Yesterday afternoon (Fri, June 3rd) I left the office for a few hours to check on the Hastings wildland forest fire burning about 10-15 miles from my home. Continued dry weather and strong winds caused the fire to advance and I sat on a hillside watching some amazing smoke columns form while an aerial assault by planes and helicopters attempted to stave off the leading edges of the blaze. The fire was 600 acres on Monday and was 6000 and growing on Friday. The power of fire moving through a forest is an amazing sight to behold. I was mesmerized between shooting frames. Updates can be found on the InciWeb site.
Aircraft attempt to suppress the Hastings wildland forest fire with retardant substance, near Murphy Dome north of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Hastings wildland forest fire advances on June 3, 2011. The fire is burning north of Chatanika river, outside Fairbanks, moving north and west due to winds. Panorama stitched from 9 vertical frames. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm f/5.6L IS.
100-400mm f/5.6L IS (100mm)
24-105mm f/4L IS (24mm)
70-200mm f/4L IS (200mm)
500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm)
500mm f/4L IS
500mm f/4L IS
500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm)
500mm f/4L IS
500mm f/4L IS
100-400mm f/5.6L IS (160mm)
100-400mm f/5.6L IS (260mm)
100-400mm f/5.6L IS (160mm)
Absolutely incredible! You’ve been adding some amazing forest fire photos to your portfolio this year…maybe it has something to do with the fact that they have been coming to you. BTW hint: mesmerized 😉
Eli,
Yes, having forest fires in your backyard is good for photo ops, but not so good for peace of mind. And thanks for the editing, corrections are always welcome : ) Spell checker is not always resourceful when posting in haste.
Carol,
Thanks for commenting.
Unbelievable images. Carol
Amazing images. The tiny planes dumping water really give a sense of scale. May I ask which lens you used for the wide angle shots?
Thanks Jon,
I updated the images with the lens info. The wider frames were taken with the 24-105mm f/4L IS.
Impressive shots…
ahhhhhhh – I am so in love with these – the 2nd one is my personal favorite… seriously unbelievable images.
Thanks Hannah,
I was hoping for a little more flame…that is, for the photo, I’d be happier if the rain douses the fire though.