WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091409

The Station Fire, which has burned over 160,000 acres in Southern California's Angeles National Forest, is now 87% contained, as told in our first wildfire article today; followed by a tour of the massive fire camp at Santa Fe Dam conducted by the US Forest Service Facilities Team Leader. Speedy restoration of the fire-ravaged Angeles National Forest is advised in the next article; while a retired physicist in San Diego argues that bags of water could be launched by catapult into oncoming wildfires (although the PCADS approach would seem more feasible). A fire chief from Santa Cruz County discusses arson investigation on the Lockheed Fire; while Honeywell takes the opportunity to tout their air purifiers, citing an NIFC report that warns of worsening wildfire pollution. Hundreds of lightning strikes in northern and central California have sparked dozens of wildfires in dry vegetation; including a couple near Grass Valley, California. Dry lightning also stirred up over a dozen wildfires in parts of Oregon over the weekend; and a pair of lightning-caused wildfires in Nevada were extinguished by rain (with a little help from firefighters) over the weekend. A local artist is helping Colorado fire agencies in the battle against the bark beetle; but firefighters stopped a wildfire mere feet from a home elsewhere in that state. The renewal of New Jersey's pinelands, after a massive wildfire burned there last year, is explored in the next article; and firefighters in North Carolina are hopeful that a rainy summer will bode well for a less-active fall fire season. The versatile Russian-built BE-200 participated in a multinational exercise that included simulated firefighting outside of Murmansk, Russia. A Greek farmer has been charged with starting a wildfire that ended up destroying over 300 homes last month. The director of China's forest fire prevention agency urged vigilance in helping reduce wildfires in 10 provinces that are suffering through a drought. High winds at a New Zealand plantation sparked fears that a bushfire might reignite; while ominous predictions about the bushfire danger in Australia were revisited in the next article. Power lines are once again getting the blame for one of the Black Saturday bushfire ignition points; but firefighters in New South Wales made a stand against a bushfire, stopping it dead in its tracks as it neared residences. Computer scientists in Australia, struggling to produce an effective bushfire prediction system, are hobbled by computer processing power limitations. And finally, a firefighter in Bremerton, Washington, was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of rescuing a cat from a tree (okay, it was actually a chimney!)

Station Fire Status: 87% Contained, What Trails/Campgrounds Were Spared

Station fire crews rest up at base camp

Taking back the Angeles National Forest

A proposed new weapon to battle wildfires

Breakdown: Wildfire Investigation

Wildfire Forecasts Raise Air Quality Concerns; Air Purifiers Can Improve Air Quality

More than 1,500 lightning strikes ignite 81 fires

Lightning fires continue to burn

Lightning starts fires in the Umpqua National Forest

Rain helps put out two lightning-sparked wildfires

Denver-Area Artist Explores Relationship between Forests and Wildfires to Benefit Colorado Bark Beetle Mitigation Fund

Wildfire burning in Garfield County

Rare, threatened flowers grow from ashes of Pinelands

Summer rain could limit wildfires

Beriev Be-200 in forest fire dry run

Greek farmer charged with starting big forest fire

Greater efforts urged against forest fires in China

Fears winds could reignite fire

Bad bushfire season is coming: experts

Fire began near sagging powerline: eyewitness

Bushfire threat averted

Fire story

Bremerton Firefighters Rescue Cat Stuck in Chimney