WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 072211

Riverside County firefighters battled a 35-acre wildfire burning in the Southern California community of Anza yesterday afternoon (1); while a 1,000-acre wildfire was reported on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation in Northeast San Diego County (2); which drew the attention of CAL FIRE air-tankers (3); but taxpayers living in a community outside of Sacramento are up in arms over an additional wildfire tax Gov. Brown intends to levy on them (4); even as environmentalists and the US Forest Service clashed in court once again over logging efforts to reduce the wildfire danger in Lake Tahoe (5). Although wildfires in Arizona have been subdued by recent monsoons, three blazes burning in the Kaibab National Forest may brew up due to the onset of drier weather (6); while firefighters were conducting burnout operations on wildfires in southeastern New Mexico (7); but rainfall and higher humidity have allowed New Mexico's Cibola National Forest to relax fire restrictions (8). Wildfires continue to be active in tinder-dry Utah (9). A firefighter was injured battling a wildfire that had blazed across upwards of 1,500 acres in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma (10); while firefighters in Parker County, Texas, battled a suspicious 10-acre wildfire that threatened a home (11). Heavy air tankers weighed in on the aerial assault against the 10,000-acre Whoop Up Fire burning along the South Dakota/Wyoming border (12). Firefighters in Arkansas have battled nearly double the number of wildfires typically seen in June/July, 41% of them caused by runaway debris burns (13); a situation not helped by the limited budgets of volunteer firefighters (14); the continued wildfire danger prompting the Arkansas Forestry Commission to request early deployment of air-tankers (15). On the technology front, firefighters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are cooling down in extreme heat with specialized rehab tents, something which could be useful for wildland firefighters as well (16). As a heat wave continues to bake the East Coast of the US, fire officials in Maine warn of an increased wildfire danger (17); and to underscore the problem, a two-acre wildfire was reported in East Moxie Township (18). Firefighters reported a remote wildfire burning along North Carolina's Cape Fear River trail (19); but received a little help from some rain while battling a wildfire burning along the Bladen-Cumberland County border (20). Firefighters in Liberty County, South Carolina, battled a 372-acre wildfire that threatened structures after breaking through containment lines (21); while after a six-week wildfire siege, Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is reopening on a limited basis (22). Although rainfall helped dampen them a bit, 112 wildfires have burned 300,000 ha in Northern Ontario, Canada (23); but as the wildfire situation worsened, that province's Premier left a government meeting early to help with crisis control (24). Although Cuba recorded the highest amount of wildfire activity since 1991, Guantánamo province had the fewest (25). Wildfire activity was reported in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece (26); a recent report from the Athens Press Agency showing that 3.2 million acres have burned in Greece in the past 25 years (27). Israel's aerial firefighting squadron went into action over a wildfire burning along the Sea of Galilee (28). The Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia voiced its opposition to a carbon tax on aviation fuel on the basis that it could impact aerial bushfire-fighting efforts (29); while the Victorian government has changed its mind about putting power lines underground to reduce the bushfire danger in that state (30); nevertheless, an electrical company won an award for their yeoman work getting Gippsland's Mt Tassie Transmission Station back on line after the Black Saturday bushfires (31); that article followed by two on bushfires in Queensland (32)(33). And finally, a wildfire center in Chelan, Washington, serves another important purpose as a haven for birders!

(1) Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Anza

(2) Eagle Fire Burning 1,000 Acres In Northeast San Diego County

(3) Air Support Heads to 400+ Acre Fire

(4) Second firefighting fee opposed by some Rancho Murrieta residents

(5) Appeals court asked to block logging at Lake Tahoe

(6) 3 fires in Kaibab forest may flare as dry weather moves in

(7) Burnout operations planned to slow fires in southeastern New Mexico

(8) Fire Restrictions Relaxed at Cibola National Forest’s Magdalena District

(9) New wildfires sparked in tinder-dry Utah

(10) Firefighter injured while fighting SE Okla. blaze

(11) Firefighters save house; suspicious fire investigated

(12) Heavy Air Assault On Whoop Up Fire

(13) Wildfires above average in state

(14) Volunteer Firefighters Battle Fires On Limited Budget

(15) Air Tankers to be on Standby at Hot Springs Airport

(16) Rehab tents renew firefighters on job in 90-plus heat

(17) Hot, dry weather leads to increased forest fire risk

(18) Wildfire Destroys Nearly 2 Acres

(19) Firefighters trying to reach blaze on Cape Fear River trail

(20) Bladen-Cumberland wildfire nearly contained

(21) Wildfire Burning Again

(22) Okefenokee refuge reopening after wildfire closing

(23) Storm gives some relief as over 100 fires burn in northern Ontario

(24) Dalton McGuinty leaves premiers' meeting early to deal with Ontario forest fires

(25) Forest fires diminish in Guantanamo

(26) EFFIS - Current Situation

(27) Forest fires destroy a tenth of Greece in 25 years: report

(28) Firefighters gain partial control over Galilee fire

(29) Gillard cops an aerial spray

(30) Underground power scrapped for bushfire protection

(31) Gippsland bushfire recovery electrical work wins top state award

(32) Fire fighters alerted to blaze near Albert Bishop Park at Nundah after being alerted by drivers on Gateway Motorway

(33) Gladstone bushfire under control

(34) Wildfire center on road to Chelan is birder stop, too