WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 080911

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Jon Keeley, a Research Ecologist at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, sent along two items: a bulletin from US Geological Survey discussing a new study on how plants respond to heat and smoke in fire-prone areas (1); and the study itself (2). The USFS is requesting information on water-scooping aircraft (3). In California, the Lion Fire, which is burning in Sequoia National Park and Sequoia National Forest, has now charred 20,166 acres (4); and a 20-acre wildfire burning near Auberry is now 100% contained (5). A 10,000-acre wildfire burning near Wallula, Washington, is now 60% contained (6); while a 2,000-acre wildfire has been reported northeast of Williams, Arizona (7). A 3,000-acre wildfire is burning in rugged terrain west of Carlsbad, New Mexico (8); but the US Forest Service is keeping 16,000 acres in the Wallow Fire burn area near Luna closed to visitors for now (9). Three small wildfires were reported in southwestern Colorado (10); and a 700-acre wildfire burning in Idaho is now considered 50% contained (11). Wildfire activity in Utah is the topic of the next article (12); where the largest blaze, the 8,500-acre Wrangler Fire, was 90% contained (13). The desperate situation in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, where over a dozen structures burned forcing residents to flee, is summarized by the next article (14); even as 47 counties remain under a fire weather watch (15). A summary of wildfire activity across Texas is provided by the next item (16); where Texas Forest Service reported that a 5,200-acre wildfire burning in Jack County was 70% contained yesterday afternoon (17); and a firefighter was injured battling a 470-acre wildfire in rugged terrain in Burnet County (18). Hot Shot crews and SEATs battled a 10-acre wildfire burning in Montana's Lolo National Forest (19). The wildfire situation in Arkansas, where nearly 3 dozen wildfires cropped up on Sunday alone, is examined in the next article (20); a situation which prompted the governor to make $100,000 available to help pay for some 40 helicopter order drops by National Guard Blackhawks fighting those wildfires across the state (21); while a SEAT pilot who was fighting fires for the Arkansas Forestry Commission indicated that his air-tanker was working properly before crashing over the weekend (22). A firefighting crew from Kentucky, deployed to North Carolina under the Southeastern Interstate Forest Fire Compact, has returned home (23); and a 200-acre wildfire that burned along the Bienville-Webster Parish line in Louisiana has finally been extinguished (24). A wildfire burning in Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Reserve has reached 2,500 acres in size (25); but North Carolina Forest Service has lifted the burn ban in wildfire-wracked Onslow County due to recent rainfall (26); however, firefighters in Florida were battling a pair of wildfires in Volusia County and four in Flagler County (27). A small wildfire burning near Fisher Peak, British Columbia, drew the attention of helicopter-borne Canadian fire crews (28). In the Mediterranean Basin, wildfires were reported in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Albania, and Algeria (29); while the next article takes a comprehensive look at wildfire activity in Russia this year compared with last year (30). Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is wrapping up a 10 ha bushfire which briefly threatened homes in Koorablyn, Australia (31). And finally, Smokey is getting to be a very old bear, turning 67 this week!

(1) Evolutionary Origins of Plant Adaptations Should Not Influence Fire

(2) Fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits

(3) Request for Information Aerial Firefighting

(4) Lion Fire spreads to 20,000 acres in Tulare County mountains

(5) CAL FIRE Crews Contain Fire Near Auberry

(6) Wallula wildfire mostly contained by Monday

(7) Lightning-caused wildfire spreads near Williams

(8) Lightning-caused fire burns 3,000 acres near Carlsbad

(9) Forest Service keeping closure in place in the Wallow burn area near Luna, NM

(10) Three small wildfires burning in S.W. Colo.

(11) Wildfire Near Rogerson Proving Tough To Snuff Out

(12) Firefighters working blazes across state

(13) Lines close around Wrangler, School Wash fires

(14) Pawnee County Residents Work To Protect Homes From Wildfires

(15) NWS Issues Fire Weather Watch for 47 Oklahoma Counties

(16) Texas Forest Service: Tuesday Wildfire Update

(17) Red sky at morning

(18) Crews battle blaze, extreme heat to control Burnet County wildfire

(19) Air tankers, helicopters aid ground crews on Ambrose Saddle wildfire

(20) Arkansas Forestry Commission battles numerous wildfires

(21) Arkansas governor releases $100K for wildfire response

(22) Air tanker pilot says plane working normally before losing altitude, crashing in Hot Springs

(23) Kentucky firefighters return home from North Carolina

(24) Sheriff: Wildfire out, investigating 3 others

(25) Brush Fire Burns In Virginia

(26) Burn ban lifted in Onslow

(27) Crews Battling 2 Wildfires In Volusia County

(28) Forest fire burns near Fisher Peak

(29) EFFIS - Current Situation

(30) Russian forests burn for second successive year

(31) Firefighters containing Gold Coast bushfire

(32) Smokey Bear celebrates 67th birthday