Pictures from Hell aka Santa Barbara Fires '07

[RSTrans]

Here are some pictures that I took from our stay while working the wildfires of Santa Barbara in 2007.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire10.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire11.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire13.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire14.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire15.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire5.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire6.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire7.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire8.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire9.jpg

[RSTrans]

My truck
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire.jpg

Fire Cats staged in our staging ground
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire16.jpg

Staged in the middle of nowhere waiting for orders
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire17.jpg

My truck and my buddy Nick
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire2.jpg

Cat D6 sitting on a Murray Air-tail
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire3.jpg

Trucks in staging, we had 3 up there, the blue Pete 378sbfa, White and Persimmon Pete 379, and mine, JBT on the doors
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire4.jpg

[Pipeman]

My truck
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire.jpg

Fire Cats staged in our staging ground
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire16.jpg

Staged in the middle of nowhere waiting for orders
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire17.jpg

My truck and my buddy Nick
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire2.jpg

Cat D6 sitting on a Murray Air-tail
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire3.jpg

Trucks in staging, we had 3 up there, the blue Pete 378sbfa, White and Persimmon Pete 379, and mine, JBT on the doors
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h212/ts2046/fire4.jpgYour pictures bring back a lot of good memories. I'll post a few.

[Pipeman]

Going for another load of retardant with the lead trailer of a Super "B" Train. South of Golden BC parked near the Voodoos.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0076.jpg

Hayes Lifter

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0060.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0067.jpg

Front line foreman lost all the oil in his pickup so I gave him a couple gallons.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0055.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0054.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0039.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0034.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0033.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0013.jpg

[Pipeman]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pictures/Fire0008.jpg
This is a Sikorsky S-64
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0104.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0100.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0113.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0114.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/KelownaFire.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0073.jpg
The reason why I'm so close to the edge is that the road is narrow and I'm actually on a curve to the left. What is deceiving is that the river is at least 1500 feet down.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v16/Pipeman/Fire%20Pics/Fire0054.jpg

[RSTrans]

Good times aren't they? A couple of weeks ago we had that sky crane or one just like it sitting on standby at Brown Field in San Ysidro, CA off of CA-905. It was just hanging out just in case.

[Pipeman]

Good times aren't they? A couple of weeks ago we had that sky crane or one just like it sitting on standby at Brown Field in San Ysidro, CA off of CA-905. It was just hanging out just in case.They suck up the retardant at the rate of 31.2 US Gallons per second. Takes them about 42 seconds for a full load.

I should have taken photos of the lowbeds and dozers parked near the airstrip at High Level Alberta.....35 of them. Luckily there was a camp for food and a bed plus a ball diamond right next to them.

[reinaldo]

Really great...

[LSMR]

Good pictures!

[RSTrans]

If we get out any this year I will be sure to add more pictures to this post. It is hard to say what the odds are this year of anything major happening. There is a lot of fuel to burn but if there is no ignition source then it won't be an issue. There have been a few fires already this year, one of which ended up with me having to go cover a station while the State Dozer was on the fire.