WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 061909

In our first wildfire news item today, Los Angeles County, California, now has a reverse 911 system in place that can notify upwards of 7 million people about wildfires and other natural disasters. A youngster has confessed to starting a wildfire in a Southern California community yesterday; and firefighters suspect an arsonist was at work yesterday east of Porterville, California. CAL FIRE had a small blaze to contend with near Red Bluff yesterday; which was apparently caused by a farmer hitting a rock with harvesting equipment, as the next article shows. Environmental groups are urging Colorado's governor to delay implementation of a forest plan they feel will be addressed by the Obama administration in the near future. A potentially-contentious meeting to discuss the Horry County Fire in South Carolina is slated for next Thursday; while a suspicious burn that started upwind of a controlled burn in Florida's Pinellas County may have been started by children. Research into fuel treatment around the Alaskan city of Fairbanks is being conducted by fire agencies. Alberta firefighters are welcoming their brethren from provinces to the east, as they continue fighting dozens of wildfires; and a trio of small blazes brewed up in Ontario earlier this week, though fire activity in this Canadian province remains low. Canada's Transportation Safety Board is investigating an engine fire on a Bell 204B firefighting helicopter in Manitoba yesterday. Indonesian fire authorities have identified several dozen 'hotspots' that will be prone to wildfires in the near future. Authorities in India believe they have an arsonist who set a grass fire in custody. The roller-coaster ride that is the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings in Melbourne, Australia, entered the Twilight Zone, according to the next article. Inquests into the deaths of people in the Black Saturday bushfires will be delayed until criminal investigations and the bushfire commission investigations are completed; while the Australian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) feels that the prescribed bushfire policy is not well understood. Fire experts who have debated the results of a recent bushfire study agree on one thing: bushfires will become more severe due to climate change. An international firefighting conference that kicked off in New South Wales yesterday will be considering Global Warming as a spur to increased wildfire problems. And finally, in a bizarre twist, a convicted arsonist who was working with Victoria's bushfire reconstruction effort has resigned.

LA County reverse 911 system in operation

Young boy confesses to starting blaze fire

Investigation launched into a dozen wildfires east of Porterville

UPDATED: Fire west of Red Bluff contained to 30 acres

Wildfire Scorches Tehama County Farmland

Colorado's Roadless Forest Plan Under Fire

State to get wildfire briefing, NMB official under fire

Authorities: Pinellas wildfire not connected to controlled burn; cause under investigation

Research project studies methods of slowing forest fires

Help from the East arrives to fight wildfires

Three new forest fires in Northeast

Firefighting chopper grounded

Hotspots detected in Central Kalimantan, warning of forest fires

One arrested for forest fire

Bushfires evidence enters twilight zone

No inquests until after royal commission

Bushfire policy is misunderstood: AFAC

Less time to prepare for bushfires

Climate change links to bushfires

Reconstruction authority manager failed to disclose past, quits