UBC ATSC 413 - Forest-fire Weather & Climate

Wildfire Cases: An Overview

Click on the name of the fire below to get more info.


1) High Level, AB.  12 May 2019 - 18 Aug 2019

  • Name: "Chuckegg Creek fire"
  • Total burned area: 350,135 ha
  • 98 days out of control
  • Displaced over 3,000 residents from their homes.
  • Weather: strong low-level wind jet
  • Worldview satellite imagery: https://go.nasa.gov/3L5Blr5

2) Kimiwan Complex, AB.  5 May 2023 - (still burning in Jul 2024 as a holdover fire)

  • Wildfires PWF-038 and SWF-068 are part of the Kimiwan Complex that are reported together.
  • Wildfire SWF-068 is the largest fire, at 143,039 hectares burned. It is located by the Peavine Metis Settlement. It was classified as "out of control" for over 2 months. As of 6 Aug it was classified as "being held". As of 31 Aug it was classified as "under control" with 97% contained.
  • PWF-038 is located approximately 17 km northeast of Three Creeks and 20 km southwest of Simon Lake. It is classified as "under control" at approximately 6,130 hectares.
  • There were 130 firefighters, 9 aircraft, and 32 pieces of heavy equipment working on this complex as of 6 Aug 2023.
  • Still listed (as of 7 Jul 2024) as a holdover fire from 2023.
  • Weather: 3 mid-latitude cyclones.
  • Worldview satellite images: https://go.nasa.gov/3R3dP1H
    Worldview Spring Dip: https://go.nasa.gov/3PjQk37

3) Sparks Lake, BC.  June - July 2021

4) Lahaina, HI.  8 - 9 August 2023

  • Located on the west coast of Maui island, Hawai'i, on the slopes of an extinct volcano.
  • Weather: Very strong downslope winds caused extremely rapid fire advance thru the town.
  • Total burned area: 2,170 acres = 878 ha in about one day
  • 101 to 115 fatalities. About 2,200 buildings burned. Losses estimated at $6B.
  • Earth Observatory summary with photos (with links to many other resources)
  • -----
  • Capstone student Presentation and Report .

5) Donnie Creek, BC.  12 May 2023 - still burning as of 21 Jul 2024

  • Fire Number: G80280
  • approximately 136 km southeast of Fort Nelson and 158 km north of Fort St. John
  • 487,509 ha burned as of 14 Jun 2023, up to 619,072 ha by 21 July 2024.
  • firefighters: 188 personnel, 11 helicopters, 1 incident management team, 28 pieces of heavy equipment
  • Weather: caused by lightning, during Spring Dip and drought. More effects by a mid-latitude cyclone later.
  • Survived all winter underground, re-emerging in 2024 as a holdover fire.
  • Worldview satellite image: https://go.nasa.gov/45stIDk
  • -----
  • Capstone student Presentation and Report .

6) Williams Flats, WA.  3 - 9 Aug 2019

  • Located in eastern Washington state at the "Colville Indian Reservation"
  • 17,987 ha burned.
  • Weather: ignited by lightning on 2 Aug 2019. High pressure / anticyclone. Wind issues during daytime, with active burning at night too. Pyrocumulus observed.
  • Heavily studied, including flights by research aircraft.
  • Many locales had "Level 3 (evacuate now)" orders
  • 100% contained (under control) by 25 Aug 2019.
  • -----
  • Capstone student Presentation and Report .

 

 


 

Fire Cases from Previous Offerings of this Course: 2023

7) Fort McMurray, AB.  1 May 2016 - 17 Aug 2017

8) Camp Fire, CA.  8 - 25 Nov 2018

  • Paradise, California, USA.
  • 153,336 acres burned.
  • ignited by faulty electric transmission line
  • deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history up to that year.
  • 85 civilians died. Destroyed 18,804 structures, most within the first 4 hours. Fought by 5,596 firefighters. US$16.5B insured losses.
  • Weather: drought & diablo (extremely fast, hot, downslope mountain) winds.
  • Worldview satellite images: https://go.nasa.gov/44yAKVN
  • Computer simulations by Coen: spread , and cross-section .
  • -----
  • Capstone Student Presentation and Report .

9) Quebec Fire Complex 334.  1 Jun 2023 - Sep 2023

  • East of Val d'Or, QB, Canada
  • ≈ 481,992 ha burned (so far)
  • ignited by lightning and humans, with intense burning thru 7 June 2023.
  • second period of intense burning 20 - 25 June 2023.
  • dense smoke reaches Montreal and New York City, causing worst air quality in the world.
  • Weather: omega block anticyclone and northward moving cyclone.
  • Worldview satellite images: https://go.nasa.gov/3L3wUgu
  • -----
  • Capstone Student Presentation and Report .

10) Marshall, CO.  30 Dec 2021 - 1 Jan 2022

Place, Province.  date - date

  • Name or location
  • xxx ha burned.
  • yyy people evacuated.
  • Weather: zzz.
 

 

Image Credits from 2024:
1) High Level: Chris Dechant/Facebook, via https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/high-level-fire-serves-as-a-reminder-to-be-prepared-for-red-deerians/
2) Kimiwan Complex:
3) Sparks Lake: Melissa Martin, via https://www.theprogress.com/news/wildfire-north-of-kamloops-grows-to-20000-hectares-136-properties-evacuated/
4) Lahaina, LahainaFire-David Croxford-230812-Civil Beat.jpg
5) Donnie Creek: BC Wildfire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAaV6d2OD6U&t=16s
6) Williams Flats : https://www.khq.com/news/williams-flats-fire-burning-over-45-000-acres-improves-to-80-percent-containment/article_c59ee970-b636-11e9-90ef-ff55ae41b3bc.html

Image Credits from 2023:
7) Ft. McMurray: Twitter.com/Jerome Garot/EPA, via https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/16/fort-mcmurray-alberta-canada-worlds-most-fire-prone-cities
8) Paradise: NASA Earth Observatory. https://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/144000/144225/campfire_oli_2018312_crop_lrg.jpg .
9) Quebec: UBC BlueSky-Canada forecast valid 10 am PDT on 17 June 2023. From firesmoke.ca .
10) Marshall: David Zalubowski, via https://www.longmontleader.com/news-releases/communities-affected-by-marshall-fire-commemorate-one-year-anniversary-6025310