WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 082410

A two-acre wildfire in the Southern California community of Monrovia was apparently started by some fallen power lines (1); while the frustrations of law-enforcement officers trying to locate an arsonist, in this case the one responsible for starting the Station Fire, are examined by the next article (2). The Santa Barbara County Chapter of the Red Cross reflects on the fire danger in that region as temperatures rise this week (3). A quick-thinking construction worker in Central California saved the day when he used his bulldozer to build a control line around a grass fire (4); while Nevada County Airport, a CAL FIRE air-tanker base, will be getting some much-needed improvements (5). A 25-acre wildfire in Northern California destroyed two mobile homes before firefighters were able to rope it in (6); and winds breathed new life into a 50-acre blaze that has been burning in Oregon's Willamette National Forest (7). A wildfire that burned 48 acres in Oregon was apparently caused by a vehicle fire (8); while a 200-acre wildfire burning near Sisters has been invigorated by dry weather and winds (9). Firefighters near Brookings had a 70-acre wildfire to deal with in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (10); one of several burning in that state right now as the next article shows (11); where wildfires have cost an estimated $12 million to suppress (12); but the mystery of what destroyed a US Forest Service building in Enterprise has finally been solved (13). A 385-acre wildfire which has been burning in Washington state's Olympic National Forest will now be monitored from the air (14); but a lightning-sparked wildfire which has been burning in southern Utah since August 8th has now topped 2,566 acres (15). Firefighters battling a blaze in Idaho's Boise National Forest are welcoming cooler weather which should make the fire lay down (16); while firefighters have reached 10% containment on a massive wildfire that has burned an area the size of Los Angeles (17). Lower temperatures helped firefighters in Montana gain the upper hand on two blazes burning in the eastern part of that state (18); no doubt helping firefighters from the Bitterroot National Forest to near containment on a wildfire Monday night (19). An update on a wildfire burning in Wyoming near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park is provided by the next item (20); followed by an article about the importance of lookout towers in South Dakota's Black Hills (21). The Maine Forest Service is warning residents of that state about an increased fire danger due to several weeks without precipitation (22); while an article from Georgia recalls the massive wildfire that burned in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in 2007 (23). A wildfire burning on Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano has covered 2,000 acres since Sunday (24). Heading to Canada, an arsonist is apparently still at work in the British Columbian town of Nanaimo, where three new wildfires cropped up (25). A host of wildfires has been reported in Albania, while blazes continue to burn in Dimos Karystoy and Dimos Foinika, Greece, Casagiove and Andria, Italy, as well as in Turkey, Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia (26); more details being provided in the next article (27); even as firefighters in Spain feel they're finally getting the upper hand on a blaze on the Balearic island of Ibiza, but fear that more fires could break out in the Canary Islands and on the mainland (28). Additional grief counselors are being made available to bushfire survivors in Victoria, Australia (29); followed by two articles on bushfire leadership: the first item offers a radio interview with Victoria's new Fire Services Commissioner (30); and the second grills the new head of Victorian Bushfires Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (31). The impact of the new bushfire standards on homebuilding in Victoria is examined by the next article (32); followed by one about a builder who is leaving his dream home in Kinglake after 27 years (33). As a new bushfire season approaches, shires in New South Wales are making preparations (34). And finally, for readers who have always wondered how wildfires get their names, here's your answer!

(1) Firefighters get quick handle on small brush fire in Monrovia Canyon

(2) Lawmakers and law enforcement want answers to Station Fire mystery

(3) Wildfires Have Abundant Fuel to Burn after Above Average Rainfall

(4) Bulldozer Operator Helps Control Two-Alarm Grass Fire Near Highway 4

(5) Airport runway soon to be sleeker

(6) Flames in the foothills: Two mobile homes destroyed by fire in Palermo area

(7) Wind causes week-old fire to grow in Willamette National Forest

(8) Crews halt Long Box Fire

(9) Winds, dry weather push fire near Sisters

(10) New Wildfire Springs Up 15 Miles North Of Brookings

(11) Firefighters Continue To Battle Central Oregon Wildfires

(12) Area Fires Update

(13) Forest Service fire in Enterprise wasn't arson, officials say

(14) Olympic National Park wildfire monitors hiking out

(15) Firefighters Battle Lightning-Sparked Wildfire

(16) Cooler temps helping firefighters near Cascade

(17) Crews working to battle southern Idaho wildfire

(18) Cooler weather aids crews battling Mont. wildfires

(19) Bitterroot firefighters chase new fire near Sam Billings campground, close to containment on Silverthorn

(20) Arthur 2 Fire Diminishes; Crews Diverted from Management

(21) Hills’ lookouts vital for spotting forest fires

(22) Maine Forest Service warns about fire danger

(23) What we learned from the 2007 wildfires

(24) Wildfire burns 2,000 acres on Mauna Kea volcano

(25) Three Nanaimo-area wildfires contained

(26) EFFIS - Current Situation

(27) Mediterranean forest fires alarm residents, tourists alike

(28) Spanish firefighters hope to contain Ibiza blaze

(29) Support in place for fire survivors

(30) First Fire Services Commissioner

(31) Dicker in hot seat

(32) Scarcity stumps plans to rebuild in Nillumbik's fire-affected areas

(33) Kinglake family departs in face of bureaucracy

(34) Bushfire Danger Period to commence September 1

(35) Oak Flat? White Lightning? How forest fires get named