WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 051311

Southern California's Angeles National Forest is reopening 98,000 of the 161,000 acres burned in 2009's Station Fire (1); while the contribution of California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing to air-tanker support battling the Texas wildfires is examined in the next article (2). Helicopter pilots from the 3rd Marine Air Wing brushed up on their wildland firefighting skills at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in San Diego County (3); even as Kern River Valley Fire Safe Council announced its own Wildfire Awareness Week events that will last through Sunday (4); while a 700-acre wildfire burning near Soledad that was apparently sparked by power lines is now 80% contained (5). Now that Ashland, Oregon, is a Firewise Community, they're busy preparing for wildfire season by clearing brush (6). Controlled burns will be conducted along the South Rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, weather permitting (7); but fire restrictions in the Tonto National Forest are being put in place (8); and the assistance provided by a cell phone company to firefighters battling a wildfire on Fort Apache Indian Reservation is recounted by the next item (9). Parts of New Mexico's Cibola National Forest will be closed due to the fire danger (10); and the Gila National Forest imposed fire restrictions as a new 30-acre blaze was reported yesterday afternoon (11). A fabulous video montage of various air-tankers in action over the Texas wildfires is provided by the next item (12); but although 201 out of 254 counties in Texas still have burn bans in place, the Texas Forest Service reported an important milestone: no new major fires today! (13) The wildfire in North Carolina's Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge has passed the 25,000-acre mark, making for smoky skies across parts of that state (14); even Hampton Roads, Virginia, complaining about smoke in the air (15). Fire officials are holding a series of meetings in communities surrounding Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, where a 104,836-acre wildfire still burns (16); but as the cost of suppressing the wildfire in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve approaches the $5 million mark, containment is nearing 100% (17). A wildfire in Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley brought home the importance of fire prevention to residents (18). A 5 km² wildfire burning outside of Whitecourt in the Canadian province of Alberta was tamped down a little by some providential rain (19); that story followed by a summary of fire activity in Northeast Ontario (20); and New Brunswick's Provincial Forest Fire Centre is enjoying wet weather, which reduces the wildfire threat as well (21). The head of Greenpeace Russia's forest program is warning Russian authorities that the wildfire situation could be even worse this year than the catastrophic conditions last year (22); while smoke from peat fires burning on Indonesia's Sumatra Island are making for smoky skies across nearby Malaysia (23). In Australia, the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund has created a Community Advisory Committee to help it decide on how to spend the $16 million remaining in the fund (24); but the bizarre case of a law firm filing a lawsuit in regards to the 2003 Alpine bushfire, in which the plaintiff didn't even know he was being represented, was thrown out of court yesterday (25). Although happy that plentiful rain has fallen in the off-season, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner now worries about the bushfire threat the resulting vegetation presents (26). And finally, a faulty door on an air-tanker caused the pilot to hit the wrong target, coating a New Mexico neighborhood with retardant instead!

(1) LA Area Forest Reopens 98,000 Acres burned in 2009

(2) 146th Airlift Wing helps fight fires in Texas

(3) Helicopter Pilots Train at Camp Pendleton to Quench Wild Blazes

(4) KRV Fire Safe Council launches Wildfire Awareness, May 2-15

(5) CalFire: Soledad Blaze Sparked By Power Lines

(6) Prepping for wildfires

(7) Prescribed Fire Planned for South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

(8) Visitors need to know of fire restrictions

(9) CellularOne helps firefighters control Locust fire

(10) Fire danger closing Cibola Nat'l Forest

(11) New fire reported north of Silver City (1:52 p.m.)

(12) Watch the Heroic and Crazy Flying Firefighters In Action

(13) Texas Forest Service: Friday Wildfire Update

(14) Crews continue to battle growing wildfire

(15) Wildfire smoke seeps into Hampton Roads

(16) Okefenokee wildfire meeting tonight

(17) Big Cypress wildfire is about 95 percent contained

(18) We all have a duty to prevent wildfire

(19) Crews report progress fighting Whitecourt wildfire

(20) Northeast Forest Fire Report - May 13th

(21) Wet weather is good news for fire prevention

(22) Greenpeace warns Russia of catastrophic wildfires

(23) Indonesia battles forest fire on Sumatra island

(24) Bushfire Fund Appoints Community Advisory Committee

(25) Bushfires class action from 2003 Alpine bushfires by Oldham Naidoo thrown out

(26) Bushfire fears follow the rain

(27) Neighborhood covered with fire retardant