2025 NewJersey Wildfire Season: Mines Spung Wildfire (Burlington County)

 June 14, 8:30 AM

I wrote about the Mines Spung wildfire on June 13. The wildfire, first reported early in the morning of June 13th by a private airplane has burned 4,200 acres and is at 40 percent containment. Road closures remain and the Batona Trail in the vicinity of the wildfire is still closed. Five structures remain threatened, and the Lower Forge Campground and the Phillip M Costello Preparatory Academy have been evacuated. Local fire departments are providing structure protection. New Jersey Forest Fire Service helicopters and a bulldozer are working with NJFFS wildland firefighters in working the wildfire.

 

Direct link to June 14th 8:30 AM post by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on Facebook.

2025 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Mines Spung Wildfire (Burlington County)

June 13th, 8:40 PM

The Mine Spung Wildfire in Shamong Township, Burlington County has  burned 2,500 acres and is at 25% containment. Evacuations are in place for the Lower Forge Campground and the Phillip M Costello Preparatory Academy. An additional five structures are threatened and there are road closures in the area. In addition the Batona Trail is closed in the area where the fire is burning. Helicopters continue to work the wildfire in support of the firefighters on the ground. There are road closures in the vicinity of the wildfire. Scroll down for an earlier report on the fire.

Direct link to June 13th post at 8:40 PM on Facebook from the NJ Forest Fire Service

Direct link to video from CBS3 Philadelphia on YouTube

June 13th, 1 PM

Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page who alerted me to the Mines Spung Fire that has burned 100 acres in Shamong Township in Burlington County. The fire is at 0 percent containment. The fire was first spotted by a private airplane this morning. In addition to NJ Forest Fire Service wildland firefighters working the fire on the ground and a bulldozer, there is at least one helicopter with a bucket working the fire. There are road and trail closures in the vicinity of the fire.

Direct link to video from CBS3 Philadelphia on YouTube

Direct link to June 13th 10:54 AM report from NJ Forest Fire Service on Facebook.

2025 Wildfire Season: Hilger Fire Montana June 13th Update

 I wrote about the Hilger Fire on June 11th that is still burning near Helena Montana. The good news is that this fire is now at 77 percent containment according to Inciweb's update the evening of June 12th. Acreage burned has been reduced to 295 acres based on the latest mapping of the fire. Two helicopters continue to make bucket drops as firefighters continue with mop up operations. See this June 12th news report with video from KTVH in Helena Montana for more information.

This will be my last article on the Hilger Fire unless there are significant changes in the status of this wildfire.

2025 Wildfire Season: Hilger Valley Fire (Montana)

Direct link to June 10th video from KRTV3 News in Central Montana on YouTube

Thanks to my friends at Wildfire News of the Day , a five day a week e-mail newsletter that I receive for letting me know about the Hilger Valley Fire that is currently burning near Helena in the Gates of the Mountains region. 

According to this June 10th update on the Hilger Valley Fire from Inciweb the wildfire was first reported on June 9th and has burned 318 acres and is 15 percent contained. Air resources include four helicopters, three large airtankers and one very large airtanker. The fire is burning in rugged terrain.

In addition to KRTV3 another Montana outlet, KTVH, is covering the fire. I am sure that there are other news outlets in and around Montana covering the Hilger Fire.

Firefighters Deployed to Western Canada to Help Fight Massive Wildfire Outbreak

Direct link to Facebook post by VICEmergency

Direct link to June 2nd video from Oregon Central News on YouTube

I wrote about the massive wildfire outbreak in Western Canada on May 30th with a follow-up post on June 4th. I am here today to share what agencies have been sending firefighters to western Canada to help with this devastating wildfire outbreak. This is not meant to be an all-inclusive listing of who is helping. I suspect that there are agencies unknown to me both in the United States and outside the United States that have sent firefighters. The point I am hoping to make is that firefighting agencies want to help western Canada.  

As you can see from the material I embedded above, Australia has responded to the call for help from Canada sending 96 firefighters including 14 from Victoria. Within the United States, the Oregon is sending14 firefighters. 

According to this June 2nd article from WBIA in South Central Indiana, The US Forest Services has deployed an airtanker along with 150 firefighters to Australia.

