With a stunning 7 million acres burned so far, the U.S. wildfire situation is looking dire

[marmar]

(WaPo) Wildfires are exploding across the western United States, overstretching resources and, in some states, resulting in tragic consequences.

Some 30,000 firefighters and additional support staff are now fighting fires across the United States — the biggest number mobilized in 15 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service. And it’s still not enough.

Two hundred members of the military are being called up to help further — they will be trained and deployed within just a few days — as are Canadian firefighting forces. There’s even some talk of potentially needing to draw on resources from Australia and New Zealand, which has been done before in a pinch.

And no wonder: Five states are now battling more than 1o large wildfires — California is contending with 16, Idaho 21, Montana 14, Oregon 11 and Washington 17. Most terrifying, perhaps, is the Soda Fire, which has scorched 283,686 acres in Idaho, burning up ranches, killing wild horses, even generating an alarming fire whirl recently. .............(more)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/18/with-7-million-acres-burned-so-far-this-year-the-u-s-wildfire-situation-is-looking-dire/

[PufPuf23]

1. InciWeb link to fire status edited

Last edited Thu Aug 20, 2015, 12:34 PM - Edit history (1)

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/5/

This is for California (Region 5). edit yes but State 5 not Region 5)

Change the 5 to 6 for Oregon and Washington (Region 6) edit wrong

Change the 5 to 4 for Idaho and Montana (Region 4) edit wrong

etc.

The numbers are for States not National Forest Regions. See pull down menu.

Thank you to Jim Dandy.

[procon]

4. Does all this smoke have an impact on global warming?

I don't know, but I was wondering with so much smoke in the air, what does it do -- if anything -- to the climate? When we have local brushfires there's always a lot of fine particulate matter in the smoke that settles on everything. I can see it, smell it, taste it, and have to deal with the resulting respiratory difficulties. The newspaper prints the usual health and safety warnings about contamination by fine particulate matter of trace metals and chemicals in addition to everything else the fires are consuming. The smoke and ash fallout is driven by high winds, but even if the larger or heavier bits drop out of the smoke (and fall on my car), everything else must be going someplace.

[JimDandy]

6. It goes by state...so 49 pulls up WA... etc.

Just go to the state pull-down menu on the right of the page to find your state. I've been using the Northwest Coordination Center's (NWCC) map to get a visual on the locations of all the fires in WA relative to where I'm at.

[PufPuf23]

7. Ooops, I'll fix my post above. You are correct.

I have been watching California State 5 that happens to be in US Forest Service Region 5.

Have had the link so long on my "Favorites" that I forgot and my mind is imprinted with USFS terms.

Seven of the fires on page one for California are within 100 air miles of my location including one on the USFS Ranger District where I live on an inholding. All of the adjacent and one District removed Ranger Districts are burning.

Very smoky.

I worked for the USFS from 1969 to 1985 but never primarily as a firefighter (was a forest technician then professional forester and engineer post college).

But everyone physically able to fight fire was fire qualified so was on fires most years plus every year controlled fire (mostly logging slash and to site prep for tree planting).

The Incident Command Structure was new in early 1980s. For two large fires I had been assigned to work with National Guard and because of the then new ICS (and past experience) went through training to be a National Guard Liaison. However never used the training as resigned from USFS and went to grad school and work in private sector.

[JimDandy]

11. Interesting background!

Over the years, many people in my family, male and female, worked summers manning fire lookout towers in the Northwest. None of us has done so for decades, though. Now, for the first time ever, there is a call out for volunteers from the general population to help fight these fires up here. It is that bad.

[uppityperson]

2. It's really scary. 3 firefighters killed yesterday, extreme drought and winds whipping big fires

fast, running of crew to send to fires. Okanagon county north of Chelan is burning all over in the last couple days.

It is scary.

Blog by ex firefighter. http://wildfiretoday.com/2015/08/19/firefighters-standing-by-at-twisp-as-the-killer-fire-approaches/

[JimDandy]

5. Haven't been able to go outside for the last week

without my throat drying up within minutes from all the smoke in the air. And I'm in Spokane, miles away from the closest fire. Don't know how the firefighters who are on top of the fires can work under far worse conditions than I am in.

[CrispyQ]

3. Doesn't the bible predict the world will end in fire next time?

Wonder what the fundies make of that?

[niyad]

8. how utterly horrible. but, we are told there is no c3 (catastrophic climate change)

[uppityperson]

9. Check out this current updating map, go out, move it around, whoah!

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=47.867538,-120.020829&z=11&t=h,Wind_in_6_hrs,MODIS_thermal,Current_fire&q=http://www.propertylinemaps.com/p/public_land_map/USA/USA_wildland_fire.txt

[PufPuf23]

10. Map of wildfires in the West -- Wildfire Today

I don't do images but this is a link to the online magazine Wildfire Today.

Good magazine.

Lots of good pictures.

http://wildfiretoday.com/2015/08/19/map-of-wildfires-in-the-west/