WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091410

The Station Fire hearing in Pasadena, California, is back on, this time at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals chambers (the address, for those interested in attending, is 125 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena, Ca 91105) (1); but in the meantime, Los Angeles County Fire's fireships and Super Scoopers responded to a 15-acre wildfire near Porter Ranch yesterday (2). A quarter-acre wildfire was extinguished in Ventura County yesterday (3); while the Canyon Fire, which has burned about 6,000 acres in Kern County, is now considered 10% contained and will probably burn until the end of the month (4). The gas explosion and resultant wildfire in San Bruno has added new focus to a proposal by utility companies that their customers be responsible for any costs that exceed the utilities' insurance coverage (5). CAL FIRE assisted local firefighters with two automobile wrecks that sparked wildfires outside of Redding (6). Firefighters made a successful stand against a grass fire threatening a mobile home near Roseburg, Oregon, yesterday (7); and a wildfire burning in Central Point has drawn the attention of almost 200 firefighters on the ground, along with numerous air-tankers (8); but in a sign of our tough financial times, a cost comparison between the mighty Erickson Air-Crane and smaller Type-II helicopters caused the Oregon Department of Forestry to opt for the smaller aircraft when battling that blaze which, ironically, was near the Erickson plant! (9) An update on the Colorado wildfires is provided by the next article (10); where the incident commander considers the next 36 hours to be critical (11). NASA's MODIS satellite provided a birds' eye view of the Reservoir Fire from space (12); while Colorado has made over $8 million available for the blazes at Boulder and Loveland (13). New evidence points to a volunteer firefighter who may have ignited Colorado's Fourmile Fire due to burning debris (14); and it appears that the Reservoir Fire was also human-caused (15); prompting debate about the wisdom of invoking a burn ban (16); especially in light of the fact that Colorado's foothills are primed for more wildfires (17). The Larimer County Sheriff has been escorting large animal owners back to their property to help evacuate their livestock as the Reservoir Fire continues to burn in the area (18); and another article about the lawsuit which could ban retardant use after 2011 is up next (19). As firefighters from El Paso County assist their brethren on wildfires elsewhere in the state, they remind residents of their own county of the importance of doing their part to stop wildfires in the area (20); a process that will be helped along by a municipal utility thinning trees (21). A small fire started by construction workers near a Mississippi high school grew into a major blaze that threatened homes and may have burned hundreds of acres (22); and Colorado's wildfires are serving as a cautionary tale for a fire chief in Virginia's Albemarle County (23). Longtime adversaries, indigenous Amazon tribes and Brazilian ranchers are teaming up to battle wildfires that have ravaged the region (24); while several new wildfires were reported in Portugal, and another in Algeria yesterday (25). The Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources reports that wildfires there have cost the government millions of pesos (26). The Australian government is going to extend emergency alert service, which warns of approaching bushfires, to mobile phone users (27); and Premier Brumby, who was touring a school in Victoria, took the opportunity to mention that another $1.5 million for bushfire recovery was being raised from scrap metal collected from Black Saturday bushfire-damaged properties (28). Western Australia's Fire and Emergency Services Authority has determined that power lines were responsible for the devastating Toodyay bushfire last December (29); while the wisdom of allowing buses and trains to maintain their normal schedule during periods of extreme bushfire danger is being debated in South Australia (30). A doctoral thesis from Tasmania puts forth that fire agencies need to work harder at making civilians understand the importance of "prepare, act, survive" (31). And finally, here's something firefighters don't often see: burning bales of hay on a rural highway!

(1) Station Fire investigation panels to meet in Pasadena

(2) Porter Ranch brush fire burns some 15 acres

(3) Firefighters put out small brush fire

(4) Canyon Fire still 10-percent contained

(5) San Bruno blast: PG&E backs bid to bill public

(6) UPDATED: Separate wrecks start wildfires

(7) Firefighters save mobile home in Winchester after grass fire

(8) Work continues on Blackwell fire

(9) Erickson was too costly for Blackwell

(10) "Reservoir Road Fire": 9:08 a.m. Latest Information

(11) Colorado Wildfires- Cmdr: Next 36 Hours are Pivotal

(12) Colorado's 'Reservoir Road Fire' can be seen from space

(13) Colorado Makes Firefighting Funds Available

(14) Volunteer Firefighter Likely Started Fourmile Fire

(15) Man-made misery: 925-acre Reservoir Road fire caused by humans

(16) Wildfires Raise Questions About Burn Bans

(17) Dry, hot weather turning Colorado foothills into tinderbox

(18) Sheriff leads some landowners to retrieve large animals

(19) Lawsuit May End Fire Retardant Use After 2011

(20) Firefighters Encourage Mitigation To Prevent Major Fire In El Paso County

(21) Colo. Springs utility plans fire to thin forest, prevent destructive wildfire

(22) Forest blazes by new Ocean Springs High; officials say stump burning began fire (with photo gallery)

(23) Fire Chief: Conditions Favorable for Wildfires

(24) Indigenous tribes, ranchers team to battle Amazon fires

(25) EFFIS - Current Situation

(26) Forest fires destroy P6M worth of trees

(27) Federal Government to upgrade Emergency Alert service

(28) Premier visit

(29) FESA report blames power pole for Toodyay bushfire

(30) Public transport decision sparks bushfire worries

(31) Natural perils ignored

(32) Hay fire burns bales on freeway