I don’t usually do posts like this but it seemed fitting.  With fire season fast approaching, please make extra efforts to not start wildfires.  We don’t need to add more super-fires to an already bad 2020 year.  Australia probably hasn’t forgotten about their past summer fires.  Let’s not add to it this year with another wildfire.

This wildfire started near the top of a mountain very close to a lake.  It was found and reported quickly so it probably won’t get out of hand.  Yes it was yesterday’s fire.  Let’s not have any worse fires.

Please be responsible at your campsites and fully extinguish campfires.  Please do not be careless with fireworks or cigarettes.  Let’s have a much less eventful summer than we did spring this year.

Wildfire Part 1

You can see some of how the fire at Panguitch Lake on Saturday progressed.  I arrived on scene (distant scene) early enough to see the emergency vehicles being dispatched to the fire.  Seeing them drive by quickly answered the question of whether or not WE should call and report.  Someone already did so and they wouldn’t want their phone lines tied up with more unnecessary reporting.

Wildfire Part 2

Thanks to the proximity of Panguitch Lake (the namesake for the town), the helicopters were able to refill their hanging buckets quickly and get back to fighting the fire.  There was an unusually high volume of air traffic including no less than 2 helicopters and 3 small aircraft which I observed personally.  I saw numerous helicopter water drops but didn’t see any retardant bomber runs.  Others managed to capture some of those pictures so I know that the runs did take place.

Conclusion

Wildfire photography is such a niche area of landscape photography that I wasn’t sure I would ever have a chance at it.  I was equally unsure whether or not I wanted a chance at it as wildfires are dangerous.  There’s only one way to photograph a wildfire and that’s extreme telephoto.  Still, when the chance presented itself, and I came prepared thanks to a scouting trip elsewhere, I added wildfire photos to my portfolio.

I must say that it was an equally thrilling and horrifying opportunity.  Thankfully, the local businesses and residences of Panguitch Lake remain unharmed by the fire.  That fact is FAR more important than my wildfire photos.

While everything is still very wet and green, we’re descending into the heat of summer and fire season.  Please work together to make sure that wildfires don’t happen.  2020 has already been bad enough.