Statistics | |
---|---|
Cost | >$300,000,000 in timber alone. [1] |
Date(s) | May to July 1998 [1] |
Burned area | 500,000 acres |
Cause | Lightning |
Buildings destroyed | 150 |
Deaths | 0 |
The 1998 Florida wildfires, sometimes referred to as the Florida Firestorm, was a wildfire event involving several thousand separate woodland and mixed urban-rural wildfires which wrought severe damage during the summer months of 1998. Wildfires sparked mainly by lightning threatened to converge into single, vast blazes, crossed natural firebreaks such as rivers and interstate highways, and demanded an unprecedented suppression response of firefighting resources from across the country. Regular activities such as Fourth of July celebrations, sporting events, tourism, and daily life were profoundly interrupted for millions of residents and visitors in the northeastern part of the state.
Florida had historically been considered as an area of lower susceptibility for wildfires, due to its high humidity and rainfall levels. [1] An El Nino during the winter of 1998 produced above-average rainfall, which enabled extensive growth of underbrush and vegetation in the state's forests. In early April, however, the rains came to an abrupt halt, and the ensuing drought lasted until July. [2] These months of continuing dry conditions saw the drought index rise to 700 (out of 800), indicating wildfire potential similar to that usually found in western states. [1]
Exacerbating the wildfire risk was the fact that development in Florida had proceeded with many new communities being built on former rural, wooded properties, often with heavy vegetation within feet of structures, and without municipal water systems and fire hydrants. [1]
The fires began in mid-May, most started by lightning strikes. What rain came with the thunderstorms was inadequate to prevent or stop the fires. [1] In late May and early June, numerous separate fires were igniting in Brevard, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, St. John's, Flagler, and Volusia counties, near the communities of Flagler Estates, Daytona Beach, and Palm Coast. [3] The Big Bend region also experienced major fires in the Apalachicola and Osceola National Forests. [2] With dry conditions persisting and alarm over the fires growing, on June 7, Governor Lawton Chiles declared a state of emergency. [2] By mid-June, fires burning near I-95 forced its closure in the area. During the middle two weeks of June, each day saw the fires grow larger and everyday life more interrupted, and on June 25, in consideration of the upcoming Independence Day celebration, the Governor declared all sales and possession of fireworks illegal. [4] Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27 saw some abatement of conditions with the arrival of rain, and Monday the 28th, Federal agencies brought in firefighting resources including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. By July 1, however, increasing winds once again worsened conditions, [4] and the firebreak of I-95 was soon jumped as embers were blown eastward from fires burning in woodlands west of the interstate. [2] By July 4, 135 miles of I-95 from Jacksonville to Titusville was closed, [4] and Division of Forestry models indicated that several fires could merge into one conflagration stretching from Daytona to St. Augustine. [3] The entire population of Flagler County, some 35,000 residents, was ordered to evacuate. [5] The Pepsi 400, usually held at Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July weekend, was postponed. [6] That was the day that news media, learning that firefighters were short of bandanas used as protective face covers, sent out the call for as many bananas as could be supplied, and firefighters were inundated with truckloads of the fruit. [4] On July 5, the tide finally turned as rains and humidity increased. By mid-July, with most fires under control, over 2000 individual wildfires had burned in Florida, destroying nearly 500,000 acres, 150 structures, and 86 vehicles. [1]
The response to the fires was unprecedented at the time, involving local, state, and federal resources and as many as 10,000 firefighters from across the United States. [1] The Army, Marines and National Guard brought in personnel and equipment, [5] and five hotshot firefighting teams participated. [4] Sikorsky Skycranes, a Canadair "Superscooper" from North Carolina [5] and numerous other aircraft participated directly in firefighting. Public Health Departments in several counties opened special needs shelters, while the Salvation Army and Red Cross opened general shelters. County Emergency Operations Centers were at high alert, coordinating the efforts of firefighters, law enforcement, environmental health, transportation officials, communications specialists and amateur radio operators. [3] At one point, even a local concrete company volunteered into service, using its trucks to transport water from a hydrant to a drying pond from which aircraft were picking up water. [3] Governor Lawton Chiles was quoted as saying, "we have about half of the country's firefighting assets in Florida right now." [5]
Losses from the fires were widespread and disastrous. Over 150 homes and structures were lost, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that over $300 million of Florida's timber resources had burned. [1] On July 4, the New York Times reported that firefighting efforts up to that day had amounted to $80 million. [5] In the ensuing years, public and government attitudes regarding prescribed burning changed, with nearly ninety thousand authorizations annually allowing property owners and agencies to burn over two million acres annually. [2] There have also been efforts to increase the presence of municipal hydrants in communities. [2] No deaths were directly attributed to the wildfires, [1] but the crew of one responding aircraft, a Sikorsky Skycrane, was tragically lost 25 miles from its destination enroute home when it developed a mechanical failure. [3] [7]
A firefighter is a first responder trained in firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires that threaten life and property, as well as to rescue persons from confinement or dangerous situations. Male firefighters are sometimes referred to as firemen.
