WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 053111

First up today, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Hatton, CEO of 10 Tanker LLC, sent along information about the capabilities of their mammoth DC-10 firefighting aircraft with the following message:

Please be advised that 10 Tanker Air Carrier will have DC 10 Call When Needed availability from this date forward. Based at KVCV in California, we can respond rapidly to your requirement for preemptive or extended attack. In most cases we can be in position to go to work within 24 hours of activation.

Please see our capabilities flyer and review our drop comparisons below.


We welcome your inquiries, and look forward to enhancing your suppression efforts this fire season.

Sincerely,

Rick Hatton
President & CEO
10 Tanker Air Carrier
918 346 1109

Elsewhere in the news, wildfire activity in Arizona was up (1); one blaze having burned 1,400 acres near Alpine in the White Mountains (2); where a new wildfire in the Coronado National Forest has burned 125 acres so far (3); but a forest ecologist with the University of Northern Arizona takes a look at whether tapping into the emerging carbon market can help pay for wildfire mitigation (4). A wildfire at New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest was 90% contained after burning just 5 acres (5); but a much more substantial 5,000-acre blaze was burning along the New Mexico/Colorado border (6). A dozen homes in the Texas Panhandle went up in flames as wind-driven wildfires brought the total acreage burned in that state near the 3 million mark (7); while several fires broke out in Burnet County, including a 280-acre blaze sparked by a passing train (8); and a 170-acre wildfire was reported in Sam Houston National Forest as well (9); but a homeowners association in Possum Kingdom is threatening to sue a wildfire survivor who is living in a camper on his property until his home is rebuilt (10); while the next article takes a look at how the town of Stinnett supported firefighters battling blazes on the outskirts (11). A video segment touches on the investigation into the wildfire burning in North Carolina's Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (12); and a 7,852-acre wildfire was threatening to move into Okefenokee Swamp, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission (13). One of nearly 5 dozen wildfires burning in Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida, forced the evacuation of homes yesterday (14); while the state was pummeled by over 250 wildfires (15); prompting Florida Division of Forestry to sponsor wildfire prevention workshops in nearly a dozen counties (16). An Alaskan Op-Ed article discusses wildfires on the Last Frontier (17); an update on two wildfires that have burned outside of Fairbanks provided by the next article (18). The US and Mexico have signed a mutual aid agreement on air-tankers that allows for operations that extend as far as 10 miles beyond each other's borders (19). British Columbia, Canada's, Northwest Fire Centre has reported new wildfires in the northern part of that province (20); while the City of Revelstoke has unveiled a new Community Wildfire Protection Plan (21); however, work in Alberta's oilsands fields has been suspended due to nearby wildfires, including a 284,000-ha blaze (22); and firefighters were also busy battling nine wildfires in the Yukon (23). In the UN report 'State of Europe's Forests 2011', forest fires are one element blamed for causing fragmentation of European forests (24). While automobiles in Australia emitted 2 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2010, wildfires topped them by adding 2.1 million tons (25); but despite having 117 locations designated as bushfire refuges, some areas at high risk in Victoria still go without (26). And finally, schoolkids in Coos Bay, Oregon, got a sweet treat for a forest fire poster!

(1) One fire grows, another is contained

(2) Fire near Alpine burns 1,400 acres

(3) New wildfire starts in area west of Tubac

(4) Up in Smoke: Can Carbon Markets Help Reduce Forest Fires?

(5) Fire Forces Evacuation At Jemez Falls Campgrounds

(6) Bear Fire Burns 5,000 Acres, Second Fire Breaks Out

(7) Fires destroy 12 homes in Amarillo

(8) Burnet County wildfires contained, but crews remain

(9) Wildfire burns 170 acres in Sam Houston National Forest

(10) HOA threatens to sue Possum Kingdom wildfire survivor

(11) Stinnett came together Sunday to help firefighters

(12) Coastal wildfire cause investigation: preliminary

(13) Ware County Forest Fire Continues to Burn

(14) Fire forces temporary evacuation

(15) As more than 250 Florida wildfires burn, smoke drifts toward Tampa Bay

(16) Wildfire Prevention Workshops Available

(17) OPINION: A natural season best viewed from afar

(18) Wildfire breaks out north of Fairbanks

(19) Aviation Operations Within Mutual Aid Zone USA/Mexico

(20) Fires break out up north

(21) City presents new wildfire protection plan

(22) Wildfire forces work stoppage at Alberta oilsands site

(23) Weekend wildfires burn near Dawson City

(24) Green Corridors Needed to Reconnect Europe's Fragmented Forests

(25) Motorists, bushfires were most devastating for Australia's air quality in 2010

(26) High-risk bushfire areas still without last-resort refuges

(27) Kids scream for ice cream, and forest fire safety