local sheriff and fire chief got into a HUGE fight recently about this, Chief said it was terrorists, the Sheriff said "No it wasn't, shut up!"
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Wildfire Rages Near Yosemite National Park in California
Fast-Moving Brush Fire Triggers Evacuations
NBC News Channel
Some 13,000 households and businesses in central California received evacuation orders as an out-of-control wildfire approached a foothill community near Yosemite National Park. Authorities also declared a local state of emergency in Madera County late Monday. Four hotels in the community of Oakhurst about 16 miles from an entrance to Yosemite were evacuated and Tuesday classes have been canceled for most of the Yosemite Unified School District.
The 1,200-acre blaze burned at least two structures but it wasn't immediately clear what they were, officials said. State Route 41 toward Yosemite was closed down in the area and travelers would need to use different routes into the park. The fire was burning near a propane business with 30,000 gallon tanks on the site. Firefighters were trying to save the facility but were wary of the danger of explosions. "We will be in there as long as we can, but firefighter safety is an issue," state fire Division Chief Don Stein told the Fresno Bee. Meanwhile, another blaze sparked Monday some 50 miles northeast of Bakersfield has surged to 3,000 acres, bringing evacuation orders for several neighborhoods.
Madera County Sheriff's Office The Junction Fire burns near Oakhurst, California, on Monday.
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Posted: Aug 18, 2014 11:13 PM MST Updated: Aug 19, 2014 8:43 AM MST (AP Photo/The Fresno Bee, Eric Paul Zamora). People watch a fire burning from the Highway 41 overlook on the way north into Oakhurst, Calif., Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows). A helicopter makes a water drop at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows). A firefighter watches smoke rise at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows). Firefighters gather at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif. (AP Photo/John Antczak). Smoke from a wildfire rises above the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014.
MARIPOSA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters from throughout California were being dispatched Tuesday to protect homes threatened by an out-of-control wildfire burning in the foothills near Yosemite National Park, the second fire around the park in recent weeks.
The nearly 2-square-mile blaze in Madera County had destroyed eight structures and was threatening 500 others around Oakhurst, which is about 16 miles away from an entrance to Yosemite, fire officials said. Officials were hopeful, though, that cooler temperatures, higher humidity and calmer winds expected on Tuesday would help them begin containing the blaze.
It was not clear how many of the structures under threat were homes, but mandatory evacuation orders went out to some 13,000 phone numbers for homes and businesses on Monday, according to sheriff's officials.
Four hotels in the community of Oakhurst about 16 miles away from an entrance to Yosemite were evacuated and Tuesday classes have been canceled for most of the Yosemite Unified School District.
State Route 41 toward Yosemite was closed down in the area and travelers would need to use different routes into the park, authorities said.
The fire was burning near a propane business with 30,000 gallon tanks on site, but the tanks were spared and the threat to them was brief, according to the Modesto Bee.
The fire comes on the heels of another blaze around Yosemite this summer and last year's Rim Fire, which raged for two months across 400 square miles of land including part of Yosemite National Park. The Rim Fire threatened thousands of structures, destroyed 11 homes and cost more than $125 million to fight.
Last month's fire, which also burned in the park, threatened about 100 homes and sent smoke into Yosemite's famed valley before it was brought under control.
Meanwhile, another blaze that began Monday some 50 miles northeast of Bakersfield has surged to 3,000 acres, or nearly 5 square miles.
"It's cranking," U.S. Forest Service Spokeswoman Cindy Thill told the Bakersfield Californian.
The fire burning near Lake Isabella in Kern County brought recommended evacuation orders for several neighborhoods, the Forest Service said.
Some structures had burned, but it wasn't immediately clear how many or if any were homes, the Forest Service said.
Northeast of Los Angeles, crews were making quick work of a 275-acre wildfire that forced the evacuation of 200 people from a campground and recreational areas.
The blaze that broke out Sunday afternoon above the foothill community of Glendora was 60 percent contained by Monday night and largely reduced to smoking embers.
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The fire jumps to 16,000 acres over night and threatens 50-100 homes
August 19, 2015
A fast moving wildfire near Twisp, Wash. killed three firefighters Wednesday afternoon as two nearby towns were forced to evacuate.
DNR said there were reports of burn victims around 4:30 p.m. Okanogan Co. Sheriff Frank Rogers said three to four firefighters were burned and transported from the scene. Rogers said the firefighters suffered "non-life threatening injuries."
Around 5:30 p.m., Rogers later confirmed that three firefighters had died. By 6:30 p.m., the coroner was on scene according to Rogers who said the three firefighters were engaged in the initial attack. Brian Schaeffer with the Spokane Fire Department later confirmed that the firefighters were with the U.S. Forest Service. The firefighters were engaged in initial attack operations and were involved in a vehicle accident when it is believed that the fire overtook the vehicle according to officials.
“We are devastated by the tragic loss of three of our Forest Service firefighters,” said Mike Williams, Forest Supervisor on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. “We are working with County and State partners to notify the families of those lost. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and fellow crew members of these brave firefighters.”
