Pole Creek and Bald Mountain Fires 2018

The context surrounding the Pole Creek and Bald Mountain fires was complex. An unusually wet rain storm near the end of the traditional fire season, a desire to restore beneficial fire to the landscape, and multiple lightning strikes igniting two fires in remote locations with unnaturally heavy vegetation loadings. This was followed by an unprecedented string of Red Flag warning events and an atypical pattern in the ERC index that produced a situation in which thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. This wildfire situation posed substantial danger to the lives and property of local residents.

Large Fire