WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 060411

A 160-acre wildfire which was reported in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest should be contained completely by Sunday (1). Firefighters battling a massive 140,000-acre wildfire burning in eastern Arizona received a visit from the governor as the blaze expanded to the fourth-largest in that state's history (2); and as the sum total of that state's fires reached 250,000 acres burned, cities as far away as Albuquerque, New Mexico, reported smoky skies (3); the fire danger prompting Kaibab and Prescott National Forests to impose fire restrictions (4). A 658-acre wildfire burning in New Mexico's Carson National Forest should be contained by the middle of the month (5); but a 166-acre wildfire at Colorado's Keystone Resort is still burning (6); the following article providing details on some larger blazes in that state which are still not controlled (7). Heavy fuel load has caused officials in Salt Lake City, Utah, to ban fireworks to reduce the danger of wildfires (8). Texas Forest Service evacuated a boys ranch and nearby homes as a 1,500-acre blaze, one of several wildfires currently burning in West Texas, drew too close (9); and a 500-acre wildfire that broke through containment lines has forced evacuations in Jasper County as well (10). Deep cuts in the Alabama Forestry Commission's budget, combined with extremely dry conditions in the southern part of the state, are leading to numerous out-of-control wildfires (11); including a 1,500-acre blaze in Escambia County which is believed to have been caused by a tire blowout (12); all of which has prompted officials to impose a burn ban until significant rainfall occurs (13). The Florida Division of Forestry has identified 232 wildfires in the state which have burned 18,614 acres so far (14); more details of blazes in Flagler County provided in the next article (15). Alaska Interagency Coordination Center provided a summary of wildfire activity in that state in the next article (16). A Canadian wildfire burning on the border between British Columbia and Yukon expanded to 116 km² in size yesterday (17); but antsy evacuees caused a bit of a ruckus at a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, shelter where they were waiting impatiently for firefighters to gain the upper hand on raging wildfires north of that city (18); meanwhile, heavy rain in the southeastern part of the province has allowed officials to lift burn bans (19). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Wilson, a former Canadian air-tanker pilot, sent along two articles about the worsening wildfire situation in Alberta: the first one deals with renewed evacuations at the Fort McMurray oilsands installations (20); and the second details the exploits of the Martin Mars flying boat which flew in from BC (Wildfire NOTD subscriber Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Flying Tankers commented on their new deployment) (21):

Good Evening Michael,

I hope things are going well with you.

The Mars has been picked up by the Alberta government so we depart in the morning to get into the fight up in Fort McMurry which is in Northern Alberta.

This trip will be a little shorter as we are only going 1000nm instead of Mexico which was 2000nm :)

Cheers Wayne

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources provided some details on the few fires they had burning (22). Heading to Australia, after a deliberately-set bushfire threatened homes in a Northern Territory community, firefighters said their job will become almost impossible once the official bushfire season begins (23); but South Australia's Department of Environment and Natural Resources received $23.1 million to help battle bushfires in the future (24). And finally, a Prince George County, Maryland, rookie firefighter has already performed two rescues, just not of people!

(1) Trilogy Fire containment expected Sunday

(2) Wallow Fire grows to 140,000 acres; Brewer to visit

(3) Wildfires continue to rage in Arizona

(4) Fire Danger Prompts Forest Restrictions

(5) UPDATE: Osha fire downgraded to 658 acres, forest service estimates total containment by mid June

(6) 166-acre Gulch Fire is still smoldering

(7) Fire crews push for upper hand

(8) Fireworks banned to protect neighborhoods from wildfires

(9) Wildfire near Albany forces evacuations of Boys Ranch and homes

(10) Evacuations ordered in Jasper County as 500-acre wildfire threatens homes

(11) Wildfires on the rise in Alabama

(12) Brush fire sweeps county

(13) AFC: No burning until rain falls

(14) Wildfires Come in All Sizes

(15) Taking Stock of Flagler’s Fires: Taming White Eagle as Espanola Threatens Mondex

(16) Crews work to keep wildfire north of Chatanika

(17) B.C. wildfire grows near Yukon border

(18) Wildfire improves, tempers flare amongst people from Saskatchewan communities

(19) Province lifts fire bans

(20) Oilsands work camps flee fire

(21) Alberta calls in biggest water bomber to battle wildfires in oilsands region

(22) MNR reports one new forest fire in North East

(23) Bushfire threatens outback town

(24) Fire money in the millions

(25) Rookie Firefighter Rescues More Wildlife