Saturday, May 17, 2014

New things for the crew....

The crew has made some changes to the roster this year. Unfortunately no one is going to take the responsibility to run this site. So it will be updated as info is received. Be safe.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Williams Fire

The crew got called up to the Williams fire on 8/3/2012. The Williams fire is on the, Angeles NF. Fifteen miles north of Glendora, CA. Mixed conifer and chaparral. Active fire behavior. Structures threatened. Evacuations and road closures in effect.


Williams Fire Info

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Idaho

The crew is assigned to the Halstead Fire located on the Salmon-Challis NF. Eighteen miles northwest of Stanley, ID. Timber. Active fire behavior. Numerous structures threatened. Area closures in effect.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Colorado

The crew has been in Colorado on the High Park Fire. They have been spiked out and burning On indirect line around structures. Information on Fire

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Colorado

The crew was called up for a fire in colorado on march 28. Here is a link to information on the fire.


Fire info.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Seasonal 's Laid Off

The seasonal fire fighters have been laid for the winter. The crew is getting into "winter mode" and will be continuing some project work on the district.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Released

The crew has been released and are returning home.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Great Fire

The crew got called to the Great Fire. The fire is located east of Julian, CA. Its 2,000 acres and about 25% contained. Conditions: The wind is currently pushing the fire to the northeast, but there is concern that the wind will again shift and push the fire towards the west. Firefighters are working to protect the Mastro Trailer Ranch and the surrounding communities.
Hwy 78 is closed between Wynola Rd & Scissors Crossing (S-2).  


Fire Information

Monday, September 26, 2011

Back Home

After a very long fire assignment, ECHS returned home. The crew got home today the 26th and will have the next three days off.

Below is a map and the location of The El Cariso Hotshot Camp:


View El Cariso Hotshot Camp in a larger map

Monday, September 19, 2011

Grape Fire

The crew got a 100 acre Initial Attack fire today in Texas. The crew has been cutting line to control the fire.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Ireland Fire

The crew has been assigned to the Ireland Fire which is located in Coryell County, 1 mile east of Ireland, TX. The fire is about 1,023 acres and is 65% contained.

Ireland Fire Information

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Demobed and re-assigned

The crew has been released from the Bastrop County Complex and in route to Marble Falls, TX. They will stage there and be available for Initial Attack in the area.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Bastrop County Complex

The crew is assigned to the Bastrop County Complex (two fires), which is Six miles northeast of Bastrop,TX. Moderate fire activity. Numerous residences threatened. Evacuations are in effect. The 34, 068 acre Bastrop County Complex consists of the Bastrop Fire (33,349 acres) and the Union Chapel Fire (719 acres).

The Bastrop Fire is 30 percent contained as of Friday morning. An estimated 1386 structures were burned by the Bastrop Fire.The area is being assessed for downed power lines and other hazards that need to be mitigated before residents can safely re-enter these areas.

For the last few days the crew has been split up helping different divisions taking on multiple assignments. They have been in Division D, I, & L and Structure Group helping snag hazard trees.

Bastrop County Complex Fire Information

Friday, September 2, 2011

Texas

On 9/1 the crew got an order for Texas. They set out for Texas on the 1st and are in route towards the town of Merkel, Texas. They have been assigned to the 101 Ranch Fire.

Texas Fires 2011 Information

Monday, August 29, 2011

Ridge Fire

The crew will report to the Ridge Fire first thing tomorrow. A lightning storm in the afternoon of August 28 ignited a fire in the Buckman Springs area of the Descanso Ranger District in the south end of the Cleveland National Forest. The fire is 25 miles east of San Diego.

Fire Info.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Home

The crew worked all night and tied in the fire. They were released this morning and drove home.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Barrett Fire

New start. The crew got ordered to the Barrett Fire which is located in east San Diego County. The fire is east of Jamul and south of Alpine. The fire was most likely started from a lightning strike. As of 1600 the fire is about 100 acres and is being suppressed from the air and handcrews.

WebCam


Fire Info

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Released

The crew has been released from the Eagle Fire and are available for a new fire assignment. The Eagle Fire burnt a total of 14,100 acres and is now 100% contained.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Eagle Fire update

13,500 acres and 45% acres at 1430 this afternoon. Per Div. E, all aircraft is doing their best, crews are working hard but fire is still jumping lines moving north into Cougar Canyon area, which hasn't burned since 1985.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Eagle Fire

The crew has been assigned to the Eagle Fire, which broke out on the night of July 21 The Fire is located 6 miles east of Warner Springs CA. The fire is burning in a mix of grass, brush, oak and pine trees in steep, rugged terrain on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation and the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The fire continues to burn toward to the east and the northwest. Firefighters continue to take advantage of increased humidity and are making progress. The Borrego Palm Canyon Campground and Trail remain closed, along with the Lost Valley Boy Scout Camp. The fire is still visible from the desert community of Borrego Springs.

ECHS reported to the hotshot camp at 0530 Friday morning and were on scene of the Eagle fire at 0800. They got assigned to Div. Y and started putting in hand line, did some burning out and also cutting out helispots where they were flown back to helibase at 1400 hours. Their first shift was 32 hours.

