WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 010510

First up in wildfire news today, a California Fish and Game chopper went down in the Sierra National Forest, sparking a wildfire (1). Firefighters in New Mexico, Arizona, and Florida plan to conduct controlled burns, weather permitting, as the next three stories show (2)(3)(4). The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's firefighter program is highlighted in the next item (5). A Canadian resident will have to pay the province of Ontario a steep price for his breakfast after the cook fire started a wildfire (6)! Wind-driven wildfires are nearing residential areas in Bogota, Colombia (7). Officials in the African nation of Gambia are lobbying for more action to stifle wildfires in parts of that country (8); while exhausted firefighters are still faced with more blazes to battle in South Africa (9). For anyone who doubts things are heating up in Australia, readings for the past decade have just confirmed their suspicions (10). Telstra, Australia's phone company, was commended for their help with communications efforts in a recent NSW bushfire (11); in stark contrast to the scorn being heaped on Victoria's bushfire alert system (12). At least one road in Victoria has been deemed unsafe for future bushfire evacuations (13); and Melbourne may press a brand new waterway into a last-ditch bushfire-fighting tool (14). FESA is predicting catastrophic conditions across Western Australia as a decade's worth of dry conditions combine with high heat (15); a situation that was not helped by a teenager who was acting suspiciously near the origin of a bushfire in West Australia and has now been charged with arson (16). Tasmania has released a list of bushfire safe havens to residents (17); while fire managers praised heli-tankers for their actions in battling a blaze in Tamar Valley (18). And finally, an article by yours truly that provides pointers on getting into US Forest Service, the first of a three-part series on this storied fire agency.

(1) Calif. Fish and Game helicopter goes down in Sierra National Forest; at least 1 dead

(2) Santa Fe forest plans burn in Gallinas Canyon

(3) Forest Service plans controlled burns

(4) Controlled burns help limit wildfire potential

(5) Park rangers on guard for fires in the canyon

(6) Hanmer Man Ordered To Pay Cost Of Putting Out Forest Fire

(7) Emergency declared as forest fires approach Bogota

(8) Kantora stakeholders want action against forest fire

(9) Tired firefighters battle

(10) Australia suffers hottest decade as globe warms

(11) Phone bill relief for bushfire victims

(12) Bushfire telephone warning alert system farce

(13) Great Ocean Road 'unsafe' for bushfire evacuations

(14) North-south pipe ready to fight fires

(15) WA braces for worst fire day yet

(16) Teen charged with arson over WA bushfire

(17) Bushfire safe havens named

(18) Wind whips up bushfire

(19) USFS -- Vets Battle Blazes Nationwide