Cooler temperatures and increased humidity have
moderated fire behavior and firefighters have been taking advantage of that;
building both direct and indirect fireline.
They are connecting natural features, such as bare mountain ridges, wet
meadows or sparse grass areas, along with roads, trails, or past firelines to
construct containment and contingency lines for Newby Lake Fire. Existing features, such as roads, trails or
old firelines, often require brush removal along the edges to improve viability
for use as firelines.
Safety is the primary concern in every aspect
of firefighting. When determining fireline locations, firefighters must also
consider the condition and type of adjacent vegetation (fuels), topography and
predicted weather. This information
guides decisions about the placement and type (direct or indirect) of fireline
to be constructed.
In the case of Newby Lake Fire, much of the
fuel is beetle killed spruce and lodgepole, both dead and down. When conditions are hot and dry, this
fuel type is known to cast embers ahead
of the fire front, contributing to rapid fire growth. On Newby Lake Fire, there have been spot
fires up to three-quarters of a mile ahead of the main fire. During this morning’s firefighter briefing,
the fire behavior analyst described the condition of heavy dead and down spruce
and lodgepole. This accumulation of fuel
builds a lot of heat when it burns, leading to torching and then spotting.
Near-term operations for Newby Lake Fire do not
include plans for burn-out. However, in
situations where long range spotting occurs, sometimes firefighters improve the
viability of firelines by deliberately burning vegetation along the edge
(burnout). Burnout consumes fuel, or
vegetation, between the wildland fire and the fireline. It is a method of slowing or stopping the
fire before it reaches the fireline.
While moderated fire behavior provides
excellent opportunities for containment, history has shown that fire in this
type of vegetation and topography just needs the right mix of wind and hot-dry
weather to again become active. Tripod
Fire, in 2006 and Farewell Fire in 2003 were examples of this. Given this fire history, and the fact that
fire season in this area can last well into September, firefighters know that
their containment lines will likely be tested before summer is over.
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