Week 14: How to Report an Ignition

Over the last several weeks, we focused on how to react to a wildfire evacuation alert. But do you know what to do when you’re the one who first identifies an ignition that could potentially result in a wildfire?

As RS Fire Nerd, you probably assume I spend a lot of time thinking about wildfires and emergency situations. And you’re totally right. So, it should come as no surprise that I had fire on my brain while on a recent vacation. It started while driving past Cleveland, OH on the way to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) and I saw a two-alarm industrial fire (later upgraded to a four-alarm fire).

Then, shortly after entering the CVNP boundary, I spotted flames where a tree branch had fallen onto a power line and was continuing to burn. The closest building, the Canal Exploration Center, was closed for the day. Who should I call?
 
I started with what seemed like the most appropriate contact number I could find for the park. However, when my call went to voicemail, I dialed 911. I shared the coordinates from Apple Maps with the dispatcher and waited until fire apparatus arrived. (Shout-out to the Valley View Fire Department for their very fast response!)

By the time the engine arrived, the branch had burned and smoldered to the point that it fell from the power line and onto the ground (fortunately to a part of the road that was paved and had little vegetation). I’ll admit to feeling a bit embarrassed by that point – did I waste the dispatchers’ and firefighters’ time and resources by reporting an incident that resolved itself? The weather was hot and windy and, although very humid, all I could think about was the many stories where a single spark led to a massive fire. I erred on the side of caution, followed my instincts, and am glad that I made the call.

The Pacific Crest Trail Association writes that “Calling 911 is appropriate. Call 911 in an emergency or if there is a significant fire that you suspect hasn’t been reported yet. In less severe situations, you can also call the local county sheriff. And call the local Forest Service or National Park Service office.”

Fortunately, CVNP doesn’t boast much history in terms of frequent or large wildfires. In fact, the most famous fire associated with the park was the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire, which burned because of industrial pollution in the water (as opposed to dry or overgrown vegetation fuel sources). The river had burned more than ten times over the century prior to the remembered event of 1969. If you would like to learn more, here are a couple articles to get you started:

• NPS: The 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire. Link: http://nps.gov/articles/story-of-the-fire.htm
• NPS: Carl B. Stokes and the 1969 River Fire. Link: https://www.nps.gov/articles/carl-stokes-and-the-river-fire.htm
• National Park Explorer (2025): The river that burned celebrates 50 years as Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Link: https://natlpark.com/2025/06/river-burned-cuyahoga-valley-national-park/

 
Have you ever been the one to spot a fire? What did you do? Who did you call? Let me know in the Comments.
 
By the way…
This week, many friends and family received tsunami watch and later the upgraded advisory alerts as a result of the magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck off of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday, July 29th. I noticed a good deal of confusion on social media about the differences between watches, advisories, and warnings, so here is a helpful graphic from the National Weather Service.

Important Disclaimer: I am not a fire preparedness professional. I am merely sharing my research, opinions, and what I find that applies to my geographic and personal situations in hopes that it will help others. Please make sure that whatever steps and advice you follow are what is best for you.

---

□️□ It’s Week 14 of the #FirePrepFriday series. We discussed how to prepare for fire and how to react to an evacuation alert, but do you know what to do if you’re the first one to identify an ignition that could potentially result in a wildfire?

[image or embed]

— Krista West, Ph.D. (@rsfirenerd.bsky.social) August 1, 2025 at 1:53 PM