Great Lakes Fire Daily Update, April 28, 2023

Fire personnel held a community meeting last night. This meeting was recorded and will be posted on the N.C. Forest Service YouTube Channel.

Great Lakes Fire: The Great Lakes Fire, located within Croatan National Forest, one mile South-Southeast of New Bern, started on April 19th. The fire is suspected to be human-caused and is still under investigation. It is burning in pocosin swamp and mixed fuels within and around the footprint of the 2012 Dad Fire, which burned roughly 21,331 acres. Previous prescribed burning by the U. S. Forest Service helped slow fire spread by reducing the amount of burnable vegetation. No structures have been lost and none are currently threatened. 

Acreage: 32,400 acres Containment: 30% 

Personnel and Equipment: 232 total personnel; 4 Helicopters, 16 Type-6 Engines, 17 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units, 1 drone, 1 Fixed Wing Aircraft, 1 tracked vehicles and 2 Ambulances. 

Today: 

At this morning’s firefighter briefing, meteorologist, Scott Kennedy, said “I’m disappointed by the amount of rain over the fire,” referring to last night’s precipitation of approximately ¼ inch of precipitation or less. We need a lot more rain to saturate the fire that is burning underground."

The Southern Area Incident Command Team continues to work closely with U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, local agencies, private landowners and Weyehaeuser Corporation. Firefighters continue to use tractor plows to install and complete primary and secondary contingency lines. Contingency lines create a barrier between the fire edge and surrounding communities and are preventative measures against lateral fire growth. Firefighters will also identify possible suppression repair needs within and around the fire perimeter. Road crews delivered rock west of the fire permitter to repair Mattock Road where heavy machinery access the fire. Drones are in use for identifying additional suppression and repair needs where access within the Croatan National Forest is limited. Drone pilots also help firefighters identify hotspots within the fire using infrared technology, especially in the northeast and eastern perimeter of the fire. Flooding operations continue in the southern portion of the fire and firefighters are taking advantage of recent and future rains to encourage flooding.  

A structure protection specialist has been on scene to identify threats to adjacent private lands including properties in the Catfish Lake Road, Middle Lake Road and Island Creek communities. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Today a strong low-pressure system may impact the area with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall is expected to amount to 1-1.5” by tonight. Relative humidity is expected to be 65-70% with light winds and gusts up to 20 mph from the southeast direction. Another strong front is expected to impact the area on Sunday. Fire behavior is not expected to change due to the weather. Drier and windier weather is expected Monday through the middle of next week. 

Air quality: Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is at https://www.airnow.gov/.  

Closures: Road closures on County Line Road and Catfish Lake Road remain in effect. Updates to road closures surrounding the fire is at https://drivenc.gov/. 

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area; information is at Federal Aviation Administration website. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If there are intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must stop aerial operations. 

We have had many offers of donations to firefighters. We are grateful for your support, but currently do not have the capacity for processing and storing donations on site. In lieu of donations to the Great Lakes Fire please consider making a monetary donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. 

Fire
The Great Lakes fire remains at 32400 acres with 30% containment. Due to area rainfall into this morning, no significant fire activity has occurred. Any notable fire growth is not expected due to a chance of rain once again Sunday. Due to deep organic material within the fire area, there remains the need for sustained efforts to ensure active burning does not reoccur.

Smoke
With reduced fire activity, any minor smoke should remain confined to smoldering areas, primarily along the northern and western portions of the fire perimeter in proximity to Croatan National Forest.

Roadway Visibility
The combination of areas of morning fog and some localized smoke can lead to sudden visibility reductions, particularly along HWY 17 from Maysville to the HWY 70 juncture, as well as minor roads adjacent to this area, including Island Creek RD, County Line RD, and Brices Creek RD.

Great Lakes Fire DailyUpdate, April 27, 2023

Join us for an in-person community meeting this evening, Thursday, April 27th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. at Creekside Elementary School. The school is at 2790 Landscape Drive in New Bern. This meeting will also be hosted virtually on Facebook Live at https://fb.me/e/5RLxG0dUj.

We have had many offers of donations to firefighters. We are grateful for your support, but currently do not have the capacity for processing and storing donations on site. In lieu of donations to the Great Lakes Fire incident, we ask that you consider making a monetary donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.  

