Fire, hiway 16 closed, Topley to Decker Lake

[sobirch]

Very aggressive fire, local .state of emergency. Wide evacuation area and wide evacuation alert. Basicly all rural areas between Houston and Burns Lake.

[sobirch]

here.s a link to latest wildfire report.
http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/OneFire.asp?ID=517

[Darksith]

crazy, hope everyone stays safe and homes aren't destroyed. My old stompin grounds kinda...

[Amphibious]

Was up there yesterday on a parts run. Our 214B is there with quite the growing gaggle of 212, 205, and other helicopters. Quite the smoke show.

[Cookie1965]

I'm flying into Smithers on Tuesday, wonder if I'll see anything from the plane?

[meesemoot]

I'm flying into Smithers on Tuesday, wonder if I'll see anything from the plane?
From Vancouver? Sit on the right (east) side of the plane in the back rows behind the engine nacelle. From the north? On the left. It's forecast to be cloudy on Monday, but clear Tuesday, subject to change. All the smoke is blowing eastward, and the plume is easily visible from high points and sometimes the middle of Smithers. It is usually higher in the mornings when winds are light. The mountains and glaciers all the way up are spectacular, too, though the west side of the plane sees more mountains once you are beside the Cariboo plateau.

[Cookie1965]

From Vancouver? Sit on the right (east) side of the plane in the back rows behind the engine nacelle. From the north? On the left. It's forecast to be cloudy on Monday, but clear Tuesday, subject to change. All the smoke is blowing eastward, and the plume is easily visible from high points and sometimes the middle of Smithers. It is usually higher in the mornings when winds are light. The mountains and glaciers all the way up are spectacular, too, though the west side of the plane sees more mountains once you are beside the Cariboo plateau.

I'm coming from Vancouver, so the flight path takes me west of Houston? Thanks. I haven't flown in there since 1988, the last Time I went to a funeral in Telkwa.

[meesemoot]

Was up there yesterday on a parts run. Our 214B is there with quite the growing gaggle of 212, 205, and other helicopters. Quite the smoke show.
There was a Skycrane in the air on Wednesday, as well as a Chinook with a bucket on a long line. It's pretty easy to spot these heavy birds due to the sound they produce. I think they had 2 Electras and a Convair or 2 going last night. Also saw 4 or 5 CL-215T's in Government of Alberta markings arrive on Tuesday. They may be kept at Burns or Fraser Lake, because I haven't seen them since, except on the tv clip last night. Quite a gang of air tankers and helis for these parts.

[meesemoot]

I'm coming from Vancouver, so the flight path takes me west of Houston? Thanks. I haven't flown in there since 1988, the last Time I went to a funeral in Telkwa.
I've seen Houston go by right below the starboard wing coming from Vancouver by Air Canada a few times, and especially with the fire just east of Houston and all that air traffic, they would likely avoid going east of Houston. Probably a temporary no fly zone at lower altitudes, too. That said, I haven't talked to anyone in the know recently, and it's possible they could skirt around it and stay high and east, and approach Smithers from the northeast. In the late 80s we had 2, sometimes 3 times daily 737 service with PWA, flying lawyers to work in the morning and home for their dinner reservations at Bishop's and the like, apparently! Now it's just Dash 8's.

[Amphibious]

There was a Skycrane in the air on Wednesday, as well as a Chinook with a bucket on a long line. It's pretty easy to spot these heavy birds due to the sound they produce. I think they had 2 Electras and a Convair or 2 going last night. Also saw 4 or 5 CL-215T's in Government of Alberta markings arrive on Tuesday. They may be kept at Burns or Fraser Lake, because I haven't seen them since, except on the tv clip last night. Quite a gang of air tankers and helis for these parts.

107 Vertol, the baby Chinook. Sounds like two Astars fighting. No CH47's working in Canada currently.

[Cordillera]

Yes the flights to Smithers go almost direct over Houston. The fire should be visible on the right side. Hope you only see smoke by then. Things have calmed down today but winds are still a little gusty so that fire could still cause problems. There is a lot of iron on the ground and helicopters in the air!

[meesemoot]

One other interesting copter came in to roost tonight, I think it's a Kaman. Twin counter-rotating meshed main rotors, lots of rotor slap as it approaches! It's been in the area for a while, and in previous summers as well.

[Amphibious]

Kamov if the rotors are stacked, K-Max if they're side by side and at a 45 angle.

Kamov looks like a Marmot, K-max a stinkbug ;)

[meesemoot]

Kamov Ka-32, still on the ground. The other two heavies left hours ago heading toward the fire. One Electra on the tarmac.

[kilometers]

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/ag117/Kilometers123456/2014-08/F3797589-3B6F-4CE5-8C71-F2B255C02BF5_zpstfub0cey.png (http://s1301.photobucket.com/user/Kilometers123456/media/2014-08/F3797589-3B6F-4CE5-8C71-F2B255C02BF5_zpstfub0cey.png.html)This fire show you how much terrace releys on the highway. Multiple gas stations were outta fuel

[meesemoot]

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/ag117/Kilometers123456/2014-08/F3797589-3B6F-4CE5-8C71-F2B255C02BF5_zpstfub0cey.png (http://s1301.photobucket.com/user/Kilometers123456/media/2014-08/F3797589-3B6F-4CE5-8C71-F2B255C02BF5_zpstfub0cey.png.html)This fire show you how much terrace releys on the highway. Multiple gas stations were outta fuel
Don't forget the railway, which hauls lots of fuel into Terrace. It was also shut down. It's between the highway and the fire in that area.
There was a big plume from the fire around 4:30 today. They were planning to do a back burn, so I guess that was it. I have photos of today's plume and the Kamov copter, but I'm not set up for posting on the web. If anyone is interested in putting them up here, I can email you a couple if you PM me.