WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081810

A class-action suit against Farmers Insurance stated that the insurance giant failed to pay on claims filed by Southern Californians whose homes were damaged in the Station Fire last year (1); while the Miller Fire, which is burning in the San Bernardino National Forest, has scorched over 100 acres (2); but a small wildfire in northern San Diego County was quickly contained by firefighters (3). A small wildfire along Highway 1 in San Mateo County may have been caused by a fallen power line yesterday afternoon (4); while firefighters grappled with a 500-acre blaze in Tulare County (5); and a wildfire burning in Northern California that has blazed through about 50 acres was reported to be 95% contained late yesterday (6). Oregon's Douglas Forest Protective Association is prepping its heavy equipment for some action as it relies on its leading-edge wildfire camera system to spot fires early (7); and they may not have long to wait, as wildfires are being sparked by lightning strikes throughout Southern Oregon (8); where air-tankers were in action over the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, battling an 850-acre wildfire burning in rugged terrain (9). An article from CNN takes a look at the difficult job of a wildland firefighter in Oregon (10); while another from Las Vegas, Nevada, looks at the importance of wildfires in keeping forests healthy (11). The Texas Division of Emergency Management warned of the high fire danger in that state currently, passing along some tips from the Texas Forest Service on how to prevent wildfires (12); even as five acres burned in East Texas, apparently due to sparks from a log skidder (13). Arson investigators are probing suspicious wildfires that have been sparked in several places near Troy, Montana (14); followed by an update on the fire situation in Arkansas (15). Firefighters in New Jersey continue to monitor the smoldering remains of a wildfire that ignited in Worthington State Forest last week (16). Firefighters in British Columbia, Canada, have put homeowners on evacuation alert as winds forecasted for the areas where wildfires are already burning may worsen the situation (17); including a fire near Boomerang Lake (18). The next article provides a behind-the-scenes look at the nerve center of British Columbia's firefighting efforts (19); where a wildfire in Devil's Bath was being brought under control after burning nearly 50 acres (20); but firefighters still have a battle on their hands at Williams Lake (21). An estimated 25,000 fires are burning in the South American nation of Bolivia (22). New wildfires were reported in Cyprus, Italy, Macedonia, Albania, France, Spain, and Portugal (23); but although there are reports of wildfires on three Greek islands, as well as the mainland, no structures or people are currently threatened (24). An update on the wildfires in Russia, where 166,000 firefighters remained on the line, is provided by the next article (25); and although Russian firefighters continue to make gains on blazes around the country, an estimated 50,000 acres are still on fire (26). The Russian prime minister has assured people who suffered losses in the wildfires that they will be compensated by the government (27); but an Op-Ed piece offers a first-person view of the devastation done by wildfires (28); and an article about Russia's poor performance in fighting the recent wildfires that was co-authored by two Russian Wildfire NOTD subscribers, Tatiana Sofronova, a fire researcher at Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University in Siberia, and Alexandra Volokitina, who conducts wildfire research at the Forest Fire Laboratory of the Sukachev Institute of Forest in Krasnoyarsk, is up next (29). The Russian Air Force has announced plans to fit IL-76 transports with firefighting tanks after the government received criticism about the lack of air-tankers fighting recent wildfires (30). The next article, from the US Department of Defense, provides more details on the airlift of firefighting equipment from the US to Russia (31); followed by an article from Voice of America that takes a look at Russian-American cooperation on forest fires (32). The struggles of an Australian town devastated by the Black Saturday bushfires that is trying to rebuild is examined (33); yet for others building in those areas, the bushfire risk doesn't seem to be a deterrent (34). Charges against a woman accused of starting 32 bushfires in New South Wales have been dropped (35). And finally, firefighters in Hampshire, UK, had to perform a tricky extrication operation: removing a cow from a bog!

(1) Suit: Farmers hasn't paid Calif. wildfire claims

(2) Brush fire burns in San Bernardino National Forest

(3) Brush fire northeast of Barona casino is out

(4) Firefighters point to possible cause of South Coast grass fire

(5) Wildfire burns more than 500 acres in Tulare County

(6) Updated: Wildfire near Pittville 95 percent contained

(7) Douglas Forest Protective Assoc. preps for lightning wildfires

(8) Lightning sparks fires throughout S. Oregon

(9) Oregon wildfire burns 850 acres of forest

(10) Long days, hard labor another day at the office for Oregon firefighters

(11) Sometimes forests need fire

(12) Wildfire Danger Across Texas

(13) UPDATE: Forest fire sparked by "mechanical failure"

(14) More suspicious fires surface near Troy

(15) Wildfires Burn 1500 Acres In Arkansas

(16) State forest fire continues to burn

(17) Wind worries as more Cariboo homes evacuated due to wildfires

(18) Firefighters stop big bush fire from spreading near Nanoose

(19) In the Heart of the Fire Center

(20) Devil's Bath forest fire being held behind retardant lines

(21) Locals part of forest fire-fighting efforts

(22) Fires destroy 1.5 million hectares of forest land in Bolivia

(23) EFFIS - Current Situation

(24) Forest fires rage on 3 Greek islands, mainland

(25) Russian Wildfires Subside Considerably

(26) Smog lingers over Russian capital

(27) Putin confirms aid to all wildfire victims

(28) Russia Faces Gloomy Aftermath of Forest Fires

(29) Russian Disarray

(30) Russia to Equip Il-76 Aircraft with Firefighting Gear

(31) C-130s Deliver Firefighting Supplies to Russia

(32) U.S. - Russia Cooperating On Forests

(33) Bushfire town hangs on rebuild

(34) High risk is hot property in Kinglake

(35) Life back to normal

(36) Firefighters save cow stuck in bog