WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 021611

Wildfire News Of The Day subscriber Bill Niccum, Los Angeles County Fire Department Assistant Chief, sent along the following message: "You might have heard, Chief Deputy Daryl Osby has been appointed LAC’s new Fire Chief. Kristina Hajjar, our Communications Director, may be able to send you a press release" (1). A Neptune Aviation P-2 conducted test drops of a new eco-friendly fire retardant at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada (2); but a wildfire in Southern Arizona has exceeded 1,400 acres and has burned into Mexico (3); and a wildfire north of Carrizozo, New Mexico, consumed 65 acres before being contained (4). A pair of articles from Colorado look at the impact of the recession on fire departments which, coupled with wildfire risk, may drive up insurance rates across the western US, assuming the insurance companies will pay top dollar to settle claims (5)(6). Several agencies battled a Texas wildfire that scorched 1,500 acres (7); but with temperatures in the 80s and winds of 25 miles-an-hour or more, other fire agencies are bracing for wildfires of their own (8); this at a time when a firetruck manufacturer is providing state-of-the-art apparatus to help battle wildfires throughout that state (9). As temperatures rise in Tennessee, fire officials are concerned about the wildfire danger (10); followed by an article that tells the tale of how the US Forest Service apprehended a wildfire arsonist in Tennessee that reads like something from an adventure novel! (11) Maryland DNR Forest Service is investigating a pair of marsh fires that burned over 3,500 acres (12); while a wildfire in Virginia's Jefferson National Forest sparked by a downed power line is now 700 acres in size and is only 75% contained (13). A specialized brush truck is profiled in an article from Augusta County, Virginia (14). Firefighters in North Carolina continued to respond to more wildfires (15); some sparked by illegal debris burns (16); one which may triple in size from its current 750 acre perimeter (17). Five firefighters have been added to the ranks of South Carolina Forestry Commission’s wildland firefighting force (18); while the next article reiterates the danger to drought-stricken Southern Florida posed by wildfires (19). The Cuban Ranger Corps is issuing wildfire warnings as the spring forest fire season begins on that Caribbean island (20); and warm weather in Russia's Primorsky Territory, combined with agricultural fires, has produced Siberia's first official forest fires of the year, months ahead of their usual start (21). Steps taken in Indonesia's Jambi Province to reduce the smoke from wildfires is finally showing some progress (22); but the impact of allowing housing developments in parts of Australia at high-risk from, among other things, bushfires, is examined in the next article (23). The Victorian government has unveiled its $2.7 million Bushfire Communities Support Program intended to make bushfire-prone parts of that state safer (24); while fire authorities provided advice to folks in Western Australia as bushfire conditions worsened (25). And finally, scientists at Australian National University are considering the possibility that bushfires may have helped transform Australia from a lush, tropical environment to the current drier environment back when dinosaurs ruled the earth!

(1) Daryl L. Osby Appointed as Los Angeles County Fire Chief

(2) Minden company develops eco-friendly fire retardant

(3) Duquesne fire more than doubles in size on Day 2

(4) Wildfire near Carrizozo contained at 65 acres

(5) Why Recession, Not Wildfire Risk, May Drive Up Insurance Rates in the West

(6) Are Insurance Companies Letting Down Colorado Forest Fire Victims?

(7) Fisher County wildfire under control

(8) Texas Forest Service On High Alert

(9) Firefighters Get New Tool To Battle Wild Fires

(10) Dry conditions, warmer weather bring concern about wildfires in Tenn.

(11) Cherokee Forest fires suspect makes deal to share secrets

(12) Md. Forest Service watching two big marsh fires

(13) Craig Co. wildfire 700 acres, 75% contained

(14) Augusta County Used Special Tools to Contain Brush Fire

(15) Watauga blaze under control as fire season gets an early start

(16) Firefighters respond to Buncombe wildfires near Asheville

(17) Fire Officials: Forest Fire Could Triple In Size

(18) North Myrtle Beach firefighters certified as Wildland Firefighters

(19) South Florida could see heavy wildfire season

(20) Cuba to see increasing forest fires in drought season

(21) This year's first forest fires spotted in S Primorye

(22) S'pore, Indonesia ministers satisfied with progress on forest fires

(23) Disasters put insurers, risks in focus

(24) $2.7m for Yarra Ranges bushfire support

(25) Bushfire advice for Martin in Gosnells

(26) Bushfires existed in dinosaurs' time