WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020712

In Southern California, SDG&E has had some problems with the contractor building the Sunrise PowerLink transmission lines through San Diego County not being responsive to USFS wildfire restrictions (1); while Washington State University is studying how suppression of wildfires in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area has negatively impacted the population of Bighorn sheep (2); and the next article looks at the problem of getting wildfire arsonists to pay for the damage they cause in Nevada (3). Although US Forest Service is advising Arizonans to remain calm, La Nina conditions have pushed the wildfire danger way up in that state (4); and it's much the same story next door in New Mexico (5). Colorado State Forest Service will be administering a loan program intended to help remove beetle-killed trees in several counties to reduce the wildfire hazard (6). City and state officials will be providing free trees to residents of Bastrop, Texas, devastated by wildfires in 2011 (7); but despite the fact it's still the dead of winter, firefighters in Denton County were practicing wildfire fighting (8). An exploding aerosol can sparked a 15-acre wildfire in Benner Township, Pennsylvania (9). As the hope for rain dims in Marion County, Florida, the fear of wildfires is growing (10); even as La Nina prolongs the drought across the state (11); firefighters conducting controlled burns in the Apalachicola National Forest to reduce the danger there (12). More volunteers have been requested by the UK's Forestry Commission to help replant wildfire-ravaged Swinley Forest (13). Flags flew at half-mast across Victoria, Australia, and parliament had a moment of silence to commemorate the Black Saturday bushfires (14); but as most Victorians mourn Black Saturday, some are out for blood from utilities blamed for some of the fires (15); and a political brawl broke out over failed communications during a bushfire in Strathewen over the weekend (16). Victoria's Minister for Bushfire Recovery stated that even though the Bushfire Building Advisory Service will be shutting down in June, the state government will extend its service period if necessary (17); however, despite public outcry against graphic bushfire warning ads, he stated that they will not be pulled from the airwaves (18); while there is concern in the public service sector that some organizations vital to emergency recovery from bushfires are not being included in planning discussions (19). A total fire ban has been imposed around Perth, WA, due to the extreme bushfire danger (20); the next article taking a closer look at the Sentinel Alert bushfire warning system being trialed in that state (21). And finally, some recollections of Tennessee's historic Holston Mountain High Knob Fire Tower are provided in our last installment today!

(1) U-T: SDG&E Entered Eagle 'No-Fly' Zone

(2) WSU study examines forest fire suppression effects

(3) WILDFIRES: Northern Nevada blaze culprits rarely pay all

(4) Will it be another active wildfire season?

