WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 110912

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Andrew Madsen, Public Affairs Officer for Southern California's Los Padres National Forest, stated that fire crews had Montecito's Cold Fire, which was determined to have been caused by human activity, under control (1); while Lassen National Forest will be conducting a tour of the Chips Fire burn area next Wednesday (2). A hiker from Oregon discusses the impact the Goff Fire had on the Siskiyou Mountains (3). Fire crews in Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest plan to conduct 1,000 acres of controlled burns, weather permitting (4); while a judge has ordered a pair of cousins who accidentally started the Wallow Fire to pay $3.7 million in restitution (5). Colorado's U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet lobbied for modernization of the US Forest Service air-tanker fleet (6). The mayor of Alpine, Utah, is frustrated that the investigation of this summer's Quail Fire is taking so long (7); but in Texas, the Lubbock Fire Department showed off their new wildland firefighting truck (8). Senators from Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota have urged the US Forest Service to use commercial loggers to reduce the wildfire threat in their states (9); while US Forest Service will be conducting prescribed burns in South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest over the next few months (10). Fire crews from Montana are finding out that skills used to eliminate "widow makers" in wildland fires are useful in post-hurricane tree trimming as well (11). The impact of wildfires that scorched 335,000 acres in Nebraska on ranchers is examined by the next article (12); but Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will work with property owners to replace fences burned by those wildfires (13); the next article profiling a firefighter from Nebraska who fought wildfires in Idaho (14). A fire ecology researcher from the Penn State University discusses how changing fire regimes are reconfiguring tropical forests, encouraging non-native grass invasion, and affecting the global climate (15). North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest will be conducting controlled burns in McDowell County until April 2013 (16); but a controlled burn on Pilot Mountain is now considered to be a 210-acre wildfire after breaching containment lines (17). As the weather turns colder, residents of Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida, have been advised of the elevated fire danger (18). As Victoria, Australia, maps out Bushfire Prone Areas in the state, homeowners can expect higher building costs on property in those areas (19); where 800 new plaintiffs have joined a Black Saturday bushfire class-action suit against utility SP AusNet (20); while Diamond Valley residents are being warned to confirm they are having accredited bushfire shelters installed (21). As Queensland Fire and Rescue Service battled a bushfire on Bribie Island, smoke from the blaze was blown into Brisbane (22); which could add impetus to "Prepare, Act, Survive" Workshops being conducted this weekend (23). Firefighters from New South Wales teamed up with the Red Cross to educate people on bushfire survival issues (24). And finally, firefighters in County Cork, Ireland, raced against time to rescue a pony trapped in a stream!

(1) Investigators Link Cold Fire to ‘Human Activity’

(2) Chips Fire meeting, tour rescheduled for Wednesday

(3) Hiking the Goff fire in the Red Buttes Wilderness

(4) Upcoming prescribed burns planned

(5) Ariz. judge OKs $3.7M in restitution for wildfire

(6) Bennet calls for modernization of USFS air tanker fleet for wildfire fighting

(7) Quail Fire investigation still not complete

(8) New fire engine in Lubbock used to combat wildfires

(9) Senators urge USDA action to curb wildfire risk

(10) Fall prescribed fire season begins

(11) Montana firefighters put skills to use aiding East Coast

(12) ‘Some lost everything’: Wildfires in Nebraska leave future uncertain

(13) Wildfires burned fences, too

(14) Columbus man fought Idaho fires

(15) Our Fire Planet

(16) Forest Service to conduct prescribed burn in McDowell County

(17) Controlled burn at Pilot Mountain now considered wildfire

(18) Lower temperatures bring higher fire danger

(19) Hume bushfire map changes costly

(20) 800 tipped to join Murrindindi class action

(21) Warning against non-accredited bushfire shelters

(22) Smoke blows in from Bribie

(23) Bushfire workshops in Brisbane

(24) Firies, Red Cross join forces on bushfire survival

(25) Firefighters charge to rescue of stricken pony