WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 080611

Illegal fireworks were blamed for a 44-acre wildfire that burned near Lake Arrowhead in Southern California (1); while firefighters brought containment on a 644-acre wildfire burning in Mendocino County to 80% Friday night (2). A summary of wildfires burning in Oregon is provided by the next item (3); where thunderstorms rolling through Central Oregon sparked several wildfires (4). The Bureau of Land Management is battling two lightning-sparked wildfires north of Kingman, Arizona (5); and lightning sparked an 8,000-acre wildfire in Northwest Arizona which burned into Grand Canyon National Park as well (6); while firefighters continued to battle a trio of wildfires in Kaibab National Forest (7); but government officials put the U.S. Forest Service under a microscope in regards to wildfires which ravaged that state earlier this year (8). Two teens may be going to prison for starting a wildfire after lighting up a grill in a fire-restricted part of New Mexico (9); while fire restrictions have been eased in the Cibola National Forest and Grasslands due to precipitation (10); followed by an article from the New York Times which examines the legacy of the Las Conchos Fire and the inevitable mudslides of summer (11). A summary of wildfire activity in Idaho is up next (12); where smoke from 30 fires burning throughout the region prompted the Department of Environmental Quality to issue breathing alerts to residents with respiratory problems (13). A 4,000-acre wildfire was reported in Iron County, Utah (14). Firefighters battled blazes in Mannford, Prue, Tahlequah, Kiefer and Sapulpa, Oklahoma, yesterday (15); and wildfires threatened homes in Tulsa yesterday afternoon (16). The Salvation Army and Red Cross are asking for additional donations due to wildfires across Texoma over the past few weeks draining their resources (17); the wildfire situation in Texas being summarized in the next article (18); where a wildfire burned several structures and 1,000 acres (19); even as firefighters battled a wildfire which burned through a hay field in Plano (20); and Central Texas was hit particularly hard (21); while Texas AgriLife Extension Service checked up on the response of quail to the wildfires that ravaged their habitat across that state (22). The impact of the Mountain Pine Beetle invasion on Montana's Helena National Forest, 60% of which has been infested with the beetles, is examined in the next item (23); meanwhile, lightning sparked a trio of wildfires in Bitterroot National Forest (24). Lightning strikes were blamed for wildfires sparked in South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest yesterday (25). Two houses were damaged when an air-tanker contracted to the Arkansas Forestry Commission crashed after takeoff from an airport in Hot Springs (26); but another aircraft was ready to take its place, along with a pair of Black Hawk helicopters from the Arkansas National Guard (27); this at a time when air-tankers are needed to battle several wildfires in Bradley and Faulkner Counties (28). Two wildfires were sparked in Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge by lightning (29); while firefighters in North Carolina are crediting rain with having extinguished numerous wildfires raging in the state (30); and Florida's governor extended the state of emergency due to 49 wildfires still burning in a state which has seen 4,300 fires scorch 278,000 acres so far this year (31). Honoring their contractual obligations under the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact, firefighters from Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources headed north to Ontario to help battle fires there (32); the smoke from which has spread as far south as Niagara Falls on the US border (33); as well as Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba Conservation reporting that 217 fires, have burned a total of 84,288 hectares in that province (34). Although firefighters in Russia's Far East have extinguished 10 wildfires, 10 others continued to burn in Yakutia, Khabarovsk Territory, the Magadansk Region and Chukotka (35); while a 500 ha wildfire was reported in Iran's Lorestan Province (36). And finally, our last article today profiles Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom 1 Team's unique mission as python catchers!

(1) Fire officials: Illegal fireworks sparked blaze

(2) Mendocino County wildfire close to containment

(3) Wildfire containment is expected today

(4) Thunderstorms Cause Wildfires to Break Out

(5) Lightning starts two fires north of Kingman

(6) Wildfire started by lightning chars 8,000 acres in northern Arizona

(7) 2 of 3 Kaibab Forest fires grow in size

(8) Legislators host forest fire hearing in Alpine

(9) Two teens jailed for starting wildfire

(10) Cibola National Forest and Grasslands Rescind Fire Restrictions on 3 Districts

(11) Buried in Wildfire Ash, a N.M. Monument Awakens to New Threat: Flash Floods

(12) Windmill Fire Continues to Burn

(13) Smoke from wildfires fills valley skies, creates unhealthy conditions

(14) Crews mobilizing to battle 4,000-acre SW Utah wildfire

(15) Sapulpa, Keystone Firefighters Back On Wildfires

(16) Wildfires break out west of Tulsa

(17) Wildfires draining Salvation Army, Red Cross resources

(18) San Angelo-area news in brief, 8/6

(19) Wildfire Burns More Than A Thousand Acres, Several Structures

(20) Wildfire burns Plano hay field

(21) Grass fires ignite all over Central Texas

(22) AgriLife Extension monitoring quail response to large-scale wildfires

(23) Pine beetles affect Helena National Forest fire plans

(24) Lightning sparks 3 wildfires in Bitterroot National Forest

(25) Three fires reported in the Black Hills National Forest

(26) Firefighting Plane Crashes in Hot Springs

(27) New firefighting plane on standby day after Hot Springs

(28) Wildfires burning in Faulkner County, Bradley County

(29) Wildfire closes parts of Dismal Swamp in Suffolk

(30) Onslow wildfires out, under control

(31) Florida State of Emergency for Wildfires Extended

(32) MN Firefighters Help Fight Blaze In Ontario

(33) Smoke from forest fires reaches Falls: NASA

(34) Smoke here from forest fires in Ontario

(35) Firefighters put out half of wildfires raging in Russia's Far East

(36) Forest fire rages in West Iran for 52 hours

(37) Firefighters nab 11-foot python that was snacking on farmer’s livestock