Latest news with #UniversityofUtah
2 hours ago
- Climate
'Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate
SALT LAKE CITY -- Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a 'megafire' on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they're spurring the formation of 'fire clouds' that can create their own erratic weather systems. In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 square miles (424.7 square kilometers) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental U.S. Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) since July 13 and is 11% contained, officials said Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah. Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes super-heated and rises in a large smoke column. The billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and look like a dark spear jutting into the atmosphere. Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting out in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, said fire team information officer Jess Clark. 'If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,' Jennings said. Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety. The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds,' recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles (196 kilometers) per hour. 'Think of the fire as kind of like a hot air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. 'You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.' The Dragon Bravo Fire burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was sparked by lightning on July 4. It was about a week later that conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather helping to push the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the national park's North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand. Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour (54.7 kilometers per hour). The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25000 feet (7620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher. The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo Fire, and although they've been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety. Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burnt 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and southwest Utah this week. In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week. The power company Garkane Energy Cooperative said it's working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators. Marnie King Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications. 'We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,' she said. In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads. The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho said Thursday that even with fewer acres having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
'Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a 'megafire' on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they're spurring the formation of 'fire clouds' that can create their own erratic weather systems. In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 square miles (424.7 square kilometers) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental U.S. Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) since July 13 and is 11% contained, officials said Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah. 'Fire clouds' present challenges for firefighters Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes super-heated and rises in a large smoke column. The billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and can look like an anvil or a dark spear jutting into the atmosphere. Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting out in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, said fire team information officer Jess Clark. 'If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,' Jennings said. Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety, officials said. The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds,' recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles (196 kilometers) per hour. 'Think of the fire as kind of like a hot air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. 'You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.' These clouds, he said, may appear more frequently as climate change causes a longer fire season, drought conditions and extreme weather events. Dry conditions fuel Grand Canyon 'megafire' The Dragon Bravo Fire burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was sparked by lightning on July 4. It was about a week later that conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather helping to push the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the national park's North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand. Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour (54.7 kilometers per hour). The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25000 feet (7620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher. The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo Fire, and although they've been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety. Fire prompts power outages in Utah Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burnt 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and southwest Utah this week. In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week. The power company Garkane Energy Cooperative said it's working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators. Marnie Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications. 'We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,' she said. In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads. The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho said Thursday that even with fewer acres having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames. Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a 'megafire' on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they're spurring the formation of 'fire clouds' that can create their own erratic weather systems. In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 square miles (424.7 square kilometers) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental U.S. Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) since July 13 and is 11% contained, officials said Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah. 'Fire clouds' present challenges for firefighters Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes super-heated and rises in a large smoke column. The billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and look like a dark spear jutting into the atmosphere. Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting out in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, said fire team information officer Jess Clark. 'If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,' Jennings said. Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety. The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds,' recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles (196 kilometers) per hour. 'Think of the fire as kind of like a hot air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result,' said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. 'You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.' Dry conditions fuel Grand Canyon 'megafire' The Dragon Bravo Fire burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was sparked by lightning on July 4. It was about a week later that conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather helping to push the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the national park's North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand. Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour (54.7 kilometers per hour). The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25000 feet (7620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher. The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo Fire, and although they've been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety. Fire prompts power outages in Utah Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burnt 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and southwest Utah this week. In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week. The power company Garkane Energy Cooperative said it's working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators. Marnie King Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications. 'We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,' she said. In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads. The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho said Thursday that even with fewer acres having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames. ___ Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a 'megafire' on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they're spurring the formation of 'fire clouds' that can create their own erratic weather systems. In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 square miles (424.7 square kilometers) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental U.S. Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) since July 13 and is 11% contained, officials said Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah. 'Fire clouds' present challenges for firefighters Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes super-heated and rises in a large smoke column. The billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and look like a dark spear jutting into the atmosphere. Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting out in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, said fire team information officer Jess Clark. 'If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,' Jennings said. Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety. The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds,' recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles (196 kilometers) per hour. 'Think of the fire as kind of like a hot air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result,' said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. 'You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.' Dry conditions fuel Grand Canyon 'megafire' The Dragon Bravo Fire burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was sparked by lightning on July 4. It was about a week later that conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather helping to push the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the national park's North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand. Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour (54.7 kilometers per hour). The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25000 feet (7620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher. The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo Fire, and although they've been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety. Fire prompts power outages in Utah Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burnt 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and southwest Utah this week. In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week. The power company Garkane Energy Cooperative said it's working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators. Marnie King Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications. 'We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,' she said. In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads. The National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho said Thursday that even with fewer acres having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames. ___ Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
Sheriff's deputies are disciplined in traffic stop that led to student's ICE detention
Five sheriff's deputies from Colorado are being disciplined after a college student spent two weeks in a federal immigration detention center last month after a routine traffic stop. An administrative review concluded that Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck shared information on a Signal group chat that included federal immigration agents after he had pulled over Caroline Dias-Goncalves, 19, a student at the University of Utah, Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said in a statement Wednesday. The agents then used that information to track Dias-Goncalves down and arrest her. She was taken to a detention facility in Aurora, where she was held for 15 days before being released on bond. "The Mesa County Sheriff's Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves's detention," Rowell said. Colorado law restricts coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. It prohibits state and local law enforcement from providing information about a person's immigration status to federal officials or disclosing personal identifying information to immigration authorities. "I regret that this occurred. I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves," Rowell said. Zwinck pulled Dias-Goncalves over while she was driving on Interstate 70 outside Loma on June 5. Zwinck claimed Dias-Goncalves was driving too close to a semi-truck. The traffic stop lasted about 20 minutes and Zwinck released Dias-Goncalves with a warning. Shortly after she exited the highway, federal immigration agents stopped her, arrested her and took her to the Aurora detention facility, where she was held until June 20. Born in Brazil and raised in Utah since she was 7, Dias-Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million people living in the United States known as 'Dreamers,' young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Dias-Goncalves arrived on a visa that expired over a decade ago and has a pending asylum case. In interviews conducted as part of the review, Zwinck claimed he did not know he was violating any laws or policies when he shared Dias-Goncalves' information and location with federal authorities in a group chat meant to discuss drug crackdown efforts. According to the review's findings, Zwinck was involved in at least four other incidents last month in which the information he shared on the group chat following his traffic stops led to federal immigration enforcement actions. Zwinck also told investigators that he had received and read two department-wide emails from the sheriff's office last year and in January, both outlining how deputies should interact with immigration authorities. The review concluded there was 'a preponderance of evidence' showing that Zwinck as well as Sheriff's Deputy Erik Olson, who was on the group chat, and their supervisor, Sgt. Joe LeMoine, 'acted outside of agency policy.' Zwinck was placed on unpaid administrative leave for three weeks and Olson for two. Both will be reassigned to patrol. LeMoine was suspended without pay for two days. Lt. David Holdren, LeMoine's supervisor, received a letter of reprimand and Holdren's supervisor, Capt. Curtis Brammer, was provided documented counseling. Earlier this month, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a lawsuit against Zwinck, alleging that he had violated Colorado laws limiting cooperation between local and federal immigration authorities. Rowell said the lawsuit "sends a demoralizing message to law enforcement officers across Colorado" and urged Weiser to "apply the law equally to all law enforcement and government officials instead of making Deputy Zwinck an example."
