Wyoming Fire

Terra Torch

A wildland firefighter uses a terra torch during firing operations on a prescribed burn. It shoots a stream of burning liquid and is used to generate high amounts of heat. It's a useful when fuels, meaning the brush or other material along the fire line, are too green or too sparse to carry fire easily. It's used along the edge of the fire line to get full consumption of the available fuels, which is called blacklining. A solid blackline reduces the risk during prescribed firing operations of the fire escaping the unit being burned. This wildland firefighter was working on creating a blackline on the Sunlight Mesa prescribed fire before interior lighting operations took place.

Refill

Lighters are paused while refilling their driptorches on the Sunlight Mesa prescribed fire.

Night Long Exposure

The Sunlight Mesa RX was a prescribed fire being conducted at night on the Bighorns in 2015. Fire managers wanted to take advantage of the cooler night air and higher humidities to reduce the potential of spotting embers causing a fires outside of control lines. The target was reducing conifer encroachment in meadows where natural wildfire normally would keep them in check. The dominant tree species within the unit was sub alpine fir which has a high tendency torch and loft burning embers long distances especially when burned at the intensity needed to reduce encroachment. This shot is a long exposure of the firing operations happening around 1:00am.

Sunlight Mesa Prescribed Fire

The Sunlight Mesa RX was a prescribed fire being conducted at night on the Bighorns in 2015. Fire managers wanted to take advantage of the cooler night air and higher humidities to reduce the potential of spotting embers causing a fires outside of control lines. The target was reducing conifer encroachment in meadows where natural wildfire normally would keep them in check. The dominant tree species within the unit was sub alpine fir which has a high tendency torch and loft burning embers long distances especially when burned at the intensity needed to reduce encroachment. This shot is a long exposure of the firing operations happening around 1:00am.

Lighters in the Smoke

Two lighters hike back up the hill after conducting a test fire before sunset on the Sunlight Mesa prescribed fire. Test fires are always used prior to ignitions on a prescribed fire. They're lit in a spot that is going to be easily controlled and they're used to tell the burn boss how the fuels are going to burn. This particular prescribed fire was going to be lit in the late evening and through the night to reduce the potential for spot fires. These two had just lit a small area down and to the right of where they're hiking up with the burn boss.

Sleeping Bag Views

The crew was bedding down for the night after a long day of working on the Lava Mountain Fire near Dubois. I had laid out my sleeping bag and set my camera on a small pocket sized tripod to shoot a long exposure of the barely glowing fire across the creek from us. After temporarily dozing off, I woke up just long enough to end the exposure after 20 to 30 minutes.

Lava Mountain CL 415

A CL 415 or superscooper lays a wet line for lighters during a backfiring operation on the Lava Mountain Fire near Dubois Wyoming. CL 415's are a unique aircraft in that they're designed to refill their water tanks without landing. They skim across the tops of long bodies of water with small doors on their bellies opened up. Once full they pull back up, ready to deliver another load of water to the fire. Not having to land allows for rapid load and return cycles. Here they were wetting down the light fuels in the sage and grass which gave firefighters an effective line to conduct firing operations from.

Ray Lighting in the Sun Rays

Ray Varland uses a fusee to clean up an interior pocket during a small scale burnout operation on the Britania Mountain Fire.

Night on Pedro Mountain

After a long day on the Pedro Mountain Fire in Wyoming 2019, the crew was getting ready to bed down for the night. As I threw out my sleeping bag I also set up my camera and tripod so I could take a few long exposures.