wildfire

[wytex]

My phone went off tonight with news of a wildfire in Sybille Canyon. The highway is closed.
The ranch we work for my be burning, part of it anyway.
WYDOT webcam shows the fire but I can not tell which side of the highway it is on. Looks to be across the highway but the road makes a turn west of the camera.
Hoping the short grass slows the spread but it's been extremely dry up there.
We'll be waiting for word from the folks at Sybille Research facility, they may be in danger as well. The ranch borders the facility.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Dang

 

[thomas89]

Scary stuff.

 

[wytex]

The last daylight pic showed a heli working it. If it lays down tonight they may well get a good handle on it.
It is rugged country to fight a fire.
Last burn in the canyon really improved some sheep habitat, this may as well.
The whole area could use a good controlled burn but the ranchers just see their grass going up.
The lessee may have cattle scattered all over if we lose fences.

Hopefully Friday we can get up to check on things and move irrigation.

 

[wytex]

Well crap, not looking good right now.

 

[Oak]

It's called the Clemons Fire and is currently estimated at 150 acres. Looks like it's on the south side of the highway based on where the tanker circled.

 

[wytex]

Hey can you share where you got that info oak ?
That is the ranch house area.

 

[Oak]

Hey can you share where you got that info oak ?
That is the ranch house area.

The flight information is from FlightRadar24. I knew that T-16 (N478NA) flew from Grand Junction at 1930 tonight to that fire, so I pulled up the flight history to see where it circled and took a screenshot.

 

[Oak]

MODIS and VIIRS data should update on this linked map in the next few hours and you will be able to see the heat signature from the fire to get a better idea.

 

[Oak]

When it updates it will look like this example from a fire that is currently burning along Hwy 13 in Colorado.

 

[wytex]

Thank you so much .

 

[wytex]

The fire has stayed across the highway but is burning towards the ranch. Firefighters are staging equipment near the property.
The WG&F folks were exhausted when he called last night and this morning.
Has burned from School Cr to west of WG&F research facility, same area burned by arson last year or year before.

 

[Oak]

I saw the update showing it was on the other side of the highway. Hope they get a handle on it today.

 

[wytex]

It had moved north last night but I bet it comes back west today. They have some good folks on it.
Still trying to line up access for Friday morning, we'll have to take a longer way around to the ranch.
G&F folks were pretty worried last night, main guy sounded beat at 11 ish when he called.
It will do great for the sheep habitat.
That canyon has winds you can't believe sometimes, hoping they stay down for another day.

Thanks for the info and links Oak.

 

[wytex]

The fire is basically out as of yesterday. Winds came up while we were overlooking it and stirred up the hot spots for the fire crew.
Looks to us like someone will answering some questions about how it started. Point of origin is in one pic.

Big thanks to all who fought it, lost of local VFDs were there along with some federal crews. Flathead Hotshots get a big thanks as well.
These pics are from the Clemons property overlooking the Clemons Fire, it stayed across the highway.
Mostly burned state and some BLM lands, great sheep habitat that burned adjacent last year as is well utilized by them.

 

[Oak]

Looks like there is another smoker 15 miles north of there tonight.