WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 080309

First up in wildfire news today, a summary of wildfires burning in parts of California is provided; followed by four articles that provide more details: a wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest in Central California kept firefighters busy over the weekend; lightning also caused a baker's dozen of wildfires in Northern California; the Knight Fire, in California's Stanislaus National Forest, has topped 4,000 acres and is only 30% contained; and Tahoe National Forest reported a series of lightning strikes that sparked wildfires as well. Lightning strikes also sparked a number of new wildfires across Oregon over the weekend; while residents of a Western Washington community are being allowed to return home as a wildfire burns nearby; and firefighters in Eastern Washington were hoping that favorable winds would help them contain a wildfire there. A Nevada wildfire has scorched over 1,000 acres; while fire agencies are combining their resources to better manage two fires in Arizona that have merged into one complex. After a slow start, Utah is getting a lot of fire activity; and a wildfire burning in Montana was tackled by the Bitterroot Hot Shots with assistance from local fire agencies. Five fire crews were dispatched from Montana to Alaska to help fight the Railbelt Complex Fire as it nearing 450,000 acres; while a trio of wildfires in Idaho provided some action for Bureau of Land Management firefighters over the weekend. Citing conflicting testimony, altered dispatch records, and missing recordings, residents of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are becoming concerned that a coverup of the response to a major wildfire there several months ago is underway. A small Alaskan village is threatened by an approaching wildfire; and British Columbia, Canada, is besieged by over 700 wildfires at this time. As the fire season in Ontario continues to be subdued, that province has sent over 500 firefighters to fight wildfires in British Columbia; but the normally-pristine air of the Yukon is decidedly less so due to a host of wildfires in that province. Wildfires continued to rage across Greece, Spain and the Spanish Canary Islands over the weekend; and a wildfire has broken out in the forests of Syria in the Middle East as well. Finger-pointing between forest owners in India and state officials over recent wildfires that cost over $500,000 in lost timber income is the topic of the next article. Several groups are lobbying Indonesia's government to curtail wildfires set by those clearing land in the islands that make up that Asian nation; while a bushfire in New Zealand drew a sharp response from firefighters. An Australian community in Western Victoria is considering suitable projects for bushfire relief funds; followed by another article about the Firewatch system's capabilities in deterring bushfires, which quotes a potential price tag of $40-$60 million for the system. And finally, firefighters in Connecticut had to rescue an Osprey from its nest (huh?!?)

Lightning-sparked fires force Calif. evacuations

Fire near King City

Lightning sparks 13 more fires in Shasta-Trinity

Forest fire grows to 4,000 acres

Lightning strikes cause fires in Tahoe National Forest

Lightning ignites new wildfires

Dangerous Wildfire Burning Near Shelton

Winds may help firefighters battling Discovery Fire

Wildfire burning more than 1,000 acres near Pyramid Lake

AZ. wildfires streamline management

Plenty of wildfires still burning in Utah

Wildfire near St. Regis fully contained

State fire crews deployed to Alaska complex

Three wildfires in Southwest Idaho keep BLM firefighters busy Sunday

SC resort residents leery of timeline of wildfire

Wildfire threatens Alaska village

More than 700 wildfires burning across BC

Ontario sends 232 more firefighters to BC (video)

Wildfire smoke blankets much of Yukon

Forest fires rage in Spain, Greece

Forest fire erupts in central Syria

Forest wealth of Rupees 2.76 crore gutted in recent fires in HP

Yudhoyono urged to stop escalation of forest fires

Firefighters battle large scrub blaze

Bushfire funds to target 'useful' projects

Emergency services chief ignores fire alert plan

Firefighters rescue Osprey from nest