MILILANI MAUKA WILDFIRE EVENING UPDATE (#17)

UPDATE: The Mililani Mauka Incident Management Team has suspended operations at the wildland fire 
above Mililani Mauka due to impending darkness. The fire continues to burn in a remote, mountainous 
area with steep, dangerous terrain on private lands and within the Oahu Forest National Wildlife 
Refuge. The fire has not increased in size since yesterday morning and is now 90% contained and 
approximately 1,350 acres. Water drops continued to be successful and ground crews made substantial 
progress in extinguishing hot spots along the perimeter. An additional ground crew was inserted via 
helicopter into the southeast portion of the involved area to continue mitigation efforts.

HFD’s drone team will conduct a fire watch starting at sundown. HFD will do another air 
reconnaissance at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Favorable weather conditions for fire fighting will continue. The National Weather Service 
forecasts a 90% chance of rain tonight and a 60% chance of rain throughout Tuesday for the fire 
area.

There are no reports of any injuries, no structures or homes have been threatened and no 
evacuations have been ordered at this time.

 

MILILANI MAUKA WILDFIRE MORNING UPDATE (#16)
UPDATE: The Mililani Mauka Incident Management Team (IMT) resumed fire
suppression operations at 9:37 a.m. to continue mitigation efforts at the wildland fire
above Mililani Mauka. The fire continues to burn in a remote, mountainous area with
steep, dangerous terrain on private lands and the O’ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge.
The fire has affected approximately 1,350 acres of land and remains 85% contained this
morning, with the most active fire located at the southeast side of the involved area,
approximately four miles from the Mililani Mauka community.

There is currently one U.S. Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter, one U.S. Army
National Guard CH-47 Chinook aircraft, and one United States Fish and Wildlife
Services (USFWS) contracted helicopter. The Department of Forestry and Wildlife
(DOFAW) continues to assist with staff and personnel.

The Red Flag Warning has been canceled due to moderating conditions from rainfall
overnight and anticipated rainfall in the forecast. The IMT continues to work with the
National Weather Service to closely monitor weather systems to provide accurate
forecast conditions for the fire area.

The crews are continuing to extinguish hot spots along the perimeter of the involved
area, from west to east. Crews will continue to stay engaged on the fire to ensure that
there is no threat of further fire spread. The O’ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge
protects some of the last remaining intact native forest on the island and supports at
least 22 federally listed species, including native plants.

As always, all residents of O’ahu are encouraged to make and practice a family
evacuation plan and have an emergency supply kit assembled and ready to go.
 

There are no reports of any injuries, no structures or homes have been threatened and
no evacuations have been ordered at this time.

Forest Service News Release 

Sugar Bay Wildfire Burning in Allegheny National Forest 

Warren, PA, November 7, 2023—The USDA Forest Service announced that a wildfire was reported in Allegheny National Forest on the afternoon of November 6, 2023.  As of 3:00 p.m. on November 7, the wildfire was estimated at 62 acres and was 40 percent contained. The Sugar Bay Wildfire is located in the Bradford Ranger District of Allegheny National Forest and is burning on Forest Service land on the eastern side of Allegheny Reservoir just north of Sugar Bay and west of Polly’s Run. 

Allegheny National Forest staff are actively engaged in establishing firelines and mitigating safety hazards. The Glade Volunteer Fire Department and the US Army Corps of Engineers are providing boat operators and boats to ferry wildland firefighters to the fire. Suppression efforts on November 7 included the initial size up of the fire and establishing firelines. Wildland firefighters will monitor the fire and continue to work toward 100 percent containment in the coming days.

The safety of the public and firefighters is the highest priority. For their safety, members of the public are asked to stay out of the fire area, use vehicle headlights and extreme caution when driving on smoke-covered roadways, and yield the right-of-way to responding fire equipment. As of 3:30 p.m., no evacuations had been ordered and no structures were directly threatened by the wildfire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Bureau of Forestry is leading the investigation.

For additional information on the Sugar Bay Wildfire visit Sugar Bay Wildfire Information | InciWeb or call Allegheny National Forest Public Affairs at 814-728-6281.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Pending conditions, pile burning efforts will continue today on several districts to reduce hazardous fuels from previous vegetation management operations. 

Missoula Ranger District: Firefighters will be burning 10 acres of piles by hand in the Marshall Creek drainage and 5 acres near the Pattee Picnic Area. Smoke may be visible from I-90 along East Missoula and Bonner.

