WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 010912
Firefighters in the Southern California community of Hesperia are investigating a 20-acre wildfire that broke out over the weekend (1); and firefighters expected to have a 15-acre wildfire burning near Idyllwild fully contained today (2); while Tangent Link sent along a reminder about their upcoming aerial firefighting conference in Sacramento towards the end of this month (3); even as a dispute heats up between US Forest Service and a logger in Plumas County over salvage logging in the area of a 65,000-acre wildfire (4). The Arizona Cattle Growers Association is calling for a moratorium on the National Environmental Policy Act to allow loggers and cattlemen to thin overgrown forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires like the ones in 2011 (5); this as officials at the Southwest Coordination Center predicted another bad fire season for that state's southeastern corner (6). Cuts in state grants cost volunteer fire departments $18 million in 2011, despite epic wildfires, according to the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas (7). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Kevin Ryan, a Research Forest Ecologist at USFS Fire Sciences Lab in Missoula, Montana, sent along an announcement about some leadership changes at the International Association of Wildland Fire (8). A gas line was detonated by a wildfire burning in Floyd County, Kentucky, on Saturday evening (9); and smoke from a nearby wildfire forced closure of an elementary school in Putnam County, Florida (10); the next article providing some video footage from the fire line (11). Alberta Sustainable Resource Development officials warned residents of that province of the ongoing wildfire danger due to warm temperatures and wind (12); while the land battle which has sparked numerous wildfires in Chile has escalated to arson attacks on the home of the chief of the Mapuche Indians (13). A trio of helicopter air-tankers was called in to assist firefighters on the ground battling a bushfire in Central Otago, New Zealand (14). Victoria, Australia's, Bushfire Response Minister expounded on the virtues of two Erickson Air-Crane helicopters which the state has leased to fight bushfires this season (15); but despite the bushfire danger in that state over Christmas, Department of Sustainability and Environment memos show that fire officers were allowed to take time off (16); while firefighters worked fast to quell a bus fire in the Dandenong Ranges which they feared would spark a bushfire (17); and wet weather combined with reduced wind to help firefighters corral an 8,400-hectare bushfire burning in the Flinders Ranges (18); but although Energy Safe Victoria has always had authority to cut power during periods of high bushfire danger, the state government assured customers that this would be a tactic of last resort (19). Bushfire activity in Queensland is the topic of the next article (20). A bushfire which breached containment north of Perth, Western Australia, forced closure of the North West Coastal Highway (21); and people living near Kennedy Range National Park are on heightened bushfire alert after warnings by officials about the fire danger (22). The Tasmania Fire Service is keeping a close eye on the weather to determine how bad the bushfire season is going to be (23). And finally, a firefighter's skills came in handy when the fire he had to battle was at his own business!
(1) Hesperia wildfire cause being investigated
(2) UPDATE: Containment of Idyllwild fire expected Monday
(3) Aerial Firefighting 2012, Airshow and Conference, Sacramento, 25th-26th January 2012
(4) Logger and Forest Service official to meet today on logger's claims against the government
(5) Pima backs cattle growers' forest preservation plan
(6) Arizona's wildfire risk is rising
(7) Despite stress of wildfires, state funding to volunteer fire departments fell 72 percent
(8) IAWF Leadership Changes for 2012
(9) Forest fire caused an explosion in Floyd County
(10) Wildfire smoke closes Putnam Co. school
(11) RAW VIDEO: Wildfires in Putnam County
(12) Albertans advised to be on alert for wildfires
(13) Chile: Mapuche chief’s house gutted in suspected arson attack
(14) Firefighters put out large Central Otago scrub fire
(15) Elvis at the ready
(16) Fire staff take a break for the holidays
(17) Bus blaze sparks bushfire fear
(18) Fire contained but battle continues
(19) Bushfire power cuts a ‘last resort’
(20) Bushfire on Moreton Island still active, grassfire near Stanthorpe
(21) Bushfire threatens Carnarvon properties
(22) Bushfire warnings remain for Carnarvon fire
(23) Preparing for bushfires
(24) Aledo firefighter saves his business from burning down
