WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121913

Over 1,000 firefighters have brought a 1.3 mi.² wildfire burning in Big Sur, California, to 74% containment (1); but a former firefighter has been taken into custody in regards to a deliberately-set 8,073-acre wildfire which destroyed 60 homes and resulted in one fatality in Shasta County this past September (2). In response to an article in yesterday's Wildfire NOTD advising that no restoration of the Rim Fire burn area be done, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bob Zybach, Program Manager of the Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project, sent along a link related to the fate of the Black-Backed Woodpecker (3); while more than 1,000 acres in the Entiat and Chelan ranger districts of Washington state's Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is slated for fire restoration by US Forest Service (4). The Arizona Division of Forestry is appealing a $560,000 fine by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health over the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots (5); but a fire weather watch has been issued for New Mexico's Eddy and Lea Counties (6). Texas Forest Service provided some useful guidelines to prevent grassfires to homeowners in the next article (7); and an editorial from Casper, Wyoming, supports the efforts of Gov. Matt Mead to take on more wildland firefighting on federal lands in that state (8). Heading to Australia, a bushfire scorched 50 ha outside of Parkes, New South Wales (9); while students at St Therese School donated $5,000 to assist NSW bushfire survivors (10). Although Country Fire Service fire crews have gained the upper hand on a bushfire burning outside of Uleybury, South Australia, officials urged homeowners to be alert for new bushfires sparked by flying embers (11). And finally, an artist from Sonora County, California, who depicts a DC-10 making a drop on the Rim Fire in a work entitled "Heroes of August" will be signing prints of the artwork on Friday in Twain Harte!

(1) 1,000 Firefighters Battling Big Sur Blaze

(2) Ex-firefighter accused of starting deadly California blaze that destroyed 60 homes

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