WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 011409
We lead off today with a retrospective from San Diego one year ago, when wildfires ruled the news, followed by details from the trial of a man accused of setting the blaze that killed five USFS firefighters. Eleven landowners in Washington state are suing a railroad for starting wildfires via embers from a smokestack, and as if there haven't been enough wildfires already, four Arizona firefighters are being accused of starting a score of fires to help pay the bills. Power lines have been determined to be the cause of a wildfire that burned 3,000 acres in Colorado last week. Three items from the technical side of the news today: one in which American scientists are recommending that Obama spend billions to upgrade satellite capabilities to better predict, among other things, wildfires; the next discussing how Australians plan to use a high-tech helicopter to send real-time video to firefighters on the ground during a bushfire (similar to LAFD's AIGIS System); and scientists in Australia are considering modeling bushfire search patterns by RPV's after birds (hopefully they don't have the limitation of needing a lead-plane for each RPV like the FAA requires in the US). In Taiwan, firefighters quelled a small wildfire in mountainous terrain. Firefighters in Australia managed to contain a bushfire outside of Port Lincoln that destroyed several structures, including some tuna processing facilities, although the outcome could have been much worse, as the next two articles demonstrate. In Sydney, fire authorities are still keeping the population on alert as the bushfire threat from heat and wind continues, while a political firestorm is brewing up over pre-treatment of vegetation in at-risk areas. Finally, the German government had better send these firefighters back to school, as a training exercise burns down their station (and not for the first time!)
Wildfire Coverage
Esperanza Fire suspect set 46 blazes, district attorney contends
Landowners' suit accuses BNSF of causing wildfire
Firefighters charged with using arson to get work
Wildfires caused by power lines
Obama urged to spend billions on weather research
Eye in the Sky to help battle bushfires
Bird behaviour inspires fire-spotting plan
Fire ravages vast area of grass, woodland on Alishan
Fireys battle through night to contain Port Lincoln bushfire
'Luck' saves tuna industry from bushfire
Firefighters warn Sydney bushfire threat remains
South Australia's native vegetation raising fire risk
German Firefighters Burn Own Firehouse Down for Second Time
We lead off today with a retrospective from San Diego one year ago, when wildfires ruled the news, followed by details from the trial of a man accused of setting the blaze that killed five USFS firefighters. Eleven landowners in Washington state are suing a railroad for starting wildfires via embers from a smokestack, and as if there haven't been enough wildfires already, four Arizona firefighters are being accused of starting a score of fires to help pay the bills. Power lines have been determined to be the cause of a wildfire that burned 3,000 acres in Colorado last week. Three items from the technical side of the news today: one in which American scientists are recommending that Obama spend billions to upgrade satellite capabilities to better predict, among other things, wildfires; the next discussing how Australians plan to use a high-tech helicopter to send real-time video to firefighters on the ground during a bushfire (similar to LAFD's AIGIS System); and scientists in Australia are considering modeling bushfire search patterns by RPV's after birds (hopefully they don't have the limitation of needing a lead-plane for each RPV like the FAA requires in the US). In Taiwan, firefighters quelled a small wildfire in mountainous terrain. Firefighters in Australia managed to contain a bushfire outside of Port Lincoln that destroyed several structures, including some tuna processing facilities, although the outcome could have been much worse, as the next two articles demonstrate. In Sydney, fire authorities are still keeping the population on alert as the bushfire threat from heat and wind continues, while a political firestorm is brewing up over pre-treatment of vegetation in at-risk areas. Finally, the German government had better send these firefighters back to school, as a training exercise burns down their station (and not for the first time!)
Wildfire Coverage
Esperanza Fire suspect set 46 blazes, district attorney contends
Landowners' suit accuses BNSF of causing wildfire
Firefighters charged with using arson to get work
Wildfires caused by power lines
Obama urged to spend billions on weather research
Eye in the Sky to help battle bushfires
Bird behaviour inspires fire-spotting plan
Fire ravages vast area of grass, woodland on Alishan
Fireys battle through night to contain Port Lincoln bushfire
'Luck' saves tuna industry from bushfire
Firefighters warn Sydney bushfire threat remains
South Australia's native vegetation raising fire risk
German Firefighters Burn Own Firehouse Down for Second Time
Labels: air-tankers, bushfires, firefighting, forest fires, wildfires
posted by Michael Archer @ 4:30 PM
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