Archive for the ‘Fires/Wildfires’ Category
Overnight wildfires force mass evacuations in southern France (at least 10 000)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2017The Detwiler Fire has mushroomed to 46,000 acres (18,000 hectares), an increase of about 20,000 acres (8,094 hectares) compared with the day before, and is threatening some 1,500 structures.
Thursday, July 20th, 2017Wildfires rolled across dry terrain in the Western United States and through a region of Canada, fueled by lightning, whipping winds and temperatures in the triple digits
Tuesday, July 11th, 2017The Grenfell Tower blaze: “The 13th-richest in the world, and our highest ladder only goes up 30 meters.”
Monday, July 10th, 2017Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes.
Sunday, July 9th, 20177/6/1944: a fire breaks out under the big top of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, killing 167 people and injuring 682.
Thursday, July 6th, 2017Hundreds of families urgently evacuated apartments in five London high-rises on Friday because the buildings all had exterior cladding and insulation similar to that used on Grenfell Tower
Saturday, June 24th, 20172017 Wildland Fires and Potential Impacts to Critical Infrastructure
Friday, June 23rd, 20172017+Wildland+Fires+and+Potential+Impacts+to+Critical+Infrastructure: Document
2017 Wildland Fires and Potential Impacts to Critical Infrastructure – 8 June 2017, has been posted to the Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis (OCIA) page on the HSIN-Critical Infrastructure (CI) portal. This new product can be found under the Recent OCIA Products section of the portal.
Scope Note
This product provides an overview of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Predictive Services Unit’s National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for June through September 2017. It examines the potential effects to U.S. critical infrastructure and is an update to the May 2016 Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis (OCIA) Wildland Fires and Potential Impacts to Critical Infrastructure infographic. This update supports U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership; DHS Protective Security Advisors; and other Federal, State, and local agencies.
Key Findings
- For June through September 2017, the NIFC predicts above normal fire potential across parts of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico as fine fuels (twigs, needles, and grasses that ignite and burn rapidly) become available to burn.
- Most areas of the United States are expected to see normal significant wildland fire potential throughout the fire season. It is important to note that normal fire activity still represents significant numbers of fires and acres burned.
- OCIA assesses the critical infrastructure sectors most vulnerable to wildland fires are Emergency Services, Food and Agriculture, Healthcare and Public Health, Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems.
Please read the attached document for further information regarding 2017 Wildland Fires Outlook.
Current Drought Conditions
According to the NIFC, overall drought conditions improved in May 2017. Southern Georgia and Florida saw preexisting extreme drought conditions worsen while abnormally dry conditions along the Mexico border with Arizona and New Mexico developed into a moderate drought. Abnormally dry conditions were also observed across portions of central and southern Texas as well as across portions of the Alaskan interior.
Please read the attached document for more information on the effects of wildland fires on critical infrastructure.
Coordination
This product was developed in coordination with the DHS/National Protection and Programs Directorate/Office of Infrastructure Protection/Sector Outreach and Programs Division, DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration, U.S. Department of the Interior/Office of Wildland Fire, and NIFC.
If you did not receive this OCIA New Product Alert directly, you can join the Critical Infrastructure Community of Interest (HSIN-CI) by sending your first and last name, your e-mail address, and your reason for requesting access to HSIN-CI to BOTH of the following addresses: HSIN.Outreach@hq.dhs.gov and HSINCI@hq.dhs.gov. HSIN-CI members can access all of OCIA’s past products and join Sector-specific COIs.
Access to the site will require the use of your assigned HSIN-CI user name and password. Upon linking directly to the site, the user can then also navigate within HSIN-CI as well as within those Communities of Interest to which they have access.
If you need to update your HSIN password, please click here to be directed to a self-service portal. For technical assistance, you may contact the HSIN Help Desk or toll free at (866) 430-0162.
Please take the time and fill out the NPPD Customer Feedback Survey located on the last page of the product. Please direct any additional comments you were unable to address regarding the newly posted product to OCIA
The 2017 Wildland Fires and Potential Impacts to Critical Infrastructure Report is wholly UNCLASSIFIED and is approved for the widest dissemination.
2017 Wildland Fires and Potential Impacts to Critical Infrastructure Report can be accessed via the OCIA HSIN-CI page by clicking the following link:
This and other OCIA products are visible at the following websites:
Please include feedback and suggestions using the NPPD Feedback Survey located as a second attachment compared to its usual location on the last page of the product.