WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 100512

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Kate Dargan, former California State Fire Marshal and current President of fire technology company Intterra, pointed to Colorado's Waldo Canyon Fire as evidence that shake shingle roofs increase the vulnerability of homes to wildfires (1); but the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has taken on California's controversial $150 wildfire fee which has been causing a great deal of grief for 800,000 rural residents forced to pay the fee on their property tax (2). A US Forest Service heli-tanker pilot gave an Oregon firefighter a lift in his Bambi bucket to evacuate him from the Pole Creek Fire (3); while a lack of rainfall for the last 100 days has forced fire officials in the Siuslaw National Forest to impose fire restrictions (4); and Lane County officials are concerned about the wildfire danger in their dry region as well (5). A 150-acre wildfire outside of Shelton, Washington, is now 30% contained (6); a 1 1/2 acre wildfire being reported near a golf club in King County (7); all of which prompted Department of Natural Resources officials to extend the statewide burn ban through October 15 (8); an editorial looking at the cost of allowing homes to be built in wildfire-prone areas (9); but now that the smoke has cleared in Leavenworth, Oktoberfest is on! (10) Firefighters plan to conduct hundreds of acres of controlled burns in Arizona's Prescott National Forest this month (11); while two dozen students attended an Interagency Wildland Fire Investigation Course in Ruidoso, New Mexico (12). A 491-acre blaze near Rifle, Colorado, is now 5% contained (13); a photo gallery from the fireline follows (14); while fire officials pointed to that blaze as an indicator of the continued fire danger in the western part of the state (15). Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials comment on the ecological benefits of wildfires in the next item (16); while the governor weighed in on the importance of logging and grazing public land to reduce the wildfire danger (17). Firefighters expect full containment on Utah's 2,458-acre Roundabout Fire this evening (18). Although cooler weather and precipitation have allowed fire officials to cancel Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Missoula, Montana, wildfires continue to burn across the state (19); officials lifting fire restrictions in Gallatin National Forest and the Beartooth Ranger District of the Custer National Forest (20); and in the Lewis and Clark National Forest as well (21). Air-tankers from British Columbia, Canada's, Abbotsford Airport assisted firefighters on the ground battling a fuel fire (22). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Nathan Maddox, Communications Officer with Australia-based Bushfire CRC, sent along a fire note that touches on fire behavior, building survivability and infrastructure, as well as human behavior and community safety following 2007's Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria (23). A summary of bushfire activity in New South Wales, where some homes were evacuated, is provided by the next item (24); while a pair of police officers are being honored for rescuing a woman from a bushfire near Tingha three years ago (25). And finally, firefighters in Norfolk, UK, have another successful rescue to add to their list: an orphaned baby seal!

(1) Fire & Forest: More evidence on the danger of wood roofs and the value of mitigation

(2) Tax group sues to block California firefighting fee

(3) Wildland Pilot Helps Firefighter Escape Oregon Blaze

(4) Public use restrictions take effect in Siuslaw National Forest

(5) Dangerously dry

(6) Firefighters head west to Power Line No. 2 fire near Shelton

(7) Local fire crews contain Newcastle forest fire

(8) Red Flag Warning expires but fire danger remains very high

(9) Thank firefighters and the taxpayers

(10) Leavenworth says air is clear, come for Oktoberfest beer

(11) Prescribed burns scheduled for Prescott National Forest

(12) Course teaches students how to investigate forest fires

(13) Highway 13 fire curbed at ridge of Hogback

(14) Photo Gallery: Rifle Wildfire Oct 2012

(15) Rifle blaze illustrates lingering fire season

(16) Fish and Game: Forest fires benefit wildlife in the long run

(17) Otter calls for more logging, grazing on public land to prevent wildfire

(18) Roundabout Wildfire: Full containment expected Friday night

(19) Wildfires continue to blaze despite precipitation

(20) Fire restrictions lifted in Gallatin National Forest, Beartooth Ranger District

(21) Restrictions on fire end today

(22) Air tankers from Abbotsford Airport brought in to fight hog fuel fire

(23) Community bushfire safety issues: findings from interviews with residents affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires

(24) Firefighters battle to save NSW homes

(25) New England police officers show courage in rescue

(26) Seal saved by firefighters swims to freedom