WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 050613

 First up today, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tony Morris, Communications Director for Southern California-based Wildfire Research Network, sent along a heads-up about US Forest Service awarding "Next Generation" contracts to several US air-tanker companies, including 10 Tanker LLC and Coulson Aircrane (1). With a little help from Mother Nature, fire crews in Ventura County have brought a 28,000-acre wildfire to 80% containment (2); although the rain has transformed many slopes into slippery, muddy messes (3); the contribution of the Air National Guard fighting the blaze being discussed by the Department of Defense in the next item (4); and the cause of the fire appears to be accidental (5); while helicopters assisted firefighters on the ground battling a 550-acre wildfire on the Inland Empire's San Gorgonio Mountain (6); the DC-10 making its presence felt over that wildfire (7); but CAL FIRE officials stated that California is off to its earliest fire season in history (8); Climate Central releasing a interactive wildfire map to track activity across the state (9). To the north, Kern County Fire Department responded to a wind-driven wildfire on Sunday (10); while four air-tankers pummeled a 50-acre wildfire outside of Santa Maria Saturday (11); and CAL FIRE responded to a 1 1/2-acre wildfire burning above Los Gatos (12). Fire crews managed to contain to wind-driven wildfires in Central Oregon over the weekend (13). As Wildfire Awareness Week begins in Washington state, 10 wildfires are currently active (14); but cooler winds may help firefighters bring them to heel (15). Following nearly a dozen wildfires deliberately set in Arizona's Coconino National Forest, one suspect is in custody (16); while Bureau of Land Management arson investigators are taking a close look at two wildfires which burned 60 acres between them over the weekend outside of Middleton, Idaho (17). Fire departments across Texas are taking advantage of a quiet wildfire season (so far) to rest and repair equipment (18); but wildfires are outpacing the efforts in Montana of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s 30-person planting crew attempting to re-forest the Black Springs burn area (19). Fire crews battled a forest fire in state gamelands in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Sunday (20); while a wildfire was reported near Summersville, West Virginia, over the weekend (21). Three wildfires cropped up around Milford, Massachusetts, on Saturday (22). Residents of New York State were reminded that an elevated wildfire danger has led to a burn ban through May 14th (23); even as state forest rangers investigated a forest fire that erupted in the Steuben State Forest over the weekend (24). Heading to Canada, a wildfire was reported outside of Calgary, Alberta, on the weekend (25); Ontario's FireRangers reporting their readiness for the 2013 wildfire season (26); and a trio of wildfires kept firefighters in that province busy over the weekend as well (27); while university students from across Canada unveiled their firefighting unmanned aerial vehicles at the 5th Unmanned Systems Canada UAV Student Competition in Alma, Québec (28); even as wildfires were already active in Newfoundland (29). Following 400 fires across the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad & Tobago, the Project Director of the Northern Range Reafforestation Project urged the government to enforce tougher laws to reduce the number of blazes (30). In the UK, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue grappled with three grass fires over the weekend, the latest of over 70 that have been deliberately set in the region (31); while two wildfires broke out in Sweden on Sunday and additional fires continued to burn in Sweden, Greece, and Italy (32); Russia's Federal Forestry Agency reporting that 138 forest fires burned 28,518 hectares over the past few days (33). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Nathan Maddock, Communications Officer at Victoria, Australia-based, Bushfire CRC, sent along a Fire Note in which residents of Perth Hills, Western Australia, were interviewed to gauge their response to the ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ protocols used to prepare residents of bushfire-prone areas for blazes of the future (34); while New South Wales Rural Fire Service Mid North Coast Team will be holding a meeting in Mylestom May 19 to discuss bushfire survival plans (35); and as Country Fire Service announced the end to South Australia's busy bushfire season, the next article takes a look at some of the activity across the state this year (36). And finally, Montana's Bitterroot Hotshots are celebrating an anniversary: 50 years fighting wildfires!

(1) Forest Service to get “Next Generation” airtankers

(2) Springs fire 80% contained, five firefighters suffer minor injuries

(3) Rain brings muddy slopes for crews fighting California wildfires

(4) California Air National Guard Battles Raging Wildfires

(5) Cause of California wildfire appears accidental

(6) Gorgonio Fire held to 550 acres

(7) BANNING: Giant DC 10 air tanker is a sight to behold

(8) Cal Fire: Fire season off to early start

(9) Wildfire Interactive Helps Track the Springs Fire Blaze

(10) Fire crews battle fast, wind-driven fire

(11) Fire burns 50 acres near CA horse training ranch

(12) Acre-Plus Wildfire Burns Above Los Gatos, Saratoga Hills

(13) Crews contain wildfires in Central Oregon, work on mop up

(14) Weekend wildfires continue to burn in Washington

(15) Cooler winds helping Washington firefighters

(16) Arrest made in Coconino National Forest fires

(17) Wildfires burn north of Middleton on Sunday

(18) Texas Hopeful For Another Quiet Wildfire Season

(19) Northern Cheyenne planting crews can't keep up with wildfires

(20) Ligonier Township forest fire under control after 7 hours

(21) Forest fire spreading in Summersville

(22) Firefighters chase 3 brush fires in Milford

(23) N.Y. faces rising risk of wildfires

(24) State Forest Rangers to investigate Schuyler Forest Fire

(25) Bush fire in Calgary’s southwest

(26) Ontario Ready For Forest Fire Season 2013

(27) Water bomber called in for 3-hectare bush fire

(28) Canadian UAV Competition Tests Ability To Locate Forest Fires

(29) Forest, grass fires erupt in several communities

(30) Tougher laws needed to stop bushfires

(31) Cannock Chase grassland blazes tackled by firefighters

(32) EFFIS - Current Situation

(33) Total area of forest fires in Russia grows sharply to near 30,000 hectares

(34) Predicting bushfire preparedness from bushfire expectations

(35) Mylestom residents urged to be bushfire conscious

(36) CFS says state's busy fire season ends

(37) Bitterroot Hotshots train for 50th season chasing wildfires