WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 070909

A wildfire near a major museum in Los Angeles, California, drew a sharp response from firefighters on the ground and in the air, in our first wildfire story today; followed by information about a wildfire near Beaumont that was attended by air-tankers and over 200 CAL FIRE firefighters on the ground. The status of the Martin Mars is in limbo as US Forest Service officials remain mum about when it can come to Lake Elsinore; but the 747 Supertanker is expanding it's area of operations to Europe, with the partnership between Evergreen and Air Charter Service. Firefighters in Kern County praised the quick response of a CAL FIRE air-tanker as being instrumental in bringing a wildfire under control; CAL FIRE crews responded to a wildfire in Lakeport that burned very close to homes; and a small wildfire in Contra Costa County was quickly doused by firefighters. The financial impact of a wildfire in Oregon is examined next; while a wildfire elsewhere in that state forced the evacuation of campers nearby. Officials at Zion National Park, in Utah, closed a trail due to a wildfire nearby. Residents and firefighters in a Texas community fought a 44-acre blaze to a standstill; and a small wildfire near Taylor was 85% contained by firefighters yesterday. Alaska is experiencing an unusually warm and dry period right now, something of concern to fire officials; and a symptom of that warm spell, as wildfires continue to burn, is the arrival of the first contingent of firefighters from elsewhere in the US (in this case, Idaho) to help bolster local firefighters. Weather forecasters are reporting that El Nino is back, boding well for the parched West and South, which should get more precipitation and fewer fires as a consequence. Farmers in Ghana, Africa, are taking officials to task about wildfires in growing areas; and like environmentalists in Lake Tahoe, California, after the Angora Fire, a bushfire council in Victoria, Australia, is getting blamed for the deadly bushfires in areas where the council forbade removal of dense vegetation. And finally, a former wildland firefighter has developed some useful software for determining fire danger on property in Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

Getty Center evacuated as firefighters battle Sepulveda Pass blaze

UPDATE: Rabbit fire near Beaumont jumps to 40 acres

No word on when firefighting plane will arrive at Lake Elsinore

ACS Appointed Agent for Largest Fire Fighting Aircraft in the World

BREAKING NEWS: BLM puts kibosh on Camp 9 fire

Fire comes within feet of subdivision

Firefighters Contain Overnight Martinez Brushfire

Greenway blaze proves costly for firefighting agencies

Cultus Lake Fire Out...But Not Before Campers Flee

Wildfire prompts closure of Zion National Park trail

Las Milpas residents help firefighters battle wildfire

Firefighters battled 20-acre grass fire

Wildfires and no rain a cause for air quality concern

Lower 48 Crews Coming to Fight Alaska Wildfires

El Niño: The good, the bad and the ugly

Farmers raise concern about havocs of bush fires

Anger at bushfire council's ban on removing roadside fuel

Smell Smoke?