Ninemile Ranger District:  The Ninemile District plans burn approximately 17 acres of piles, 5 miles northwest of the District Office, between Kennedy Creek and Butler Creek. Smoke may be visible from Alberton and  Interstate 90.

Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District:  The Plains/Thompson Falls District will conduct pile burning on two different units located 7 miles southwest of Plains, and 5 miles southwest Thompson Falls.  Smoke may be visible from Thompson Falls and Plains. 

Superior Ranger District: Firefighters will initiate up to 25 acres of pile burning operations on two different units located 5 miles northeast of St. Regis and 8 miles southeast of Superior.   Smoke may be visible from Superior, St. Regis and Interstate 90.   

Pile burning is only implemented under the right conditions. Favorable conditions include correct temperature, wind, fuel moisture and ventilation for smoke. When these criteria are met, firefighters implement, monitor, and patrol each burn to ensure it meets forest health and public safety goals including air quality.

Current Burn Map 

Pile burning operations will begin in November 2023 and extend into spring 2024

Durango, Colo., November 7, 2023— The San Juan National Forest plans to burn slash piles this fall and winter generated from forest thinning and timber sales. Thinning projects improve forest health and wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of wildfire near private residences and infrastructure. Slash from these projects is piled and burned to remove the debris that could fuel wildfire. 

Pile burning will begin as early as this month when there is sufficient snow or rain present to prevent fire spread and will continue as long as conditions allow, possibly through April 2024. Firefighters will ignite and monitor pile burning activities while heat is present. These activities should not affect public access or use of the forest. 

Dolores Ranger District plans to burn slash piles near the following locations: Chicken Creek area (340 acres, 2500 piles) near Forest Service Roads (FSR) 385 and 559 near Joe Moore Reservoir; Haycamp Mesa area (600 acres, 1600 piles) near FSRs 556 and 492, south of Beef Pasture Reservoir; in the Taylor Mesa area (150 acres, 50 piles) near FSRs 545 and 692; in the Salter area (575 acres, 600 acres) near FSRs 514, 504, 519 and 293, northwest of Salter Y; and in the Lake Canyon area (2100 acres, 800 piles) near FSRs 506, 504, 508, 514, 215, and 216 near Cow Canyon. Smoke may be visible from State Highway 184, State Highway 145, and U.S. Route 491.

Pagosa Ranger District plans to burn slash piles near the following locations: The lower portion of Turkey springs Road (FSR 629) near the powerlines, Turkey Springs Road near the Turkey Springs Guard Station, Brockover Road (FSR 919), Buckles Lake Road (FSR 633) and in the Huerto Creek timber sale between Piedra Road (FSR 621) and Poison Park Road (FSR 644). The piles are a mix of small hand constructed piles and machine piles resulting from timber sales. Piles will only be ignited when sufficient snow or rain to prevent creep.

Columbine Ranger District plans to burn slash piles near the following locations: Saul’s Creek (110 acres, 1800 piles) near FS roads 755, 755.A, 131, and 131.C.  Junction Creek (90 acres, 75 piles) near FS road 171, in the Log Chutes trail area. Fossett Gulch (40 acres, 100 piles) near FS roads 613 and 841. Baldy Mountain (623 acres, 60 slash piles) off of Beaver Meadows Road.

Burning will only occur when all conditions of the state-issued smoke permit are met. Learn how smoke from wildfires, prescribed burns and pile burns may affect your health by visiting the Colorado Department of Public Health website: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.

For additional information on this the San Juan National Forest prescribed fire program, visit InciWeb. For information on current conditions and recreation opportunities on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

The American River Ranger District plans to pileburn up to 55 acres of handpiles starting Nov. 7, 2023.

Legal Location: Township 14N, Range 11 E, Section 3.

Update: November 7, 2023

Type 3 Team, Incident Commander Scott Bovey, 59 Personnel
 

Command will transition back to the Pagosa Ranger District under Incident Commander Shane McCracken tonight at 6:00 p.m.

Trail Springs Fire | Size: 1303 Acres | Containment: 37% | Cause: Lightning

Both fires picked up in activity yesterday due to dry conditions and an increase in wind. Fire managers ordered another infrared flight last night to gauge growth. The Trail Springs Fire grew approximately 34 acres. Most of that growth occurred to the north of the existing footprint. There was also limited spread on the south side in a pocket that was unburned between the main perimeter and the Chris Mountain Fire scar. The fuel load in these areas is mostly heavy timber with a significant amount of dead and down trees. Firefighters remain in the area to ensure the fire remains within the defined limits. This level of readiness could remain in place for the next several weeks, depending on weather and environmental conditions such as wind, precipitation, and fuel moisture.

