Firebomber Publications Blog

Wildfire News Of The Day (the Firebomber Publications blog) provides comprehensive international wildfire news. Subscribers include over 10,000 personnel from fire agencies, contractors, and government entities on five continents. "BEST NEWSLETTER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 32 YEARS IN THE FIRE SERVICE" - San Diego Fire Department Chief Brian Fennessy.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071911

CAL FIRE air-tankers pounced on a wildfire burning in Amador County, California (1); while the U.S. Forest Service will conduct controlled burns on 20 acres on the California side of Lake Tahoe today (2). After years of suppressing fires and restricting loggers has increased the wildfire danger, a new plan to selectively cut down some of Oregon's trees is even receiving approval from environmentalists (3); and the next article takes a look at air assets available to the Oregon Department of Forestry (4). Washington State University Extension and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources have teamed up to provide wildfire tips to homeowners in their "Firewise 101" workshops (5); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Chuck Bushey, President of the International Association of Wildland Fire, sent along an invitation to an upcoming wildfire conference in Seattle on April 17-19, 2012 (6). Although wildfires have ravaged large swaths of Arizona, a new study from Baylor University shows that some species of birds actually thrive in post-wildfire environments (7); but to help ranchers hard hit by wildfires, the Arizona Cattle Growers Association is asking for donations, both financial and in the form of hay (8). Although New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest is set to reopen due to a reduced fire danger, some fire restrictions still remain (9). A 12,000-acre wildfire burning west of Salt Lake City, Utah, has finally been contained (10); investigators determining that it was probably started by target shooting (11). Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked a 250-acre wildfire that burned on the outskirts of Edmond, Oklahoma (12); while air-tankers from Texas and New Mexico assisted firefighters on the ground battling a 2,800-acre wildfire burning in Jeff Davis County, Texas (13); and a 3,000-acre wildfire burning in Wyoming threatened to cross the border into South Dakota (14). Smoke from wildfires in Canada prompted the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to issue health warnings to people with respiratory conditions (15); while Michigan has also reported an influx of wildfire smoke (16). Although rainfall has reduced the fire danger in Southern Mississippi, fire officials warned homeowners that the wildfire danger still exists (17). Two weeks of rain have reduced the fire danger considerably across Alabama, allowing authorities to lift fire alerts in 64 counties (18); but although the fire in Gulf State Park is out, damage done by firefighting apparatus still needs to be repaired (19). Firefighters in South Carolina continued to grapple with the 805-acre Hornet Fire (20); where South Carolina Forestry Commission firefighters set another 200 acres ablaze in efforts to control the fire (21). Despite recent rainfall, the wildfire burning in Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp has reached 300,239 acres in size (22). Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources provides an update on wildfire activity in the northeastern portion of that Canadian province in the next item (23); but the northwestern portion of the province is still seeing an abundance of fires (24); the smoke from those fires prompting the evacuation of 1,500 First Nations residents from their homes (25); and sullying the skies in other areas as well (26). Cuba's Forest Rangers Corps reported that nearly 700 wildfires had scorched close to 20,000 ha between January and May of this year (27); while researchers have come up with a drought prediction model which could help reduce the incidence of wildfires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest (28). Spain reported a new wildfire, and Italy provided an update on 21 currently burning there (29); and Bulgaria's CEZ utility initiated a wildfire awareness campaign to help reduce the incidence of forest fires in that Central European country (30). Heading to Australia, controversy is swirling around a proposed phone tower in Victoria's Warrandyte Reserve, with helicopter pilots fearing collisions, but Country Fire Authority firefighters hoping for better phone coverage during bushfires (31); while Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is beefing up Aerial Fire Fighting Facility water tanks at Warwick Aerodrome in preparation for what could be the worst bushfire season in decades (32). And finally, a story from Oregon's Klamath National Forest recounts the epic tale of a fire lookout who has been on the job for an astounding 53 years!

(1) Fire hits Amador again, temperatures on the rise

(2) Forest Service plans fire near Rubicon Bay today

(3) Could Cutting More Trees Cut Wildfire Risk?

(4) Airtanker for fighting forest fires is on duty

(5) ‘Firewise 101′ workshop offers wildfire prevention advice

(6) 3rd Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference

(7) Baylor Study Finds Some Desert Birds Less Affected By Wildfires and Climate Change

(8) Help ranchers affected by wildfires with a "bale" out

(9) Portions of Lincoln forest to reopen, restrictions remain

(10) Crews contain 12,000-acre west Utah desert wildfire

(11) Tooele County Wildfire Started by Target Shooting

(12) Official: No known cause of Friday’s wildfire yet

(13) Week-old Jeff Davis fire burns amid record state bans

(14) Wyoming fire could spread to South Dakota

(15) Expanding Canadian wildfires harm air quality in Duluth, North Shore

(16) Canadian Forest Fires Causing Smoke over Michigan's Upper Peninsula, say Michigan Police

(17) Rain turns yards green, reduces fire danger

(18) Fire alert lifted across Alabama

(19) Fire Didn’t Do All Damage at Gulf State Park

(20) Forestry: smoke from Hornet fire indefinite

(21) SC Forestry Commission burns 200 more acres ahead of Hornet Fire

(22) Georgia wildfire tops 300,000 acres

(23) Three new forest fires sparked Monday, four Sunday

(24) Northwestern Ontario wildfires set to spread

(25) Wildfires Smoke 1,500 First Nations Citizens from Northern Ontario Homes

(26) Smoke from forest fires a problem in North Algoma

(27) Cuba records 695 forest fires in drought season

(28) Amazon drought and forest fire prediction system devised

(29) EFFIS - Current Situation

(30) Electricity firm in Bulgaria launches awareness campaign against forest fires

(31) Warrandyte Reserve tower in last resort reserve a risk: pilot

(32) Horror bushfire season tipped

(33) A View From Above

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