WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 110212

Visitors to Northern California's Mendocino National Forest have been reminded that the prescribed burning season is now upon us (1); while an article from Washington state asks whether massive wildfires will become more frequent in the future (2). Colorado's 459-acre Vallecito Fire is now 25% contained as that state's fire season continues into fall (3); a juvenile being charged with setting a 10,000-acre wildfire which caused $5 million of damage in June (4); Pres. Obama touching on the tragedy of Colorado's wildfires at a political rally in Boulder (5); an editorial pointing to Hurricane Sandy as a reminder that Coloradans should visit the Office of Emergency Preparedness website to be ready for evacuations from wildfires (6). Bureau of Land Management fire crews plan to set several hundred acres of prescribed burns in the southern part of Idaho next week (7); while firefighters in Winnebago County, Illinois, are setting a few controlled burns to reduce the invasive vegetation population (8). On the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the Forestry Department reminded hunters about the wildfire danger (9); but a prescribed burn which reignited burned 15-hectares in Central Otago, New Zealand (10). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tony Morris, Communications Director at Wildfire Research Network, sent along an item from the National Aerial Firefighting Centre of Australia announcing its Invitation to Tender for air-tanker contractors interested in doing business Down Under (11). A constable from Kinglake, Victoria, was awarded a medal for his work during 2009's Black Saturday bushfires (12); while Queensland Fire and Rescue air-tankers assisted firefighters on the ground battling a bushfire outside of Redland Bay (13). Fire crews gained the upper hand on a 200-hectare bushfire burning outside of Newcastle, New South Wales (14); the next article taking a closer look at Strikeforce Tronto, which aims to investigate suspicious bushfires across that state (15). An editorial from Western Australia asks whether authorities and homeowners are prepared for bushfires (16). And finally, we look back at the career of CAL FIRE aviation's "most interesting man in the world"!

(1) Prescribed burning season begins on the Mendocino National Forest

(2) Massive wildfires: Rare events or harbingers?

(3) 2012 fire season continues

(4) Juvenile charged in southwest Colo. wildfire that burned 10,000 acres

(5) In Colorado, Obama reminds voters of wildfires, theater shooting

(6) Hurricane Sandy a reminder to Coloradans to be prepared

(7) BLM to begin burning activities in wildfire-prone areas next week

(8) Controlled fires in Winnebago County curb invasive plants

(9) Fire warning for hunting season

(10) Central Otago forest fire under control

(11) ITT AFS 2013+ is now open

(12) Black Saturday hero Leading Senior Constable Cameron Caine awarded OAM

(13) Bushfire alert at Redland Bay

(14) Crews gain control of NSW bushfire

(15) Strikeforce to probe deliberate bushfires

(16) South-west bushfire preparation questioned

(17) Sharky’s last flight