Great Lakes Fire: The Great Lakes Fire, located within Croatan National Forest, one mile South-Southeast of New Bern, started on April 19th. The fire is suspected to be human-caused and is still under investigation. It is burning in pocosin swamp and mixed fuels within and around the footprint of the 2012 Dad Fire, which burned roughly 21,331 acres. Previous prescribed burning by the U.S. Forest Service helped slow fire spread by reducing the amount of burnable vegetation. No structures have been lost and none are currently threatened. 

Acreage: 32,400 acres Containment: 30% 

Personnel and Equipment: 206 total personnel; 4 Helicopters, 16 Type-6 Engines, 19 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units, 1 Fixed Wing Aircraft, 2 tracked vehicles, and 2 Ambulances. 

Today: Firefighters continue to construct new primary and secondary contingency lines to increase protection on the north end and help protect surrounding communities. They are also reinforcing firelines west and south of the fire to protect forested areas and Weyerhaeuser timberlands. Firefighters continue to flood areas in the southeast of the fire to saturate organic soils where the fire is burning deep into the ground. They are raising the water level in canals by blocking culverts to do this. The eastern side of the wildfire has shown little smoke during reconnaissance flights, so is in monitoring status. We are using drones to detect heat with infrared cameras. We continue to work closely with the National Weather Service and cooperating agencies. Operational resources include personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, and Weyerhaeuser Corporation. Initial attack firefighters assigned to the incident are on standby and are ready to respond to new fire starts on and around the Great Lakes Fire.

Natural resource experts are on scene to provide advice and make sure that suppression efforts do not destroy the beautiful natural resources on the Croatan National Forest. They evaluate plowed firelines in advance to reduce damage to wildlife and endangered plants. The advisors also work with air operations separating helicopter dip sites to reduce the spread of alligator weed from one part of the fire to another. They also have a plan to clean equipment to reduce the spread of noxious plants from one area to another.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Rainfall varied tremendously overnight with the south end receiving only .06” while the north end received .67”. This is still not enough to extinguish the fire. Relative humidity is predicted at 65-70% with light winds out of the east. Expect clearing and drying through the afternoon although an isolated shower cannot be ruled out. A strong low-pressure system will impact the area Friday bringing periods of showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could bring gusty winds and hail. Another strong front is expected to impact the area on Sunday. Fire behavior is not expected to change due to the weather.

Air quality: Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is at https://www.airnow.gov/.  

Closures: Road closures on County Line Road and Catfish Lake Road remain in effect. Updates to road closures surrounding the fire is at https://drivenc.gov/. 

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area; information is at Federal Aviation Administration website. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If there are intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must stop aerial operations. 

Fire
The Great Lakes fire is at 32400 acres with 30% containment. Due to area rainfall, minimal activity occurred Wednesday. Any notable fire growth is not expected due to a chance of rain through Sunday.

Smoke
With reduced fire activity, any minor smoke should remain confined to local areas along the HWY 17 corridor to the fire perimeter, and along the HWY 70 corridor from west of New Bern to the Havelock area.

Roadway Visibility
The combination of areas of morning fog and some smoke can lead to sudden visibility reductions, particularly along HWY 17 from Maysville to the HWY 70 juncture, as well as minor roads adjacent to this area.

Williams, Arizona, April 25, 2023 — Fire managers on the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts of the Kaibab National Forest are planning to conduct prescribed fires throughout the spring as conditions allow, starting next week with the Reed Project located just east of Tusayan, AZ.

Crews plan to begin ignitions Monday, May 1, burning up to 1,370 acres over the course of multiple days. Smoke may be visible from State Route 64, Tusayan, and the Grand Canyon and daytime winds should carry smoke northeast. Residual smoke will settle into drainages and low-lying areas around Tusayan overnight. The portion of the Arizona Trail that is nearby will remain open.

Other projects planned for this spring are as follows.

• Marteen Project (4,200 acres): Located five miles northwest of Spring Valley, east of Red Hill. Smoke possible in the areas of Spring Valley Cabin and Forest Road 141.
• Russell Project (509 acres) and Blue Stem Project (3,885 acres): Located on the eastern side of the Tusayan Ranger District, 15-20 miles northeast of State Route 64 and Red Butte near Russell Tank; Minimal smoke impacts are expected.

Exact ignition dates are unknown as burning is dependent upon daily agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in each prescribed fire plan. However, we are committed to providing the public with ongoing updates and as much advance notice as possible. Sign up to receive Kaibab NF news releases in your email.

Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires help reduce hazardous fuels that have accumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression. Fire also recycles nutrients back to the soil, promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants, and improves habitat for threatened and endangered species. These efforts align with the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to increase prescribed fire and other treatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come.

We recognize that smoke can impact residents, visitors, and our fire personnel. We will continue to coordinate closely with our partners and communities to minimize smoke impacts as much as possible. All prescribed fires on the Kaibab National Forest are subject to Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department’s Air Quality Division: Smoke Management webpage provides details about its air quality program.

Information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or by calling the local ranger stations.

This will be the last evening update. Starting tomorrow there will be a morning update only.

Great Lakes Fire Evening Update, April 26, 2023

Join us for an in-person community meeting tomorrow evening, Thursday, April 27th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. at Creekside Elementary School. The school is at 2790 Landscape Drive in New Bern. This meeting will also be hosted virtually on Facebook Live at https://fb.me/e/5RLxG0dUj.

We have had many offers of donations to firefighters. We are grateful for your support, but currently do not have the capacity for processing and storing donations on site. In lieu of donations to the Great Lakes Fire incident, we ask that you consider making a monetary donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.  

Great Lakes Fire: The Great Lakes Fire, located within Croatan National Forest, one mile South-Southeast of New Bern, started on April 19th. The fire is suspected to be human-caused and is still under investigation. It is burning in pocosin swamp and mixed fuels within the footprint of the 2012 Dad Fire, which burned roughly 21,331 acres. Previous prescribed burning by the U. S. Forest Service helped slow fire spread by reducing the amount of burnable vegetation. No structures have been lost and none are currently threatened. 

Acreage: 32,400 acres Containment: 30% 

Personnel and Equipment: 206 total personnel; 4 Helicopters, 16 Type-6 Engines, 19 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units, 1 Fixed Wing Aircraft, 2 tracked vehicles, and 2 Ambulances. 

Today: With morning sunlight, some smoldering fires came to life in the extreme northern and southern ends of the fire today. Air Operations used water drops from helicopters in the southern end of the fire to extinguish fires burning down into organic soils and reduce smoke. Fire crews continued to reinforce firelines west and south of the fire to further protect forested areas and Weyerhaeuser timberlands. They also constructed new contingency lines to the northeast of the fire to increase protection of surrounding communities. The eastern side of the wildfire has shown little smoke during reconnaissance flights, so was in monitoring status. Initial attack firefighters assigned to the incident were on standby and were ready to respond to new fire starts on and around the Great Lakes fire footprint to protect communities. Aerial flights scanning with infrared technology continued to focus on areas still smoldering beneath the ground. Firefighters verified the accuracy of the flights with “boots on the ground” patrols.  Infrared flights indicated heat across the interior of the wildfire. Firefighters continued working closely with the National Weather Service and cooperating agencies. Operational resources included personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, Craven County Emergency Services, Jones County Emergency Services, the U.S. Marine Corps and Weyerhaeuser Corporation.

Weather and Fire Behavior: The Southern end of the fire received a small amount of rain. Cloudy conditions and potential for rainfall kept fire behavior quiet for much of the day, but we had a slight increase in activity (smoldering and smoke) during periods of clearing skies and wind. 

Air quality: Information on current air quality data for North Carolina is at https://www.airnow.gov/.  

Closures: Road closures on County Line Road and Catfish Lake Road remain in effect. Updates to road closures surrounding the fire is at https://drivenc.gov/. 

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area; information is at Federal Aviation Administration website. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If there are intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must stop aerial operations. 
 

4/26/23 - Earlier today it was reported that a prescribed fire had escaped on the San Bernardino National Forest. No recent prescribed fire activity has occurred on the BDF in that area. The #NobFire, located northwest of Lytle Creek in a remote area, is being investigated as a new start.

April 26, 2023 - Evening Update –– Burn operations have concluded successfully on the Cranston Restoration prescribed burn. Firefighters were able to accomplish 10 acres today. Smoke may still be visible through the night. Some units working on the Cranston Restoration prescribed burn responded to the new start Nob Fire.

For more information regarding this prescribed burn and the wildfire crisis response please go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cabdf-2023-san-bernardino-national-forest-wildfire-crisis-response-

#PrescribedBurn #PrescribedFire #ForestHealth #CranstonRestorationPrescribedBurn