(5) Experts Anticipate Active Wildfire Season

(6) Loan program available to forest-product businesses

(7) Free trees in wildfire-devastated Bastrop

(8) Denton County Firefighters Train for Wildfires

(9) Benner Twp. wildfire contained

(10) Little rain is a worry for wildfire task force

(11) La Nina diverts rain, fuels fire risk

(12) Apalachicola National Forest prescribed burning Feb. 7

(13) Volunteers needed to replant fire ravaged Swinley Forest

(14) Vic MPs remember Black Saturday bushfires

(15) Black Saturday continues to burn

(16) Alert stoush mars anniversary

(17) Bushfire housing service to continue if needed

(18) Graphic bushfire ads here to stay: Ryan

(19) Bushfire Anniversary Highlights Emergency Planning Shortfalls

(20) Perth on bushfire alert

(21) Bushfire alarm on trial

(22) Stories from atop the old fire tower

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020612

A new backlash against California's $150 firefighting fee may see many rural communities join themselves to incorporated cities to avoid paying it (1); and Ventura County Fire Department is concerned that a two-year buildup of fuel coupled with little rainfall so far this year could lead to early-season wildfires (2). After two wildfires destroyed dozens of homes outside of Reno, Nevada, this winter, the fear is that winter wildfires may become more common as the climate warms in the area (3); while New Mexico's Gila National Forest will be conducting controlled burns in the near future (4). Although forests surrounding Grand Lake, Colorado, have been heavily impacted by the mountain pine beetle infestations, local fire officials are pleased with preventative measures that have been implemented as a result (5); and plans are afoot to expand an air tanker base outside of Fort Collins (6). Although Tennesseans are enjoying a mild winter, conditions have prompted wildfire warnings from officials (7); however, New Jersey State Forest Fire Service had to delay a controlled burn planned for Egg Harbor Township due to precipitation (8). A West Virginia Division of Forestry firefighter was honored for risking his life to save a man whose life was in danger from a wildfire (9). Georgia's governor announced fire awareness week for that state (10); but an early spring in the southeast could set that state up for another busy wildfire season like 2011 (11). Firefighters in Volusia County, Florida, pounced on a five-acre wildfire that broke out over the weekend (12). An outbreak of hantavirus in Chile is believed to have been caused by recent wildfires driving rats into areas inhabited by people (13); even as more wildfires continued to break out across the country (14). Australian telecommunications giant Telstra admitted that bushfire warning messages would not reach into Blackwood, Victoria, due to poor cell tower coverage (15); while a new documentary titled "Then the Wind Changed" recounts the events of Black Saturday on the third anniversary of the disaster (16); but environmentalists fear that an endangered possum species whose habitat was ravaged by the Black Saturday bushfires could be further endangered by logging in that area (17). Although a Western Australian resident who was badly injured fighting last year's Kelmscott-Roleystone bushfires received a payout from the government, it was less than she had hoped for (18); this at a time when local governments are asking for greater enforcement of bushfire clearance laws (19). And finally, two Black Saturday memorials in Victoria are worth noting: one in Callignee in Gippsland made up of hundreds of titles designed by residents (20); and another in the form of a metal tree to which blacksmiths continue to add leaves!

(1) FIREFIGHTING: Backlash to rural protection fee expected

(2) Low rainfall total spells wildfire risk

(3) Winter wildfires a rarity for Reno area but warming climate could make them more common

(4) Two new prescribed fires planned by Gila National Forest

(5) Grand Lake looks to update its wildfire protection plan

(6) Officials look to turn Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport into major economic driver

(7) Mild winter could increase fire danger

(8) Controlled burn, planned for Sunday in Egg Harbor Township, delayed by wet conditions

