WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092013

Our first article today examines five little-known facts about wildfires (1). A two-acre wildfire in the Southern California community of Malibu drew the attention of Los Angeles County Fire's CL-415 Super Scoopers yesterday (2); but in a move to reduce jail overcrowding, Los Angeles County plans to ship 500 inmates to mountain-area firefighting camps (3); while aircraft assisted firefighters on the ground battling a small blaze in Lake County's Cow Mountain Recreation Area (4); and Yosemite's Rim Fire was expected to be fully contained today (5); CAL FIRE and the US Forest Service teamed up to offer a $20,000 reward for information about who started the Forks Complex fires in the Klamath National Forest (6); but the Shasta-Trinity National Forest has had a slow fire season, with only 69 acres burned this year (7). At a Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Ceremony in Salem, Oregon, yesterday, wildland firefighter deaths were honored (8); but an Oregon State University study shows that snow in burn areas may melt sooner, increasing early runoff (9). As fire season winds down in Washington state, records show that 697 wildfires burned 9,883 acres this season (10). Repairs to infrastructure following the Black Forest Fire and recent flooding is putting a heavy burden on resources in El Paso County, Colorado (11); while Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, added $636 million to fire suppression funds available to federal land agencies (12). After 19 wildfires started by debris burns in Tyler, Texas, the city is considering extending trash services to areas not currently serviced (13). A volunteer fire hall which served as a command center during Wisconsin's 7,400-acre Germann Road Fire last year was destroyed in a fire (14); while Lake County, Illinois, has erected a tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots, one of whom was from the area (15). A 600-acre wildfire in Drew County, Arkansas, forced some evacuations (16); and with an average of 15 wildfires a year, Augusta County, Virginia, unveiled a new wildfire protection plan (17). In the wake of the Carolina Forest Fire which destroyed numerous condominiums in Horry County, South Carolina, officials are looking seriously at the requirements of fire-adapted communities (18); but there was trouble in paradise, as firefighters from West Oahu, Hawaii, battled a wildfire in Maili (19). The European Forest Fire Information System reported 16 wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey (20). A wording change to Indonesia's constitution could help reduce the number of fires deliberately set on the island of Sumatra each year (21); while Rural Fire Service firefighters grappled with a bushfire that scorched between 10 and 20 ha near Larnook, New South Wales, Australia (22). And finally, pet lovers opened their wallets to help support Fresno Fire Department after a viral video showed a cat being resuscitated with a pet oxygen mask!

(1) Five Surprising Facts About Wildfires

(2) PHOTOS: See Super Scoopers Fill Up With Ocean Water

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