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Fires around Vegas
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/1/2006, 7:14 pm    Post subject: Fires around Vegas Reply to topic Reply with quote

Last night I was riding my motorcycle along North Shore and witnessed multiple dry lightning stikes in the Sheep Range just West of Lake Mead and North of Vegas. A few minutes after one strike I saw am orange spot on the mountain side. Later, sitting at a Sonic, I could see the distinct ring as this new fire was heading outward.
Today, as hazy as it is, there is a huge fire on the Mountain. I'm looking as hard as I am able for some information but I can't find a thing. It's not the "Vegas Fire" that's been burning for days, it's a new one.
Do we have any experts on how to identify fires other than Arizona or NM fires?
Tonight, after sunset I'll try to photograph this fire from my porch.
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mike
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PostPosted: 7/1/2006, 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

IGO wrote:
Do we have any experts on how to identify fires other than Arizona or NM fires?

http://gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/1/2006, 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

That is wonderful Mike. Now if I could only change Fores to Fires in the subject line.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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mike
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PostPosted: 7/1/2006, 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

You should be able to by editing your first post.
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 6:12 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Thanks again Mike.
I still can't find anything about this fire. That's so odd because it's 50 miles away and I can see the actual fire from here at night.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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azhiker96





Joined: 05 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

IGO, can you find it by these incident reports?
http://gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/information/newsandnotes.htm

I found some satellite maps. http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/imagery.php?month=7&year=2006&week=1
You have to try to make out the smoke from the clouds. There are some fires named though and you might be able to find it that way. Still looking for thermal images.
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azhiker96





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PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Here's a listing of fires. Do any of these sound like the BBQ you can see?
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azhiker96 wrote:
IGO, can you find it by these incident reports?
http://gacc.nifc.gov/wgbc/information/newsandnotes.htm

I found some satellite maps. http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/imagery.php?month=7&year=2006&week=1
You have to try to make out the smoke from the clouds. There are some fires named though and you might be able to find it that way. Still looking for thermal images.

You know, I was looking at this but couldn't make much ofit until now. It would seem that incodent 0740 was what I was witnessing but...either they are in direct line with me and the Vegas fire or they hit in the same district as the vegas fire. Today, I was on top of Mount Charleston; directly across the valley from the Vegas Fire. I couldn't see anything but the Vegas Fire but man I beleive I've got some wild images. Stay tuned while I siv through the infor and open up these pictures. If what I saw coming off Charleston was the Vegas Fire; it's been seriously reborn.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azhiker96 wrote:
Here's a listing of fires. Do any of these sound like the BBQ you can see?
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

Yes, The Vegas Fire. The one in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. I guess the 25 new fires reported by incodent 0740 were swallowed up by this Vegas Fire. Also, the Vegas fire was just a small fire this morning but something has gone very wrong in the last couple hours and yes, I got some of the most bizarre photos I've taken in years. I'll put a report together and get these up this evening.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azhiker96 wrote:
Here's a listing of fires. Do any of these sound like the BBQ you can see?
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html

OK. I've settled down a little now. What I've been seeing the last 2 days was first, the Vegas Fire then the Gass Fire. As it were, the Vegas Fire is settling but the Gass Fire is just starting. Why I'm confused is because from where I live, the Gass Fire and the Vegas Fire are 3 points in a vert straight line. Still, I've got an interesting little story if anybody cares to follow for a couple minutes. Next post please>
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Longish but I found it very interesting

Friday night I was rding mtorcycles with a friend along route 166 on North Shore road. Our location is pertainant to this story; it is marked in blue on the map below. The Gass Fire is the red thingy in the top right. If you draw a line from the motorcycle route and through the Gass Fire and beyond, you will eventually draw through the Vegas Fire. The yellow highlighted road is the road to Mt Charleston.





Friday night we watched many dry lightning strikes in the general area of the Gass Fire and soon we saw fire ourselves. Saturday morning there was a much larger fire. I could see it through the haze from my place. This morning I was heading up to Mt Charleston to do a day hike. It was so hazy at desert level I didn't bother photographing the faint Gass Fire; a fire I thought was the Vegas Fire. When I was on top of Charleston I looked back towards the Gass fire which only looked like mild smoldering and I'm sure it wasn't much more. (The Gass Fire is located in the Sheep Range on the Desert National Wildlife Preserve)I was about 15 miles away. Now the interesting part....
Coming back off the mountain this afternoon I was driving staright towards the Gass fire (see yelloe whighlight on first map/image) when I was farely sure I could see a little more smoke than this morning. I continued down the mountain.
At 4:50 I reached a turnout at 158/Mt Charleston Road and Highway 95. I stopped to see if I could get a decent picture of the smoke coming up from behind the Sheep Range. I took this picture (not much of a picture) at 4:51. Mind you; at 4:51PM!



I almost gave up with that shot but something made me stay. One minute later I took this photograph from the same location. In mere seconds the fire flared up terrifically and right before my eyes and just as fast thunderhead developed directly over the fire. 4:52PM



4:58PM. 6 minutes later I capture this shot.



5:02PM. 4 minutes later. Notice the weird color developing between the smoke and the cloud. The hotter and faster the fire got the more intense the smoke the greater the thunder dome became. They two acts of nature were actually one. One was born on the other. I've never seen anything like this before and was very happy to have a camera at the right time.



In these two images, the one above and the one below, you can see the smoke and the clouds colide and flatten against each other. In this area you can see an odd color. On the high resolution images you can see rainbows, tiny but many of them. I beleive this is steam. 5:04PM, 13 minutes after the first image.


As fast as it started, flat black clouds overtook my unique scene but for 13 minutes I got to see mother nature do something I've never even heard of before. I'm so thrilled to have been a part of this.
OK, I'll give the thread back to it's owner now.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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evenstar





Joined: 03 Jan 2003
Posts: 5548
Location: SCW by way of CA

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Couple of minutes are up.....now what? Can I take my meds and pass out or are you gonna regale me with something worth staying conscious, (and btw in pain) for?
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When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Your wish is my command sir.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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azhiker96





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PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Thanks for sharing the phots IGO. Fires often spawn thunderclouds. The soot from the fires provides a site for moisture to condense. I hope we get some big downbursts to quench the fires and replenish the desert flora and fauna (cactus, jojoba, cats claw, animals, and us).
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evenstar





Joined: 03 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: 7/2/2006, 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

You sure Dubya wasn't testing "the Bomb" out there? Eek
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http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902
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