WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 072612

After a bruising summer with massive wildfires to battle in several states, sometimes simultaneously, US Forest Service is adopting a more pro-active approach to fire suppression, emphasizing heavy initial attack on ALL wildfires (1). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Ty Bonnar, Vice President of Global Operations for Southern California-based Flexible Alternatives, Inc., sent along a CNN article about the use of technology such as drones and satellites to improve wildfire operations (2); but a homeowner using an acetylene torch sparked a small wildfire in Morongo Valley (3); while firefighters from San Diego Fire-Rescue tackled a wildfire in Clairemont Canyon that caused traffic tie-ups on State Route 52 (4); and Shasta-Trinity National Forest kicked off a new fire prevention campaign in association with several organizations (5). Sparks from a faulty clutch ignited a couple of small wildfires along Washington state's Interstate 90 near Spokane (6); but all four wildfires which broke out in Washoe County, Nevada, have been determined to be arson (7). A new USFS report on the recent wildfires in Colorado casts doubt on whether wildfire mitigation plans and thinned timber were really effective (8); while Colorado State University’s Native American Cultural Center is taking advantage of those wildfires to educate teenagers on some of the finer points of fire science (9). A wildfire was reported outside of Stillwater, OK, as nearly half of that state's counties have invoked burn bans (10). A new study entitled "Bastrop Complex Wildfire Case Study" shows that the 30' of defensible space recommended by Texas Forest Service was inadequate to protect homes in Bastrop County from wildfires last year (11); but damage done to state parks by wildfires has forced Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to seek corporate partnerships to help pay the bills (12). While most wildfires in Wyoming are contained, a 5 sq mile blaze burning near Seminoe Reservoir in Carbon County is still only 37% contained (13). A 3,000-acre wildfire continued to expand near Columbus, Montana (14); but after wildfires scorched 300,000 acres across that state, ranchers are having a hard time finding grass for their cattle (15); some ranchers loosing hundreds of cattle to the fires as well (16). Nebraska Emergency Management Agency announced that wildfires which had scorched 113 sq miles were now 50% contained (17); and a five-acre wildfire outside of Collinsville, Illinois, drew quite a crowd of firefighters yesterday (18). A grassfire that threatened a score of homes in Steelville, Missouri, is being blamed on sparks from a transmission line (19); while firefighters pounced on a wildfire in Massachusetts' Middlesex Fells Reservation (20). Wildfires continued to crop up in Ontario, Canada, where the Ministry of Natural Resources has identified 80 active blazes (21); one of which closed a portion of Highway 11 near Hearst (22). As Southern Europe continues to bake, wildfires were reported in Portugal, Albania, and across the Mediterranean in the North African nation of Algeria (23). A small wildfire injured one civilian in Haifa, Israel (24). And finally, firefighters in Sacramento, California, had a larger-than-usual extrication to perform: getting a 1,500-pound bull out of a water cistern!

(1) U.S. Forest Service Adopts Suppression-First Strategy

(2) Fighting fire with data, spacecraft, drones

(3) Yard cleanup sparks brush fire

(4) Brush Fire Burns in Clairemont Canyon

(5) Shasta-Trinity National Forest to begin ‘One Less Spark-One Less Wildfire’ campaign

(6) Clutch sparks two brush fires along I-90 near Spokane

(7) Sheriff: Sun Valley brushfires may have been intentionally set

(8) Report: Wildfire Mitigation May Not Have Been Effective In 2010 Fire

(9) Forest Fires Become Learning Opportunity for Native American Teenagers Through Colorado State University STEM Program

(10) Firefighters battle wildfires west of Stillwater

(11) Texas Fire Report: Bigger Buffer Could Save Home

(12) Budget cuts, drought, wildfires have Texas parks seeking corporate partners for first time

(13) Firefighters get handle on wildfires in Wyoming

(14) Skibstad fire near Columbus grows to 3,000 acres overnight

(15) Wildfires destroy cattle, pastures in southeast Montana, dry temperatures stress crops

(16) Wildfire takes 400 cattle from Montana rancher

(17) Firefighters gaining control of Niobrara River wildfires

(18) Dry Conditions Fuel Collinsville Brush Fire

(19) 20 homes threatened, dozens of acres scorched in brush fire

(20) UPDATED: Brush Fire Extinguished Quickly in Stoneham

(21) Northwest regional forest fire count now tops 80

(22) Forest fire closes stretch of Hwy. 11

(23) EFFIS - Current Situation

(24) Wildfire breaks out in Haifa; 1 lightly injured

(25) California Firefighters, Vets Team Up to Save Bull