During World War Two, the Japanese used floating “balloon bombs” against American forests along the Pacific Coast, intended to start wildfires.
Now a similar concept today is being used to fight wildfires.
The estimated 9,000 balloon bombs the Japanese used during the war were large, incendiary devices that floated with the jet stream. In 1945, one killed six peoplehaving a picnic near Bly, Oregon, but most of the devices never worked to the Axis Forces’ hopes. Hundreds of the balloons ended up in 26 states, as well as Canada and Mexico.
Today, like at the Cedar Creek Fireoutside Oakridge, drones are being piloted that have small, incendiary spheres that are also intended to set foliage ablaze.
The fire’s Public Information Officer, Bud Sexton, explained to KLCC that the spheres are for controlled burns, that deprive active fires of fuel.
“It’s literally just about the size of a ping pong ball,” said Sexton. “And it has some chemicals in there, potassium permanganate.
"After it drops, it ignites within about 20 seconds. Gives plenty of time for that to reach the ground. Then the chemical reaction, and then just a little fireball in that particular area.”
Sexton says the operations manager and the drone operator essentially stand side-by-side during the process, with the precision being far greater than the balloon bombs used roughly 80 years ago.
Drones with infrared cameras have also been used to detect wildfires that may elude the naked eye, while others have been used to track fires' growth in areas too treacherous or unstable for people to access.
©2022, KLCC.
