This week, a fire broke out near the border with Northern California. It was quickly and quietly labeled as Bogus Fire.
That may not have been the best name, since it was so dangerous that people had to be evacuated and the fire is still spreading over more than 400 acres. However, it started on Little Bogus Creek Road.
Naming wildfires has been a way to improve communication, move resources, and keep the public informed for many years. Just in California, there are a lot of different kinds of flames going on: The fire at the cow. The Royal fire. The Pay fire. The French start to fire.
For people who aren’t familiar with the area, they look random or fun, but they hide a boring truth. In other words, fire names usually use a literal and dull connection to a place.
The 2018 Carr fire was named for Carr Powerhouse Road. The 2017 Nuns fire happened after Nuns Canyon Road. The Witch fire in 2007 for Witch Creek.
The names are made up in an instant, generally from the first idea that the first firefighter on the scene or the person taking the call says. People who christen fires are told to keep it tied to a nearby site. Roads, mountains, and streams are busy places where people can find inspiration. Some names, like “Mountain fire,” “Lake fire,” and “Creek fire,” sound like they were made up for no reason.
David Acuna, a company chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said that sometimes it’s best to keep things simple. He was recently in charge of giving a fire near Domengine Ranch in Fresno County a name.
“Think about how hard it would be if the incident commander and other people were saying ‘Domengine, Domengine, Domengine‘ on the radio,” he said.
Instead, Mr. Acuna gave it the Dom fire. And he said that when lightning recently started three fires in the area, officials were careful not to put them on at the same time. There were new fires called Bolt, Flash, and Strike.
When hurricanes and tropical storms are named, they are taken from lists kept up to date by the World Meteorological Organization. This method is much less planned. Alberto and Beryl have come a long way this year. Francine, Kirk, and Milton are waiting for the future.
But there are a lot more wildfires than storms. Each year, tens of thousands need names, but the responding agencies decide what to call them.
The National Interagency Fire Center, a government body that coordinates fire departments across the country, does set rules, though.
A name should be short and useful. Do not use the name of a person, a business, or a private item. You can use one from a previous fire as long as it wasn’t too bad. It has to be at least two numbers and letters, but not more than 55. The words “dead man” or something similar should not be in it. Also, don’t use slang, be polite, and make it professional.
Yes, some names don’t make sense, even to people who live there. There wasn’t a major landmark in Idaho in 2015, and the season was getting old. This caused the Not Creative fire. A fire in North Carolina on Father’s Day 2012 was called the Dad fire, which seems like an odd name for a fire.
In the same year, a Utah city was shocked to be in the news because of the Dump fire, which did start near a dump. The manager of the city of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mark Christensen, did not like the name and was told that it could not be changed. That’s not the picture or marketing we’re going for, he told a Utah newspaper at the time. (In other places, there have been Dump fires.)
Names often sound the same across the country, but names can be different in different areas. A lot of fires in New Mexico have Spanish names, like the Mesa del Medio fire and the Encerrita fire. The Longhorn fire and the Nappin Cowboy fire are both Texas-themed movies.
Wes Moorehead, fire chief for the Texas A&M Forest Service, said that crazy ideas are also welcome. “They often see a dog on its way to the fire, and that’s the Dalmatian fire,” he explained.
He heard about the Smoke Stack Lightning fire in 2022. He said, “I thought, ‘What in the world does that mean?'” He found out that the accident captain had named the fire after a famous bull because he liked bull riding.
People who try to follow the rules still have problems.
In Butte County, California, two fires started around the same time last month. One of them was on Starziak Lane. One is on Long Bar Road.
Matt McKenzie, a captain with Cal Fire for almost 26 years, said, “It got very busy very quickly because we had to start ordering planes.” Someone asked in the back of the room, ‘What do you want to call it?’ On the radio, I didn’t want anyone to say Starziak, so I just said “Star.” Someone else asked about the other fire, and someone replied, “Just call it Bar.”
The problem with the Star and Bar fires happening at the same time became clear quickly. “It wasn’t clear to us until people on the ground asked, ‘Which fire am I going to?'” What Mr. McKenzie said.
Most of the names don’t matter in the end; the fires were quickly put out and aren’t well recognized. For those that people remember, well, there’s no glory in calling something a failure.
In fact, Mr. McKenzie was the first person to arrive at the 2018 Camp fire. They called it after Camp Creek Road, but they had no idea that it would become the deadliest wildfire in California history.
Many people thought it started with a campfire because of the name, which made them think of roasted marshmallows and sing-alongs. In reality, it was caused by electricity transmission lines. Some people still call it the Paradise Camp fire because it destroyed the town of Paradise. This is bothering people in the nearby village of Concow, which was also destroyed.
Rebecca Paterson, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management’s fire program, said that when a fire grows to hundreds or thousands of acres, it can be hard to tell what a name means in terms of geography.
“There will be fire names that people will question in the future,” she said. “However, it’s simple to see things that way now.”
Here are five facts about Little Bogus Creek Road:
Location: Little Bogus Creek Road is situated in a rural or forested area. Its exact location would be near Little Bogus Creek, which is often associated with natural landscapes such as forests, hills, or mountains.
Access: The road are using likely used for local access, providing routes for local residents, visitors, & potentially firefighters or forest official.
Wildfire History: The area around Little Bogus Creek Road may be prone to wildfires, as indicated by the naming of fires such as the Little Bogus Creek Road Fire. This suggests a history of fire activity in the region.
Scenic Views: The Roads like Little Bogus Creek Road is a great scenic views of natural surroundings, including creeks, forests, and wildlife. Peoples are likes that spot for photography, birdwatching, or simply enjoying the outdoors.
Community: There may be a small community or residential area near Little Bogus Creek Road. These residents are likely familiar with the challenges and benefits of living in a rural area, including wildfire risks and natural beauty.
