WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062709

We lead off wildfire news today with a story from the New York Times about the plague of pine beetles coupled with a lack of vegetation clearance in WUI areas in the western US that have combined to provide a nightmare scenario for firefighters; and Tom Harbour, of US Forest Service, weighs in on disputes over just how much vegetation thinning USFS requires in national forests. The review of a couple of books about wildfires of the past is up next; followed by some background material on the new head of USFS. Gas and electric bills will be going up in San Diego County, California: SDG&E had to shell out nearly $700 million for damage from wildfires this week; while a small wildfire near a rifle range elsewhere in that county was pounced on by CAL FIRE air-tankers Friday; and a small wildfire broke out north of Los Angeles. The Shotgun Fire in Sequoia National Park continues to spread; and power lines are once again to blame for a wildfire that sparked in Nevada on Thursday. The next article provides a look at fire spotters in Oregon; and young firefighters got their first taste of wildland firefighting at a multi-agency boot camp elsewhere in that state. A Bureau of Land Management firefighter was killed by a falling tree in Colorado as thinning of vegetation was underway Friday. The Texas governor's Office of Emergency Management is cautioning people in drier parts of the state against inadvertently causing wildfires. Oklahoma firefighters had some difficult terrain in which to battle fires yesterday. The story of the battle behind the scenes to get the Martin Mars from British Columbia to California to fight fires for the US Forest Service is told by the next article [editor's note: Tom Harbour, who Wayne Coulson would have spoken with Monday, will be gone all next week, so the delays will continue - let's hope USFS keeps paying the bills for Wayne and his crew waiting at Lake Elsinore], and for a look at the contract opening for a Very Large Air Tanker from USFS, go to this link and this link. Over 1,500 wildfires are burning in India's Himalayan states where experts say that there is four times the fire activity of a normal summer fire season; and a 15-acre wildfire in Sri Lanka also burned late in the week. Reflections on the twists and turns of testimony at the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings in Melbourne, Australia, are provided by the next item. Although about a third of the bushfire relief money has been paid out, many Australians are still waiting for their share. And finally, it's a battle royal at a Texas fire station between firefighters and their chief over the "station's" dog!

Beetles Add New Dynamic to Forest Fire Control Efforts

Forest Service disagrees with study on thinning

New books about wildfire

Montana forester to head USFS

San Diego utility to pay $700 mln in fire claims

Airtankers stop brush fire in Dulzura, CalFire reports

Firefighters battle small brush fire in Santa Clarita

NV Energy confirms its equipment caused lines to spark and start Eastlake fire

Sequoia fire grows to 152 acres

Spotters key in fighting wildfires

Wildland firefighting: 'Hot work, rough at times'

BLM Firefighter Killed By Falling Tree

How to Avoid Wildfires Throughout This Dry Summer

Rough terrain hinders rural firefighters southeast of Hillsdale

Water bomber hits red-tape turbulence

Dry spell triggers bush fires in Himachal, J&K

Bush fires threatening villages in Sri Lanka

Complex twists in quest for Black Saturday truth

Delay in bushfire payouts

Texas firefighters accuse chief of stealing station dog