Latest news with #controlledburn
CBS News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
Controlled burn near Woodland catches up to, burns water tender truck
A California agency's water tender was destroyed in a control burn that got away from firefighters in Woodland on Tuesday. The Woodland Fire Department says a crew with the California Department of Water Resources was out doing a controlled burn near E. Main Stret and County Road 102 when a water tender truck got stuck in the mud. Crews weren't able to get the truck out by the time flames caught up to it – leading to the vehicle catching fire. The water tender after it caught fire. Woodland Fire Department No injuries were reported in the incident, Woodland Fire says. Officials urged people to avoid the area of E. Main Street and CR-103 due to the emergency response.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Vacaville Fire ignites controlled burns on hillside to teach, practice wildfire response
VACAVILLE -- Smoke seen across Vacaville near Browns Valley Parkway on Monday was no cause for alarm. In fact, it marked the fourth and final wildland fire training operation for the Vacaville Fire Department (VFD) as they prepare for fire season. The training took place on Callen Hill as crews practiced mobile attack tactics with fire engines and rigs mobilizing up the hillside as crews intentionally set controlled fires and immediately worked to put them out. Vacaville Fire Department works to extinguish a controlled burn during wildland fire training on Monday, June 9. CBS Sacramento Other crews were on standby as a backup in the event the flames got out of control, which did not happen Monday. "Today is mainly for our academy recruits to get some sets and reps with the mobile attack and firing operations," said firefighter Brian Jewell, VFD spokesperson. The mission teaches best practices to firefighters in training and helps veteran crew members brush up on their skills. Fire engineer Brian Buathier takes CBS13 inside the "mobile attack unit." "It's a slower scale for them to learn how to read the fire, how to read the winds, watch the smoke. Different techniques of extinguishing the grass fires out here," said Jewell. During the training, fire engineer Brian Buathier allowed CBS13 to tag along in his rig as he moved up the hillside, feeding hose to the crews on the fire line and controlling their water pressure. "My job, I'm moving along with the fire. I'm following the crews. They dictate how fast I go here," said Buathier from the driver's seat. "This, it just goes a lot faster than doing a hose lay." The crews on the fire line are both extinguishing and igniting the flames, a teaching moment that was the first time recruit Noah Lauser-Jones came face-to-face with wildland fire. "So, it's good to kind of get your hands on instead of just training. You're able to actually see it through," said Lauser-Jones, feeling accomplished after the training mission. This type of firefight is rare, considering these crews can control the fire from start to finish. "A real wildfire, we can't pick and choose the winds. We can't pick and choose the terrain," said Jewell. Still, they have to be ready at a moment's notice, even during training. "These firefighters out here training right now could leave here, fill their units with water and get called to a real wildland fire within minutes," said Jewell. The goal: readying their response for when Mother Nature takes the reins. The mission also kills two birds with one stone, reducing dry brush on Callen Hill. "The training is priceless, but we are also getting rid of the dry fuels up on this hill, it's extremely windy. A north wind could push any fire on this hill over into the mobile home park, multi-family dwellings. If we don't burn up this fuel in a controlled setting, the possibility of an uncontrolled fire coming over and causing serious damage, loss of life is always there," said Jewell. VFD ended the controlled burn earlier than scheduled on Monday due to forecast high winds later in the day. The final session wraps up a week of four total training burns for the department.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ephrata area fire damages about 26 acres Thursday
May 31—EPHRATA — On Thursday at around 4:30 p.m., Grant County Fire District 13 was called out to a fire in the 12000 block of Road B.6 Northwest. The fire started as a controlled burn, but because of the winds, it quickly became uncontrolled. "It was a prime example of a control burn getting out of control," GCFD13 Chief Jim Stucky said. "I do not know the actual details. But he probably thought, just like everybody else, 'it's a very slight breeze, I can keep this contained.' Then next thing you know, just a little puff of wind just takes an ember somewhere. That's the way it goes and then they can't catch it, and we get called out." The blaze burned around 25 acres of land before it was contained at around 5:30 p.m., according to Stucky. Crews from GCFD13, Grant County Fire District 5 and Ephrata Fire Department stayed on scene until about 8 p.m. to complete mop-up. Between the three departments, they had around nine trucks managing the fire. "But then there's a couple hours of mopping up. We have to try to cool everything down," he said. "We had to get it out because we knew it was a windy night. Fortunately, it didn't come back overnight." No injuries or structural damage occurred because of the fire; however, some rangeland was damaged and GCFD13 popped a tire on one of the department's vehicles. "If there's even the slightest wind, don't burn, please," Stucky said. "We're just kind of getting a bunch of these fires that don't need to happen." Stucky wants to remind people that the burn ban will be in effect beginning Sunday, which means no fires are allowed within Grant County limits. "No more burning after June 1," Stucky said. "You can really damage property, hurt people and get fines if you decide to burn. Please be careful with any firepits, if that's something you decide to do and keep water nearby in case it decides to spread. Fire is unpredictable and we need to be careful with hotter, drier days coming ahead."
CTV News
16-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C. sending almost 100 firefighters to Ontario, after 42 deployed to Manitoba
A helicopter flies overhead after dropping water outside a fire guard line as BC Wildfire Service firefighters conduct a controlled burn near Peachland, B.C., Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
CTV News
11-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfire activity increases in Ontario's northeast, northwest regions
A controlled burn initiated by Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services near Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in April 2025. (Ministry of Natural Resources/Ontario Forest Fires/X)
