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by Al Golub

Motor Fire Near Yosemite Entrance, August 25, 2011

 

Last Thursday I was working on a blog about my first season photographing the NFL, when I got an email from my friend Wes Schultz.  Wes sent me a URL from Wildlanfire.com that said there was a fire near El Portal and they were requesting recourses.  I could see a big column of smoke from my balcony.  So, I started getting my camera equipment ready and pulled all of my fire gear together.  They named the fire the Motor Fire because a motor home caught fire on highway 140 starting fires on both sides of the Merced River.

Before I left the house about 3:30 pm, I photographed this column of smoke.  We are looking east from my house.  The smoke blocks the view of Yosemite National Park.

After driving nearly 60 miles I was on Highway 140 close to the fire.  With my 400mm and a 1.4 extender, I could photograph the Helicopters dropping water directly on the fire.  If you have been there before, it is between Savages Trading Post and the Cedar Lodge.

I continued up river where I found helicopter 404 from the Columbia Helitack base scooping water out of the Merced River.

404 has a new paint job because CDF, California Department of Forestry is now called Cal Fire.

The Cal Fire helicopter pilots are amazing.

Cal Fire 404 put water down in drainage to slow progress of the fire.

On the way out to make deadline, I could see the fire had reached Trumbull Peak.  That gave me an idea where the fire was going.  The next day I planed to got to Trumbull Peak from the old Coulterville to Yosemite stagecoach toll road.  This would be my last change to photograph the fire because Saturday and Sunday I was covering NFL football game.

I got a late start but I could see there was still smoke rising.  To say the road was a little rougher that I remember is an understatement.  My new rattle loose and I have to use Duck-Tape of keep it from falling off.  I had to ride up on the bank of the road along with a little brush smashing.  My Truck has the scars to prove it made the trip.  The next day the Forest Service closed the road for safety reasons.  By the time I got to just below the Peak, I met the Fulton Hot Shots come down the road.  The fire came up over the Trumbull Peak Lookout and they decided to fall back to where I took this image of the Motor fire jumping the Peak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Al Golub

2008 Telegraph Fire Near Yosemite National Park

Recently, I became a volunteer for Cal Fire.  With my friend Wes Schultz, I will be photographing wildland fires this season.  The last big wildland fire I photographed was the Telegraph Fire in 2008.  Lucky for me there wasn’t much hiking involved because both of my knees were bone on bone.  In May 2009, I had bilateral total knee replacements, so I am ready to go again.

Friday, July 25, 2008, some guys were target shooting and their bullets hit rocks that sparked a fire.  The Telegraph Fire started at 3:15 p.m. near Telegraph and Sherlock roads in the Midpines area.  By 7:00 p.m. that night, my neighbors and I were photographing the first big flames ripping up Telegraph Hill.  I spent seven days photographing the fire working for Getty, Polaris and Associated Press.  I posted most of my images to Photoshelter.  Here are some of the images that tell the story.

July 30, 2008

A Cal Fire bomber drops retardant on Division L at the leading edge of the fire. Division L was threatening Greeley Hill.

July 28, 2008

Horses on Jenkins Ranch off Bull Creek Road are oblivious to a smoke plume from a blow up at Branch Three of the fire.  This part of the fire is on the north side of the Merced River and is heading toward the community of Greeley Hill.

July 28, 2008

Helicopter drops water on a spot fire off Bull Creek Road.

July 26, 2008

On the second day of the fire, a DC-10 tanker drops retardant on Mt. Bullion ridge to protect cell phone towers.  I photographed this image from Highway 49 between Mt. Bullion and Bear Valley.

July 28, 2008

Branch Two of the fire throws a plume of smoke and ash into the sky over the Merced River Canyon near sundown.

July 29, 2008

Guide plane leads retardant bomber on Division M in an attempt to slow down the progression of the fire up Halls Gulch toward the Greeley Hill community.

July 30, 2008

Day begins as a California Department of Corrections fire crew heads out to cut fire line on Division L.

July 28, 2008

Fire rips up a hill in part of Division M on Branch Three.  This part of the fire is on the north side of the Merced River and was heading toward the community of Greeley Hill.

July 30, 2008

Erickson Sky Crane drops water on the leading edge of the Telegraph Fire.

July 30, 2008

Captain Roy Johns of the Union City, California Fire Department watches burn-out on Division N.  When the fire gets too hot, he will have his firefighters use hoses to cool down the fire. Division N was in the northeast portion of the fire in the Stanislaus National Forest.

July 30, 2008

Kern County Hot Shot fire crew returns after a shift of cutting fire line on Division L.

July 30, 2008

Union City firefighters use hose on trees at Division N to cool down fire during burn-out.

July 29, 2008

A Kern County fire truck moves along the firebreak as things heat up in Division M of Branch Three.  In the background, a fire blows up near Halls Gulch and Bull Creek Road.

San Bernardino firefighter takes a moment to get information at Division L on the leading edge of the fire.

July 26, 2008

Standing on Highway 49 between Mt. Bullion and Bear Valley, I use my 10mm lens to capture smoke rising over Mount Bullion and Fremont Ridge.

July 29, 2008

Cal Fire firefighters watch blow-up at Division M of Branch Three as the fire bumps over the line.

July 31, 2008

Bomber drops retardant to pre-treat a hot spot near Bull Creek Road on Division M.

July 30, 2008

California Department of Corrections fire crew takes lunch after cutting fire line on Division L.

 

 

by Al Golub

California National Guard training with Cal Fire

April 16, 2011: Recently I became a Cal Fire Volunteer and was fortunate to be invited to photograph a joint Cal Fire, Army, and Air Guard training at the Cal Fire Academy near Ione, California. I want to give a big thanks to Wes Schultz, a photographer, retired firefighter, and fellow Cal Fire Volunteer, for helping to make this opportunity possible. The training centered around Guard helicopters practicing water drops for the upcoming fire season under Cal Fire direction. The most exciting part of the day for me was my first flight in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. I got to ride in the gunner’s seat on the right side. Wow, what fun! First, we chased a CH-47 Chinook around. The following image is of the Chinook making a drop with Lake Pardee in the background. If you would like to see more photographs just click here to go to my Photoshelter gallery.

Being able to hover near this UH-60 Black Hawk while they dip the bucket in the lake made an interesting image.  The wave effect and the rainbow were cool.  During the fire season you just don’t get this close.  Safety comes first during active missions so even if you have a helicopter you need to steer clear of the drop zone.

While we were hovering to make our images, I photographed this army sergeant watching the activities.  He was sitting in the big seat in the back so Wes and I could use the gunner’s seat to photograph from.

I’m also excitedly awaiting the next issue of Grizzly News Magazine, a monthly publication of the California National Guard, which will publish some of these images.  I’ll be sure to share the final product as soon as it comes out.