Wildfires Are Getting Worse, What Can We Do To Help? Yes, wildfires are natural phenomena, however, they are getting worse due to climate change. The apocalyptic scenes coming out of California, Oregon, and Washington are a window into the future. The United States, the Russian Arctic, and Australia have all seen the most devastating fires in history over the last decade. Mother nature is ringing the alarm bells, but what […] Fire Alex Camerino | September 16, 2020 11 Comments
As Wildfires Intensify New Smoke Forecasting Models Are Needed New smoke forecasting models are being developed in response to wildfires intensifying across the western United States. The NOAA Smoke Forecasting System is good for predicting smoke movement across the US, however not as effective on a smaller scale. Related: The Intensity of California’s Wildfires is Causing Rare Volcanic Clouds Climate change is driving the intensification of wildfires worldwide. Increased […] Fire Alex Camerino | September 12, 2020 0 Comments
All Southern California National Forests Closed Due to Wildfire Risk | Mammoth Mountain Suspends Summer Operations From 5 pm yesterday evening, a number of National Forests in Southern California were closed to the public by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, to provide for public safety and reduce the potential for human-caused wildfire starts. The closure will run through September 14th, according to Emergency Forest Closure Order 20-07. Related: Bridger Foothills Fire Burning North of Bozeman, […] Fire Firebrains | September 9, 2020 0 Comments
Lake Tahoe, CA Fire Crews Attending to Illegal Fires on a Daily Basis North Lake Tahoe’s fire crews are attending illegal fires on a daily basis, diverting their attention from the major wildfires engulfing the state. Bonfires on the beach, grills or BBQs, and campfires are the most common offenses. Related: Arizona Trail Runner Heads Out For Training Run and Ends Up Fighting Wildfire There was a week in August where 15 wildfires were […] Fire Firebrains | September 4, 2020 0 Comments
How Weather Conditions Affect Wildfires Weather conditions affect wildfires in three key ways that can lead to easier suppression or an out-of-control blaze. The three major factors for the development or suppression of a wildfire are wind, humidity, and air temperature. Wind Wind is the most obvious driver of a wildfire. As the wind picks up it flattens out the flames, bringing them closer to ground […] Fire Alex Camerino | September 3, 2020 2 Comments
Using Reforestation for Avalanche Mitigation: Does it Work? A new study suggests that strategic reforestation may help to mitigate avalanches in certain areas. SLAB Laboratory, based in Vaud Canton of Switzerland, studies the physics of avalanches using computer-generated models fed with historic avalanche data. Researchers were interested to see how wildfires in 2018 affected the winter avalanche cycles in the mountains around Vaud. Related: Lake Tahoe Tree Deaths Double […] Avalanche Alex Camerino | August 28, 2020 5 Comments
Smoke From Wildfires in the West Affecting Air Quality as Far East as Kansas Almost 100 uncontrolled large fires across the western US are creating huge clouds of smoke affecting the air quality as far east as Kansas and the Great Plains. The smoke could soon spread into the southeast. Related: ‘State of Emergency’ Declared as Wildfires Blaze Across California Fires in California, Colorado, Oregon, and other western states have forced tens of thousands […] Fire Firebrains | August 25, 2020 1 Comment
Fire Season Shows No Signs Of Letting Up In Colorado Three new wildfires started in the past 24 hours, all in Eagle County, Colorado, very close to where the #GrizzlyCreekFire is still ravaging the Glenwood Canyon area. The Murphy fire is burning ten miles outside Edwards, CO, and started Wednesday evening but is not advancing. The Camp Hale fire started Thursday, but they were able to get it contained within […] Fire James Pulfer | August 21, 2020 0 Comments
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