DOVER — Learn about beekeeping basics, beehives, honey production and more at a free Open Hive Event sponsored by the Delaware Beekeepers Association.

The free public event will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Redden State Forest, 18074 Redden Forest Drive, Georgetown, off East Redden Road and just east of U.S. 113.

There will be a full slate of speakers and demonstrations for all ages, and lunch will be served. Attendees should wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt and shoes to protect from ticks, chiggers and other pests.

For more information, contact Geri McClimens at the Delaware Department of Agriculture, 302-698-4577.

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Contact:
Dan Shortridge
Chief of Community Relations
Delaware Department of Agriculture
302-698-4520

Status Update from Payette National Forest

With the National Fire Preparedness Level hitting the maximum of 5 on a 5-point scale for the first time since 2008, a crew of 19 wildland firefighters trained by the Delaware Forest Service are on the front lines of a fire in Idaho’s Payette National Forest. U.S. Forest Service officials say the Delaware crew is now assigned to the Howard Fire, a small blaze ignited by lighting in the rugged terrain east of Riggins, Idaho and south of the Salmon River.

Information on Howard Fire

The Howard Fire is located 8 miles east of Riggins, Idaho on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land under protection of the Payette National Forest and is being managed by the Payette National Forest. It was started by lightning on August 18. The fire is currently around 200 acres but expected to grow – characterized by multiple tree torching and active surface fire spread.. Fire crews and aerial resources are focused on the north flank of the fire to provide a containment line to prevent further fire spread into Elk Horn Creek. Total personnel on the fire: 125.

 Trail closures will be in effect for Broken Leg Trail and Lava Butte Trail – both are motorized ATV trails.

 Current weather at the fire: wind –  10 mph SW; temperature – 92 degrees; humidity – 18%

Payette National Forest, U.S. Forest Service
800 West Lakeside Ave.
McCall, ID 83638

Incident Contact: Brian Harris
Phone: 208-634-6945

Contact: John Petersen, DFS Community Relations Officer
john.petersen@delaware.gov
302-698-4552 (office) 302-233-8180 (cell)

Contact: John Petersen, DFS Community Relations Officer
john.petersen@delaware.gov
302-698-4552 (office) 302-233-8180 (cell)

Delaware wildland fire crew update:

A team of Delaware volunteer firefighters who have been battling a blaze in Utah for the past week are now headed to a new assignment: the Coin Mountain Fire in the Payette National Forest near McCall, Idaho. According to Delaware state forester Michael Valenti of Dover, who is traveling with the team, Delaware’s contingent might be one of the first crews to battle the blaze, which was just reported on August 19. The crew will be traveling over 500 miles from Utah to Idaho on August 20, and then begin its first operational period on August 21.

According to a news report from www.boiseweekly.com, “Payette National Forest fire crews reported a new wildfire Aug. 19 near Coin Mountain in the Frank Church River area of No Return Wilderness. Officials said the fire will be challenging because of dry fuels down into Big Creek.”

Since it was called to duty on August 11, the team of 19 Delaware firefighters has been battling the 31,000-acre Patch Springs Fire near Terra, Utah – now listed at over 71 percent contained – due in large part to the efforts of over 350 personnel who helped bring it under control. Twenty firefighters made the trip out West; however, one Delaware firefighter returned to the First State over the past weekend due to illness.

Another blaze in the same area of Idaho – the Thunder City Fire – is estimated at over 11,800 acres in size but only 15 percent contained because the difficulty of the terrain is considered “extreme.”

Media are free to re-print photos from the Forest Service’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/delforestservice – please credit the appropriate photographer, thank you.

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Contact: Henry Poole, Assistant Forestry Administrator – Delaware Forest Service
henry.poole@delaware.gov
302-698-4548 (office)

August 16 Update:
Delaware’s crew is assigned to the Patch Springs Fire – a 14,000-acre blaze located two miles northwest of Terra, UT that is only 20 percent contained. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the blaze is characterized by active fire behavior in timber with group tree torching and long-range spotting. Structures are threatened and evacuations in effect.

The Delaware firefighters are working on Division Z, where they are assisting with burn-out operations, line prep and patrolling. There are four crews assigned to the blaze, part of almost 150 personnel assigned to the incident. Estimated containment date: August 22.

August 14 Update:

A team of 20 wildland firefighters from Delaware is battling the Patch Springs Fire  – a blaze situated about two miles northwest of Terra, Utah which has burned 10,671 acres to date since it was ignited by a lightning strike on August 10. The fire is one of 34 new fires in the Eastern Great Basin Area, which has raised its Fire Preparedness Level to the maximum level of 5 on a 5-point scale.  One fire in that region – the Pony Complex – has already torched over 143,000 acres.

The Delaware Forest Service-trained crew is part of over 150 personnel working to protect residences and other structures on the Patch Springs blaze, which is currently 15 percent contained. The crew had been scheduled to travel to another fire before they were diverted to their current assignment. Officials estimate the blaze could be contained by August 19.

National Fire News  –
http://www.nifc.gov
Situation Report –
http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf

The Patch Springs Fire has been reported on two Utah TV stations:

Click here for the FOX 13 News Report

Click here for the ABC 4 News Report

Contact: John Petersen, Delaware Forest Service Community Relations Officer
john.petersen@delaware.gov
(302) 233-8180 – cell

Click here for photo album from DES#2 – Fire crew mobilization at Blackbird State Forest on Sunday, August 11.

In response to increased fire activity in the West, the Delaware Forest Service is sending a 20-person crew of wildland firefighters to Utah.  The crew will be “pre-positioned” there before its likely assignment to a fire in the Eastern Great Basin region. This is the second crew that Delaware has dispatched this summer – the first team was sent to battle an 85,000-acre blaze near North Pole, Alaska in July.

The 20-person team departed at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 11, from Blackbird State Forest, 502 Blackbird Forest Road, Smyrna, DE, 19977. They will be boarding a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah from Harrisburg, PA on the morning of Monday, August 12.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise Idaho (http://www.nifc.gov) has increased its National Preparedness Level to 4 on a 5-point scale, in response to the fact that “36 wildfires are burning in eight western states and Alaska and nine new large fires have been reported in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.”

Wildfire Crew Members and Hometowns:

 *Crew Boss

A Preparedness Level IV is triggered under the following conditions:

• Three or more Geographic Areas are experiencing incidents requiring Type 1 and 2 IMTs.
• Competition exists between Geographic Areas.
• Nationally, 60 percent of Type 1 and 2 IMTs and crews are committed.

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