WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 060710

Wildfire News Of The Day begins with a story about how the Los Angeles County Supervisors have extended a $50,000 reward for the arsonist responsible for the Station Fire, in which two LA County firefighters died (1). CAL FIRE air assets will be conducting training operations in Central California in preparation for fire season (2); while air tanker giant Aero Union is relocating from their current headquarters in Chico to Sacramento (3). Thousands of rural residents of Oregon received information packets on how to prepare their homes to withstand wildfires (4); and a 1-acre wildfire in Nevada's Toiyabe National Forest was brought under control by firefighters (5). The heightened fire danger in Arizona is being underscored by the National Weather Service, which is designating this Monsoon Safety Awareness Week (6). Rangers in New Mexico's Gila National Forest hoped to conduct controlled burns if weather permits (7); even as federal funding has been provided to help pay the costs of battling the Rio Fire in that state (8). Firefighters in Colorado had to deal with a 10-acre blaze that was apparently started by children playing with matches (9); while the eighth annual Maine State Wildfire Training Academy will be training firefighters in wildland techniques, concluding with some live-fire exercises next weekend (10). Rainy, cool weather is coming to the aid of firefighters in Alaska's Interior, where hundreds of thousands of acres have burned (11). A Canadian study on British Columbia's wildfire situation faulted the government for inadequate vegetation clearance after a year which saw $400 million spent on fire suppression (12); and as a wildfire continues to advance, a copper mine in the Yukon will be suspending operations, perhaps for as much as a week (13). A new study from an Irish university published in Nature Geoscience magazine examined how climate change millions of years ago could bear some parallels to today's situation (14); at a time when residents and visitors to Lincolnshire, UK, are being warned of the forest fire danger during the summer months (15). The slow recovery of Marysville after the Black Saturday bushfires is explored in the next item from Victoria, Australia (16). The threat from toxic sand, left behind by gold-mining operations in Bendigo Regional Park, and exposed by the Black Saturday bushfires, has been negated by Parks Victoria after a nine-month long rehabilitation project (17); while an industrial design student whose family battled the Black Saturday bushfires as they encroached on their Latrobe Valley property won an award for his innovative lightweight firefighting vehicle design (18). And finally, for all those others also aspiring to be fire engine designers, here's a hazard you probably never considered: mice!

(1) Arsonist who set Station Fire still at large; reward is extended

(2) Cal Fire unit to test air attack program

(3) Aero Union to move from Chico to Sacramento

(4) Wildfire prevention begins at home

(5) Small Forest Fire Burns One Acre Northwest of Reno

(6) Monsoon Safety Awareness Week, Day 1: All about wildfires

(7) Quemado forest rangers plan prescribed fire near Luna

(8) FEMA Authorizes Funds To Fight Rio Fire In Sandoval County

(9) Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue crews snuff wildfire in Silverthorne

(10) Firefighters Get Wildfire Training In Waterville

(11) Damp weather helps slow down wildfires

(12) B.C. forest fire prevention slammed by experts

(13) UPDATE 1-Capstone suspends Minto mine ops due to wildfire

(14) Climate Change Heats Up Forest Fire Risk

(15) Forest fire risk

(16) Marysville slowly rebuilding

(17) Toxic sand threat eases

(18) Tragedy sparked extreme fire survival idea

(19) Firefighting gear to be better protected