WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 061112

A 500-acre wildfire which briefly closed Interstate 5 near Castaic north of Los Angeles, California, has been contained (1); and a score of firefighters from several Southern California departments participated in helitack training in Colton today (2); while a wildfire in San Diego County burned 1/2 an acre before being snuffed (3); and the origins of another pair of blazes are being investigated by CAL FIRE (4); followed by an article in which Wildfire NOTD subscriber Scott Stephens, an associate professor of fire science at UC Berkeley's Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, discusses a new study in which he was the lead author that shows the benefits of conducting more controlled burns in areas frequented by wildfires (5); but two small wildfires in Fresno County cropped up over the weekend (6). Washington's Department of Natural Resources has crews standing by to help battle wildfires in the Southwest (7); while a 10-square-mile wildfire burning on the border between Nevada and Utah has finally been contained, firefighters making significant progress on two other 2,000+-acre blazes burning in southern Utah as well (8). A wildfire in Bullhead City, Arizona, forced traffic restrictions on Highway 95 (9); and another 10-acre blaze near Prescott burned across the median of Interstate 17 (10); even as a 1,000-acre wildfire burning in Arizona's Tonto National Forest has resulted in the closure of State Route 177 (11). More favorable weather allowed firefighters to make some progress in containing the Little Bear Fire in Ruidoso, New Mexico, which has burned over 54 square miles and destroyed 35 structures (12); but a 35-year veteran of US Forest Service lost his home when the blaze roared through the area (13); that story followed by a first-person perspective (with videos) of what it was like near the fireline (14); while the debate over the pros and cons of grazing to prevent wildfires in New Mexico is broached by the next article (15). A wildfire that has blazed across 37,000 acres in Larimer County, Colorado, has destroyed nearly 100 structures (16); air-tankers from as far away as Canada arriving to help (17); drawing quite a crowd at Broomfield Airport (18); Colorado National Guard also lending Blackhawk helicopters to firefighting efforts (19); smoke from the blaze prompting an air-quality alert along the Front Range (20); while Colorado State University provided a list of experts to discuss current wildfires (21); an editorial from the Denver Post discussing the current air-tanker crisis (22); followed by an Op-Ed piece from Pagosa Springs that continues the discussion of the Little Sand Fire (23). Firefighters have identified target shooting as the cause of two wildfires near Kuna, Idaho, that burned over 500 acres between them (24); a summary of wildfire activity in Wyoming being provided by the next article, where one blaze is threatening a small town near Guernsey State Park (25). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tony Morris, Communications Director for Southern California-based Wildfire Research Network, and Dan Snyder, President of Neptune Aviation, are quoted in an article from Montana newspaper The Missoulian that discusses federal air-tanker contracts in the current crisis (26). A 30-acre wildfire was reported in Whitewater Township, Michigan (27); and officials from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation cited the success of controlled burns in Myles Standish State Forest as they begin doing the same in Freetown-Fall River State Forest (28). A 1,200-acre fire on the grounds of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst triggered panicky calls from residents in Central New Jersey and Bucks County, PA, to fire authorities (29); while a rash of wildfires across Oahu, Hawaii, has raised concerns among federal firefighters that their resources may be inadequate to deal with wildfires of the future (30). Firefighters from West Vancouver quickly knocked down a small wildfire on Eagleridge Bluffs Sunday night (31); but smoke plumes from wildfires burning in northern Canada are clearly visible in a satellite photo from NASA (32); while fire officials are asking for the public's help in locating the party responsible for a suspicious wildfire along Newfoundland's Quidi Vidi Lake last month (33). Civil Defense Department firefighters worked to put out a 130-dunum (32.5-acre) wildfire in the Middle Eastern nation of Jordan over the weekend (34); and numerous wildfires in southern Africa that raging through KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo were blamed on people's carelessness with open fires (35). Honors were handed out to individuals cited for their contributions during Victoria, Australia's, Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 (36); while Department of Environment and Conservation has picked out dozens of areas for controlled burns outside of Donnybrook and Balingup, Western Australia (37).

(1) All lanes of 5 Freeway open after brush fire closures

(2) Firefighters receive heli-tack training for fighting wildfires

(3) Early Morning Brush Fire Lights Up Sky

(4) Lakeside Brush Fires Being Investigated

(5) UC Berkeley study calls for more controlled burns in wildfire areas

(6) Brush fires kept firefighters busy in Fresno Co

(7) Wash. fire crews ready to aid with Western fires

(8) Wildfire where fatal crash occurred contained

(9) Brush fire rages in Mohave Valley

(10) Brush fire scorches median acres along I-17

(11) Wildfire leads to closure of State Route 177

(12) Break in weather allows air crews in NM wildfires

(13) Former firefighter loses home in blaze

(14) Running for my life from the Little Bear forest fire

(15) Hear Me Out: Does forest grazing help prevent the spread of wildfires?

(16) High Park Fire in Larimer County destroys an estimated 100 structures

(17) Air tankers called in from Canada to fight High Park Fire

(18) Air tankers draw a crowd at Broomfield airport

(19) Breaking out the Blackhawk helicopters in Colorado wildfire

(20) Colorado wildfire air quality alert for whole Front Range

(21) Media Tip Sheet: Wildfire Experts at Colorado State University Available to Discuss Current Issues, Topics

(22) U.S. Forest Service must update its aging fleet of air tankers

(23) Fighting the Little Sand Fire, Part Eleven

(24) Gunshots spark wildfires in Kuna

(25) Wildfire threatens Hartville, Wyo., pop. 70

(26) Aerial firefighting in a transition period to a new era

(27) Wildfire consumes 30 acres in Whitewater Twp.

(28) State to begin controlled burning in Freetown-Fall River State Forest

(29) NJ Brush Fire Causes Smokey Smell in Bucks

(30) Federal firefighters concerned about staffing shortages

(31) Illicit campfire caused small brush fire on Eagleridge Buffs

(32) Wildfires, Smoke in Northern Canada

(33) Brush Fire Suspicious

(34) Ajloun forest fire spreads over 130 dunums, three injured

(35) Carelessness slammed as fires spread

(36) Black Saturday figures honoured

(37) Prescribed burning program kicks off