Rim Fire: California's Worst Wildland Fire Ever

Paint blisters on a wildland Engine while fighting the Rim Fire.

 Rim Fire: Update:

GROVELAND, CA (August 26, 2013) -- The Rim Fire has grown to 160,980 acres with 20 percent containment according to official at CalFire.  Crews made some progress Sunday night fighting the wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park, which has grown to become one of the largest in the state's history.

The fire to threaten several towns, San Francisco's water supply, and historic giant sequoias.
Crews managed to increase containment from 7 percent to 15 percent overnight Sunday, but with the heat of the day only managed to increase containment by an additional 5%.  Even with containment, the fire did continue to grow, however, and is now 234 square miles in size.

Stanislaus National Forest spokesman Jerry Snyder said crews are being helped by the fire's movement into less forested areas and cooler temperatures caused at least in part by the shadow cast by the large plume of smoke from the blaze.

About 4,500 structures and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the source of San Francisco's famously pure drinking water, remain under threat.

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Inaugural Pumper 2009

Inaugural Pumper 2009
Originally uploaded by LouAngeli2008

This pumper from Elsmere, Delaware was one of three fire engines featured in January 20's Inaugural Parade's Line-of-March in Washington, DC. With 300 television million viewers, that's a lot of name recognition. Congratulations to the Delaware Volunteer Firemen's Association and Pierce Manufacturing for being chosen to represent the nation's firefighters. (photo by Lou Angeli)

Delaware Firefighter Dies After Weekend Accident

DELAWARE CITY, DE (December 22, 2008) -- A Delaware City (DE) Volunteer Firefighter died today of injuries she sustained after being run down by a motorist on US Route 13 at the New Castle County Airport. Firefighter Michelle Smith, 29. was assisting in the treatment of the victim of a motorcycle accident when a driver sped through the emergency scene, running over Smith and the patient.

Smith and her EMT partner were staffing the Delaware City BLS Unit, which had been covering Wilmington Manor Fire Station #28, when they were dispatched to the report of a motorcycle accident with injuries, about 1 mile from the station. In Delaware, accidents involving motorcycles receive a multi-tiered response, which includes the nearest BLS unit, a county Paramedic unit, a Rescue/Pumper, Fire Police and the Delaware State Police helicopter.

The Delaware City ambulance responded immediately, arriving less than a minute after being dispatched. On arrival, Smith noticed the motorcyclist lying in the median of the four southbound lanes of busy US Route 13, and placed the ambulance in a blocking position. Smith and the EMT began to access the victim's injuries as traffic in adjacent lanes sped by at 55 miles per hour.

A passing New Castle County Police Officer stopped to render assistance, pulling his patrol car near the grass median. According to a News Journal report, "as he opened his door, the officer noticed a 2004 BMW 760 speeding in his direction and quickly got back into his car to avoid being struck."

Witnesses say that the BMW sideswiped the police cruiser, swerved around the ambulance and ran down Smith and the accident victim, Edward Reiss, 30. of New Castle.

The driver of the BMW fled the scene, then abandoned the car further south on US Route 13. He is said to have jumped into another vehicle, which quickly left the area. Delaware State Police believe they have identified the runaway driver, but offered no further information.

According to initial information released by the Delaware City Fire Company, Ms. Smith was treated on scene by NCC Paramedics and EMT’s from Wilmington Manor and Goodwill Fire Companies. She was transported to Christiana Emergency Department, where she was initially listed in stable condition as her injuries were further being evaluated.

News of her death came at around Noon on Monday, sending a shockwave through Delaware's small, tighly knit emergency services community. Smith is the first Delaware firefighter to perish in the line of duty in nearly 9 years. In 2000, a Greenwood (DE) Assistant Fire Chief was killed in a flashover during a training exercise gone bad.

Offer your condolences by visiting Delaware City Fire Company on the web.

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Resources:

-News Journal Papers
-Delaware City Fire Company

-Delaware State Police

400 Fires Burn in Northern California

Heat Wave and Lightning Strikes Feed Fires

Los Angeles (June 22, 2008) -- Firefighters worked to contain some 400 wildfires burning across Northern California on Sunday as the state baked under a fourth day of an early summer heat wave that has strained the power grid and left residents wilted.

One structure was destroyed and 150 homes were evacuated near Fairfield, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Sacramento, in the path of the worst of the fires, which blackened more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) in wine-producing Napa County.

"The weather is, of course, very hot and dry here, and this fire quickly rolled up into some extremely steep terrain and became inaccessible. "

We're having trouble establishing control lines," said Battalion Chief David Shew of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He said the blaze was about 10 percent contained as of Sunday morning and that crews were hoping for a break as triple-digit temperatures began to ease and cooler off-shore breezes returned.

Most of the hundreds of fires scattered across Northern California were started by dry lightning strikes during thunder storms that moved across the state on Friday.

"Those evil clouds are wreaking havoc across the state," Mike Jarvis, deputy director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said of the dry lightning. "There's no moisture in them and when they hit it's not like they put themselves out."

In a 24-hour period beginning on Friday, some some 5,000 to 6,000 dry lightning strikes were recorded across the region, leaving crews scrambling to keep up with spot fires.

"We do have significant numbers of fires that are completely unstaffed as of yet," Shew said. "We don't have sufficient resources to send to every one of them, so they'll just have to pick them up as we can."

California has cooked for four days under a severe heat wave that has drive temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) across much of the state.Beaches were swamped with Californians seeking relief, and in Southern California power was lost to some communities as the power grid was strained by residents turning up air conditioners and fans to beat the heat.

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Resources: CalFire