Page 16 - Fire Behavior News Today

Av 1 jusw >> have you ever seen a fire move this fast? >> me, no. i really havent. ive been fighting fire a long time. this kind of fire behavior is unprecedented. >> reporter: that unprecedented behavior is why more than 2800 people are evacuated. here on the fires front lines, these flames are burning through a layer of three to four inches of these very dry pine needles and branches. when the wind kicks up, it can make this fire unstoppable. clayton sandell, abc news, near georgetown, califrn...

They would like to see the technology get out there as quickly as possible. unfortunately predict fire behavior is lengthy process. they say theyre still several years out. but the firefighters right now out in the field, they do have models that can predict fire behavior. the models are not nearly as accurate as technology we showed you, eric. eric: hopefully they can learn something. very good demonstration. thank you so much. >> reporter: you bet. patti ann: still ahead, russia apparently not...

Front, and, therefore, once it gets going, it could move very, very rapidly. >> they called what they saw the trench effect. but it was merely a theory using untested computer simulations, and it was inconsistent with typical fire behavior. >> if you have a fire burning in the open, on a flat surface, the fire feeds itself with air by drawing it in from the outside. its created by the dynamics of the flame itself. the buoyant gases rise, creating slight pressure differences, which draw air in at...

Living things on earth and teams have been assigned just to them. >> im from virginia. so the fuel types here are different. this is definitely dry. some pretty extreme fire behavior we are encountering here. >> reporter: more teams are inside the park to protect the area around the massive hetch-hetchy reservoir. we saw firsthand, fire is close to the area that applies 85% of san franciscos water. cause enough for the government there to declare a state of emergency and put public utility crews...

Beau is expected to be releaseed from the hospital today. he underwent a successful medical procedure at a cancer center in houston. he was hospitalized after becoming weak and disoriented. its not clear what the proce procedure was. the vice president says shes in great shape. fire crews against a massive wildfire burning near californias yosemite national park. its scorched 16,000 acres. 700 firefighters are involved. its 5% contained. thousands of people evacuated. lets get a check of the n...

Idaho where an aerial assault appears to be helping slow the massive beaver creek fire. 1100 people still evacuated. about 50 miles away the little queens fire has led authorities to call for the evacuation of the mountain town of atlanta, idaho. many residents arent leaving. they want to fight the fire. the fire has grown to 7,000 acres. its not under control at all. >> indira petersons is tracking it for us. for that little queens fire, 70% said theyre going to stay and fight that fire. thats ...

>> the erratic conditions out here and the erratic fire behavior. >> reporter: unpredictable conditions, crews in the air and along the front line around the clock. jay gray, nbc news, haley, idaho. theres another fight brewing across the country. some congressional republicans are trying to ramp up national support to defund obamacare. there are town halls in at least nine states. melissa is live in washington with more. good morning. >> good morning to you, mara. nice to see you. nine cities...

Shots lost their lives last month. where a fast-moving fire overtook the firefighters as they scrambled to get inside protective gear. abcs brandi hitt was there. >> reporter: this is our first look at the scene where 19 brave firefighters lost their lives. an american flag now blows over the charred site, fellow fighters call hallowed ground. >> just heartbroken about losing 19 adopted sons. such extreme fire behavior that nobody expected what would occur. >> reporter: the elite squad, known as...

Conditions. the fire behavior youre seeing right now is something we would be seeing in august or september. >> reporter: in mountain center, california, firefighters are battling flames that broke out two days ago. >> lived here for 30 years and built my home with my own hands. uninsured, paid for. everything i own in the world is gone. >> reporter: these days fire season is a full two months longer than it was two years 30 years ago. in california alone there have already been 1,000 more fires...

Career. the fire behavior is what i would classify extreme.