Kelly Andersson

A fire east of Québec in Newfoundland and Labrador has burned more than 24,000 acres and forced thousands to evacuate Labrador City. CNN reported that the “extremely aggressive inferno” was considered contained earlier this week, but weather changes on Friday blew the fire back to life and it spread rapidly. Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Andrew Furey said Saturday the fire had grown to 22,000 acres and had spread 13 miles in about four hours.

The Romero Fire is estimated at 3,500 acres, spreading west and north through grass and brush. It's 13 miles southwest of Kearny and 22 miles northwest of Mammoth, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. It’s about a mile north of the Freeman Fire, which burned 32,568 acres. There is as of Saturday afternoon zero containment.

Operated by Coulson Aviation, the QRF is a trio of Chinook CH-47 helicopters converted into state-of-the-art helitankers. They are strategically located in southern California and available for rapid response to the brushfires that occur throughout the region.

The British Columbia Wildfire Service recently welcomed a group of 60 IMT members and specialized personnel from Australia and New Zealand to assist in wildfire management throughout the province. Another 30 went to Alberta. The firefighters arrived in Canada as part of a years-long partnership through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

Redmond Airtanker Base, 1 million gallons 07/25/24

The Park Fire off Upper Park Road in Upper Bidwell Park east of Chico is at 3 percent containment this evening, according to CAL FIRE , and is being run by CAL FIRE IMT 3 in unified command with the Lassen National Forest. Though the cause was earlier reported as under investigation, the Chico ER reported later today that investigators had arrested a Chico man suspected of igniting the fire.

An early report by KOIN-TV indicates crews are searching for a lost airtanker that disappeared late Thursday. The BLM-contracted SEAT went missing while fighting a lightning-started fire near Seneca, Oregon. The Aviation Safety Network reports that an Air Tractor AT-802A owned by Wakefield Aircraft out of North Dakota crashed near Seneca, with one occupant, unknown injuries, and unknown aircraft damage.

The Grant County Sheriff in eastern Oregon confirmed that SEAT pilot James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was killed while working near the Falls Fire on the Malheur National Forest on July 25, 2024.

Tim Russell sent us this photo of the State of Colorado Firehawk after collecting water from Chatfield Reservoir, with a CL-415 scooping in the background.The Denver Post reported that Gov. Jared Polis has deployed Colorado National Guard troops to the Quarry, Stone Canyon, and Alexander Mountain fires.

Grassroots Wildland Firefighters update