WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 052411

Our first article today takes a look at wildfires from an insurance company perspective (1). Several agencies battled a two-acre wildfire in difficult terrain outside of San Carlos, California, in San Diego County (2); while Santa Barbara County Fire Department officials are advising residents who live in wilderness areas to clear 100 feet of defensible space around their homes (3); and as wildfire season begins, Kern County Fire Department is beefing up its personnel and equipment (4). As Santa Clara County, California, officials collect information for their Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, residents expressed a distinct fear of wildfires in the area (5); while CAL FIRE's Wildland Fire Academy put seasonal firefighters through their paces in Tulare County over the weekend (6). Firefighters in Oregon's Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests plan to conduct some controlled burns from now through Thursday (7). Over 900 firefighters continued to grapple with the 43,000-acre wildfire burning near Portal, Arizona, bringing containment to 30% (8); while the Bureau of Land Management estimates that a 750-acre wildfire burning outside of Yuma will be contained this evening (9); and another in the Coronado National Forest has passed the 4,000-acre mark (10); even as air-tankers assisted firefighters on the ground battling a 600-acre wildfire in Parker Canyon (11). An 83,000-acre wildfire burning in New Mexico's Gila National Forest is now considered 48% contained (12); and several Western Oklahoma counties have stepped up their fire surveillance as temperatures rise and wildfire danger increases accordingly (13). Texas Forest Service will assume control over the remaining wildfires in that state as the last federal response teams depart (14); while West Texas is bracing for more wildfires as the fire danger reached critical levels across the region (15); but with volunteers constituting 77% of that state's firefighters, lawmakers have unveiled a new Texas Wildfire Relief Fund to help provide funds to buy much-needed firefighting equipment (16). A behind-the-scenes look at the science of predicting wildfires is offered by the next article from Montana (17); followed by one about West Virginia University's Division of Forestry and Natural Resources wildfire training camp, due to begin on June 10th (18). Wind caused a wildfire burning in North Carolina's Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to breach containment lines yesterday (19); while firefighters will be setting a 120-acre controlled burn on the grounds of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to reduce the wildfire hazard on the 52,000-acre Army base (20). The Georgia Forestry Commission estimates that timber owners have lost about 193,000 acres to storms and wildfires (21); and the US Forest Service will be conducting a meeting in Florida to discuss the environmental impact of fire retardant on waterways in the Ocala National Forest, followed by a webinar on June 16 (22). A half-dozen fires were reported in Alaska's Mat Su Valley (23); but taking note of Slave Lake, Alberta's, recent wildfire damage, the Canadian town of Hinton discussed their wildfire action plan (24). Wildfires in Siberia are being brought to heel with the assistance of Russian paratroopers from Irkutsk, Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk (25). An off-duty policeman who is charged with having started a bushfire which destroyed 72 homes outside of Perth, Western Australia, pleaded not guilty to the charge (26); while residents of Gippsland, Victoria, will have the opportunity to address the Powerline Bushfires Safety Taskforce about their bushfire concerns on June 2nd (27). And finally, a Washington Redskins linebacker took time off from football to tackle a different opponent as a firefighter!

(1) Urban Wildfires & Hot Smoke

(2) Firefighters Knock Down San Carlos Brush Fire

(3) County residents urged to create ‘defensible space’

(4) Crew 81 In Tehachapi For Wildfire Season

(5) Earthquakes and Wildfires Top Gilroy Residents' Concerns

(6) Seasonal Firefighters pass the muster

(7) Prescribed Burns Scheduled This Week

(8) Horseshoe Two fire burns 43,000 acres

(9) Wildfire near Yuma burns 750 acres; full containment expected Tuesday evening

(10) Wildfire spreading in Coronado National Forest because of dry conditions

(11) Wildfire burning in Parker Canyon at 600 acres

(12) Wildfire near Silver City burns 83,000 acres

(13) 4 western Okla. counties under fire weather watch

(14) Last Federal Wildfire Team Leaves Texas

(15) Firefighters, ranchers prepare for today's critical fire danger

(16) Texas Wildfire Relief Fund launches

(17) PREVIEW: Predicting Montana's wildfire season

(18) WVU set to host wildfire training program for mid-Atlantic region

(19) Firefighters Lose Containment in Pains Bay Wildfire

(20) Fort Jackson burning 120 acres to help reduce wildfire hazards

(21) Georgia suffers record timber loss in storms, fires

(22) Forest Service meeting on fire retardant set for Tuesday

(23) Wildfire season starts across the Mat Su and Alaska

(24) Local wildfire action plan

(25) Wildfires situation in Siberia stabilises – local administration

(26) Cop pleads not guilty to starting bushfire

(27) Landholders get say on powerlines bushfire threat

(28) Redskins Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander Learns Firefighting