(9) WV Forest Ranger Risks Life to Save Mercer County Man from Fire

(10) Governor proclaims Fire Awareness Week

(11) Fire season may torch south Georgia again

(12) Firefighters get jump on grass fire at Osteen Cemetery

(13) Chile blames wildfires for rats spreading hantavirus

(14) Alert for Forest Fires in Central Chile

(15) Bushfire warnings to go unheard in Blackwood

(16) Then the Wind Changed, Tuesday, February 7

(17) Logging threatens possum survivors: court

(18) Payout for injured firey

(19) Councils demand greater fire power

(20) Callignee bushfire memorial unveiled

(21) Blacksmiths forge a Black Saturday tree of new life

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020412

California's Sequoia National Forest will be one of the first of 155 nationwide to utilize the new National Forest System Planning Rule guidelines (1); and the Stanislaus and El Dorado National Forests will receive $730,000 as part of the federal Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program as well (2); but the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has called US Forest Service on the carpet over an expanded logging plan meant to provide better fire protection that could jeopardize the safety of fish in the Sierra Nevadas (3); meanwhile, residents of South Lake Tahoe have been warned that US Forest Service will be conducting controlled burns, making for smokey skies around the lake on Monday (4). Continued drought has prolonged the wildfire danger in Hidalgo County, Texas (5); and the US Air Force is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Virginia to establish a national partnership aimed at managing wildfires (6). South Carolina Forestry Commission reported a 200-acre wildfire burning in Georgetown County (7). A wildfire mitigation specialist with Florida Division of Forestry pointed to cooperative efforts between state and local agencies in Hernando County that helped keep wildfires to a minimum in 2011 (8); while a five-acre wildfire is threatening dozens of homes in southern Florida (9). Canadian firefighters quickly knocked down a 10-acre wildfire burning outside of Calgary, Alberta (10); while wildfires that have already destroyed 16,000 acres in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park sprang back to life this past week (11). With extreme heat and dry conditions, officials at India's Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary are keeping an eye out for wildfires (12); conditions not helping the situation in Maharashtra, where Tendu leaf growers routinely set fire to forests to improve their crops, fires which can get out of control (13). A 53-hectare bushfire has been reported in Victoria's Grampians National Park (14); and an Op-Ed piece from a Country Fire Authority fire captain in the Fire Services Commissioner office reflects on how apathy to bushfire preparedness in the days leading up to Black Saturday ultimately impacted residents in the Dandenongs (15). As fire authorities in Australia warned of catastrophic bushfire conditions nationwide, Australian Pump Industries offered some help (16); while an investigative report has revealed that ultramarathon organizers in Western Australia knew that a bushfire had burned across the route hours before runners were trapped and badly burned last September (17). And finally, a firefighter on a medical call in Vacaville, California, discovered more than just a person in need: he found tools stolen from his home just a week before!

(1) Sequoia Forest among first to revise management plan

(2) USDA Selects Local Forest Restoration Proposal

(3) Court: Sierra logging plan left out impact on fish

(4) Forest Service resumes prescribed fire operations Monday

(5) Drought prolongs wildfire fears

(6) Air Force works with Fish and Wildlife Service to manage wildfires

(7) Forestry Commission responds to 200-acre wildfire in Georgetown County

(8) Prevention efforts limited 2011 wildfire damage in Hernando

(9) Wildfire Burning at US-1 and Card Sound Rd.

(10) Firefighters contain blaze in Calgary's northwest

(11) Forest fires re-ignite in Torres del Paine

(12) Watchers to be deployed to prevent wildfire

(13) The tendu leaf tussle

(14) Bushfire near Grampians National Park

(15) Only one person can save you from a bushfire: you

(16) Right pump vital for firefighting

(17) Race organisers warned about blaze

(18) Firefighter finds his own stolen goods during call

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020312

A man has been arrested in connection with a 600-acre wildfire that was set in Wister Wildlife Area in Imperial County, California (1); but the federal government will be pumping $16 million into forest projects in fire-prone Amador and Calaveras Counties, California (2). A 100-acre wildfire has been reported in Arizona's Coronado National Forest (3). FEMA has announced that 30 additional Texas counties impacted by wildfires in 2011 can apply for federal funds (4); where homeowners in Randall County will be getting some assistance from firefighters evaluating the wildland fire danger to their homes (5); and US Forest Service firefighters are conducting controlled burns in Sam Houston National Forest (6). Fire officials in Calhoun County, Alabama, fear an arsonist may be setting forest fires (7); while South Carolina Forestry Commission announced controlled burns for Georgetown County (8). The continual danger to motorists driving through Florida's Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park during wildfires is examined by the next article (9); followed by a warning from Florida Forest Service that temperatures in the 70s could produce wildfires over the weekend (10). Researchers are concerned that even without forest fires, the northern forests of western Canada are putting more carbon into the atmosphere than they are absorbing (11); while Parks Canada is conducting controlled burns in Prince Edward Island National Park (12). Some in Israel's firefighting community are opposed to a move to create a national firefighting force, the direct result of the poor response to the deadly wildfires that blazed across Carmel Forest near Haifa in 2010 (13); while wildfires destroyed 10 acres of timber in Kenya's Cherangani Hills (14). As the third anniversary of Black Saturday approaches in Victoria, Australia, memorial services will be held in the towns of Kinglake, St Andrews, Calignee, Healesville and Marysville (15); while the slow recovery of people traumatized by the blazes is examined by the next article (16); nevertheless, the chief executive of Moorabool was honored with a National Emergency Medal for his work rebuilding homes in the region that were destroyed by the bushfires (17). People who survived the bushfires in Margaret River, Western Australia, were informed that a new report on the November blazes will not be out for some time (18); while volunteer firefighters discussed the emotional impact of the Perth Hills bushfires that blazed through Kelmscott and Roleystone in 2011 (19). And finally, our last article chronicles the bizarre battle between Southern California Edison and US Forest Service's San Dimas Technology Development Center over a high-tech solar array!

