WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 100913

An ambulance plunged over a cliff in Carlsbad, California, sparking a small wildfire (1); while a 2,200-acre wildfire on the grounds of Camp Pendleton is now 93% contained (2); but fire officials in Butte County are trying to hunt down the vehicle suspected of sparking numerous wildfires along Highway 70 earlier this month (3). The cardiovascular impact of wildfire smoke on residents of Reno, Nevada, is the focus of a new study from Virginia Tech (4); while a 50-acre wildfire in Arizona's Coronado National Forest is now 40% contained (5). A private wildfire-fighting firm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has had to lay off firefighters due to the government shutdown (6); but in a state which sees 1,200 wildfires scorch 10,000 acres each year, Virginia Department of Forestry warned homeowners of the danger from fall forest fires (7). In Hawaii, firefighters continued to grapple with two small wildfires in the Hilo Forest Reserve (8). Northumberland, UK, plans to test a new infrared camera system to provide early warnings of wildfires in rural areas (9); while the European Forest Fire Information System reported only one new wildfire burning outside of Kütahya, Turkey (10). Singapore unveiled a new Haze Monitoring System at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference in Brunei to quickly identify who is starting wildfires that choke the region in smoke annually (11). Windy, hot weather prompted Rural Fire Service officials to impose restrictions on open fires in parts of New South Wales, Australia (12); and at a council meeting in Wangaratta, Victoria, a new study revealed that bushfire embers could overwhelm homes in the Warby Range (13). As temperatures went up in South Australia, Country Fire Service officials reported burn bans in 11 districts (14); and in Western Australia, fire officials in Manjimup Shire worry about the fact that they are well behind on their goal of treating 60,000 ha to reduce bushfire fuel (15); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Richard Thornton, Chief Executive of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Council, commenting on the second phase of bushfire research in Tasmania which will focus on disaster prevention and management as well as how to make communities more resilient to disaster (16). And finally, firefighters in San Bernardino, California, did their good deed for the day by saving a kitten which was overcome with smoke in a house fire!

(1) Ambulance Goes over Calif. Cliff, Sparks Brush Fire

(2) Wildfire that burned about 2,200 acres on Camp Pendleton 93 percent contained

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