Another Sign Of An Active Wildfire Season?

In Southern California the hottest part of summer has not arrived (yet!), but over the weekend it was dry and windy enough for a brush fire to kick up.  In fact, I took the photo above from Santa Clarita - looking North.  You can see the fire burning in the background, with Six Flags Magic Mountain and College of the Canyons in the foreground.

This wildland fire is in Hungry Valley - near the Grapevine portion of the I-5 freeway just north of Los Angeles.  The fire quickly burned 1,500 acres and is currently 30% contained.

This is a fairly minor wildfire.  But given the likelihood of an active wildfire season and with the dangers of July 4th fireworks right around the corner, this could be another indication of significant wildland fire potential.

For the most up-to-date info on all current wildfires, check out the (free) Active Fire Map provided by the USDA Forest Service.  And check the (low cost) Smartphone Apps provided by Wildfire Pro.

And prepare now for this wildland fire season!  Stock up on your supplies of wildland fire gear and wildland fire equipment.

Significant Wildland Fire Potential

As we and many others have said, expect this wildfire season to be active!

For current evidence, see the Active Fire Map provided by the USDA Forest Service.   As of today (6/12/12) there are 23 large incidents listed.  The most significant of these:

• the Whitewater-Baldy fire
• in New Mexico
• has burnt nearly 280,000 acres
• is less than 40% contained

And further evidence can be found in the June 2012 National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook report from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).  This report points primarily to the Southwest quarter of the US as being highly vulnerable to wildfire due to its "severe to extreme drought" conditions.

Read up and prepare adequately, you might be working some Overtime this summer!!

Get the right wildland firefighting gear early, including turnout gear, boots, helmets, gloves and more!