WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071310

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Kristina Hajjar, Director of Communications for Los Angeles County Fire Department, sent along an announcement about a fundraiser to help fight cancer in the firefighting community this coming September (1); but gardening equipment is suspected of starting a small, one-acre blaze in Covina yesterday (2). The sister of convicted arsonist Raymond Lee Oyler refuses to answer San Bernardino County prosecutors' questions about her part in jury tampering during Oyler's trial (3). CAL FIRE contained a small wildfire in Julian over the weekend (4); while CAL FIRE, US Forest Service, and Santa Barbara County firefighters responded with overwhelming force to their second wildfire in Cuyama Valley in two days (5); bringing it near to containment after it burned 450 acres (6). Firefighters in Sacramento County battled a 200 acre blaze on Monday (7); and CAL FIRE battled a 175-acre blaze in Northern California that may have started over the weekend (8). Wildfire News of the Day subscriber Lena Tucker, South Cascade District Forester for Oregon Department of Forestry, sent along an article about the successful test of a wildfire-sensing camera system in her area (the same type of system to be used with The Water Cache Project) (9); but firefighters in Southern Oregon were kept hopping by a mixture of structure and wildland fires, as the next three articles show (10)(11)(12). A wildfire in Central Washington that has burned over 20,000 acres is slowly being brought under control (13); while another in Vancouver burned just 1 acre under a highway bridge before being snuffed (14); and a wildfire was also reported late Monday on the Spokane Indian Reservation (15). A wildfire near Sunset point, Arizona, has grown to 3,000 acres in size (16). An update on the fire situation in New Mexico's Gila National Forest, where lightning is faulted for starting a number of wildfires, is provided by the next item (17); while firefighters in Southern Utah had a tough fight in difficult terrain with a wildfire blazing near Cedar City (18). Roads closed during a controlled burn in the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah have been reopened (19); and a wildfire in Montana which was reported Monday night has increased to 200 acres in size (20). Although conditions are ideal for wildfires in Pennsylvania at the moment, fire officials are still debating about whether to impose a burn ban which would last for 30 days (21); but authorities believe they have an arsonist in custody who may have set several wildfires in New Jersey's latest fire siege (22). Fairbanks, Alaska, is choking on smoke from a wildfire southwest of town, suppression of which is complicated by the fact that it's burning on a former bombing range which still contains unexploded ordinance! (23) British Columbia's heretofore quiet wildfire season is suddenly heating up, as evidenced by the next four articles (24)(25)(26)(27). Lightning sparked a wildfire on an island in Ontario over the weekend which was quickly extinguished, leaving a Baker's dozen still burning in that province yesterday (28); while firefighters in Manitoba, which has seen 350 wildfires so far this year, are hoping that a change in the weather will help dampen down the blazes in the northern part of that province (29). The rejuvenation of some heathland in the UK after a devastating wildfire four years ago is examined by the next article (30); but the Turks and the Kurds, constant antagonists over an independent Kurdish state, are having a firefight, although not one that involves guns! (31) Firefighters in Fujian Province, China, reported a wildfire that required the intervention of firefighters, police, and marine police to bring it under control (32); while Queensland Fire and Rescue Service reminded Australian parents of the danger children lighting bushfires can pose (33). And finally, another artist has been inspired by the remains of a forest fire, in this case the Angora fire.

(1) “Fight Cancer with Fire” tickets on sale for FCSN Gala September 19

(2) Firefighters knock down one-acre blaze in Covina

(3) Sister of convicted Calif. arson killer takes 5th

(4) Firefighters contain brush fire in Julian

(5) Cuyama Valley burns again

(6) Firefighters near containment on 450-acre wildfire

(7) 200+ Acres Burn In SE Sacramento County

(8) Wildfire scorches 175 acres

(9) Smoke camera passes its test

(10) Area firefighters extinguish 3 blazes

(11) Crews mop up lightning fire

(12) Wildfire near Trail, Ore. grows to 60 acres

(13) Wildfire near Wenatchee has burned 31 square miles

(14) Firefighters extinguish one-acre blaze underneath I-205 Bridge

(15) New wildfire burning on Spokane Indian Reservation

(16) Wildfire Burns Near Sunset Point

(17) Lightning causes fires in Gila National Forest

(18) Firefighters battle blaze near Cedar

(19) National forest near Price reopens after fire

(20) More crews respond to growing wildfire near Craig

(21) Pa. fire officials haven't reached consensus on burn ban

(22) BURLINGTON COUNTY: Man accused of setting brush fires

(23) Fairbanks air deemed unhealthy due to wildfire smoke

(24) State of emergency declared as wildfire breaks out near Kelowna

(25) Fires burning in Tweedmuir, west of Quesnel

(26) Wildfire at Seclusion Bay is growing and has destroyed one home and one police cruiser

(27) Wildfires flare up around B.C.

(28) Lightning strike ignites island fire

(29) Weather To Help Firefighting Efforts In The North

(30) Heathland: A burning issue

(31) Turks Let Kurdish Forests Burn

(32) Firefighters work overnight to put out bushfire in Haicang of Xiamen

(33) Children pose fire threat

(34) Charred trees from Angora fire inspire Sacramento artist