Mill Creek 2 Fire |Size: 146 Acres | Containment: 0% | Cause: Human

Last night’s infrared flight measured approximately 20 acres of growth to the northeast, downhill into the next drainage. The fire is burning below the ridgeline over Mill Creek through mixed conifer stands with a considerable dead standing and down component. Fire managers expect this increased level of smoke to continue until the forecasted cold front passes through the area Wednesday night. Some smoke may continue to be visible until a significant winter storm extinguishes this fire.

Weather: Breezy weather continues today, blowing predominantly out of the southwest at 15-20mph. Wind will shift to blow out of the north Wednesday evening as a frontal passage moves through. Temps will drop about ten degrees behind the cold front. There’s a slight chance that the front will bring wetting precipitation on Thursday.

San Juan NF Temporary Closures: An area closure is in place involving roads and trails in or near the Trail Springs Fire area (Middle Mountain area). Details of the closure are on the Trail Springs Fire InciWeb page (QR code below) and on the “Alerts and Notices” page of the forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sanjuan/alerts-notices 

A Temporary Flight Restriction is in effect: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_3_8962.html#areas

Oct. 6, 2023—After meeting with meteorologists to discuss weather and conditions today, fire managers are tentatively planning the following prescribed fire operations this week: 

• Alamosa Unit 1: The 4,500-acre prescribed fire north of El Rito, N.M., is tentatively scheduled to begin Wednesday, Nov. 8. Fire managers were looking for implementation opportunities as early as tomorrow, but crews will not move forward due to near critical fire weather conditions in the forecast. Ignitions are anticipated to last at least two days. Learn more about this project in last week’s news release. 

• McCrystal Rock Unit: Ignitions on the remaining 2,333 acres of this unit in Valle Vidal is tentatively scheduled to begin as early as Saturday, Nov. 11. Fire crews completed 4,000 acres in mid-October. Ignitions are anticipated to occur over at least three days. Learn more about this project on InciWeb. 

Fire managers will continue to consult with meteorologists for both prescribed fires and postpone ignitions if weather conditions adversely change. 

Public information officers will post updates for both projects to InciWeb (Alamosa, McCrystal), New Mexico Fire Information and Carson National Forest social media channels (Facebook, X). 

Previous Prescribed Fires 

Fire crews continue to patrol and monitor recent prescribed fires, including the Taos Ski Valley piles, Blas Unit south of Canjilon, N.M., and the previously treated areas of the McCrystal Rock Unit in Valle Vidal. Those activities will continue until the fires are called out. 

The Big Picture 

Both projects are part of the national Wildfire Crisis Strategy to improve forest health. Healthy, thriving forests are less vulnerable to extreme wildfires, which can risk lives and property and impact watersheds and wildlife habitat. 

Yesterday was a successful day of prescribed fire operations (pile burning) across the forest, pending conditions work will continue today.  Burning piles reduces hazardous fuels and contributes to the implementation of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. 

Missoula Ranger District: Firefighters will be burning 30 acres of piles by hand approximately 2 miles up the Marhsall Canyon adjacent to the 20-acre unit on the west side of the upper Marshall Creek drainage. Smoke may be visible from I-90 along East Missoula and Bonner.

Ninemile Ranger District:  The Ninemile District plans to pile burn, 5 miles northwest of the District Office, between Kennedy Creek and Butler Creek. Smoke may be visible from Alberton and  Interstate 90.

Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District:  The Plains/Thompson Falls District will conduct pile burning on two different units located 7 miles southwest of Plains, and 6 miles northeast Thompson Falls.  Smoke may be visible from Thompson Falls and Plains. 

Superior Ranger District: Firefighters will initiate up to 17 acres of pile burning operations on two different units located 2 miles northeast of Superior and 8 miles southeast of Superior.   Smoke may be visible from Superior and I-90.   

Firefighters will implement, patrol and monitor the pile burning over the next few days.

Current Burn Map 

The American River Ranger District plans to pileburn up to 56 acres starting Nov. 6, 2023. The burn is located near Michigan Bluff in the Mosquito Fire burn scar.

Legal Location: Township 14N, Range 11 E, Section 3.