Firebomber Publications Blog

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 051712

Although numerous wildfires are burning across the southwestern US, the National Interagency Fire Center indicated that wildfire activity was actually lower than expected so far this year (1); but the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s forecast of an unusually warm year portends an especially troublesome wildfire season across much of the country (2). With additional firefighting staff available from CAL FIRE and the Paso Robles Air Attack Base online, firefighters in San Luis Obispo County feel they're ready for fire season (3); and the Hollister Air Attack Base has also been spun up for wildfire season (4). The wildfire danger in Nevada is elevated today due to dry, high winds (5). Red Flag conditions are forecast for parts of Arizona where four major wildfires continue to burn (6); including the Bull Flat Fire, which is 50% contained after burning nearly 2,000 acres (7); and aggressive air attacks have slowed the 12,500-acre Sunflower Fire (8). Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team reported that a 5,090-acre wildfire burning north of Ft. Collins, Colorado, is now 5% contained (9); but in a state where 140,000 wildfires typically burn 14.5 million acres each year, the next article provides some safety tips to homeowners (10). Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center dispatched crews to fight numerous wildfires sparked by lightning (11). The Texas Wildfire Relief Fund honored Lt. Gov. Dewhurst for his support of volunteer firefighters across the state (12); while the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that the death of a Texas firefighter who died battling wildfires last year was preventable (13). Fire officials in Montana indicated that the fire danger in the Bitterroot National Forest is the highest it's been in two decades (14); but a volunteer firefighter has been accused of setting several grass fires in Tama County, Iowa (15). Firefighters and earthmovers were used to protect the Manitoba, Canada, towns of Frenchman Butte and Onion Lake First Nation from encroaching wildfires (16); while firefighters managed to deflect a 5,300-acre wildfire that had been threatening the town of Badger (17). A controversial project being funded by Australia's Victorian Bushfire Appeal is examined by the next article (18); where the Investa Property Group has donated $300,000 for construction of a Black Saturday bushfire memorial hall in the town of Whittlesea (19). The International Association of Wildland Fire is calling for papers for their upcoming Wildland Fire Safety Summit in Sydney, Australia, this October (20); while Bushfires NT indicated that Alice Springs' new regional counter disaster plan takes into account bushfires for the first time (21). And finally, firefighters in Florida had to perform a tricky extrication: freeing a raccoon who got stuck raiding a dumpster!

(1) Feds: Fire Season Off to Slow Start Even As Wildfires Rage in Southwest

(2) After a year without winter, US forecast is for a summer without relief from heat, wildfires

(3) Agency is ready for fire season

(4) Hollister air attack base gets fired up for summer

(5) NV wildfire threats up Thursday; dry, high winds

(6) Arizona wildfires: Firefighters brace for swirling winds

(7) Bull Flat fire burning 1,900 acres; 50 percent contained

(8) Air attacks slow Sunflower's progress

(9) Hewlett Fire near Fort Collins grows to more than 5,000 acres

(10) Protect your home against wildfires

(11) Lightning storms ignite several wildfires in SE Idaho

(12) Texas Wildfire Relief Fund Honors Lt. Gov. Dewhurst as “Champion of the Axe”