Firefighters in the Southern California community of Hesperia are investigating a 20-acre wildfire that broke out over the weekend (1); and firefighters expected to have a 15-acre wildfire burning near Idyllwild fully contained today (2); while Tangent Link sent along a reminder about their upcoming aerial firefighting conference in Sacramento towards the end of this month (3); even as a dispute heats up between US Forest Service and a logger in Plumas County over salvage logging in the area of a 65,000-acre wildfire (4). The Arizona Cattle Growers Association is calling for a moratorium on the National Environmental Policy Act to allow loggers and cattlemen to thin overgrown forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires like the ones in 2011 (5); this as officials at the Southwest Coordination Center predicted another bad fire season for that state's southeastern corner (6). Cuts in state grants cost volunteer fire departments $18 million in 2011, despite epic wildfires, according to the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas (7). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Kevin Ryan, a Research Forest Ecologist at USFS Fire Sciences Lab in Missoula, Montana, sent along an announcement about some leadership changes at the International Association of Wildland Fire (8). A gas line was detonated by a wildfire burning in Floyd County, Kentucky, on Saturday evening (9); and smoke from a nearby wildfire forced closure of an elementary school in Putnam County, Florida (10); the next article providing some video footage from the fire line (11). Alberta Sustainable Resource Development officials warned residents of that province of the ongoing wildfire danger due to warm temperatures and wind (12); while the land battle which has sparked numerous wildfires in Chile has escalated to arson attacks on the home of the chief of the Mapuche Indians (13). A trio of helicopter air-tankers was called in to assist firefighters on the ground battling a bushfire in Central Otago, New Zealand (14). Victoria, Australia's, Bushfire Response Minister expounded on the virtues of two Erickson Air-Crane helicopters which the state has leased to fight bushfires this season (15); but despite the bushfire danger in that state over Christmas, Department of Sustainability and Environment memos show that fire officers were allowed to take time off (16); while firefighters worked fast to quell a bus fire in the Dandenong Ranges which they feared would spark a bushfire (17); and wet weather combined with reduced wind to help firefighters corral an 8,400-hectare bushfire burning in the Flinders Ranges (18); but although Energy Safe Victoria has always had authority to cut power during periods of high bushfire danger, the state government assured customers that this would be a tactic of last resort (19). Bushfire activity in Queensland is the topic of the next article (20). A bushfire which breached containment north of Perth, Western Australia, forced closure of the North West Coastal Highway (21); and people living near Kennedy Range National Park are on heightened bushfire alert after warnings by officials about the fire danger (22). The Tasmania Fire Service is keeping a close eye on the weather to determine how bad the bushfire season is going to be (23). And finally, a firefighter's skills came in handy when the fire he had to battle was at his own business!
(1) Hesperia wildfire cause being investigated
(2) UPDATE: Containment of Idyllwild fire expected Monday
(3) Aerial Firefighting 2012, Airshow and Conference, Sacramento, 25th-26th January 2012
(4) Logger and Forest Service official to meet today on logger's claims against the government
(5) Pima backs cattle growers' forest preservation plan
(6) Arizona's wildfire risk is rising
(7) Despite stress of wildfires, state funding to volunteer fire departments fell 72 percent
(8) IAWF Leadership Changes for 2012
(9) Forest fire caused an explosion in Floyd County
(10) Wildfire smoke closes Putnam Co. school
(11) RAW VIDEO: Wildfires in Putnam County
(12) Albertans advised to be on alert for wildfires
(13) Chile: Mapuche chief’s house gutted in suspected arson attack
(14) Firefighters put out large Central Otago scrub fire
(15) Elvis at the ready
(16) Fire staff take a break for the holidays
(17) Bus blaze sparks bushfire fear
(18) Fire contained but battle continues
(19) Bushfire power cuts a ‘last resort’
(20) Bushfire on Moreton Island still active, grassfire near Stanthorpe
(21) Bushfire threatens Carnarvon properties
(22) Bushfire warnings remain for Carnarvon fire
(23) Preparing for bushfires
(24) Aledo firefighter saves his business from burning down
Labels: air-tankers, bushfires, firefighting, forest fires, wildfire news, wildfire news of the day, wildfires
posted by Michael Archer @ 11:30 AM
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