WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 010910

A contentious meeting in Southern California between San Diego Gas & Electric and the many critics of its plan to shut off power to backcountry communities on Red Flag days resulted in little progress on the issue, in our first wildfire story today (1); but the National Park Service is faulting firefighters in Yosemite for being a bit too cocky about their ability to contain a controlled burn that breached containment lines last August (2). A forestry consultant from Washington state weighs in on perceived mismanagement of US national forests (3); while the Five Fire in Arizona's Catalina Mountains is now 95% contained (4). A public safety officer in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is claiming he was forced to resign for leaking damaging material about the handling of a destructive wildfire that burned there last year (5); and as a wildfire on Hawaii's Big Island continues to burn, residents of Kona are receiving health advisories about the smoky air (6). As a wildfire heads into its sixth day, fire officials in eastern India are struggling to contain it (7); while firefighters in New Zealand have had to deal with a couple of vegetation fires (8). Fire agencies in Victoria are waiting to see how well the redesigned incident command system works as temperatures soar and the bushfire threat increases (9); even as the Victoria Police are turning to the public for help in solving eight arson bushfires that have plagued the region (10). The mood in a West Australia community that was devastated in bushfires is upbeat despite the damage (11); but as South Australia bakes, fire agencies fear the heat wave could spark bushfires (12); and portions of South Australia and New South Wales have been put under a total outdoor fire ban due to dangerous bushfire conditions there (13). Yesterday it was Texas firefighters rescuing a cow from a bayou, today they were rescuing a goose from the ice!

(1) SDG&E, critics find little common ground

(2) Park Service partly faults Yosemite for wildfire

(3) National forests, unmanageable

(4) Catalina Mtn. fires

(5) NMB speaks out amid safety officer controversy

(6) Huge wildfire on Big Island clogs Kona's air

(7) Forest fire continues to rage in a Nagaland valley

(8) Bushfires hit Wellington city, Porirua

(9) Fire authorities prepare for the worst

(10) Aussie arson squad urges public's help

(11) Toodyay starts over after devastating bushfires

(12) Bushfire fears as SA braces for scorcher

(13) Fire bans in place for SA and NSW

(14) Goose was cooked, until firefighters stage rescue