WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 080713

A resident of Southern California's Big Bear Valley who is an air attack pilot is profiled by our first article today (1); fire commanders estimating that the 1,416-acre Falls Fire is now 30% contained and should be fully contained by the weekend (2); while an army of 1,474 personnel has brought the 21,930-acre Aspen Fire burning in the Sierra National Forest to 75% containment (3); and firefighters brought the 500-acre wildfire near Pincrest to 12% containment (4); wildfire activity in Northern California being covered by the next article (5); where CAL FIRE crews quickly snuffed two lightning-sparked wildfires in Shasta County (6); meantime, the California Fire Science Consortium sent along their August newsletter (7). Firefighters contained a four-acre wildfire that briefly threatened homes in Keizer, Oregon (8); while rafters on the Rogue River described the eerie experience of getting up close and personal with a wildfire (9); but tragedy struck as a water truck driver was killed when his truck overturned on an embankment (10); while a portion of the proceeds from a minor-league baseball game will go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation which supports the families of fallen firefighters (11); the danger of human-caused fires in the Western Lane and South Cascade Ranger Districts being examined by the next article (12). Fire crews battling a two-acre wildfire on Washington state's Kitsap Peninsula had to deal with subterranean fires (13); the following article providing a summary of wildfire activity elsewhere in the state (14); where a 200-acre wildfire near Prosser that threatened structures has been contained (15); and air-tanker operations ramped up at Moses Lake Air Tanker Base (16); but as the Colockum Tarps Fire scorched over 80,000 acres, wildlife biologists were worried about the impact on a herd of 4,500 elk whose habitat went up in smoke (17). ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross interviews the sole survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots over what happened during Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire in the next item (18). US Forest Service was starting fires as well as extinguishing fires in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest (19); while a helicopter seeded nearly 400 acres burned by the Thompson Ridge Fire in the Valles Caldera National Preserve to prevent erosion (20). As wildfires continue to blaze across Idaho, the next article provides an update on fire activity in that state (21); and fire crews in Utah's Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest were monitoring a lightning-sparked wildfire that had spread to 32 acres in size (22). Several fire experts will be expounding on good wildfire mitigation practices at the Bastrop County Commissioners Court in Bastrop, Texas, next Monday (23); while a wildfire burned 20 acres south of Nacogdoches (24). A contingent of 100 firefighters from across the South departed Fort Smith, Arkansas, to help battle wildfires in Oregon (25); and as a 20-person crew from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, prepared to head out to Idaho to battle wildfires, safety was a primary concern (26). A 350-hectare wildfire continued to burn north of Fraser Lake, British Columbia, Canada (27). New wildfire starts in Europe was down considerably, with only three new blazes reported in Italy, Bulgaria, and Turkey (28); but strong winds and dry conditions could fan the flames of wildfires still burning around Athens, Greece (29); while fire crews struggled with a 1,000-hectare blaze in Turkey's Hatay Province as several other blazes continued to burn across the nation (30). As wildfire smoke continues to choke parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia's Southeast Asian Fire Danger Rating System is examined by the next article (31); and Arizona-based StandardAero announced award of a contract to support Malaysia's CL-415 air-tanker fleet (32). Plaintiffs in a failed Australian Supreme Court bushfire case will have to pay some of New South Wales' court expenses (33); but a pair of scientists who did groundbreaking work on fire tornadoes found themselves finalists for the Australian Museum's Eureka Prize (34). As Rural Fire Service Queensland South East conducts controlled burns, residents of Ipswich will be seeing smoke trails (35); but a mild winter is stifling controlled burns planned for the Burnett region (36). And finally, two lucky kittens were rescued from a storm drain by firefighters in Ann Arbor, Michigan!

(1) Fighting fires from above

(2) FALLS FIRE: Containment expected Sunday; no estimate for highway reopening

(3) Aspen Fire in the Sierra National Forest Update for Wednesday, August 7, 2013

(4) Fire west of Pincrest doubles in size

(5) Smoke advisory, road closures in effect as firefighters continue to battle Butler Fire

(6) Fire crews stamp out pair of Shasta County wildfires

(7) August 2013 Newsletter

(8) Firefighters battle wildfire near Keizer

(9) Rafters describe eerie trip on river

(10) Water Truck Driver Dies in Crash at Oregon Fire

(11) Benefit for firefighters on deck for Rogues game

(12) Human-caused fires raise concerns in state forest districts

(13) Kitsap firefighters battling underground forest fire

(14) Firefighting progress made; U.S. Highway 97 traffic returns to normal

(15) Firefighters Battling Fire in Prosser, Structures Threatened

(16) Fire activity at tanker base increases

(17) Elk will feel fire’s impact

(18) Exclusive: Sole Survivor of Arizona Hotshot Firefighting Tragedy Asks Why Not Me?

(19) Forest Service contains two lightning fires

(20) Pilot Scatters Seeds Across N.M. Burn Scar to Prevent Erosion

(21) Wildfires Still Burning Across Idaho, Some nearly a Month Old

(22) Lightning wildfire in Spanish Fork Canyon being monitored

(23) Wildfire mitigation experts at court

(24) Wildfire burns 20 acres south of Nacogdoches

(25) 100 firefighters dispatched to Ore. to help wildfires

(26) Excitement, anticipation as local firefighters prepare to help combat wildfire in Idaho

(27) Large wildfire burning north of Fraser Lake

(28) EFFIS - Current Situation

(29) Wildfire rages overnight near Athens

(30) Firefighters work to contain fire near Turkey's Syria border

(31) Early fire warnings 'working fine' despite smog

(32) StandardAero Signs Exclusive Contract with AJ Aeroservices Sdn Bhd to Support Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s Fleet of Bombardier CL 415 Turboprop Aircraft

(33) Bushfire litigants to cover some of NSW's costs for failed court case

(34) Tornado work puts duo in line for prize

(35) Hazard reduction burns will leave trails of smoke

(36) Bushfires tipped to rage in overgrown Burnett

(37) Firefighters rescue 2 kittens from storm drain at Lillie Park