WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 061610

First up in Wildfire News Of The Day, a new article from the Los Angeles Times shows the disparity between what the official US Forest Service report on the Station Fire said about air attacks and the reality of what actually happened (1); meanwhile, a wildfire that broke out in Hacienda Heights forced evacuation of residents in its path (2); and firefighters in Palm Springs had to battle three wildfires, including a blaze in a stand of palm trees which apparently was sparked by nearby power lines (3). San Diego County is partnering with SDG&E on funding an Erickson S-64 air-tanker during the fire season (4); while two wildfires in Kern County tied up dozens of firefighters and threatened nearby homes (5). More details on a wildfire near Lake Mathews reported yesterday indicate that it was sparked by a man dismantling a trailer with power tools (6); homeowners in Santa Cruz were reminded by CAL FIRE of the importance of defensible space as wildfire season heats up (7); and firefighters on the California side of Lake Tahoe quickly squelched their first official wildfire on Tuesday (8). Firefighters in southern Nevada are bracing for potential wildfires as winds whip into the area today (9). A forest thinning project that is targeting one million acres in Arizona received a boost from federal officials (10); and authorities have reopened hiking trails in the McDowell Mountains following a wildfire yesterday (11). Firefighters in New Mexico reported a fire in the Organ Mountain Range yesterday (12). A campground worker in New Jersey sparked a wildfire when his pickup truck became stuck in a pile of leaves (13); but signal flares sparked a wildfire in the unexploded ordinance section of Fort Gordon, Georgia, yesterday (any volunteers for dodging unexploded munitions while putting it out?) (14) The collision of a truck with a tree in Jacksonville, Florida, sparked a wildfire (15); while Chito Branch Reserve will be conducting controlled burns within the next few days (16). Heading to Canada, a wildfire in northern Manitoba shut down a highway temporarily (17); and the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Ontario is showing an exciting new three-dimensional film about air-tankers in action over wildfires (18); followed by a summary of wildfire activity in that province (19). A wildfire that blazed in Nova Scotia yesterday is now being monitored for any reignition points (20); while a striking photograph of the Canadian Arctic, including a wildfire, is provided in an image from NASA's MODIS satellite (21). The Armenian Armed Forces are being accused of starting fires in neighboring Azerbaijan (22). An Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio program discusses bushfire building considerations for new property owners (23). A pioneer in battling bushfires in Victoria has died at the ripe old age of 87 (24); while a legal service has reported on the importance of factoring legal help into bushfire recovery plans in the future (25). Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is bringing in community educators to better inform landholders on how to protect their property from bushfires (26). Despite the devastation of the 2003 bushfires in New South Wales' Kosciuszko National Park, nine new species of plants that survived the conflagration have been discovered by botanists (27). And finally, a married couple from Mississippi shows another way in which firefighting can run in the family!

(1) U.S. failed to fill order for aircraft in Station fire

(2) Firefighters beat back flames in Hacienda Heights brush fire

(3) Third Fire in One Day Burns in Palm Springs

(4) County Teams with SDG&E to Fund Firefighting Helicopter

(5) Tuesday fires char South Fork and Lake Isabella

(6) Power tools spark Lake Mathews fire

(7) Cal Fire Reminds Homeowners To Clear Brush

(8) Lake Tahoe fire crews contain season's first wildfire

(9) Wind advisory, wildfire warning issue for Las Vegas area

(10) Forest thinning project gets another boost

(11) Most hiking trails back open after brush fire in McDowell Mountains

(12) UPDATE: Soledad Canyon Wildfire

(13) Pickup in Leaf Pile Starts Brush Fire in Seaville

(14) Signal flares start fire at Fort Gordon

(15) Truck Crash Sparks Wildfire

(16) Controlled burns will begin this month at Chito Branch Reserve

(17) Forest Fire Results In Road Closure In the North

(18) Bushplane builds new theatre for 3D film

(19) Fire hazard high to extreme in far north, low to moderate in the rest of Ont.

(20) Fire crews check for hot spots

(21) Spring in the Canadian Arctic

(22) Armenian Armed Forces started committing arsons on occupied territories

(23) Bushfire Attack Level standards

(24) Leader in fighting bushfires

(25) Black Saturday report calls for legal help after disasters

(26) Queensland fire service recruits community educators

(27) Surprise eco find in Snowy forest

(28) Firefighting couple enjoys working together