Chips Fire - Aerial 40,000' MSL

Updated August 28, 7:00AM-PDT

Huge smoke plume from Chips Fire, Plumas County, CA
The dark spec in the center of the frame is a commercial airliner at cruise altitude suggesting the cloud topped out higher than 25,000' MSL.
Image taken Aug 2, 2012, about 5:00 PM-PDT

Smoke drifting towards the northeast from the Chips Fire
The fire is burning off the lower left of the frame and was not in view on the side of the aircraft where I was seated.
Image taken August 23, 2012, about 8:00 PM-PDT

Latest Incident information [Inciweb]


Notice: Firefighters have made significant progress battling the Chips Fire as can be seen in the latest MODIS imagery (below). Interest in this blog post has waned. As a result, it will be updated less frequently and the incident information will be accessible through the Inciweb link above, but will no longer be replicated here.

This fire is by no means out, and still represents an extreme hazard in the region. If it resumes its rapid growth and/or interest in this post increases, updates may also resume.

NASA MODIS images

Annotated image of fires burning in the vicinity of the Chips Fire
Barry Point, Fort Complex, Holloway, Reading, Hanson, and Chips fires shown
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8/27 afternoon pass
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8/27 morning pass
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8/23 pass
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8/22 pass
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8/21 pass
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8/20 pass
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8/19 pass
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8/18 - afternoon pass
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8/18 morning pass
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8/15 pass
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8/14 pass
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8/13 pass
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8/11 afternoon pass
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8/11 morning pass
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Shrinking plumes as firefighters work to get the blaze under control
Image 8/9 19:15 UTC /  11:15 PDT
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Smoke plumes over Northern California and Nevada
Image 8/7 21:05 UTC /  13:05 PDT
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Mt. Wilson Surrounded by "Station" Fire (with MODIS satellite image links)

Clean-up burn-off activity from another camera angle 9/11-14.


Clean-up burn-off activity 9/10-11.


A short clean-up burn running from about 9/9/09 18:50 to 9/10/09 02:50.


(updated) The Towercam is back and pointing toward the Hooker Telescope dome. Here's a time lapse from Sep 4 through morning Sep 9. This may be the final installment, as the active sections of the fire are now quite distant from the Observatory. I'll continue to collect images for a while though in case something interesting does happen.


This short time-lapse video was assembled from images captured from the UCLA Towercam atop the solar observatory tower at the Mt. Wilson observatory. It ends when the Towercam dropped offline as a result of fire damage to a communication conduit. The camera has since returned to service.

This is likely to be the final update to this segment as the camera has ceased updating. Speculation is that the fire has burned the telecom facilities that provide internet connectivity to the Observatory. The good news is that the fires in question are backfires set by firefighters. There is reason for cautious optimism that the Observatory will survive this ordeal.

Incident Information [Inciweb]

"Station Fire" Information [City of La Cañada Flintridge]
Observatory Status [Mt. Wilson Observatory]
UCLA Towercam

MODIS Satellite Imagery
9/02 20:55 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
9/01 18:30 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/31 21:05 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/30 18:45 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]
8/29 21:20 UTC Satellite image [MODIS]

Driving up Angeles Crest Highway in the aftermath of the fire

The roads are closed and an eerie calm pervades the scene. Brush and trees are blackened or just completely gone. Wooden road signs and the posts that once held roadside guard rails are in places completely gone, leaving the metal rail just sitting on the ground. This post-apocalyptic scene continues for miles and miles of road. I did not shoot this video and have not yet seen this place for myself but when it is accessible, I will have to head up there and capture my own photographs.


At the height of the blaze.

Southern California Firestorm: Ground Truth

Beginning on October 21, fierce winds fanned the flames of at least 11 large fires in Southern California. After a long dry spell there was plenty of fuel for the fires to consume. As of this posting, the winds continue to blow and the flames continue to spread, threatening many residential areas. As of this writing, some homes have already been lost but many more are in danger.

Incident information

NASA MODIS/EOS Satellite Imagery


Smoke billows from the Castaic fire; the sun filters through.


A wide view over the lake.


A closer view.


Smoke starting to fill valleys and canyons in the Santa Clarita area.


Smoke from the Agua Dulce fire seen from highway 14 looking across Vasquez Rocks County Park.


The view from the slanted rocks in the previous image.


Amidst the chaos, a tranquil scene.


Down the road, flames can be seen on the hillside.


A little closer, it becomes apparent just how huge this one fire is. And how close to neighborhoods.


Helicopters of various descriptions work to protect homes and fight the fire.


A Sikorsky Sky Crane rigged with water dropping tank.


Closer up under a tank-equipped chopper.


Off to the fire they go.


The winds are blowing so strongly that it's difficult to stand; harder still to hold the camera steady. Even on a tripod or braced against a log fencepost, with image stabilization at 1600 ISO, it's hard not to get some image blur. The effect of these gusts on the fire is at once amazing and frightening.