WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 042213

A Scientific American article displays a photo extravaganza from NASA's Fire and Smoke initiative that captures wildfires across the world this month as seen from space (1). Although a 125-acre wildfire in the hills above the Southern California community of Monrovia is 85% contained, there was no word on when full containment would be achieved (2); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rich Brooks, a Reporter for the Riverside Press-Enterprise (www.pe.com), reported on a 25-acre wildfire near the mountain community of Fawnskin (3); while the Lake County Fire Safe Council announced a Wildfire Safety Expo to be held on May 18th (4). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Hatton, CEO of 10 Tanker LLC, comments in the next article about plans to perform airstrikes on wildfires in Arizona this summer, something which helped save the eastern Arizona town of Greer two years ago (5). A 30-acre wildfire near Las Vegas, New Mexico, was 70% contained (6); and at Colorado's Fort Carson, 113 helicopters from the U.S. Army's 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, conducted wildfire training earlier this month (7). The US Forest Service has released a draft impact statement of a restoration project in Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest which aims to reduce the fire danger (8); while a small wildfire burned between 15 and 20 acres in Montana's Beartooth Wildlife Management Area (9). AIRE Industrial is unveiling a new water tank suitable for fighting wildfires at the FDIC Trade Show being held in Indianapolis, Indiana, this week (10). Delaware hosted a wildfire training session at Blackbird State Forest over the weekend (11); the next article discussing wildfire readiness at New Jersey's Ramapo Fire Tower in Wanaque during that state's spring fire season (12). Nicaragua's National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Response to Natural Disasters indicated that most of the wildfires which have burned 15,500 hectares across the country (a 144% increase from last year) were human caused (13); that article followed by updates on wildfires burning in Savelli, Italy, and Bouisse, France, provided by the European Forest Fire Information System (14). Heading to Australia, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Nathan Maddock, Communications Officer for Bushfire CRC, sent along a Fire Note on community bushfire preparedness as part of their Effective Risk Communication Project (15); but New South Wales' Environment Minister stated that with more people living in the bush, that state will have to double its controlled burns over a ten-year period in national parks to reduce the bushfire danger (16). The next article examines a controversial plan to require South Australians who are selling their homes to have their properties assessed and rated for bushfire safety compliance if they live in an at-risk zone (17); while an article from Western Australia pays tribute to that state's last conservator of forests, who died last week (18). And finally, firefighters battling a wildfire in Monrovia, California, confronted an unexpected hazard: bears!

(1) NASA Satellite Images Provide Clues to Understanding Fire across the Globe

(2) Monrovia Brush Fire 85% Contained, Evacuations Lifted

(3) FAWNSKIN: Campfire embers ignited 25-acre timber fire

(4) Lake County Fire Safe Council plans Wildfire Safety Expo May 18

(5) Airliner could turn firefighting tanker for summer

(6) UPDATED: 25-acre forest fire ignites near Las Vegas

(7) Aviators train for wildfires

(8) Forest project mixes jobs, restoration, timber cut

(9) Crews battle small wildfire on Beartooth game range

(10) Firefighter Tank, The Yellow Jacket From AIRE Industrial, Set to Debut at FDIC Trade Show

(11) Camp provides training to control wildfires

(12) Getting a jump on preventing spring forest fires in Wanaque

(13) Nicaragua's forests going up in smoke

(14) EFFIS - Current Situation

(15) Promoting community bushfire preparedness

(16) First 10-year bushfire plan calls for extra burning off

(17) Mitcham Council proposes to force homeowners selling houses to conduct bushfire safety checks

(18) Tributes for forests guardian

(19) Firefighters Encounter Bears at Calif. Brush Blaze