WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 070508

Fires still rage throughout California. Stats are the following:

There are currently 26 complexes that are actively threatening life and property.

There are 1006 State Responsibility Areas Fires, 807 are contained.
80% of fires in State Responsibility Area are contained.

There are 777 Federal Responsibility Area Fires, 644 are contained.
83% of fires Federal Responsibility Area are contained.

Total State and Federal California Fires: 1,783
Total Contained: 1,451
81% of Fires in California Contained

Total of 520,504 acres burned, 20,206 personnel assigned, 109 total rotary aircraft, and 18 fixed wing aircraft. Other resources include: 155 Strike Teams/Task Forces, 1,607 engines, 329 dozers, 513 hand crews, 431 water tenders and 3,836 overhead. 174 firefighter injuries reported.

There are plans for a massive air attack on the Gap Fire in Goleta today, including drops by the DC-10. While winds are a concern (the notorious Sundowners), firefighters there are getting top priority on air-tanker support. Anything that can flee the fires is doing so, especially the wildlife up in Big Sur, where the fire is still only 5% contained after two weeks of concerted firefighting efforts. Although some San Diego residents have prepared to defend their homes in any new fires, few have gone to the extreme of renting a D-4 Caterpillar to cut firebreaks like one Big Sur resident! And once again, aircraft are forbidden from operating at night by CalFire/USFS, robbing them of the best time to knock fires down from the air. Meanwhile, the Canadians are having their own problems up north - a total of over 50 wildfires are burning in Saskatchewan:

Fire near Big Sur burns on, fire crews short

Firefighters staying in Merced set its economy ablaze

Those who won't evacuate may make battle harder for firefighters

Two fires roar across California national forest

2 fires still raging along Calif.'s Central Coast

Wind is the wild card in Goleta fire

'Critical day' dawns for Goleta fire, enlarged by overnight wind gusts

Thousands relocated by Canadian wildfires

Residents equip themselves to help in fighting wildfires