WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 031209

First up in wildfire news today, an investigator described the last acts of the five firefighters killed in the Esperanza Fire; followed by a story about Oregon fire agencies spending an estimated $10 million this coming fire season for wildfire prevention. Good news out of New Mexico, as firefighters there finally contain the largest wildfire so far this year in that state; and Texas Forest Service received assists from volunteers in corralling a blaze Monday. A forest fire in Ohio blackened 200 acres this week. South Carolina homes were threatened by wildfires; while Georgia had a blaze char over 500 acres earlier this week. Wildfires continue to crop up in Louisiana; and a heavy air-tanker has been put on alert at a Tennessee airport as fire activity continues in that state. Two stories out of Florida: as heli-tankers moved in, campers moved out of a Florida campground due to a wildfire; and more road closures were announced in that national forest due to fires as the ongoing drought worsens fire conditions. The next International Aerial Firefighting Conference will be in Rome, Italy, in November, as discussed in an article from Vertical Magazine. In a legacy from conflicts of the past with neighbor Pakistan, exploding landmines in India perpetuated a wildfire on the border between those countries; and India has had a rough time of it with wildfires around the Nepalese border as well. With forecasts that some of the Australian bushfires will burn into the winter, the four major remaining blazes in Victoria were finally controlled. The next two stories compare and contrast the good and the bad in people: public goodwill has nearly overwhelmed a horse welfare group collecting feed and tackle for horses after the Victoria bushfires; but seeing a target of opportunity, con artists have setup a realistic-looking website appealing for donations for bushfire victims. Advocates for the western region of Victoria state are lobbying to get the royal bushfire commission to come visit.

Expert details firefighters' effort to flee blaze

Forest Service Stimulated to Create Jobs and Prevent Wildfires

Picacho Fire contained Tuesday

Volunteers battle raging 500-acre wildfire

Fire In Ohio’s Only National Forest Contained

Wildfires threaten homes near Hartsville

Forest fires burn 504 acres

New forest fire erupts near Sun; other St. Tammany Parish fires remain contained

Air Tanker and Crew Stand by to Fight Fires at New Base at Chattanooga Airport

Campground evacuated as wildfire spreads

Ocala National Forest fire grows to 1,300 acres

International Aerial Firefighting Conference and Exhibition Announced

Explosions trigger forest fire in Poonch

Forest fires engulf Sikkim and surrounding areas

Aust burning blazes come under control

Rehoming offers for horses top 1600 after bushfires

Warning over fake website calling for donations for bushfire appeal

Bushfire royal commission 'should visit west'