(1) RAMONA: Man arrested in wildfire

(2) Forest industries of Amador, Calaveras getting $16 million boost

(3) "Bruno" wildfire burning in Chiricahua Mountains

(4) FEMA: 30 More Wildfire-Affected Counties Can Apply For FEMA Public Assistance

(5) Firefighters to aid rural residents in preparedness

(6) Where there’s smoke, there may be a controlled burn

(7) Forest fires in Calhoun County believed to be arson

(8) Prescribed burns can cause heavy smoke

(9) 'Mother Nature doesn't care about interstate highways'

(10) Sunny weekend good for fun, bad for fire safety

(11) Northern Forests May Be Losing The Ability to Trap Carbon

(12) Fire breaks cleared at P.E.I. National Park

(13) Firefighters oppose gov't reform

(14) Kitale state forests destroyed by fires

(15) Bushfire towns plan memorial services

(16) Bushfire scars slow to fade

(17) Moorabool CEO honoured for bushfire recovery work

(18) Keelty fire report months away

(19) Tearful memories of bushfire nightmare

(20) Sun Stroke: SoCal Edison and the Battle Over Solar Power

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020212

In Medford, Oregon, the local airport is moving forward with a $4 million plan to expand the Air Attack Base (1); but it was déjà vu all over again as the Small Business Administration reopened an office in Reno, Nevada, to hand out loans to people who have lost property in a recent wildfire (2). With thousands of drought-stressed pine trees providing potential fire fuel, firefighters in Texas will begin prescribed burns in the Davy Crockett National Forest (3); while Fulton County residents are weighing the effect layoffs in the Arkansas Forestry Commission will have on battling wildfires in their area (4). US Forest Service is continuing controlled burns in Mississippi, including in De Soto National Forest (5); but residents of Gaston County were warned by North Carolina Forest Service about the dangers posed by warmer days and dry fuel (6). With Florida breaking drought records, Volusia and Flagler Counties are particularly concerned about the wildfire danger (7); the situation underscored by a wildfire west of Daytona Beach which was just contained (8); and seeking to avoid fatal crashes like the ones in Alachua County earlier this week, Florida Highway Patrol is monitoring smoke along Interstate 95 from a wildfire near Titusville (9); while firefighters extinguished a wildfire near Hudson which forced the evacuation of two homeless camps (10). A wildfire scorched between 15 and 20 acres in Hawaii's Lapakahi State Park yesterday (11); but officials in the Philippines suspect arson was involved in several wildfires that broke out in Negros Occidental province (12). Fire officials in Mizoram, India, are attempting to wean local farmers off of slash and burn agriculture which has led to deadly wildfires (13); and high winds helped spread a seven-hectare bushfire that was sparked by a falling branch in Wairarapa, New Zealand (14). A new survey showed that people who survived Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires feel a stronger sense of community than the average Australian (15); but after only one person showed up for the annual Country Fire Authority Bushfire Preparation Night at Mount Evelyn Public Hall, a Yarra Ranges counselor was outraged (16); while a man turned himself in to the fire authorities in regards to a 600-hectare bushfire which burned in Meereek State Forest (17). The next article takes a look at the government body responsible for Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation, considered to be "a millstone around the neck of DEC", by one report (18); where providential rainfall has helped firefighters complete control lines around bushfires burning near Gascoyne (19). And finally, a professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania has a novel solution for controlling invasive weeds in northern Australia which lead to bushfires: elephants!

