Three weeks into fighting the flames, a National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) has taken over managing the Jenkins Creek Fire.

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With the Jenkins Creek Fire remaining at 16,091 acres and 94% contained, Incident Commander Zach Kellerman says drone technology has been an asset to located potential hot spots.

“We’re using infrared technology via drones or an infrared flight at nighttime to detect those heat signatures. Those are giving us a GPS location. We’re able to type those in, send crews directly to them and validate them and see if those heat is verified or not and if they are extinguishing them.,” said Kellerman.

The areas detected through infrared technology are then returned to a day later to ensure they are fully extinguished.

“Making sure that we are being very diligent and safe, diffusing a very risk-based strategy to make sure that everybody’s safe,” said Kellerman.

Kellerman added that the warm, dry weather brings hidden hot spots to their attention, allowing crews to go in and extinguish them before they grow.

“Then we’re putting those out, making sure that we’re keeping the community safe,” said Kellerman.

NIMO Fire Behavior Specialist Jason Loomis explained that there’s more to current weather conditions than just warm and dry temperatures.

“We really look at the hot temperatures and the dry humidity, but also the wind. And the wind is providing the oxygen that would typically contribute to the spread of the fire, and we haven’t seen that,” said Loomis.

Loomis added the reason the fire has not spread is because of the crews actively working on the fire.

Even with rain in the forecast, there is still lots of work to be done before the Jenkins Creek Fire is fully contained.

“These heat sources sit in this fuel type here. They can be very small. And as the fuels and the swamps continue to dry out, those heat signatures can grow, get up into the wind, and they can run again. So definitely working very diligently and safely to continue containment,” said Kellerman.

With less than average rainfall for this time of year, Kellerman says remaining diligent when starting a fire or using any type of ignition can keep their focus on the fires already burning – not new ones.

“So even as we continue to extinguish these fires, more fires can make that more difficult. They can drain the local resources,” said Kellerman.

WDIO has teamed up with United Way to help raise money for victims of wildfires. More information can be found here.