WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 070913

The California Fire Foundation will be hosting a memorial service at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on 7/10 for members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot team whose bodies are being returned to California for burial (1); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Halsey, Director of the California Chaparral Institute, sent along a blog post that advocates creating firesafe communities rather than battling massive wildfires in the backcountry (2); referencing a Washington Post editorial from last week that was also sent along by Julia Petersen, Marketing head at the Evergreen Foundation (3); but as the 4,700-acre Chariot Fire continues to burn near Julian, San Diego County is "ripe" for more wildfires (4); and Wildfire NOTD subscriber Jerome Laval of the California Fire Pilots Association sent along their July newsletter (5); some of those pilots no doubt battling a 160-acre wildfire west of Lake Tahoe (6); but a 73-acre blaze in Yuba County has been contained (7). Air assets, including the DC-10, bolstered the fight against two out-of-control wildfires in Nevada (8); smoke from the 15,000-acre wildfire burning in the Spring Mountains prompting Clark County Department of Air Quality to issue an air quality advisory for Las Vegas (9); the next article offering a look at the wildfire threat faced by residents of Mount Charleston (10). As firefighters brought Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire to 90% containment, Prescott prepared for speeches by the governor and Vice President Biden at the Granite Mountain Hotshot memorial service (11); firefighters, police officers and honor-guard members from from all over arriving for the service (12); professional baseball players doing their part to offer solace to the family of fallen firefighter Andrew Ashcraft (13); and a benefit concert is planned in Prescott on July 22nd (14); meanwhile, fire crews continued to grapple with a 300-acre wildfire near Kearny (15); and the Air Force redeployed the 302nd Airlift Wing from Colorado to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway for extended operations in Arizona (16); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Don Faulk, a Professor at the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resources and the Environment, discussing how wildfire size has increased by an order-of-magnitude throughout the West in the next article (17); even as the Obama administration moves forward with proposed cuts of over $200 million to federal fire mitigation funds, drawing protests from the National Interagency Fire Center (18). A new study of New Mexico's 2011 Las Conchas Fire published in the journal Nature Communications has some worried that scientists may have been underestimating the impact wildfire smoke has on Global Warming (19). Estimates of the number of homes lost in Colorado's Black Forest Fire have been revised downward from 511 to 486, at a market value of $85,442,052 (20); even as the Black Forest Long Term Recovery Group labors with cleanup of the fire-ravaged neighborhoods (21); and Colorado politicians hold a fundraiser in Washington DC for wildfire survivors (22). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dave Baskett, President of California-based International Emergency Services, hopes to demonstrate a Russian-built BE-200 jet-powered air-tanker on a wildfire in Idaho before the summer is over (23); while fire crews in Box Elder County, Utah, contained an 1,100-acre wildfire that threatened structures (24). The next article provides some thoughts on 60 mega-fires that have blazed across the parched West over the past decade (25). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Hatton, CEO of Wyoming-based 10 Tanker Air Carrier, discusses his pride and joy in a Popular Mechanics article (26); but rainy, cool weather across South Dakota is promising a less active wildfire season compared to 2012 (27). Although residents of the Alaskan communities of Two Rivers and Pleasant Valley have been allowed to go home, a 79,000-acre wildfire near Fairbanks is still only 5% contained (28). An update on wildfires in Ontario, Canada, is provided by the next article (29); while rainfall has extinguished a massive forest fire near James Bay, Québec, allowing workers to return to the Éléonore gold project (30); but a 15-hectare wildfire was reported in Escuminac Point, New Brunswick (31); and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is investigating complaints against two women who are apparently attempting to profit from the Labrador wildfires through a false donation scheme (32). New wildfires were reported in Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Turkey (33); the next article taking a closer look at the dangerous job of patrolling the radioactive forests around Chernobyl, Ukraine, for forest fires (34). The financial impact of Indonesia's Sumatra Island wildfire smoke on Singapore's economy has been significant (35); while the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil continues to investigate which companies were responsible for the blazes which caused the smoky pall (36). In Australia, the Rockhampton Regional Council reminded residents of Queensland to take steps to reduce bushfires on their property (37). And finally, despite the destruction done by Colorado's Black Forest Fire, weddings continue at one location that survived the flames!

(1) California's Fallen From AZ Tragedy Return Home Wednesday

(2) A Plea to the Fire Service: No third time

(3) Arizona fire deaths prove no one should die for a house

(4) County’s dry conditions are ‘ripe’ for more wildfires

(5) July 2013 Newsletter

(6) Kyburz Fire at 160 acres west of Lake Tahoe

(7) UPDATE: Yuba County wildfire reported contained, highway reopened

(8) Firefighters lose ground to 2 big Nevada wildfires

(9) Las Vegas: Wildfire sparks air quality advisory, cancels fundraiser

(10) Mountain’s residents live with constant threat of forest fires

(11) Arizona memorial Tuesday as wildfires still rage

(12) World joins in honoring fallen Yarnell firefighters

(13) Dodgers, Diamondbacks bring some solace to family of fallen firefighter

(14) Dierks Bentley holding benefit concert for Arizona firefighters

(15) Arizona wildfires: Crews keep Shipman Fire near Kearny in check

(16) AF firefighting aircraft repositioned

(17) Yarnell fire: How to save lives as wildfires intensify in Arizona and beyond?

(18) While mourning 19 dead, US again prepares to ax wildfire prevention funds

(19) Wildfires may contribute more to global warming than previously predicted

(20) Homes lost in Black Forest fire reduced in amended damage report

(21) Committee focuses on details of Black Forest fire clean-up

(22) Colorado’s state society chapter in DC holds wildfire fundraiser tonight

(23) Amphibious Russian firefighting jet could be tested in Idaho

(24) Crews contain wind-fed wildfire in Box Elder County

(25) Southwest's forests may never recover from mega-fires

(26) DC-10s, Retired From Airline Duty, Battle Western Blazes

(27) Recovery Slow After Year Of Wildfires

(28) Evacuation order lifted but fire near Fairbanks rages

(29) Sault Ste. Marie 3 hectare forest fire remains active (map image)

(30) Forest fire extinguished near Goldcorp's Éléonore project

(31) Escuminac Point forest fire burning out of control

(32) Scam preys on emotions over Labrador forest fires

(33) EFFIS - Current Situation

(34) Watching for a radioactive forest fire

(35) Singapore’s pollution haze may engulf its economy — Part 2

(36) RSPO probe into hot spots heats up

(37) From now until November, it is bushfire season in the region

(38) Couple Ties Knot At Wedding Venue That Survived Black Forest Fire