Today’s Lookout Livestream looks at economic, institutional, and physical constraints to California’s timber industry becoming more wildfire resilient. Topics include: The role of private timberland owners, the impact of climate change, long-term supply challenges for logs and woodchips, need for fire in dry forest ecosystems, and the challenges of prescribed fire implementation. The conversation … Read more
The Garnet Fire continues to gobble acres, but the weather is cooling down a bit, and shortly, the fire will run out of mountains to run to the top of. Tonight’s Lookout Livestream tracks today’s developments on the fire. We also talk about the Blue and Dillon Fires, and how tactics that look easy on … Read more
The Garnet Fire has gobbled about 20 square miles in the past 12 hours. We’ll catch you up on where this new growth is happening. Below, we also have the second half of this livestream, which is focused more on forestry. We split them up so the good forestry info wouldn’t get burned in the … Read more
We’ve been reporting on how the Garnet Fire, burning on the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, has been spreading into a large area of old-growth forest in the Teakettle Experimental Forest. The Climate & Wildfire Institute, a think tank with connections to UCLA, got about $5.4 million from the California Climate Investments (CCI) fund … Read more
Though our semi-daily Lookout Livestreams usually are focused on current developments on active fires, we end up covering a lot of broader wildland firefighting, forestry, and prescribed fire topics. This episode uses the ongoing Garnet and Dillon Fires to illustrate indirect attack tactics – the practice of preparing firelines well in advance of the fire’s … Read more
Zeke Lunder provided a detailed update on the Garnet Fire, noting its progression and the potential for it to be contained. He discussed the impact of recent rains and the fire’s activity near the Tea Kettle Experimental Forest, where a carbon-focused forestry project just got nuked. Lunder also covered other fires in California, including the … Read more
We’ve been reporting on how the Garnet Fire, burning on the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno, has been spreading into a large area of old-growth forest in the Teakettle Experimental Forest. The Climate & Wildfire Institute, a think tank with connections to UCLA, got about $5.4 million from the California Climate Investments (CCI) fund … Read more
If you’re interested in how wildfires affect the ecology of a place, and in how we can manage post-burn landscapes in anticipation of future fires, here is an interview with Jamie Allen, a biologist working in Seiad Valley, in the Klamath Mountains. We talk about how the 2014 Happy Camp Complex Fires are affecting the … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Root Fire, which was taken off Mount Shasta, and its potential impact on the surrounding area. The fire, started in a clear-cut on private land, is expected to spread north towards Lake Siskiyou, driven by unstable weather conditions and strong winds. The area hasn’t had fire for over 100 years, leading … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Garnet and Blue fires, noting the Garnet fire’s active status and the Blue fire’s recent growth to 1,000 acres. He highlighted the challenges of managing fires in the northern Sierra due to strong east winds and the impact on old-growth forests. Zeke mentioned the upcoming interview with Jamie Allen, a biologist … Read more
Zeke Lunder discussed the Garnet Fire, which started near the Kings River and spread into the Sierra Nevada, highlighting its rapid growth and the challenges of suppressing it. He also covered the Teakettle Experimental Forest, where a planned 3,000-acre burn is being incinerated by the fire’s advancement. Lunder explained the complexities of fire behavior in … Read more
This broadcast, on August 25, 2025, discussed various wildfires across the West Coast. Michael Steinberg, a geography student, shared his field observations from the Pickett Fire in Napa County, highlighting some extreme fire behavior he observed firsthand on 8/23/2025, and the impact of 2020 fire severity on current fuel loading. The Garnet Fire in Fresno, … Read more
Zeke Lunder discusses the Flat Fire in Oregon, highlighting its geographical similarities to Westwood, California, and its impact on urban areas like Bend and Sisters. The fire, influenced by strong winds and dry conditions, posed a threat to homes but showed minimal growth from 9:30 PM on 8/23/2025 thru noon today, 8/24/2025. Lunder emphasizes the … Read more
8pm map update: The fire ran up out of Swartz Canyon and over the flank of Sugarloaf Mountain this evening. Also, it grew into areas which have not burned in recent memory south of Aetna Springs. 2020 fire scars in blue. 2020 Glass Fire dozer lines in black. The fire has been slowly waking up, … Read more
The Pickett Fire started around 3:20pm just north of Calistoga, California, in Napa County. It promptly made a slope-driven run to the top of the ridge, and over, between Browns Hill and High Point. It was about 1,200 acres by 6pm. The Lookout Livestream looks at webcams of the fire’s growth, and talks about the … Read more
