Over the years I've gotten the opportunity to work some late night shifts, and even some overnight shifts on the fireline. These are some of my favorite times to fight fire. The temperatures are lower and humidities are higher, making it much more pleasant to be working. Often the work you are doing isn't as run-and-gun as it is during the day, and you are afforded some time to step back and enjoy the show (and possibly snap some photos). I find the way a fire looks as it is burning up a hillside at night very amazing and awe inspiring. The first time I got to experience a wildfire burning at night was the 4th of July, 2006 and I remember thinking to myself, that it resembed a slow motion fireworks show that lasted for hours and hours. Since then I've worked many more night shifts. The pictures here are a collection of the best views I've had while working on a fire at night. I took the above photo one night on a fire on the Lassen National Forest in northern California. I was the lead burner during this burnout operation, which means I was the most interior person (highest up the hillside) igniting this fire. Firefighters use burnout operations to reduce the fuels between the constructed fireline and the approaching main fire. This particular burnout picked up some steam right as night was falling and as we backed off to let it do its thing, I was afforded the opportunity to snap this interesting photo.
Burnout, Lassen National Forest, California
Watching a Burnout, Lassen National Forest, California
Ponderosa Pine at night, Lassen National Forest, California
Warming fire at night, Prescott National Forest, Arizona
Burnout outside of Castle Rock, Colorado
