WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081312

Firefighters reported that a 2,000-acre wildfire outside of the Southern California community of Warner Springs was fully contained (1); even as others battled a 30-acre wildfire near Julian following 635 lightning strikes in San Diego County yesterday (2); while firefighters brought a 138-acre wildfire burning in Fresno County to 80% containment (3); but the first bills associated with the state's controversial wildfire fee, which aims to raise $84 million by levying fire fees of up to $150 on rural residents, are in the mail (4); while a 250-acre wildfire burning in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area has been contained (5); and firefighters are making progress on a pair of wildfires in Lake County which forced hundreds of evacuations (6); as well as a 20,642-acre wildfire burning in Lassen National Volcanic Park, which is now 10% contained (7). A summary of wildfire activity across Oregon is provided by the next article (8); and a 30-acre blaze outside of Naches, Washington, is nearly contained (9). A quartet of lightning-sparked wildfires was reported in Arizona's Tonto National Forest (10); where the 1,700-acre Mistake Peak Fire is now 15% contained (11). A 100-acre wildfire was reported west of Gunnison, Colorado, yesterday (12); and a lightning strike ignited a tree in Boulder's Fourmile Canyon, where a devastating wildfire destroyed over 100 homes in 2010 (13). A falling tree claimed the life of a wildland firefighter in Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (14); while seven major wildfires are burning in Utah, including a 34 mi.² blaze which shut down the Pony Express Road in Utah’s West Desert (15). Statistics on wildfires that have raged across Oklahoma are provided in the next item (16); where a family of 14 who lost their home during the wildfires in Cleveland County has finally found a new one big enough for their large family (17). Firefighters gained ground on a pair of wildfires burning in Palo Pinto County, Texas, despite triple-digit heat (18); even as an additional pair of C-130s equipped with MAFFS units was being deployed to wildfires by Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing (19). Yankton County, South Dakota, is issuing a new wildfire protection guide to residents to help them better protect their property (20); while a new study from New York's Columbia University published in Nature Climate Change indicated that wildfires contributed to the deaths of 15,000 people in Southeast Asia (21). In Canada, British Columbia's Southeast Fire Centre reported several small wildfires across the province (22); including one outside of Nelson (23). Southern Europe and North Africa are on fire, with wildfires reported in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Balkans (Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia), as well as numerous blazes in Morocco (24); wildfires in Spain killing two and forcing the evacuation of thousands (25); the following item providing some striking photos from the fire line (26); while Britain's Foreign Office issued a warning to travelers about the wildfire catastrophe on Spain's Canary Islands (27). Russian firefighters continue to grapple with dozens of wildfires in the Far East (28); including three dozen blazes in the Ural Federal District (29). In Israel, Jerusalem Fire and Rescue has battled almost 5,000 fires in open areas over the past four months (30). Heading to Australia, Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria plan to burn off 250,000 ha of fuel in the next 12 months to reduce the bushfire danger (31); but in the meantime, the state faces another dilemma: finding a courtroom big enough for all the plaintiffs in the SP AusNet class-action suit (32). Although rains have delayed controlled burns, New South Wales Rural Fire Service assured residents that it will continue with its hazard reduction work (33). And finally, inventive twins from Maine who build robots for the military have unveiled their new firefighting robot, the Thermite!

(1) 2,000-acre wildfire north of San Diego contained

(2) Firefighters Battle Blaze Near Julian

(3) Evacuation order for Fresno Co. brushfire lifted

(4) California fire fee ignites anger as bills go out

(5) Fire at Land Between the Lakes under control

(6) Some containment of Northern California wildfire that forced hundreds to evacuate

(7) Firefighters Report Some Success on Reading Fire Fight

(8) Oregon wildfire updates: Holloway slows, Barry Point grows

(9) Firefighters close in on containing Naches brush fire (video)

(10) 4 wildfires in Tonto National Forest attributed to lightning

(11) Updated: Mistake Peak Fire grows to 1,700 acres in Tonto National Forest

(12) Fire burns in forest west of Gunnison

(13) U.S. Forest Service crews extinguish small lightning-strike fire in Fourmile Canyon

(14) Firefighter killed by falling tree

(15) Wildfire shuts down Pony Express Road

(16) Wildfire damage statistics growing as fire subsides

(17) Wildfire family with 12 kids finds a home

(18) Firefighters making progress against Palo Pinto wildfires

(19) Forest Service Requests More Aircraft for Firefighting Operations

(20) SD firefighters make wildfire protection guide

(21) SE Asia land burning kills 15,000 in El Nino years

(22) Smoke from new fires visible in Nelson, Castlegar

(23) Forest fire sparked south of Nelson

(24) EFFIS - Current Situation

(25) Spain wildfires kill two, displace thousands

(26) Thousands evacuated in Spain forest fires

(27) Foreign Office warning over Spanish forest fires

(28) Wildfires flare up in Russia's east

(29) On the Territory of the Ural Federal District Apply 36 Forest Fires

(30) 5,000 fires in J'lem over summer tax firefighters

(31) Plans to fight fire with fire

(32) Court system faces headache on bushfire case

(33) Preparations for bushfire season behind

(34) Maine Twins' Fire-Fighting Robot Catches On