Ice Capping? Column Collapse?

[NMAirBear]

Re: Bircher Fire

Since he is quoted liberally in this thread I have alerted my great friend Chuck Maxwell, IMET in ABQ/SWCC, that he needs to chime in on this particular fire. He knows a great deal about the atmospherics on that particular fire.

I also told him he needs to do this forthwith before we spend a week fishing together starting next week. We will probably be talking about it some more.

I was also there on Bircher doing ATGS. I will never forget being at the fairgrounds/fire camp in Cortez early in the evening (I was timed out and grounded) whooping it up with Chuck and watching one after the other amazing plume developments and collapses.

This was a Haines 6 day and the fuels were Pinyon/Juniper typical of that area which had not burned for a very long time. This fire munched off an amazing amount of acreage in Southern Colorado in short order and all of it in totally extreme fashion.

Then our good friend Tim Oliverius, FMO at Mesa Verde NP, showed up at the fairgrounds to report that the whole park had been evacuated and he was very fearful that his home was about to be burned. Chuck and I quit whooping it up.

Chuck M. and Tim O......please comment soon. This is a great discussion the Abs have going here.

Tim Stubbs
Fire Behavior Analyst/Air Tactical Group Supervisor