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.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081711

In Southern California, a three-acre wildfire burning in San Diego County's Potrero County Park took firefighters and air-tankers half an hour to corral (1); and a 175-acre wildfire that was burning north of Fort Tejon in Kern County is now 85% contained (2); while firefighters pounced on a one-acre wildfire that broke out behind a casino in Oroville (3). Washington state saw a dramatic drop in wildfire activity this year, only 200 acres burned versus 11,000 in an average fire season (4); although firefighters in Okanogan County did respond to a pair of small wildfires on Monday (5); and as a cold front moves into Eastern Washington, the wildfire danger is rising (6). A 3-acre wildfire burned within 50 feet of homes in Sun Valley, Nevada, before being contained (7); and a 2,400-acre wildfire burning near Gardnerville was going to be hit with an air assault today (8); but two firefighters battling that fire may have been injured by a wayward air-tanker drop (9). U.S. Forest Service, aided by monsoonal rains in Arizona, is letting several wildfires burn to improve the ecology of the area (10); while New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest has downgraded the fire danger due to monsoonal rains (11). A summary of wildfire activity in Idaho, a state in which firefighters have responded to 14 wildfires burning nearly 137,000 acres, is provided by the next article (12); where fire crews battled a 600-acre wildfire near the Payette National Forest (13); but adolescents playing with matches were blamed for a 1,300-acre wildfire that destroyed one home and forced evacuation of dozens of others near Pocatello (14). There were a number of wildfires reported in Texas: homeowners were returning after being evacuated when a 30-acre wildfire destroyed 15 mobile homes outside of Austin (15); multiple wildfires cropped up in Nacogdoches County (16); a 250-acre wildfire was also reported in Smith County (17); a wind-driven 15-acre wildfire badly damaged two homes outside of Texarkana (18); a 300-acre wildfire that burned in Franklin County has been ruled arson (19); and firefighters were working a wildfire that burned 400 acres in Anderson County (20). Montana Department of Natural Resources provided some details on wildfires burning in that state (21); while South Dakota's 5,214-acre Coal Canyon Fire is now 95% contained (22). Firefighters in Polk County, Tennessee, are fighting a 123-acre wildfire burning on Chilhowee Mountain (23); followed by an article that takes a look at the wildfires plaguing Louisiana (24). Smoke caused by the 6,007-acre wildfire burning in Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge has been blamed for a head-on collision (25); but firefighters worried more about dodging bears than trucks! (26) Flagler County, Florida, has 16 active wildfires, including one which has been smoldering underground for three months now (27); while Ontario, Canada's, Ministry of Natural Resources said that rain and cooler weather was helping its battle against 82 forest fires that have burned 598,108 hectares (28). In the Mediterranean Basin, wildfires were reported in Spain, Portugal, France, Macedonia, Greece, and Albania, as well as the North African nation of Algeria (29). Citing the lack of enough air-tankers during the devastating wildfires in Russia last year, the Emergency Services Minister plans to inaugurate three separate squadrons of BE-200 aircraft to fight wildfires in the future (30); while the Ministry of Natural Resources in Arkhangelsk got some new firefighting equipment of their own (31). Israel's Interior Minister was on the defensive over a soon-to-be released report about the wildfire which burned in Carmel Forest late last year (32). Authorities in the Philippines plan to crack down on people lighting forest fires in Benguet Province (33). Heading to Australia, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service put a spotter plane in the air and had air-tankers standing by due to the high bushfire danger in the southwestern part of the state (34); while a 10-hectare bush fire was reported in Logan (35). Western Australia's Premier has fired the head of the Fire and Emergency Service Authority after a scathing report cited a dysfunctional relationship between the fire agencies in that state (36); and the Emergency Services Minister was on the defensive as well (37). Bushfires were burning all around Alice Springs, Northern Territory (38); prompting a brief closure of Stuart Highway yesterday (39). And finally, firefighters who were told they couldn't blow their sirens during a parade at New York's Erie County Fair are protesting the ban on Facebook!

(1) Crews Douse Brush Fire Near Potrero County Park

(2) Grass Fire Burning North of Fort Tejon along the Grapevine

(3) Fire behind Gold Country Casino kept to an acre

(4) Cold 2011 has benefits: Wash. wildfires way down

(5) Firefighters douse fires Aug. 15 on forest land

(6) Red flag warning for E. Washington wildfires

(7) Wildfire in Sun Valley Fully Contained

(8) Air assault planned on Ray May Fire today; fire crews brace for the fire to pick up again

(9) Two firefighters evacuated from the Ray May Fire after being injured

(10) Crews let wildfires burn to thin forest

(11) Fire restrictions lifted in forest

(12) Wildfires scorch nearly 137,000 acres since Sunday

(13) Wildfire breaks out near Weiser

(14) Evacuation order lifted after Idaho wildfire flares up

(15) Residents return home after Austin area wildfire evacuation

(16) Drought sparks multiple fires in Nacogdoches Co.

(17) UPDATE: 250 acres burned in Smith County fire

(18) Wildfire Fire Spreads To Two Homes

(19) UPDATE: Franklin Co. forest fire ruled arson

(20) Wildfire consumes 400 acres

(21) Blazes active near Swan Lake; trails, roads closed in Bob Marshall

(22) Coal Canyon Fire reaches 95 percent containment

(23) Firefighters battle Polk County blaze

(24) Brush and forest fires rage from Texas to Louisiana

(25) Wildfire smoke blamed for crash

(26) Dodging bears and fighting the Great Dismal Swamp wildfire

(27) Espanola fire keeps burning

(28) MNR reports progress on northern forest fires

(29) EFFIS - Current Situation

(30) Russia to set up three amphibious aircraft groups to fight wildfires

(31) Forest fire equipment goes to the Arkhangelsk forest

(32) Yishai slams State Comptroller ahead of damning Carmel fire report

(33) Itogon to penalize people causing forest fires

(34) Southwest Queensland on bushfire alert

(35) Fire fighters battle bush fire at Lyons in Logan

(36) Keelty report claims WA fire boss scalp

(37) Johnson denies doing anything wrong over bushfires

(38) Raging bush infernos ring Alice Springs

(39) Highway opens again as firefighters control blazes

(40) Firefighters protest siren ban

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