Four other firefighters were injured. One works with the U.S. Forest Service, two are with DNR and one is a contractor with DNR. At least one of the firefighters was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. Jesse Knutson with KING 5 News in Seattle confirmed that the 25-year-old man arrived at Harborview at 5:30 p.m. with severe burns. His grandparents said he was raised in Tacoma, lives in Puyallup, but was based out of Leavenworth for work.
“I was just told that three firefighters died while battling the Twisp fire and four were injured," said Governor Jay Inslee in a press release sent out Wednesday afternoon. “My heart breaks over the loss of life. I know all Washington joins me and Trudi in sending our prayers to the families of these brave firefighters. They gave their lives to protect others. It was their calling, but the loss for their families is immense and I know the community will come together to support them. We will also keep the injured firefighters in our prayers. The conditions throughout the area remain extremely dangerous and I hope residents and visitors will heed evacuation orders or other emergency directions.”
Sarah Saarloos is a spokeswoman for Chelan Fire. She struggled to put into words what it meant to lose three members of the team.
Officials said Governor Inslee will travel to Chelan on Thursday. He is expected to land at Pangborn Memorial Airport in East Wenatchee around 8:00 a.m. Officials said he will drive to the Chelan Falls incident command post at Chelan Falls Park in Chelan, Washington. It is unclear how long he will be in Chelan.
The fire was reported at 1,500 acres on Thursday night. The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said the Twisp River fire grew to 16,000 acres as of Thursday morning. It is threatening 50 to 100 homes as well as the town of Twisp. Around 7:30 p.m., state fire assistance was mobilized to the area of the fire at the request of the Okanogan County Fire Protection District #6. Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau have received a request for three structural task forces and three wildland task forces.
Evacuations were ordered shortly after for the town of Winthrop. Residents were asked to head south immediately, and told to be aware of their surroundings and leave carefully.
Winthrop residents were told not to evacuate directly on State Route 20 towards Twisp due to congestion. Instead, they were advised to drive south on Eastside Road past the Smokejumper Base, then proceed southeast on Highway 20/Highway 153 to the Red Cross Shelter at Brewster High School.
The Emergency Management phone numbers are not working at this time. These are alternative numbers to reach the Emergency Operations Center 509-422-2408, 422-2420, 422-2428, 422-2422.
The news of the firefighters death spread quickly across Washington on Wednesday. Hundreds of people began sharing their condolences on social media.
Following they deaths of the firefighters, Gov. Inslee sent out a press release stating he had requested federal Emergency Declaration to secure additional wildfire resources
The governor’s request was sent to President Obama through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and pointed out that currently 11 counties and four tribes are affected or threatened by fires. Officials have confirmed that the fires have already destroyed more than 50 homes, 60 other structures, and more than 235,000 acres of land.
“Our communities are still healing from last year’s fires,” Inslee said. “Tonight we heard the heartbreaking news that three firefighters died while battling the Twisp fire and others are injured. Communities in Eastern Washington are strong and coming together, but need help. The current fires will exacerbate the ongoing housing shortages and economic troubles felt throughout the region. We’re doing everything we can to assess the damage and work with our partners to obtain additional federal assistance.”
Inslee declared a State of Emergency on June 26th in anticipation of a damaging wildfire season. More than 300 Washington National Guardsmen have been mobilized to assist firefighting efforts. Multiple other state agencies are providing support services ranging from air monitoring to shelter for displaced residents. More than 3,600 homes remain threatened, and the number is expected to rise as increased winds and low humidity are expected over the region.
If approved, the Emergency Declaration would make financial assistance available to the State, eligible local jurisdictions and private non-profit organizations. The assistance could be used to pay for costs of emergency protective measures, emergency response, and debris removal. Federal government would reimburse 75 percent of eligible costs. The declaration would also provide direct federal assistance from federal agencies.
The guy I get firewood from every year is currently out west fighting fires. He got the offer and ran with it. Good money in it, assuming you don't die.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Eh, you'd be surprised. These kinds of things get fairly technical in execution. You have objectives, you go there, you do it and adapt as necessary.
The only time someone gets hurt is when communications fail for whatever reason. I don't mean, fail as in the radio doesn't work, although that can happen, I mean fail as in the spotter doesn't get fire line information to guys on the ground in time.
If they have a helicopter hovering and ground spotters in the area they are working, it really is just a labor intensive effort and everyone stays safe since they get enough warning to get out.
Injuries also occur when dumb residents refuse to leave and the firefighters have to haul them out long after the safe travel window has closed.
Most of the guys running the efforts at those fires are the best of the best and they do their best but keep their guys safe.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Seems they just about exploded over a 48 hour period due to very high winds. Very little warning for folks to get out. This part of the country isn't really used to wildfires like this.
My brother stayed in the Pigeon Forge area just over a year ago in a cabin with a few friends. There's a decent chance that cabin is gone now.
Video of a guy getting out. Looks a lot like the CA fire videos above.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
My parents married in the spring of 1973, in a modest white Baptist church by a creek in a small hollow in southeastern Kentucky. My mother borrowed her sister’s wedding dress, and after the cake-and-punch reception in the fellowship hall, she changed into a baby blue minidress and set out with my father to the Smoky Mountains resort town of Gatlinburg, Tenn., for the honeymoon.
