AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Friday Briefing: Oregon’s Bootleg Fire Nears 400,000 Acres

Emergency and disaster management briefing for July 23, 2021: Torrential rainfall led to flash floods that have inundated Scottsdale and Phoenix; the Henan province braces for a hit by Typhoon IN-FA; the Bootleg Fire is now the third-largest wildfire ever recorded in Oregon; additional evacuation orders were issued in Plumas County for the Dixie Fire; the FDA announced a recall of muffins distributed under seven brand names for potential listeria contamination; the EPA and the USFS have recently updated the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map; Red Flag Warnings are in place for much of Montana and parts of Idaho; and NIST is conducting a full investigation into the condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida.

1. Monsoonal rains with an abundance of lightning inundated Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona, leading to flash floods. First responders answered calls for accidents and swift water rescues as water washed away cars on I-17. Thousands were left without power from downed trees and power lines.

2. Typhoon IN-FA is forecast to make landfall in Ningbo, China, someday on Sunday. The typhoon is set to brush Taiwan and is then projected to make landfall near Zhengzhou, located in the central Henan province. Henan was recently inundated by heavy rainfall, which led to torrential flooding that caused 51 deaths, including 12 people who died in a flooded underground subway station.

3. The Bootleg Fire is now the third-largest fire ever on record in Oregon. Evacuation increases were ordered on Thursday evening for Lake County, due to both the Bootleg and Log Fires. Increasing temperatures — along with gusty winds, low humidity, and extremely dry fuels — are likely to increase fire spread and challenge firefighters on Friday. The blaze has now scorched nearly 400,000 acres, and more than 2,380 personnel are assigned to the wildfire.

4. Fire growth due to adverse weather conditions prompted additional evacuation orders for the Dixie Fire burning in California. A dry air mass, coupled with low relative humidity, hot temperatures, and gusty winds, increased fire growth another 10,000 acres, bringing the total acres burned by Thursday to more than 113,000. Nearly 4,000 personnel are assigned to the blaze, which has destroyed a total of eight structures.

5. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of muffins distributed under seven brand names for potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The Give and Go Prepared Food Corporation recalled a variety of muffins marketed under different brand names, including Great Value, Uncle Wally’s and Marketside. The muffins were distributed to retailers nationwide, including Stop & Shop, Walmart and 7-Eleven.

6. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the  U.S. Forest Service (USFS) just released updates to its AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. The updated map provides information regarding the locations of fires, along with air quality levels, throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The map provides current Air Quality Indexes (AQI), smoke plumes, potential impacts, and information about the actions to take based on air quality levels.

7. Red Flag Warnings are in place for a large swath of Montana, along with a small portion of Idaho, due to high fire danger. The warning is in effect for the majority of Friday due to critical fire weather including dry fuels, low relative humidity, strong winds, and hot temperatures, which lead to fire ignitions and rapid fire spread. The warning expires at 9 p.m. Friday, and officials caution against creating sparks that could start wildfires.

8. The collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium Complex in Surfside, Florida, on June 24 is under investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The purpose of their investigation is to determine the technical failure that caused the collapse and recommend any changes relevant for building codes, standards, and practices. The tower collapse caused the deaths of at least 97 people, all of whom have now been identified.

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

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