Kopji
15th June 2006, 10:28 PM
The recent "Woody" wildfire near Flagstaff was fought with well coordinated fire teams and competent leadership.
Within minutes of the fire breaking out, a truck was on the scene. Fanned by wildly changing 60+ mph winds it quickly threatened hundreds of homes.
Within an hour fire teams, slurry tankers, helicopters, and fire crews were all on the job. The air drops are coordinated by a traffic controller who flies high above the scene and directs air strikes. A lower controller monitors and directs the actual drops. Targets and drop loads are selected by computer and very precise. The pilots fly at almost treetop level when making their runs.
Evacuations were handled smoothly, even though some people had only a few minutes warning.
Fire crews quickly arrived from other parts of the state and, larger tankers from Utah.
Fortunately, the fire started in an area where some new fire science was being applied. The somewhat controversial technique is to simply thin the forest and clear out 'doghair' trees. Instead of racing quickly across the crowns of the trees, the fire tends to drop to the ground in the thinned areas. This makes it easier to fight, and in fact a 'ground fire' is often viewed as a healthy fire as it burns undergrowth without fatally damaging trees.
The fire was brought under control overnight and allowed to burn itself out within the perimeter.
Within minutes of the fire breaking out, a truck was on the scene. Fanned by wildly changing 60+ mph winds it quickly threatened hundreds of homes.
Within an hour fire teams, slurry tankers, helicopters, and fire crews were all on the job. The air drops are coordinated by a traffic controller who flies high above the scene and directs air strikes. A lower controller monitors and directs the actual drops. Targets and drop loads are selected by computer and very precise. The pilots fly at almost treetop level when making their runs.
Evacuations were handled smoothly, even though some people had only a few minutes warning.
Fire crews quickly arrived from other parts of the state and, larger tankers from Utah.
Fortunately, the fire started in an area where some new fire science was being applied. The somewhat controversial technique is to simply thin the forest and clear out 'doghair' trees. Instead of racing quickly across the crowns of the trees, the fire tends to drop to the ground in the thinned areas. This makes it easier to fight, and in fact a 'ground fire' is often viewed as a healthy fire as it burns undergrowth without fatally damaging trees.
The fire was brought under control overnight and allowed to burn itself out within the perimeter.