We did a 3-hour livestream today covering fresh intel for the emerging Coyote Fire, in Southern El Dorado County. The fire started around 3pm. Fire location at 10:30 pm, 8/20/2025: The Coyote Fire, located in El Dorado County, started within the last hour and is burning in a remote area with significant structures nearby. The … Read more
We are adopting a bit more freewheeling format for the Lookout Livestream as we enter peak fire season in California. In this report, Zeke Lunder discussed the Gifford fire, noting its 100,000-acre size and recent growth of 4-6 miles per day. He highlighted the impact of the marine layer on fire behavior and the potential … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder provided a midday update on the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon fires, using satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2. The Dragon Bravo fire, active on the western flank, has seen significant firefighting efforts, including drone-assisted ignitions. The fire has advanced a mile and a half in 12 hours and is … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder discussed the Dragon Bravo and Monroe Canyon fires. Dragon Bravo, burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, has destroyed the visitor center and is spreading rapidly, with minimal firefighting success. The fire is expected to reach the Kaibab Lodge, with efforts to slow its progression using drones and strategic firing … Read more
Today’s Lookout Livestream discusses the Dragon Bravo Fire, on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Northern Arizona, and the Monroe Canyon Fires, in Central Utah. Both are currently being influences by very dry conditions, and strong SW winds. Under the current conditions, the fires are largely uncontrollable, with most firefighting progress being made … Read more
Zeke Lunder provided an update on the Dragon Bravo fire, which has been active for nearly a month and is now 8,000 acres. The fire has destroyed over 70 structures and is moving northeast under prevailing southwesterly winds. Firefighters have conducted firing operations to manage the fire’s intensity but face challenges due to extreme dryness … Read more
This video shares video, maps, and photos collected in the year since the Park Fire burned over 400,000 acres in Northern California, north of Chico, California. The audio for this episode was recorded on 7/31/2024, during an interview for the Blue Dot Report, a week into the fire. The Blue Dot Report is a science … Read more
UPDATE – Morning of 7/25/2025 The fire is now well-established in the Saddle Mountain Wilderness. It has not breached the 7/21-7/22 firing operations along the northern boundary of the Park into the Kaibab NF, though it has potential to sneak out of the wilderness back onto the Kaibab from the SE. The fire grew in … Read more
Introduction to Today’s Video Wildfire ‘severity’ describes the ecological effects of a fire. At a landscape-scale, severity is measured using satellite imagery. This process uses images of the vegetation from before and after the fire to create colored maps which show how much plant life is still alive after the fire. In this episode, we … Read more
Today’s Lookout Livestream We look at the potential for continued spread of the Green Fire, north of Shasta Lake, the Summit Fire, in the Marble Mountain Wilderness, near the town of Etna, California, and the Butler Fire, east of Somes Bar, on the Salmon River. Also, we take a first look at the Dragon Bavo … Read more
Our 7/6/2025 NorCal Fire Report provided a detailed update on the Green Fire, Butler Fire, and Summit Fires in Northern California. This episode was sponsored by QTAC, WATERAX Pumps, and FyreBx. The Green Fire, located north of Redding, has grown from 96 acres on July 3 to 1,100 acres by July 6, doubling in size … Read more
{AI summary, edited lightly by Zeke} Zeke Lunder provides a detailed update on the Madre Fire in Northern California, which has grown to over 72,000 acres. Using satellite imagery and infrared data, he maps the fire’s progress, noting minimal growth between 11 AM and noon. The fire is most active near Caliente Mountain and has … Read more
Summary Zeke Lunder discusses California’s complex water management system, using GIS data and live mapping to visualize water supply, demand, and delivery systems. He explains that 75-80% of California’s water originates north of Sacramento, with 40% of annual flows used for agriculture and 10% for urban and industrial uses. Key rivers include the Klamath, Sacramento, … Read more
Successful Firing Operation at the Park Fire: A Case Study Satellite imagery by Zeke Lunder Written by Ryan Stephens In late July, we took a trip up Highway 32 to observe the aftermath of a firing operation conducted to control the spread of the Park Fire. This operation was a critical measure to mitigate the … Read more
Here’s today’s Park Fire intel summary for August 5, 2024. Things really went to hell today on the Mill Creek portions of the Park Fire. It blew up around noon, and a huge column remained over the fire for almost eight hours. As of 10:30 pm, it appears the fire has pushed as far east … Read more