A fire engine is a road vehicle that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an incident as well as carrying equipment for firefighting operations in a fire drill. Some fire engines have specialized functions, such as wildfire suppression and aircraft rescue and firefighting, and may also carry equipment for technical rescue.
A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural firefighting and wildland firefighting. Specialized training includes aircraft firefighting, shipboard firefighting, aerial firefighting, maritime firefighting, and proximity firefighting.
A firebreak or double track is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon. Firebreaks may also be man-made, and many of these also serve as roads, such as a logging road, four-wheel drive trail, secondary road, or a highway.
Aerial firefighting, also known as waterbombing, is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, or rappelling from helicopters. Chemicals used to fight fires may include water, water enhancers such as foams and gels, and specially formulated fire retardants such as Phos-Chek.
Firefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that two departments may have completely different terms for the same thing. For example, depending on whom one asks, a safety team may be referred to as a standby, a RIT or RIG or RIC, or a FAST. Furthermore, a department may change a definition within its SOP, such that one year it may be RIT, and the next RIG or RIC.
This glossary of wildfire terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to wildfires and wildland firefighting. Except where noted, terms have largely been sourced from a 1998 Fireline Handbook transcribed for a Conflict 21 counter-terrorism studies website by the Air National Guard.
The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane is an American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter. It is the civil version of the United States Army's CH-54 Tarhe. It is currently produced as the S-64 Aircrane by Erickson Inc.
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated areas. Working in conjunction with specially designed aerial firefighting aircraft, these wildfire-trained crews suppress flames, construct fire lines, and extinguish flames and areas of heat to protect resources and natural wilderness. Wildfire suppression also addresses the issues of the wildland–urban interface, where populated areas border with wild land areas.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to firefighting:
Helitack crews are teams of wildland firefighters who are transported by helicopter to wildfires. Helicopters provide rapid transport, enabling helitack crews to quickly respond and assess a wildfire situation. Helitack crews may land near a wildfire or, if equipped and trained, rappel from a hovering helicopter. Once on the ground, crews build firelines using hand tools, chainsaws, and other firefighting tools. They often remain overnight in remote locations. After they have completed their assignment, crew members may pack up to 120 pounds of equipment over difficult terrain to reach a pick-up point. Rappellers often prepare helispots that provide better access to a fire. Helicopter crew members may also perform other duties such as tree falling, firing operations, and managing helibases.
The 2008 California wildfire season was one of the most devastating in the state of the 21st century. While 6,255 fires occurred, about two-thirds as many as in 2007, the total area burned— 1,593,690 acres —far exceeded that of previous years.
The Long Draw Fire was a wildfire started by a lightning strike on July 8, 2012 that burned 557,648 acres (2,257 km2) acres in southeastern Oregon, in the Western United States. It was Oregon's largest wildfire since the 1865 Silverton Fire which burned over 1 million acres.
The 2018 Washington wildfire season officially began June 1, 2018. A statewide state of emergency was declared by Governor Jay Inslee on July 31.
The 2020 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2020. The season was a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfires. By September, wildfires had burned over 713,000 acres, 181 homes had been lost, and one death occurred as a result. The 2020 fire season saw more individual fires than in any other recorded year.
The Glass Fire was a wildfire in Northern California, that started on September 27, 2020, at 3:48 AM (PDT) from an undetermined cause and was active for 23 days. It was part of the 2020 California Wildfires and the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. The fire was named due to its origin nearby Glass Mountain Road in Deer Park, Napa County, and it extended also into Sonoma County. Initially a single 20-acre brush fire, it rapidly grew and merged with two smaller fires that expanded to 11,000 acres during the night of September 27 into September 28.
The Goodwin Fire was a wildfire that burned 28,516 acres (11,540 ha) in the U.S. state of Arizona over 16 days, from June 24 to July 10, 2017. The fire destroyed 17 homes and damaged another 19 structures, but no firefighters or civilians were injured or died in the fire. Investigators did not determine any particular cause for the fire.
The 2020 Dome Fire was a large and ecologically destructive wildfire in the Mojave National Preserve in California's San Bernardino County. Caused by a lightning strike on August 15, the fire began near Cima Dome and exhibited rapid growth over the following 36 hours, aided by weather conditions and a lack of available firefighting resources. During this period the Dome Fire destroyed only 6 structures, but burned more than a quarter of the Cima Dome Joshua tree forest, one of the largest and densest populations of Joshua trees known in the world. The fire killed as many as 1.3 million Joshua trees. No injuries or fatalities were reported among firefighters or civilians. The fire cost US$2.2 million to suppress, and burned 43,273 acres (17,512 ha) before being fully contained on August 24.
The Silver Fire was a 1987 wildfire in the Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon. It burned 96,240 acres (389 km2), of which 42,350 acres (171 km2) was located in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Parts of its burned area were re-burned in the Biscuit Fire and the Chetco Bar Fire. It was started by a lightning strike near Silver Creek on August 30, and was contained on November 2 after a dry summer in the area, with relative humidity as low as 4% at times in certain places, was ended by heavy rain. Firefighters from across the country, as far away as Virginia, went to Oregon to fight the fire. Nearly 4,000 people were involved in the effort.