Wildfire Incident Report
Prepared: Thursday, October 31, 2024 3:28:05 AM CDTWildfire Incident Report
Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center
La Grande, OR, USA
www.fireweatheravalanche.org
(1 year ago)
(1 year, 2 months ago)
The Southern Area Red Incident Management Team assumed command of the Elizabeth Fire on Saturday September 2, 2023. The Southern Area Blue Team assumed command from the Red team on September 10th. The Elizabeth Fire is under the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
Jon Wallace, ICCI (trainee)
Andy Baker, Deputy ICCI
Primary Fuel Types:
Southern Rough
Timber (Litter and Understory)
Medium Logging Slash
Narrative:
Pine plantations of multiple ages. Fuel loads in these pine plantations can be very high. The fire area is intermixed with creeks and swamp areas. This mixture of fuel and terrain types makes access difficult. Oil and gas infrastructure and private residences are scattered throughout the fire area.
Live fuel moisture samples taken on site are at critical levels and can be treated as dead vegetation.
Heavy residual fuels as a result of Hurricane Laura in 2020 exist and contribute to extreme fire behavior and resistance to control.
Observed Fire Behavior:
Moderate
Backing
Creeping
Smoldering
Narrative:
Fire behavior is expected to be minimal today and the weather outlook will support increasing rain chances and higher Rh values the remainder of the week. Dry air returning for the weekend. Heavy fuel (vegetation) loads, needle cast, and burned large trees holding heat exacerbate control of the fire and are causing reburn within the control lines. Fuel loads in pine plantations are very high. The fire area is intermixed with drought-impacted creeks and swamp areas.
This mixture of vegetation and terrain types makes access difficult. Private residences are scattered around the fire area.
24 hours: Fire behavior is expected to be minimal in the morning hours due to high overnight relative humidity recovery. Fire behavior and growth potential will return to moderate in the afternoon with the return of hot temperatures and low Rh values. Heavy loads of needle cast combined with low afternoon relative humidity will support reburn across most of the fire. Chance of precipitation is near 15%. There is an isolated chance of lightning from scattered storms.
48 hours: Fire behavior is expected to be minimal in the morning hours even with lower overnight relative humidity recovery. Fire behavior and growth potential will return to moderate in the afternoon, with afternoon Rh values in the lower 40's. Heavy loads of needle cast combined with low afternoon relative humidity will support reburn across most of the fire. Chance of precipitation is about 35%. A chance that lightning from scattered storms could occur in the area.
72 hours: Fire behavior is expected to be minimal in the morning hours even with lower overnight relative humidity recovery. Fire behavior and growth potential will return to moderate in the afternoon, with afternoon Rh values near 50%. Heavy loads of needle cast will continue to support reburn across most of the fire. Chance of precipitation is about 40%. A chance that
lightning from scattered storms could occur in the area.
Anticipated after 72 hours: Hot and dry conditions bring the possibility of continued active fire behavior and potential for reburn. Rain chances drop to 20% on September 16th.Minimum relative humidity is expected to drop in the 30's and 40's as a drying trend begins.
SA Blue Team assumed command on 9/10 at 0700.
Phone: 318-473-7152
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