Friday Fun: CL415 Bombers from 2013

Direct link to 2013 video from JetPremierAviation on YouTube

An oldie but a goodie, I love this 2013video, shot when the CL415 was being manufactured by Bombardier

Massive Wildfire Outbreak in Western Canada - June 4th Update

Direct link to June 3rd video from CTV News on YouTube

I suspect that many of you are aware of the massive wildfire outbreak in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Western Canada. I first wrote about this outbreak on May 30th. Thousands of people have been evacuated and equipment and resources are stretched thin, requests for additional firefighters and equipment from outside Canada have been made. Smoke from these fires is going into the United States with many National Weather Service offices putting out air quality alerts, see this article from EarthSky. In the map below from the National Weather Service (June 4th at 4:15 PM EDT) air quality alerts are in grey.

I am embedding some videos describing the pleas for international assistance, and drivers left stranded in Manitoba. You also might want to read this May 31st article on Wildfire Today and a June 4th report from CBS News

Direct link to June 2nd video from CBS News on YouTube

Direct link to June 4th video from CBC News on YouTube

Direct link to June 3rd video from CBC News Manitoba on YouTube

Airtanker History: Tribute to P-3 Orion

Direct link to post by Scorched Sky Productions on YouTube

A tribute to Aero Union's P-3 Orion. In late July of 2011, the US Forest Service cancelled their contract for Aeo Union's  P-3 Orions. See my July 30, 2011 and August 17, 2011 posts. Gone but not forgotten

2025 Wildfire Season: Massive Wildfire Outbreak in Western Canada

Direct link to May 28th video from CBC News on YouTube

Direct link to video from 13 On Your Side on YouTube

I have been aware of the large wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for a couple of days but had not not posted on these fires. When I saw two articles about these wildfires on my newsfeed this morning I knew that ir is past time for this post. The best way to start is with the two videos that I shared above, again with thanks to my friends at the B10 New Jersey Wildfire Page for sharing these videos on  their website. I hope that you take the time to watch these videos. As you can see, smoke from these wildfires will be impacting Canada and the United States today and tomorrow.

Thanks to the National Wildland Fire Situation Report from Natural Resources Canada they also have a tFire Weather Maps Page that you might want to check out.. I found links for the  Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, the Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures.and Alberta Wildfire

• According to the May 30th update from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (URL leads to a file to be downloaded) there are 16 active wildfires with seven showing no containment. The largest of these is what the agency is calling the Shoe Fire (Lower Fishing Lake) at 305,343 hectares or 754,519 acres. The second largest is the 25lA-PISEW wildfires (west of La Ronge) at 61,205 hectares or 151,241 acres. Thousands of people have been evacuated in Saskatchewan.
• According to the May 28th Fire Situation Report from Manitoba there 372,338 hectares have burned or 920,067 acres.
• Alberta Wildfire has a May 30th information page showing information on several out of control wildfires, two are over 15,000 hectares or 37.066 acres, many are out of control. Please take a look at this page to see a listing of these wildfires.

For more information see this article from CNN and another article from USA Today

2025 Wildfire Season: Minnesota Wildfires (Final Update, May 28th)

Direct link to video from KSTP 5 Eyewitness News on YouTube 

Thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildfire Page who shared this video on their website a couple of days ago.

I wrote about the wildfires burning in Minnesota on May 19th, and May 21st you may want to review my post.  I am writing today to follow-up on those wildfires. Significant progress has been made in fighting these wildfires as the three are nearly contained. Evacuation orders have been lifted. This will be my final update on the wildfire unless there are significant developments

As I write this on May 28th at about 11:20 AM EDT, here is the latest information from Inciweb:

• The Munger Shaw Fire (first reported May 12th) has burned 1,259 acres and remains at 95 percent containment
• The Camp House Fire (first reported May 11th) has burned 12,071 acres and is at 90 percent containment. At least 144 structures were destroyed
• The Jenkins Creek Fire (first reported May 12th) has burned 16,089 acres and is at 84 percent containment

Kudos to the wildland firefighters on the ground and aerial support for doing a good job working these wildfires.

Memorial Day: Remembering Vietnam Veterans

Direct link  to video from McAffee & Taft on YouTube

This year is the 50th anniversary of the end of the War in Vietnam. Plrase join me in remembering all who died in Vietnam and other wars.