West Texas Wild Fire - 2/8/08

There was a huge wild fire last Friday that started North of Midland and was blowing this way.  Fire crews and volunteers came from all over to help out.  Once ignited the dry grass goes up in tall flame and is gone in no time.  Add a high wind and the fire races along.   Here's a local newspaper report:  Grass fire burns 9,000 acres

To see the dry grassland during the winter one just can't imagine how much flame and smoke it could produce.

These photos were taken from the road at least a half mile away from the fire.  And there was a new feature to West Texas firefighting which you can see in the last photo:  a water carrying helicopter.  It had a long hose trailing beneath, and it would suck water from somewhere, a stock tank or a swimming pool, perhaps.  Then it would fly to the fire and dump water on it.  The fire was out in no time.

People on the scene said the helicopter was owned by the Texas Forest Service, and I would like to learn more about it.  If anyone reading this can enlighten us then please leave a comment.

Updated 2/16/08:  See some amazing aerial photos of the aftermath at Eric's.

Updated 2/2108 -- City news release:

The City of Midland will honor the over 100 people who responded to the dangerous grass fire on February 8, 2008, in north Midland.

Firefighters, dispatchers, emergency management, police officers, and other city and county officials will be treated to an appreciation lunch on Friday, February 22, 2008, at 11:30 a.m., in the Emergency Operations Center, 601 N. Loraine.

The group of emergency responders worked together quickly to put an end to a potentially dangerous and costly situation.  The fire burned north of Midland and caused the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods and businesses.  Thankfully, no one was injured during the blaze.

Those responding were recognized by Mayor Wes Perry during the February 12 City Council meeting.

YEAH!  Give them the credit they deserve!

Comments

[Ospurt]

The Helicopter has been here before. Last summer it was stationed at Air Park for training and pre-positioning for fires in western Texas. I don't think it was here at the start of this fire, I think it flew in from it's operational base this fire season. Last year the helicopter, single engine planes and multi-engine water dump planes made quite a few "practice runs" adjacent to the runways at Air Park.

The water for the helicopter most likely came from the ponds at Midland Country Club, since they are large and were close. I know the Forest Service keeps a database of reliable water sources (lakes, stock tanks, ponds and pools) for this purpose, because I have been asked to provide GPS coordinates for some of these features to various emergency management agencies.

[Geo]

Hey, thanks for that, Ospurt. Would you happen to know the tail number?

[Jeff]

Had a chance this (Thursday) morning to visit with two firefighters from the Roswell BLM office, staying here in Midland. Got to sawp some stories with them (rolled with an NFS engine crew a couple of times when I was a seasonal employee in 1980), and hear first-hand accounts of their experiencess. I'm happy to have them posted here.

[Geo]

Jeff, that must have been quite an experience in 1980.

At this particular fire there didn't seem to be a shortage of people. And the helicopter made short work of it. So if the helicopter is available for future wildfires then that would seem to eliminate the need for so many people.

[Jeff]

George, actually, the helicopter has been used befre. It proved a very valuable asset in the late 90s, at the Glass Mountain Fire, in Pecos and Brewster counties, charring 100,000+ acres. Got some great shots of it replenishing from overhead, dipping into a stock tank, for the Fort Stockton Pioneer, and NewsWest 9.

[Geo]

Thanks Jeff. I didn't realize they had been used out here so many times.

Hey, let's see some of those photos over at Archaeotexture!