(1) Medford Airport Releases "A-To-Z" Report

(2) Federal disaster office reopens after second big Reno wildfire

(3) Controlled burns begin in area's national forests

(4) Forestry Commission layoffs may affect area firefighting efforts

(5) Get ready for control burns in the area

(6) Brush fires thrive in dry, warm weather

(7) Record lack of rainfall fuels rising fire danger in Volusia, Flagler

(8) Firefighters contain brush fires west of Daytona Beach

(9) FHP monitoring smoke near I-95

(10) Firefighters extinguish brush fire off U.S. 19 in Hudson

(11) Big Island fire crews put out North Kohala wildfire

(12) Forest fires spread east of Bacolod City; 15 endemic tree species destroyed

(13) Jhum deadline to curb Mizoram forest fires

(14) Forest fire sparked by falling branch

(15) Shared disasters forge common bonds

(16) Apathy over bushfire preparation astounds Yarra Ranges councillor

(17) Man arrested as bushfire rages

(18) Bushfire program 'ineffective'

(19) Gascoyne bushfires under control

(20) Australia could use elephants to control invasive grass

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 020112

Opponents of Southern California-based San Diego Gas & Electric's Wildfire Expense Balancing Account proposal, which would allow the utility to pass along $463.9 million in wildfire costs to ratepayers, continue to call for a public hearing to discuss the matter (1); but as part of CAL FIRE's attempt to shave $80 million off its budget, the Air Attack Base at Fresno Airport will be closing (2). US Forest Service officials in Colorado are considering putting limits on tourist visitations to the Pawnee National Grassland due to the fire danger (3); while a former Oklahoma firefighter who is accused of setting wildfires in the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area will have his first court hearing in March (4). Fire crews have begun controlled burns of upwards of 100 debris piles in South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest (5); something for the state's new Wildland Fire Suppression Division director to oversee (6). A $17,000 grant from Michigan Department of Natural Resources is allowing Crawford County to formulate a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (7); and firefighters in Jackson County, Mississippi, are conducting controlled burns (8); but even Washington DC is on edge due to the wildfire danger (9). North Carolina Forest Service had a number of wildfires to deal with yesterday (10). Florida Forest Service officials are concerned about an early start to the wildfire season after seeing 27 wildfires in the Jacksonville district alone since the beginning of the year (11); even as firefighters in Miami-Dade County brought a wildfire there to 90% containment (12); while that state's prescribed burn program, considered one of the most active in the nation, has the downside of making travel on roads near controlled burns hazardous, as a fatal pileup on Interstate 75 near Gainesville showed (13). The next article takes a look at bushfires that briefly threatened homes on New Zealand's North Island (14). Hundreds of Australians who lost their homes in the Black Saturday bushfires are still pondering whether they should rebuild nearly 3 years after the event (15); nevertheless, most residents of Marysville and Kinglake have moved from temporary housing into permanent homes (16); even as arsonists continued to set bushfires near Smythesdale (17); while the Red Cross has unveiled its 'Bushfires - Preparing to leave early' plan online (18). People who survived the bushfires which raged through Margaret River, Western Australia, in November have been asked to tell their story as part of an audio history of the event (19); as several households began receiving payments from the Perth Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund (20). And finally, New Jersey firefighters showed once again that criminals should beware the long arm of the... fire service!

