Category Archives: Wildfire

National Parks, Wildfire

The Rim Fire – a new video on YouTube

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

A hat-tip to Bill Gabbert over at wildfirtoday.com who penned a post about a new video titled “the Rim Fire” that appears on YouTube today.  The video was posted by yosemitenationalpark, who put up the following description:

“The 2013 Rim Fire was the largest forest fire in California history, and the largest fire in Yosemite history. Burning 400 square miles, the speed and size of the fire was unprecedented. As these unnaturally large fires become more commonplace due to previous fire suppression and climate change, Yosemite National Park is seeing the benefits of carefully allowing smaller, controlled fires on the landscape.”

 

National Forests, National Parks, News, Wildfire

Legal posturing begins in Rim Fire aftermath

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Both sides are girding their loins over the Rim Fire case.

Keith Matthew Emerald, a 32 year old man and resident of Columbia, a town in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, is accused in a four-count indictment or starting the Rim Fire when he lost control of an illegal campfire on August 17,2013.  In August of this year he pled not guilty to the charges.

The Rim Fire burned 400 square miles of land in California, including parts of Sequoia National Forest and Yosemite National Park over the course of two months.  The fire destroyed 11 homes and cost $125 million to fight.

In August a grand jury returned the four-count indictment against Emerald, alleging that he started an illegal campfire on August 17, 2013 in an area where such fires were prohibited and that the fire spread beyond his control.

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General Aviation, National Parks, Wildfire

Crash of CAL FIRE Airtanker Claims the Life of Pilot near Yosemite

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

On the afternoon of October 7, 2014 a wildfire began at Dog Rock on the El Portal Road between the Yosemite National Park boundary and the Arch Rock Entrance Station. The Dog Rock Fire was first reported around 2:45, and swelled to approximately 130 acres. Fire crews and aircraft were dispatched to the scene and responded to the fire.

The FAA reported on October 8 that a CAL FIRE airtanker, Tanker 81, impacted rugged terrain after a wing tip strike on a tree while performing fire fighting duties.

CAL FIRE Chief Ken Pimlott and Yosemite Deputy Chief Deron Mills announced on the same day that the body of pilot Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt of San Jose – a DynCorp contractor who had been working for the state firefighting agency CAL FIRE for 13 years – had been located, and that the remains were escorted down the mountain by the firefighters who stayed with them at the crash site through the night.

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National Parks, Wildfire

Meadow Fire in Yosemite

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The Meadow Fire is burning in the greater Little Yosemite Valley area and is at 400 acres.

All trails from the top of Nevada Fall to Merced Lake, including trails leading to that area, are closed. Additionally, the trail from Sunrise Lakes Trailhead to Sunrise Lakes and Sunrise Lakes High Sierra Camp, and the trails from the camp to the trail along the Merced River east of Little Yosemite Valley, are closed.

Currently, four type 1 helicopters, three type 3 helicopters, three air tankers, one air attack, six hotshot crews, and other resources are assigned to the fire.

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National Forests, News, Wildfire

Open houses slated for second phase of Rim Fire Recovery Project

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Press release from the U.S.D.A.:

The Stanislaus National Forest will be hosting two open houses on Friday, December 13 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 14, 9 a.m. to noon at the Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor’s Office (19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370).

“We invite the public and stakeholders to the open houses to provide an opportunity to visit with staff regarding the Rim Fire proposed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) project details, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. It offers those with questions on how to comment prior to the end of the public comment period that begins on December 6, 2013, and ends on January 6, 2014,” Maria Benech, Rim Fire Recovery ID Team Leader said.

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