Firefighter Blog

"The word "dynamo" means "Power in Motion," from Greek: δύναμις; dynamis, -power, and Latin: motio, -motion."

Wikipedia;
Magneto hydrodynamics
Drift of spiral waves

It burns in 35% humidity and "eats" water;

"Gorski said Florida is the driest he has seen since 2000. The fire chief said he has never seen a wildfire so resistant to water. Nothing happened initially when firefighters started pumping more than 100 gallons of water a minute on the wildfire.
"It wasn't even like affecting it," Gorski said. "It was like drinking it.""

Inciweb summary of the two headed Bugaboo Scrub Fire now being fought on fronts in Florida and Georgia.

Summary

This large fire started in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia. It eventually spread into northern Florida. The Georgia portion is called the Bugaboo Scrub Fire. The Florida portion is called the Florida Bugaboo Wildfire. This site will provide updates for both portions of the fire.

Mandatory Evacuation - Deep Creek, Florida & areas east of US 441

Residents in the Deep Creek area, east of 441 and north of I-10 remain evacuated. Much of the Columbia County area along the east side of 441 that is west and southwest of the head of the fire, remain evacuated. Residents who need more information can call the Columbia County Information Line at 386-719-7530.

Mandatory Evacuation - Reeves Landing, Georgia

A mandatory evacuation has been issued for Reeves Landing, 3 miles NE of Fargo.

Evacuation lifted - Taylor, Florida

The residents of the town of Taylor have been allowed to return to their home but have been asked to remain on alert.

Precautionary Evacuation - Moniac, Georgia

A precautionary evacuation remains in effect.

Fire Update

Bugaboo Scrub Fire (Georgia)

Fire crews working for Georgia Forestry Commission, along with private timber companies, are working along the flanks of the fire where conditions allow and are working to protect structures in the area. Fire crews and forest industry personnel are also strengthening lines on the southwest edge of the Okefenokee Swamp near Fargo. Crews have been successful in holding the fire inside the refuge with the exception of three small areas that have been contained. A community protection plan has been implemented and crews are continuing structure protection in Fargo. The break in the weather has aided crews in preparations in that community.

Florida Bugaboo Wildfire (Florida)

This is the south portion of the Bugaboo Scrub Fire that began in Georgia. The portion of the fire in Florida is reported at over 101,000 acres. Crews report good progress made Friday due to lighter winds. Despite the best efforts of firefighters however, 9 outbuildings were destroyed and one damaged in a hunting camp near Deep Creek. The same lighter winds are expected to keep fire behavior down today, giving firefighters a chance to complete more containment line. Burnout operations were conducted late into the night Friday and went well. This morning, crews are having difficulty working on the line due to a heavy inversion that's holding thick smoke and fog near the ground.

The Southern Blue Incident Management Team will hold a press conference today (Saturday) at the Day's Inn at the intersection of I-10 and US 441 at 4:00 pm.

Acreage Update

Totals for Bugaboo: 212,042 acres

Bugaboo Scrub Fire (Georgia): 111,042 acres

Florida Bugaboo Wildlife: 101,000+ acres

Weather

Mostly clear and breezy with a 20% chance of showers in the afternoon. High temperature of 90, minimum humidity of 35%. Winds: E to NE at 5-10 mph with gusts to 15 mph.

Road Closures

Georgia

·· Hwy 441 is closed from Homerville to Florida line (previously Fargo to Florida line)

·· SR 177 south of Hwy 1 (entrance to Okefenokee Swamp Park) is now open

·· SR 177 between Stephen C. Foster State Park and Fargo is closed

·· SR 94 is closed from St. George to Moniac and from the Florida line through Fargo to Statenville

·· SR 185 in Georgia is closed

·· SR 89 in Georgia from Fargo to Homerville is closed

Florida

·· US 441 from County Road 100 A in Lake City to the FL/GA line in Columbia County, FL is closed

·· State Road 2 from CR 127 in Baker County to the FL/GA line in Columbia County, FL. Is closed

·· I-10 exit ramps to US 441 are closed.

·· I-10, from US 90 (Sanderson, FL) to US 129 (Live Oak, FL), is closed due to smoke and fog. The fire is still north of I-10 and east of US 441.

·· US 129 entrance ramp to I-10 in Live Oak is closed

·· I-75 is now closed form Valdosta, Georgia to I-10 at Lake City, Florida (previously from Florida line to Lake City)

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	05/05/2007 at 1700 hrs.
Location	Ware County, Georgia/Baker County, Florida
Incident Commander	Ruggiero / Quesinberry /

Current Situation

Total Personnel	339
Size	233,718 acres
Fuels Involved	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - The fire is burning in southern rough and wet scrub/shrub, and industrial pine plantations of various ages. The western area is made up of timber stands of various ages and composition, with dominate species being longleaf, loblolly, and slash pine. Swamp/bays are intermixed throughout and due to a low water table are readily available to burn. Florida Bugaboo - Mosaic of southern rough, 1 to 25 years old, and wet scrub/shrub, and commercial pine plantations.
Fire Behavior	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - Moderate to extreme fire behavior with widespread torching. Rate of spread 40 chain/hour with 5 to 25 foot flamelengths. The western area is observed to have high to extreme fire behavior with high rates of spread and single tree and group torching, as well as spotting. Florida Bugaboo - Extreme fire behavior with torching and spotting.
Significant Events	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - An evacuation ordered is still in effect for the Moccasin Creek community. A flight restriction remains in effect for the southern end of the Bugaboo Fire. Florida Bugaboo - I-10 closed periodically due to smoke east of Lake City.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - Continued line building along the swamp edge break and perimeter road. Plans for the western area include structure protection, fuel mitigation, and line construction. Florida Bugaboo - Construct and hold lines in all divisions. Structure protection.
Projected Movement	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - Projected incident movement/spread during the next period is west and southeast. Projections for the western area include potential for significant spread due to continued high temperatures, gusty winds and low humidities.
Growth Potential	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - High to extreme Florida Bugaboo - Extreme
Terrain Difficulty	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - High Florida Bugaboo - Medium
Containment Target	Containment and control efforts will be dependent on a significant rain event.
Remarks	Bugaboo Scrub (GA) - Of the total acreage 118,643 acres are in Georgia and 10,447 acres in Florida. All critical needs and costs to date are included in the Big Turnaround complex ICS-209 since the Big Turnaround resources are taking action on the Bugaboo Scrub fire. The Bugaboo Scrub fire is now moving off of federal wilderness and refuge areas managed by the Southern Area Red Team. The fire is now entering private and industry land in Georgia. Once this fire moved off of federal property, the Lone Star State IMT (Hannemann) assumed management of these areas on state and private property on behalf of the Georgia Forestry Commission. Florida Bugaboo - Fire is also in Columbia County.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	5 mph NE
Current Temperature	86 degrees
Current Humidity	45 %
Forecasted Wind Conditions	12 mph NE
Forecasted Temperature	85 degrees
Forecasted Humidity	40 %

Labels: wildfires