Wildfire in Utah Forcing Hundreds of Evacuations

The Saddle Fire in Pine Valley, Utah intensifies

LATEST: The Saddle Fire is now forcing hundreds of evacuations in the Pine Valley recreation area north of St. George, Utah. Several trail and road closures are now in place, US Forest Service-Dixie reported.

The lightning-sparked Saddle Fire, which started on  June 13, has now grown to more than 650 acres, threatening at least 185 structures.

Meanwhile, NWS reported RECORD HEAT across Utah.

[Official] U.S.  Wildfire Stats

Some 132 new fires, including 21 large fires (7 new) burning 135,372 acres.

States currently reporting large fires:

Alaska (2), Arizona (3), California (5), Colorado (4), Montana (1), New Mexico (1), Utah (2)
Washington (1), Wyoming (2)

Year-to-date statistics
2016 (1/1/16 – 6/22/16) Fires: 23,453; Acres: 1,959,315
2015 (1/1/15 – 6/22/15) Fires: 25,633; Acres: 623,886

Annual average prior 10 years
2006-2015 Fires: 33,361; Acres: 1,768,405

Largest Fires (≥ 2,400 acres)

Arizona

• Cedar: acres= 40,340; personnel= 967; cost-to-date= $6.7million
• Wildcat: acres= 1,502; personnel= 238; cost-to-date= $2.3million
• Brown: acres= 15,282; personnel= 230; cost-to-date= $1.2million

California

• San Gabriel Complex: acres= 4,900; personnel= 1,041; cost-to-date= $2.4million
• Border 3: acres= 6,020; personnel= 1,550; cost-to-date= $2.7million
• Sherpa: acres= 7,969;  personnel= 1,678 ; cost-to-date= $15.4million
• Pony: acres= 2,858; personnel= 343;  cost-to-date= $14.9million

New Mexico

• Dog Head: acres= 17,912; personnel= 938; cost-to-date= $7million

Wyoming

• Short: acres= 2,300; personnel= 277; cost-to-date= $710k

Federal Fire Disaster Declarations [Fire Management Assistance Declarations]

• Utah Saddle Fire (FM-5130)
• California Fish Fire (FM-5129)
• California Border 3 Fire (FM-5128)
• New Mexico Dog Head Fire (FM-5127)
• Oregon Akawana Fire (FM-5126)
• Arizona Tenderfoot Fire (FM-5125)
• California Old Fire (FM-5124)
• New Hampshire Stoddard Fire (FM-5123)
• Oklahoma 350 Fire Complex (FM-5122)
• Kansas Burr Oak Fire (FM-5121)
• Kansas Anderson Creek Fire (FM-5120)

Canada Totals:
Year-to-Date: 2,342 fires
Total Burned: 890,619 hectares [1 Hectare = 2.47 Acres]

Disaster Calendar – July 21, 2011

2011 Disaster Calendar – July 21 entry

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,700 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Obama’s war on Afghanistan. From April to mid July 2011, special operations raids in Afghanistan has resulted in the killings of 834 Afghans, said a report.

• USA. Death toll from the ongoing extreme heat in the United States has climbed to more than 61.  At least 22 more people have died as a result of the ongoing extreme heat in the past few days, NOAA said. The death toll was 39 on  July 13, 2011, UPI said.

[KUDOS to USA Today for journalistic integrity!! The paper has gone out of its way to convince readers why fatalities from the prolonged heatwave are so low, as the official death toll suggests, against not just common sense and investigative instincts, but despite the big white elephant under the heat dome.]

[Death toll grows as heat persists in KC: “The new deaths would mean 13 people have died from the heat this summer in Jackson County, already surpassing the previous three years’ totals combined.”]

• Ohio, USA. Summit County in Ohio has declared a state of emergency after flood damage caused by the storms earlier this week, a report said.

• Ontario, Canada. Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy is asking the provincial and federal governments to declare a state of emergency amid growing wildfires in the province, a report said. “More than 115 forest fires are raging across northwestern Ontario, and Beardy says thousands of residents are in immediate danger from the growing flames and dense smoke.”

At least 115 forest fires are raging across northwestern Ontario. Hundreds of people have already been evacuated from the region and thousands more are “in immediate danger from the growing flames and dense smoke.” Some 2,000 firefighters from across Canada have been deployed. Credit: CTV

• Chile. The Chilean President has declared large parts of La Araucania in Chilean Patagonia  a disaster areas following  four days of continuous and intense snowfall which have left some areas buried under 9 feet of snow, a report said.
• “The government has resolved to help those affected, especially those living in Lonquimay,” Chile’s president said. “We declare the zone a disaster area in order to give us greater tools to help our fellow Chileans.”
• “In four days we have had four months worth of snowfall,” said Regional Governor Miguel Mellado. “We’ve got a very difficult situation here.”
• The disaster declaration covers the following area: Lonquimay, Curralehue, Melipeuco, Curacautín, Pucón, Cunco, Vilcún and Villarrica, the report said.
• It’s estimated that at least 6,500 people living in the disaster zone are currently isolated.

• Tennessee, USA. The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Tennessee because of the widespread damage caused by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding during the period of June 18-24, 2011.

Related Links

• Disaster Calendar July 2011
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs