WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 022611

We lead off wildfire news today with the second installment in my Firehouse.com series about Night Vision Goggles used by several agencies to fight wildfires in Southern California (1); but as CAL FIRE pulls back from providing support to cities in California, one town in San Bernardino County is reinstituting a volunteer reserve firefighter program to fill the gap (2). A wildfire that has burned 5,500 acres in southeastern New Mexico is now 10% contained (3); prompting officials to warn residents of the fire danger after 19 blazes were reported in the past week (4). As Texas Gov. Rick Perry responds to worsening wildfire conditions across the state, the next article provides some detailed information on the situation (5); while Texas Forest Service has deployed a regional fire fighting team to Kingsville to help coordinate firefighting efforts in the southern part of the state (6); but after responding to 61 fires that burned over 20,000 acres, Texas Forest Service is bracing for worsening wildfire conditions across the West Texas Plains on Sunday (7). Residents of West Virginia were reminded that spring fire season will be commencing next Tuesday (8). Firefighters managed to contain a wildfire that burned about 160 acres in Robeson County, North Carolina (9); but authorities in Rowan County think they may have a serial arsonist setting wildfires in the area (10); even as firefighters in Cumberland County were extinguishing spot fires yesterday on a wildfire that burned over 1,000 acres (11); while an Op-Ed piece from Buncombe County Cooperative Extension provides useful tips for homeowners on preparing for wildfires, something which that state has seen plenty of lately (12). Firefighters feared that a 35-acre wildfire that burned in Volusia County, Florida, would spark back up today (13); and several wildfires have been reported by Florida Division of Forestry across that state (14); this at a time when low rainfall is increasing the wildfire danger in Volusia and Flagler counties (15). Australian firefighters in Kariong, New South Wales, unveiled a high-tech fire engine with which to battle bushfires of the future (16); while a truck driver who was traumatized by a Western Australian bushfire that burned across the Great Eastern Highway in 2007 has received financial compensation from the state government (17). And finally, instead of getting a cat out of a tree, firefighters in Brazil had to get an alligator out of a house!

(1) Aerial Firefighting with Night Vision Goggles – Part 2

(2) Highland to use volunteer reserve firefighters

(3) Firefighters battle blaze in southeastern NM

(4) State Forestry warns of high fire danger in NM

(5) Gov. Perry pre-deploys resources in response to extreme wildfire threat

(6) Kingsville picked for wildfire staging area

(7) Dangerous wildfire conditions predicted for Texas on Sunday

(8) WV Spring Forest Fire Season Starts March 1

(9) Robeson firefighters keep eye on contained fire

(10) Some brush fires suspicious

(11) Crews work to keep remnants of wildfire from spreading

(12) Reduce home's risk for wildfire damage

(13) Firefighters: New Smyrna Beach brush fire likely to pick back up today

(14) Firefighters battle brush fire late, plan to return in morning

(15) Officials: Wildfire season heating up

(16) Latest aid for Kariong firefighters

(17) Truckie's Boorabbin bushfire payout three years after deadly blaze

(18) Brazil firefighters find alligator behind couch