WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062012

The International Association of Wildland Fire sent along two items: a reminder about their upcoming meeting this October in Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands, which intends to establish better relations between fire scientists and environmental managers (1); and an invitation to propose workshops that would precede their 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference to be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, late next February (2). A photo spread from Orange County, California, provides some interesting images of wildfires across the West (3); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dave Baskett, President of Santa Maria-based TTE International, has signed up for 10 Russian-built BE-200 air-tankers following completion of months of trials with the U.S. Interagency Air Tanker Board (4); but more than 900 firefighters brought a 1,000-acre wildfire burning in San Diego County to 75% containment (5); even as a San Diego-based communications company recommended that businesses evaluate their disaster preparedness with wildfire season heating up across the US (6); meanwhile, a 300-acre wildfire burning near Lake Isabella is now 35% contained (7); and CAL FIRE firefighters pounced on a 31-acre grass fire burning in Napa County Tuesday (8). With the announcement of a new exclusive-use contract with US Forest Service, Oregon-based Erickson Air-Crane now has eight contracts with that fire agency (9); but a photographer with Nevada's Reno Gazette-Journal may file charges against Washoe County sheriff's deputies who roughed him up while he was snapping photos of a wildfire (10). An 8,100-acre wildfire in the Tonto National Forest is impacting air quality in Phoenix, Arizona (11); while the value of forest thinning in protecting the town of Alpine is explored by the next article (12). Next up is a news segment from New Mexico that laments the Forest Service's failure to prepare for wildfires in the region and to stem the Little Bear Fire in its early stages, touching on a troubling accusation that local firefighters were prevented from protecting homes by federal rules of engagement (13); followed by an article from San Juan County that underscores the capriciousness of wildfires (14). An update on wildfire activity in Colorado, where numerous wildfires are burning, is provided by the next article (15); but you won't see many close-ups of the fire in Larimer County on TV due to a restriction on media access to the fireline (16); where volunteer firefighters' own homes burned as they were battling the blaze (17); current wildfire conditions prompting White River National Forest to expand its fire ban around Aspen (18). Forest thinning in Idaho's Boise National Forest is helping to keep wildfire activity down (19); and goats did their part to help reduce the severity of a wildfire in Warm Springs Mesa, as well (20). Wildfire activity in Utah, where firefighters are roping in a 600-acre wildfire in Sevier County, is up next (21); while Chubb Group of Insurance Companies announced that it has expanded its Wildfire Defense Services to 141 counties in Texas (22). South Dakota Department of Agriculture Wildland Fire Suppression Division is helping homeowners clear defensible space in the Black Hills (23); but a 2,570-acre wildfire in Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest continues to burn out of control (24). Research Forester Mark Finney of the US Forest Service’s Missoula Fire Lab discusses the importance of fire to the health of Colorado's forests (25). Firefighters in Cleveland, Tennessee, grappled with a reignited wildfire along railroad tracks (26); while the 21,000-acre wildfire burning in North Carolina's Croatan National Forest, which began as a controlled burn, is contained but still only 20% controlled (27); causing air quality advisories across several counties, as a US Congressman contacted US Forest Service about investigating how the controlled burn breached containment (28). Firefighters on the Hawaiian island of Maui have completely contained a six-acre wildfire burning in Makawao Forest Reserve (29); while a trio of wildfires kept firefighters occupied on the Big Island (30). Although there are currently nine wildfires that have burned 47,382.5 hectares in Northeast Ontario, Canada, the fire season has generally been quiet (31); but lightning sparked a dozen more wildfires in Labrador (32); and the elevated wildfire danger in Nova Scotia is discussed by Natural Resources Department officials in the next item (33). Firefighters in Greece battled a wildfire burning on the grounds of Elefsina Air Base (34); while Israel's finance and interior ministers got some heat from that nation's comptroller over their handling of the 2010 Carmel Forest Fire (35). Several wildfires have broken out around Islamabad, Pakistan, over the past few days (36). New bushfire building regulations are substantially increasing the cost of building homes in Victoria, Australia (37); where, although it's been over three years since the Black Saturday bushfires raged through the state, hundreds of potential compensation claimants have yet to tap into the $33 million available to them (38). And finally, a photo spread from CNN takes us Wildfire Wakeboarding in Colorado!

(1) IV International Meeting of FuegoRED

(2) 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference

(3) Photos: Wildfires erupt across the West

(4) U.S. Company Buys Ten Russian Be-200 Firefighter Jets

(5) Wildfire 75 percent contained

(6) As Wildfire Season Warms Up, MIR3 Urges Businesses to Evaluate Disaster Preparedness and Consider Business Continuity

(7) Lake Isabella fire 35 percent contained

(8) Firefighters contain Coombsville grass fire

(9) Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated Wins Additional Aerial Firefighting Services Contract with the US Forest Service

(10) Nevada photog covering fire cited for obstruction

(11) Poco Fire grows to 8,100 acres, affects Phoenix air quality

(12) Forest-thinning strategy credited for saving Alpine from 2011 fire

(13) Little Bear fire destroys record number of homes

(14) Wildfire hits and misses San Juan County residents

(15) Colorado firefighters get break from hot weather

(16) Media access blocked at Colorado wildfire

(17) Rist Canyon firefighters keep fighting after losing station, own homes

(18) Fire ban expands in national forest around Aspen

(19) Forest Service fighting fires before they start

(20) Grazing Goats Help Prevent Fire in Idaho Foothills

(21) New wildfire in southcentral Utah blackens nearly 600 acres

(22) Chubb Expands Wildfire Defense Services in Texas Following Record-Setting Fire Season

(23) Wildland Fire Crews Focus On Prevention

(24) Russell’s Camp fire still raging out of control

(25) Have Forest Management Policies Increased Fire Risk?

(26) Firefighters battle reignited blaze

(27) Fire in Croatan National Forest at 21,000 acres, 100 firefighters at scene

(28) Forest fire prompts air quality advisory for Dare Co., other NC localities

(29) Maui forest fire 100% contained, crews watching hot spots

(30) Pahala wildfires scorch hundreds of acres

(31) Forest fire situation quieter now

(32) Lightning sparks more forest fires in Labrador

(33) Fire risk elevated across province

(34) Wildfire burns inside Greek air base

(35) Lindenstrauss targets Yishai, Steinitz in Carmel Fire probe

(36) Bush fire at Shakarparian

(37) Fire rules push up country costs

(38) Some bushfire victims yet to make compo claim

(39) Wildfire Wakeboarding