Today much of Gatlinburg is gone, destroyed by an enormous wildfire that began Monday, killing five, driving thousands from their homes and dimming one of the region’s few economic generators. But for most folks like me, this calamity is less about the lost jobs than about the lost memories of a place of great beauty, in a part of the country that sorely needed it.
For my parents and countless others who had grown up poor in the hills and hollows of Appalachia, a visit to Gatlinburg was a treat — a place to enjoy the natural wonder of the Smoky Mountains, to splurge on a meal at the Howard Johnson, or to visit Goldrush Junction, a small-scale attraction that was renamed Silver Dollar City and ultimately transformed into Dollywood. A trip to Gatlinburg meant that things were looking up, that they themselves were on their way up — that a place at the table of the American middle class was within their grasp.
And indeed it was. My parents became the first and second in their families to graduate from college, and both became educators. By the time I was born, nearly eight years later, their white-collar, middle-class identity was assured.
I grew up with vacations to beaches in South Carolina and Florida, to New York, Texas and California, to the nation’s capital. But we still went to Gatlinburg, usually for weekend getaways, visits that created many enduring childhood memories: a ride up the mountainside on the chairlift with my frightened cousin, learning to ice skate at the Ober Gatlinburg amusement and ski complex, getting sick from too much fresh-pressed apple cider at the Apple Barn in nearby Pigeon Forge.
The Smoky Mountains have never been immune to flames, and like dozens of other places in southern Appalachia this fall, they have been ravaged by wildfires. But on Monday, all the awful elements came together: high winds from the south spread fires that had erupted because of persistent drought and, as with many forest fires, arson.
By Monday night, downtown Gatlinburg and its surrounding mountains were under a mandatory evacuation order. Images of the danger and destruction spread as fast as the fires themselves on social media: wedding chapels ablaze, uncontrollable fires reaching main highways, smoke and ash obscuring the night sky.
According to local news outlets, over 14,000 people have been evacuated from Gatlinburg alone. Thousands fill a convention center turned Red Cross shelter. A number of people, including children, are missing. Several people are being treated for severe burns. Dozens of homes, rental cabins, chalets and businesses have been destroyed.
Little attention has been paid to this disaster by the national media. CNN and ABC’s “Good Morning America” offered only a few combined minutes of anemic coverage. By Tuesday afternoon, only CNN’s website had it as major news, and neither the White House nor President-elect Donald J. Trump had made a statement on the situation.
This may all change in the coming days, but it’s hard not to feel that, were this a wildfire in Malibu, Calif., we’d be watching round-the-clock coverage of the multimillion-dollar houses being threatened and the natural beauty of the Pacific Palisades being ravaged. Unfortunately, this lack of attention is all too familiar to the residents of Appalachia, who have historically been ignored or misrepresented in the national consciousness. News coverage has focused on economic poverty rather than cultural riches, a handful of feuds rather than strong family ties.
Even amid the disaster in Gatlinburg, some commenters on social media have perpetuated hateful stereotypes: That the moonshine stills of the poor, ignorant hillbillies have accidentally set the mountains ablaze, or that Tennesseans, who largely voted for Mr. Trump, are getting their just deserts. And even though thousands of wooded acres throughout the region have been burning this fall, it appears that the only reason the Gatlinburg fire is receiving any coverage at all now is that businesses owned by big corporations are at risk.
I haven’t been to Gatlinburg much in recent years. But on a trip last fall, I sat in a restaurant with my family. I looked across the table at my husband, aunt and uncle, cousin and niece, and thought about all the love that united us. I remembered what was so special about the Smoky Mountains in the first place: generations of collective memories shared by countless families, all tied to a stunning mountain range that, today, sadly lives up to its name.
The Dollywood Foundation will donate $1,000 a month to "all of those families who lost their homes in the fires" for six months, the organization announced Wednesday night.
"As you may know by now, there have been terrible wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains, the same mountains where I grew up and where my people call home," country music star and Dollywood co-owner Dolly Parton wrote in a statement. "I have always believed that charity begins at home. That's why I've asked my Dollywood companies ... to help me establish the 'My People Fund.'"
The Dollywood Foundation is accepting donations to contribute to the fund on its website, where more information will be available Friday.
At least seven people were killed by the wildfires that pushed into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on Monday and Tuesday. Officials said hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
Originally Posted by American Patriot
Re: Wild Fires
Madera County Sheriff's Office
(AP Photo/The Fresno Bee, Eric Paul Zamora). People watch a fire burning from the Highway 41 overlook on the way north into Oakhurst, Calif., Monday, Aug. 18, 2014.
(AP Photo/Mike Meadows). A helicopter makes a water drop at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif.
(AP Photo/Mike Meadows). A firefighter watches smoke rise at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif.
(AP Photo/Mike Meadows). Firefighters gather at the site of a wildfire Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, in Glendora, Calif.
(AP Photo/John Antczak). Smoke from a wildfire rises above the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014.
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