WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 061713

A Southern California wildfire which has scorched 6 mi.² on the Morongo Indian Reservation near Banning is now 63% contained (1); while a pair of wildfires were reported in Madera and Mariposa counties in the Central Valley (2); a 2-acre blaze initiating a crown fire in Sacramento's Glenn Hall Park (3). The next article profiles Arizona's Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project, which aims to help prevent forest fires and post-fire flooding (4). An update on the wildfires in New Mexico is provided by the next article (5); where a Boy Scout camp in the Pecos Wilderness had a close call with a nearby wildfire (6). As nearly 1,200 firefighters struggled to contain Colorado's Black Forest Fire, which has scorched 14,198 acres, destroying 483 houses in the process, thousands of evacuees waited to return home (7); the efforts of firefighters, augmented by some rainfall Sunday, bringing containment to 65% (8); the assistance of Air Force Reserve aerial firefighters being chronicled in the next item (9); but the acute shortage of heavy air-tankers in the early phases of the Black Forest Fire caused some requests for aerial assistance from the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center to go unfulfilled (10); the following item providing a map of the Colorado wildfires currently active (11); but for one Colorado Springs family, the Black Forest Fire destroyed much of what the Waldo Canyon Fire had missed (12); a CNN article offering photos from the firelines (13); but while others were evacuating, the Black Forest News continued operations (14); and an impromptu Father's Day celebration for a member of the Army National Guard's 1157th Fire Engineers went forward successfully (15); organizers of a golf tournament donating 15% of the proceeds to the Colorado Professional Firefighters Association (16); but as firefighters brought the 604-acre Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park to 75% containment, one firefighter had to be evacuated due to an injury (17); the next article pondering whether massive wildfires in Colorado are the new normal (18). A lightning-sparked wildfire that scorched 7 mi.² outside of Castleford, Idaho, is now under control (19); an update on a trio of wildfires in Utah being provided by the next article (20). A Washington Post article uses information from a Headwaters Economics study to question why the government allows so many homes to be built in wildland areas (21); but with temperatures heading into the low 90s, parts of Alaska face a heightened wildfire risk this week (22). Environment Canada warned residents of New Brunswick that wildfire smoke from Québec would make for smoky skies (23). Heading to Europe, wildfires were reported outside of Chamusca, Portugal, Alfarràs, Spain, Olbia and Riserva Alto Tirone, Vesuvius, Italy, and Latakia, Syria (24); but smoke from fires used in illegal land clearing on Indonesia's island of Sumatra is choking residents of Singapore and Malaysia (25). In a report entitled "The Critical Decade 2013", the Australia Climate Commission has determined that Canberra could face a 70% increase in bushfire activity in less than seven years (26). NASA's Aqua satellite gives a space-eye view of bushfires burning in Western Australia in the next item (27); but the cost of cleaning up asbestos from homes destroyed in January's Tasmanian bushfires doubled the cost of cleanup (28). And finally, firefighters in Lake Oswego, Oregon, performed their good deed for the day by freeing a squirrel whose tail became entangled in razor wire!

(1) Week-old SoCal wildfire 63 percent contained

(2) 2 wildfires burning in Calif.'s Central Valley

(3) Wildfire Near the American River Posed Challenges for Firefighters

(4) Forest thinning to prevent forest fires

(5) Officials: Majority of NM wildfires contained

(6) Wildfire forces Boy Scouts to change some plans

(7) Lives still on hold for those evacuated in Black Forest fire

(8) Colo. firefighters could get more help from rain

(9) AF Reserve aerial firefighters support ongoing Rocky Mountain hot spots

(10) National shortage of large air tankers constrains firefighting efforts

(11) Map: Colorado wildfires: Black Forest fire, Royal Gorge, Big Meadows, Ward Gulch

(12) Colorado Couple’s Loss of 2nd Home to Wildfire Not ‘End of the Universe’

(13) Federal investigators called in as Colorado firefighters make progress

(14) Black Forest fire can't stop the presses of local newspaper

(15) Black Forest fire can't stand in the way of firefighter's Father's Day

(16) Solheim Cup donates 15 percent of tickets sales to firefighters

(17) Firefighter working Big Meadows Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park has medical emergency

(18) Explosive and expensive wildfires in Colorado becoming "new normal"

(19) Wildfire near Castleford under control

(20) Firefighters continue to make progress on three Utah wildfires

(21) Why does the government encourage people to build homes in wildfire zones?

(22) Wildfire Risk Climbs as Alaskan Temperatures Soar

(23) Quebec forest fires bring smoke to New Brunswick

(24) EFFIS - Current Situation

(25) Singapore, Malaysia Choke as Illegal Indonesia Forest Fires Rage

(26) Scorching increase in bushfire danger

(27) NASA image: Bushfires in north of Western Australia

(28) Fire aftermath asbestos removal bill blows out

(29) To the rescue: Firefighters free squirrel in distress