WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092311

With temperatures on the rise, the wildfire danger has increased significantly in Southern California today (1); while a 20-acre wildfire kept firefighters from the Rodeo-Hercules Fire District busy (2). An Op-Ed piece from Oregon blames US Forest Service firefighters' slow response for the destruction wrought by the Dollar Lake Fire (3); but the wilderness coordinator for Oregon Wild defends US Forest Service's handling of that blaze (4). A 40-acre wildfire was reported near Wychus Creek, Oregon, yesterday (5); and the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center reported a 300-acre wildfire near Culver (6). A National Public Radio segment discuss fire ecology, and how new forest management strategies may help stifle wildfires in the Southwest (7); while the University of Arizona has earned a $1.5 million grant to study how humans and climate change are influencing wildfires (8). Volunteers from Draper City, Utah, will be reseeding a hillside denuded by a 40-acre wildfire in August (9); but the problem of an expanding wildland-urban interface outside of Oklahoma City could pose additional wildfire challenges (10). As the wildfire emergencies abate, FEMA is reducing its hours in Bastrop, Texas (11); while Austin Fire Department is encouraging homeowners to be prepared for wildfires (12); and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn paid homage to volunteer firefighters who battled the Texas wildfires (13); even as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is doing its part to help wildfire survivors (14). Some roads in Minnesota's Superior National Forest have reopened as firefighters brought the 146 mi.² wildfire to 35% containment (15); but it has been revealed that six US Forest Service personnel had to deploy their protective shelters when caught in a burnover earlier this month (16); while seasoned firefighters said they had never seen anything like this fire's ferocity (17). Schoolkids from Wilkes County, North Carolina, learned about forest fires at the Forestry and Environmental Camp (18). In an attempt to stop Indonesia's runaway wildfire pollution problem, members of Asean are urging their leadership to sign the Transboundary Haze Pollution agreement (19); while a 20 ha wildfire has been reported outside of Wanaka, New Zealand (20). With 10% of Australians suffering from asthma, the next article touches on the impact of bushfire smoke on folks with respiratory problems (21); the next article taking a look at the bushfire danger in Ballarat, Victoria (22). Queensland has a bumper crop of bushfires at the moment (23); where it pays to stick to your guns when trying to get better bushfire preparations in place (24). A small bushfire was reported outside of Dural, New South Wales (25); and two teenagers living in Katoomba have been charged with setting bushfires in the Blue Mountains (26). In Western Australia, the Northam FESA district manager has indicated that more bushfire preparations need to be in place (27). And finally, we've heard of people who deal with wildfire survivors who are two-legged and four-legged, but here's one that deals with six-legged survivors!

(1) High temperatures bring high risk of wildfires

(2) Fire burns 20 acres in Hercules

(3) The Dollar Lake Fire: What the government did wrong

(4) The Dollar Lake fire: Forest Service was right to wait

(5) New Fire Near Wychus Creek

(6) Wildfire near Culver grows to 300 acres

(7) Managing Forests To Manage Wildfires

(8) UA Awarded $1.5M to Study Human-Fire-Climate Interactions

(9) Draper to reseed in wake of wildfire

(10) Oklahoma campaign begins to combat wildfires

(11) Shortened hours for FEMA in Bastrop

(12) AFD promotes wildfire preparedness

(13) Honoring Our Local Heroes: Texas’ Volunteer Firefighters

(14) HLSR Go Texan Committee volunteers pull together for wildfire victims

(15) Some Roads Reopened in Fire Area

(16) Pagami Creek fire crew forced to deploy emergency fire shelters

(17) Did the Forest Service get burned?

(18) 6th-graders learn about forestry

(19) Asean urges Indonesia to sign pollution pact

(20) A large bush fire has broken out near Wanaka and covers approximately 20 hectares on Department of Conservation controlled land

(21) Bushfires affecting asthma sufferers

(22) Prepare yourself for bushfires, floods

(23) Fire crews battle blazes across Queensland

(24) Council fires up after criticism

(25) Bushfire extinguished in Dural

(26) Teens to be charged NSW bushfire

(27) Bushfire fears fanned

(28) Area students learning from survivors of wildfires