(1) Support grows for hearing on wildfire costs

(2) CAL FIRE to Close Fresno Base

(3) National Forest officials say limits may be posted on Pawnee Grassland due to dry weather

(4) Hearing set for ex-Oklahoma firefighter charged with arson

(5) Forest Service, BLM crews work NH prescribed burns

(6) State names new Wildland Fire Suppression Division director

(7) State funds community wildfire prevention plan

(8) Jackson County forest land burns, on purpose

(9) D.C. area’s dry winter increases chance of wildfires

(10) Brush fires hit High Country

(11) Weather conditions 'perfect storm' for wildfires

(12) Crews continue to monitor brush fire

(13) Few guidelines exist on when to shut down roads

(14) Forest fire threatens New Zealand homes

(15) Black Saturday bushfire survivors struggle to move on

(16) Bushfire homeless find new abodes

(17) Firebug behind bushfire near Smythesdale: authorities

(18) Red Cross bushfire plan now online

(19) Tell your bushfire story

(20) SW fire victims receive fund payout

(21) Firefighters halt robbery assault

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 013112

Congressional Fire Services Institute sent along a reminder that FEMA's SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant program is now open through February 24th, offering grants to fire departments across the US (1). Texas politicians participated in a barbecue in Washington DC intended to raise money to help families impacted by the Bastrop County wildfires (2); and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas is lending a hand as well (3). Citing what happened in Bastrop County, Texas, as a warning about the danger wildfires pose, legislators in Arkansas are considering restoring 20 jobs eliminated from the Arkansas Forestry Commission due to budget cuts (4). Southern West Virginia is at high risk from wildfires due to dry, windy conditions (5); and Virginia's governor is warning residents that the mild winter so far increases the fire danger as the official start of the wildfire season nears (6). Two wildfires were reported in Charleston County, South Carolina (7). Florida Forest Service officials are concerned that a deadly wildfire burning outside of Gainesville has drained firefighting resources from other parts of the state in danger from wildfires (8); such as a 30-acre blaze which is burning in Miami-Dade County where two firefighters were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation (9); a 25-acre blaze in St. Lucie County that threatened homes (10); yet another that scorched 16 acres in Daytona Beach (11); one in Putnam County which has burned between 300 and 350 acres (12); as well as a 15-acre blaze in Clay County which threatened homes (13). Israel's Fire and Rescue Commissioner stated that the country needed to do more to bring its firefighting services up to the level of those in European and North American countries (14). The topic of who bears responsibility for dealing with forest fires on leased land in India is up next (15); while a wildfire broke out near the Bear Rescue Center in Uttar Pradesh's Keitham Forest (16). The debate over cattle grazing at Victoria, Australia's, Alpine National Park escalated, with the Federal Environment Minister banning the practice, which has been endorsed by the state government (17); even as Country Fire Authority's Chief Officer accepted blame for a bushfire hotline being unmanned and giving out incorrect information during an incident over the weekend (18). Western Australia's Pastoralists and Graziers Association is pressing the Premier to declare a natural disaster for 8,500 square hectares of pasture land scorched by the Carnarvon bushfires (19). And finally, we have the story of a misguided Texas volunteer firefighter who decided to set wildfires to aid department fundraising!

(1) FY 2011 SAFER Grant Program Application Period Opens Today (Source: FEMA)

(2) Great BBQ for a good cause: Texans in Washington raise money for Bastrop wildfire victims

(3) Texas diocese launches collaborative wildfire relief effort

(4) Ark. Forestry Commission Agrees With Legislators On Proposal To Restore 20 Jobs

(5) National Weather Service: southern WV at risk for wildfires

(6) Because of mild winter, state warns of higher wildfire risk

(7) Fire crews respond to wildfires in Charleston County

(8) Wildfire alert is concerning

(9) Two firefighters suffer smoke inhalation at Miami-Dade brushfire

(10) St. Lucie wildfire that threatened homes now 100 percent contained but not out

(11) LPGA open to traffic in Daytona Beach

(12) Putnam wildfire threatens homes

(13) Wildfire outbreak in Clay County

(14) 'Israel’s firefighting resources dwarfed by West'

(15) Govt acts tough with tendu contractors

(16) Fire in Uttar Pradesh forest, no casualties

(17) Grazing row could head to High Court

(18) CFA chief accepts blame for bushfire hotline error

(19) Premier must act on Carnarvon bushfires: PGA

(20) Local fire chiefs react to wildfire arsonist