Firefighting pilot killed on Colorado's Gold Mountain Fire; record heat grips the Great Basin and northern Plains; Level 3 wildfire evacuations in Oregon, Washington, and California

A firefighting aircraft goes down on Colorado’s Gold Mountain Fire, killing the pilot, as the nation holds at Preparedness Level 4 with 44 uncontained large fires. All-time record heat blankets the Great Basin through the northern Plains, with Extreme Heat Warnings stretching into the upper Midwest and watches reaching the East Coast. Level 3 evacuations are in effect for Granite, Oregon, the Chelan area in Washington, and zones near California’s Elephant Fire, while flash flooding hits northwest North Carolina, Fort Worth, and east Tennessee, and Kilauea’s next fountaining episode is forecast for July 13 to 15. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.

Key Takeaways

• National wildfire posture: The nation holds at Preparedness Level 4 with 44 uncontained large fires, 12 new large incidents, and more than 15,000 personnel committed; year-to-date acreage is 137 percent of the 10-year average.

• Colorado aviation fatality: An aircraft working the Gold Mountain Fire went down in Silver Jack Reservoir Sunday evening and the pilot is deceased; mandatory evacuations continue on Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres, which has destroyed more than 850 structures.

• Record heat event: All-time record highs hit the Great Basin to the northern High Plains Sunday; Extreme Heat Warnings cover a dozen states from Idaho and Utah to Minnesota and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, with watches ahead of midweek heat in Southern California and the Philadelphia corridor.

• Pacific Northwest evacuations: Granite, Oregon remains under Level 3 Go Now with the Conflagration Act invoked; East Evans Creek Fire holds Level 3 zones in Jackson County; the Transfer Fire forced Level 3 evacuations in Chelan, Washington, closed US 97, and burned behind the local hospital.

• California fires and heat: Evacuation order in effect on the Elephant Fire north of Loyalton; Summit Fire evacuation warnings continue in Los Angeles County; Extreme Heat Watches posted for much of Southern California.

• Flooding east of the Rockies: Flash flooding is ongoing in northwest North Carolina and Tarrant County, Texas; flood watches cover east Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and southeast West Virginia; Missouri’s flood response continues under a state emergency declaration.

• Kilauea watch item: USGS forecasts the next lava fountaining episode between July 13 and July 15; alert level remains Advisory.

Sources

NIFC and Wildfire

• NIFC National Incident Management Situation Report (July 12): preparedness level, uncontained large fires, fire statistics

NOAA and NWS

• WPC Short Range Forecast Discussion: record heat and heavy rain pattern

• SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook: marginal severe risk areas

• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook: no development expected over seven days

• NWS Active Alerts: extreme heat, flood, flash flood, and red flag warnings by state

USGS

• USGS Volcano Updates: Kilauea paused, next fountaining episode likely July 13 to 15

CISA

• CISA Cybersecurity Advisories: no new advisories in the last 24 hours

California

• CAL FIRE Elephant Fire incident page: acreage, containment, evacuation zones

• CAL FIRE Summit Fire incident page: acreage, containment, evacuation warnings, shelter

Colorado

• Gunnison County Emergency Management: Gold Mountain Fire update, aircraft down, evacuations

• Colorado DHSEM SEOC Update July 12: Aspen Acres Fire status and evacuations

Kentucky and Missouri

• Weather.com: Louisville water rescues, Salem strandings, record Black River crest

• Missouri Governor’s Office: state of emergency for southeast Missouri flooding

Minnesota

• CBS Minnesota: dangerous heat through midweek, cooling centers open

Oregon

• KPTV: Granite ordered to evacuate, Kotek invokes Conflagration Act

• Jackson County: East Evans Creek Fire evacuation notices

• KATU: East Evans Creek Fire grows to 3,154 acres

Tennessee

• WCYB: Greene County water rescue and bridge closure

Utah

• Gephardt Daily: Cottonwood Fire 77 percent contained at 97,373 acres

• ABC4: restricted property-owner access begins on the Cottonwood Fire

Washington

• FOX 13 Seattle: Transfer Fire burns behind Lake Chelan Health hospital, US 97 closed

• KOMO: Chelan County Level 3 evacuation and emergency center