Is that fog or smoke? Both.
Wildland firefighters torch piles during 'good' weather for a prescribed fire
Gus Bahena, 05/San Bernardino National Forest
December 22nd, 2023
Thick fog, drizzly conditions and chilly temperatures. Not the best day to go out, you might say. Well, for wildland firefighters of the San Bernardino National Forest those conditions provided a good day for a pile burn, Dec. 19.
San Bernardino National Forest wildland firefighters use a drip torch to ignite a slash pile at the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire, Dec. 19, 2023.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)That prescribed fire took place on the Mountain Top Ranger District of the forest near Twin Peaks and Lake Arrowhead, Calif., which was covered in fog and sprayed by a light drizzle. The burn covered approximately 100 acres of forest west of those communities. That morning, firefighters used drip torches to ignite dozens of slash piles that had been created on this portion of the forest’s Grass Valley Prescribed Fire project. The burn area is designated as a unit (a section) of the overall project. Each unit is sized in acres, are adjacent to each other, and are located north and west of the communities.
Brian Grant, Battalion Chief 12 with the Mountain Top Ranger District and the burn boss for the project, explained that the piles had been compiled by a contractor hired to do mechanical thinning of vegetation, beginning in 2021. The contract work involved cutting branches and logs and combining that with bark, chunks, stumps and brush to make piles about 10 feet in diameter and three to four feet high. Because many of the piles had been gathered two years ago, the material had dried and was ready to burn.
A slash pile burns at the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)It didn’t take long for the piles to flare up after firefighters stuck their drip torches into the middle of each jumble of wood. Some piles quickly produced flames, while others emitted flickers of fire and smoldered, producing thick, whitish smoke that mixed with the low-lying fog that lingered all day. Eventually, all the piles produced a bon-fire type of blaze.
Forty-three fire personnel were on hand that day to ignite piles, use water hoses if needed and hold fire to the planned area, in case anything flared up beyond the piles.
Brian Grant, Battalion Chief 12 with the Mountain Top Ranger District and burn boss for the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire, briefs before the start of ignitions, Dec. 19, 2023.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)Engine Capt. 16 Robert Gillespie was leading a type 3 Engine crew of five, who used hand tools to dig and scrape the ground around the piles.
“We’re cutting handline,” Gillespie said. “We’re removing the surface fuels and ground fuels around the pile, so that way, once it's lit – there’s no opportunity for the fire to spread.”
The importance of the pile burning as part of the project is significant, according to Grant. The burning reduces excess vegetation in the area, promoting forest health and supporting wildlife habitat. In addition, the fuels reduction offers defensible space to the local communities, in case of a wildfire; it also makes wildfires less catastrophic. Some homes’ backyards were within sight of piles, providing a tangible reminder of the human factor involved with this type of work.
A San Bernardino National Forest wildland firefighter holds a drip torch next to a slash pile he's about to ignite at the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)Grant explained that fuels reduction by the forest in the area has been ongoing since before the 2007 Grass Valley Fire. In that incident, fuels reduction work kept most of the wildfire from leaving forest land. The current project continues to add substantial defensible space.
“This fuel break in a lot of areas, most areas, is at least 500 feet wide,” Grant said. “[We’re] making it bigger now. So, this goes well deep into the forest for, in some areas, over a mile deep from the backside of the community.”
A couple of residents were outside their homes in the afternoon drizzle and spoke to some of the fire personnel before they hiked behind backyards to light the next series of piles. Fire Capt. 1B Matthew Esposito highlighted the significance of firefighters working near the community.
“My expectation of them is to keep the same standard that we always do, including wearing all their [proper personal protective] gear,” Esposito said. “Professionalism is super important – all the time – but especially today, when there might be public out, wondering what we’re doing.”
Capt. Gerardo Granados, Senior Firefighter Samantha Horsley and Senior Firefighter Cedric Muro serve with Heaps Peak Helitack. The group ignited slash piles at the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)Grant explained that support for prescribed fire projects from individuals and communities has grown over the years. Resource and personnel availability are considered by burn bosses as they develop a plan for prescribed burns. Other dynamics involve understanding weather, wind, moisture content in the air and vegetation, and the resulting smoke that can impact local residential areas. Sometimes a prescribed burn must be postponed or cancelled, because of a factor that is not favorable.
On that day, moisture in the form of fog and drizzle did not stop the piles from burning, but it did keep them tame. It turned out to be a good day to burn.
A slash pile includes logs, branches and brush. Dozens were ignited during the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)
A group of wildland firefighters re-fuel drip torches at the Grass Valley Prescribed Fire, Dec. 19. They serve with the Big Bear Hotshots.
(Gus Bahena, Forest Service)