Sunday, July 24 ECHS got assigned to day shift on Div. E with a few other hotshots crews, they cut line in a canyon and pick up a slop over.

Monday, July 25 the crew was in Anza Borrego to scout a piece of line for a posible burn out opperation.

As of July 26, 2011 at 7:00 am , the fire is 12,800 acres and is 45% contained.

Fire Information

WebCams

The Eagle fire is seen from Font's Point, east of Borrego Springs, on Saturday


This satellite image of the Eagle fire, taken Saturday afternoon, when the fire was at 10,000 acres

Monday, July 11, 2011

Our Deepest Sympathies and Condolences to the Bonneville Hotshots and their families.

On Thursday July 7th, We lost one of our own in the Hotshot community while fighting a fire in Texas. Thoughts and prayers go out to our Brothers and Sisters with the Bonneville Hotshots and to the Hamm family for their loss...

BLM Firefighter Dies While Working on Texas Blaze
An Idaho firefighter died while battling a wild fire in north central Texas Thursday afternoon, possibly a victim of the extreme heat that has gripped the region in the last few weeks, officials said.

Caleb Hamm, 24, died as he was working with a firefighting crew on the 337 Fire near Mineral Wells, according to the Texas Forest Service. Officials said Hamm, of Boise, Idaho, collapsed while he was working on the fire line. He died while he was being rushed to a nearby hospital.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of his death, but initial indications are the extreme heat in the region was a primary factor, officials said.
Temperatures climbed to triple digits in the area Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.


Officials said the 337 Fire has blackened 932 acres and is 75 percent contained.
Hamm was a member of the Bureau of Land Management's Bonneville Interagency Hotshot crew, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had been a seasonal firefighter for six years. This was his first assignment as member of a hotshot crew. "Our entire organization deeply mourns the death of one of our own, Caleb Hamm," said Robert V. Abbey, BLM's national director. "His passing gives us pause to consider what truly matters in life. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family, friends and members of his crew."


Since fire season began Nov. 15 in the state, firefighters have responded to 14,069 fires that have burned more than 3.2 million acres.

The Funeral Services will be held Thursday, July 14th in Boise ID.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7644875.html#ixzz1RY2HrCVb

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Valyermo Hotshots

Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Valyermo Hotshots

9 U.S. Forest Service firefighters were injured when their crew carrier crashed in Southern California Monday night July 5, 2011. Nathan Judy, a USFS public information officer, said seven were taken to area hospitals, treated, then released. Two had to be extricated from the truck and were flown to USC University Hospital in Los Angeles. Judy said they were being held for observation with injuries that were not life-threatening.

According to NBC in Los Angeles the accident happened at about 9:30 p.m. PT as the crew was returning from working on a brush clearance project in the Littlerock area of the Antelope Valley near Palmdale.

The Associated Press reported that authorities said the driver of the crew carrier swerved to avoid hitting a dog and lost control. The truck rolled over a 15-foot an embankment, landing on its side.

Home

The crew returned safely from the fires in Florida. They are now back on regular shift waiting for their next fire assignment.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

New Starts in Florida

The crew got assigned to a new fire. The crew split up into two mods. One mod is on a 2.5 acre lightning strike called the Cedar Creek Fire. The other mod is on a 5 acre lightning strike called the Cowpen Fire.

Gator Country!






Sunday, June 19, 2011

Ocala NF

The crew is on a fire on the Ocala National Forest. The fire is about 160 acres. It's only El Cariso and one engine and 4 helicopters..active fire behavior with short range spotting..they were assigned to working ships, burned 20 acres and mopped up.. Its hot and muggy, high is 98 degrees with an RH about 30%.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Florida

The crew made it safely to Tallahassee, FL! They left the hotshot camp at 3am Friday morning, flying out of Ontario Airport at 0610 landing in Dallas Fort Worth, TX then flew to Atlanta, Georgia before their final destination of Tallahassee, FL. They had a small .3 acre fire and did a little bit of mop-up. They are now driving to Ocala, FL, which is located in the central portion of the state.

Video: Getting on the plane


!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Fire Season 2011!

The season started off in rare form. The winter crew made some good hours in Arizona and New Mexico during the early months of the year.. After a few local fires, the crew got their first off forest assignment and are headed to Florida tomorrow morning, 6/17

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The season is over.....

The crew was ordered to the Los Padres National Forest on a prescribed fire which had jump the containment lines. The fire was located 9 miles NE of Los Olivos, which is east of Lompoc, CA. The crew has now laid off the seasonal fire fighters and are in there "winter" mode and will begin fuels and project work in the up coming months.


Fire Info
News paper Info

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Long Fire

ECHS had a fire on Long Canyon Road, which connects El Cariso Hotshot Camp to Ortega Hwy. The Fire was a reported 40 Acres and was fully contained on Friday Sept 24th.
News Link & Video

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Fire on the Sequoia N.F.

The crew was ordered up to the Sequoia National Forest on the Canyon Fire. Eight miles west of Lake Isabella, CA. Brush and grass. Active fire behavior with torching and crowning. Numerous structures threatened. Road closures in effect.
Fire Info
Web Cam

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Demobed

The crew had 2 shifts mopping up on the fire in the Tahoe National Forest. The crew was released yesterday and drove home.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Bullard Fire

The crew was ordered to to Bullard Fire on the Tahoe National Forest yesterday. The fire started on state land four miles east of Dobbins, CA. Timber and brush. Creeping and smoldering with isolated single tree torching. Residences threatened.


Fire Information

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Fires

The crew was dispatched to the Largo Vista fire on the ANF. The fire was 100% contained by 0100 on Saturday morning. They then got assigned to the Monte fire, located Five miles northeast of Lakeside, CA. Chaparral. Active fire behavior with running and spotting. Numerous structures threatened. Evacuations in effect.

Fire Information

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Home

The crew got assigned to the Wolf Creek Fire on the Humboldt-Toiyabe NF for a few days after their stay on the El Dorado NF before timing out and being sent home. The fire was located fifteen miles southeast of Markleeville, CA.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Demobed and Re-Assigned

The crew was demobed from the Bull Fire yesterday 8/1 and has been re-assigned to the El Dorado National Forest for coverage of the area. The crew is currently in Placerville, CA staging.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Bull Fire...Sequoia National Forest

The crew was dispatched to the Bull fire on the Sequoia N.F. The fire is located eight miles north of Kernville, CA. Brush and grass. Active fire behavior. Numerous residences threatened. Evacuations in effect for the communities of River Kern and Camp Owens. Road closures in effect.

Fire Information

Live WebCam of the area

Here's a link to an online scanner (opens in itunes)


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Home

The crew had worked on night shift the first day of the fire then got assigned day shift today before being released home.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Cactus Fire

Yesterday there were multiple starts in So Cal due to the thunderstorm activity that moved through the area. The lightning ignited at least five fires between 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The crew was dispatched to the Cactus Fire where they were assigned to night shift. The 490-acre Cactus fire in the 32800 block of Red Mountain Road, east of Lake Skinner forced the closure of several roads, including state Route 371. The fire was considered 30 percent contained.

Fire Information

Friday, June 25, 2010

Wright Fire

The crew was called up for a small fire on the Angeles National Forest. The fire was off Highway 2 northeast of Wrightwood. ECHS had night shift, mopped-up and came home in the morning.

Fire Information

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pala Fire

El Cariso responded to the Pala Fire off hwy 76 on Wednesday June 23rd. The crew cut line on the 100 acre fire and tied it in. They proceed to mop-up for a few hours before being released back home.

Fire Information

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

RIVER FIRE

Today the crew was dispatched to the River Fire. The fire is located South of Hwy. 91 and West of Green River Rd., west of Corona . The River Fire was 50 percent contained by about 5 p.m., and full containment was expected by midnight.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Home!

The crew returned home from the Horseshoe fire. They will have 2 days of R&R, then be available for fire dispatch.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

2010 Fire Season is here!!

The crew finished the critical training and just got their first fire assignment of the 2010 fire season. The crew has been assigned to the Horseshoe Fire near the Arizona/New Mexico border. The fire is in the Coronado Nationl Forest, Five miles south of Portal, AZ. in Timber with minimal fire activity.

Fire Information

Friday, November 27, 2009

Season Is Over

Well we kinda lost touch with the blog towards the end of the season. The season was a slow one for sure. Our last blog was on the Morris fire, we were then re-assigned to the Station Fire, then had a quick assignment in Arizona. The seasonal firefighters were laid off this week and now it is "winter" mode. Another safe fire season in the books!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

8/25 morris fire

Dispatched to the morris fire off of hwy 39 and morris dam on the angeles national forest.We have been on night shift. Getting demobed today at 8pm headed to the station fire 20000 plus acres and growing. To be continued... Day 4.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

8/12 Alaska-day4

El cariso hotshots are somewhere by nannana alaska on the Rex fire in div.R. Today is day 4. We are teamed up with vista grande hotshots cutting line. Echs and VG are leap froging eachother. Estimation on total line put in to date is 6-8 miles. Most of the fire is out but today we got some action. Trees torching ahead of us helicopters came to our aid to cool down the heat. And finished our mission for the day. Mission was to fly in to H-300 cut line to H-320. Line complete.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

8/8 Now ready for departure

So there were some planning problems yesterday. Today we are flying out at 9. Stopped in fresno to pick up 3 more crews. Left fresno at 1035 in route to alaska. El cariso. Fulton. Crane valley. Vista grande springville.

Friday, August 7, 2009

8/6 resourse order

Echs received a resource order for Alaska. Fire name : Hard Luck Creek Fire. 25 miles NW of fairbanks.Fire is about 1000 acres as of yesterday via wildlandfire.com. Also said it is a 5 mile hike in in rough terrain its been a air show so far no ground resources on scene . Flying out of Ontario airport via contract airline with Vista Grand Hotshots and Fulton Hotshots. Scheduled time of departure is 0900.

8/4 Interveiwed

OC Register came to the el cariso hotshot camp to interveiw echs about the decker fire. 8/8 is the 50th aniversry.

8/2-8/3 Cover Forest

Via south ops cover forest on days off.