WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 040113

With the National Weather Service warning that Southern California has experienced below-average rainfall this year, more severe wildfires may be in the forecast (1); the Oregon Department of Forestry providing some useful tips to property owners on how to incorporate wildfire prevention into their spring cleaning in the next item (2); while firefighters in Clark County, Washington, squelched a four-acre wildfire over the weekend (3). New Mexico's governor is kicking off Wildfire Awareness Week with several fire-related announcements (4); even as crews in Bernalillo County prepare for the blazes of summer (5). A trio of controlled burns turned into wildfires which fire crews have now contained in Uintah County, Utah (6); but windy conditions outside of Colorado Springs propelled two small wildfires across several acres this weekend (7). A Kansas-based manufacturer of wildland firefighting gear is celebrating its third year of business (8). Although rainfall may help extinguish some wildfires burning in Alabama, Alabama Forestry Commission fears that winds that accompany the storms could stir things up (9); but fire crews in North Carolina have finally contained a 700-acre wildfire that blazed through the Croatan National Forest (10). As Florida Forest Service reported that Orange and Seminole counties were experiencing a high fire danger, over a dozen wildfires burned across Central Florida (11); fire crews in North Port keeping an eye on the remains of a wildfire which started over the weekend (12); while a 360-acre wildfire in St. Lucie County is now 95% contained (13); and the Florida Forest Service used a helicopter to help bring a 120-acre wildfire outside of Fort Pierce to 90% containment (14); one firefighter being put out of action after being shot in an apparent road rage incident in St. Johns County (15); while almost a month after a wildfire in the Ocala National Forest destroyed nearly 2 dozen structures, residents of Salt Springs are still trying to recover (16). Over 80 wildfires cropped up on the Easter weekend in Scotland (17); and six helicopters were called in to help battle the 25-hectare bushfire burning in Wairarapa, New Zealand (18). Donations continue to flood into the Victoria, Australia, community of Dereel, which was hard-hit by a 13,000-hectare bushfire late last month (19). New South Wales' Rural Fire Service has extended the Bush Fire Danger Period until the end of April this year (20); while Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre researchers will be going door-to-door to interview residents of Shoalhaven about the response to January's Deans Gap bushfire (21). A report from Tasmania's Dodges Ferry Sea Rescue indicated that communication failures, as well as a lack of coordination and planning, all contributed to problems battling bushfires in January (22). And finally, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Ed Story, CEO of the Aerial Fire Response & Research Network, sent along something which dovetails nicely into both the current control tower closure debacle, which could impact air-tanker operations in the US this summer, and April Fools' Day!

(1) Dry California Winter Threatens to Bring More Severe Wildfires

(2) Spring cleanup: How to protect your home from wildfire

(3) Firefighters battle house, brush blazes

(4) Gov. to sign wildfire prevention laws Monday

(5) Crews prepare for wildfire season

(6) Firefighters contain three wildfires in Uintah County

(7) Fire Crews Battled Two Small Wild Fires Saturday

(8) Fire-Gear.Net Continues to Expand in its Third Year of Business

(9) Alabama Forestry Commission Keeping an Eye on Wildfires

(10) Croatan National Forest fire contained

(11) More than a dozen wildfires burning in Central Florida

(12) Firefighters battle brush fire in North Port

(13) SLC wildfire 95 percent contained

(14) Fort Pierce wildfire update: Crews bringing specialized equipment to scene of rekindled wildfire

(15) Firefighter sidelined after being shot in St. Johns County

(16) Wildfire leaves burning questions

(17) Fire warning as wildfires hit Western Isles

(18) Helicopters called in to battle forest fire

(19) Community of Dereel rallies with donations and support for bushfire victims

(20) Bushfire danger period extended

(21) Study examines response to Deans Gap fire

(22) Critical report on bushfire crisis

(23) Nashua Tower Sequestration ATIS