WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 060113

Despite the fact that rainfall in parts of the western US has delayed the wildfire season, National Interagency Fire Center warned that drought conditions among the heavier fuel loads still promise an above-average wildfire season (1); a Christian Science Monitor article providing some tips on how homeowners can prepare for wildfires (2). Hundreds of firefighters and nearly a score of aircraft continue to grapple with the 3,600-acre Powerhouse Fire burning above the Southern California community of Santa Clarita in the Angeles National Forest (3); even as a DC-10 was flown to San Bernardino to assist in fighting Southern California wildfires, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Rick Hatton, CEO of 10 Tanker LLC, sending along some comments as the DC-10 begins operations under a US Forest Service "Next-Generation" air-tanker contract (4):

10 Tanker is honored to begin servicing its recently-awarded "Next Generation" contract on Saturday, June 1st. Once again we're proud to be part of the professional federal and state resources protecting, in this case, SOCAL residents. The DC 10 being deployed by the USFS can deliver more retardant sooner and more cost-effectively than any fixed-wing air tanker. Our team looks forward to being part of the future mix of aerial fire-fighting assets being contracted on a sustainable basis.

But despite sequestration cuts, San Bernardino National Forest's San Jacinto Ranger District should not be impacted (5); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Andrew Madsen, Public Affairs Officer for the Los Padres National Forest, commenting on the impact sequestration has had on the Vandenberg Hot Shots in the next article (6); while CAL FIRE reminded residents of Santa Cruz County to clear defensible space around their property (7); even as Tahoe National Forest imposed fire restrictions (8). A 115-acre wildfire outside of Grants Pass, Oregon, forced closure of northbound Interstate 5 (9); while a 40-acre wildfire near Young, Arizona, that destroyed one home and forced evacuations has been extinguished (10). An update on the 5,300-acre Tres Lagunas Fire which has forced evacuations in New Mexico's Pecos Canyon is up next (11); followed by an overview of both wildfires burning in that state, with comments from Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dan Ware, Fire Prevention and Outreach Program Manager at New Mexico State Forestry, on the historic drought worsening the situation (12); smoke from the blazes pouring into the state capitol at Santa Fe (13). A wildfire has scorched between 75 and 100 acres in Colorado's Rio Grande National Forest (14); while the Nature Conservancy is at work in the Front Range reducing the wildfire threat by thinning forests (15). As North Carolina's Pilot Mountain State Park recovers from last year's 800-acre wildfire, botanists feel that they will discover new species of plants now that ground clutter has been cleared away (16); but wildfires continue to pop up in Florida's Santa Rosa County (17). Alaska Division of Forestry issued travel advisories as wildfires neared the Alaska Highway outside of Tok made for smoky driving conditions (18). In Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources indicated that fire crews were mopping up after a 210-hectare wildfire that briefly threatened a mining camp (19); while visitors to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources open house in Shubenacadie got an education on the art and science of fighting forest fires (20). The use of spectrometers to detect wildfires in Portugal's Peneda-Gerês National Park is discussed in the next article (21). In an unexpected twist, Australia's Outback might actually benefit from bushfire smoke pumping CO2 into the atmosphere, according to a study conducted by CSIRO (22); while the Queensland Department of Community Safety is conducting controlled burns around the Condamine Power Station over the weekend (23). And finally, quick work by firefighters in Saugus, Massachusetts, came out just ducky for a small family!

(1) Rain delays wildfire season in parts of West

(2) Wildfire season: 7 ways you can help save lives and property

(3) Powerhouse fire jumps to 3,600 acres; heat, winds feared

(4) Firefighting planes to hit the line

(5) Forest Service to reduce fire coverage in 2013: No apparent change on San Jacinto Ranger District

(6) Firefighter Force Cut as Fire Season Ignites

(7) Firefighters ask for homeowners' help: Wildfire danger calls for 'defensible space'

(8) Tahoe National Forest implements fire restrictions

(9) Two buildings burned in wildfire along Interstate 5 in Grants Pass area

(10) Wildfire Consumes Home

(11) Pecos fire uncontained at 5,000+ acres

(12) Historic drought fuels season's first wildfire in New Mexico

(13) New Mexico crews battle two wildfires as smoke pours into Santa Fe

(14) Wildfire Chars 75-100 Acres In Southwestern Colorado

(15) Nature Conservancy offers alternative to aggressive fire suppression

(16) Pilot Mountain after the wildfire

(17) Wildfire woes persist

(18) Wildfire growing near Alaska Highway, travelers warned

(19) Forest fire in mop-up stage

(20) Forest fires important topic at DNR open house in Shubenacadie

(21) Forest Fire Finder uses Avantes spectrometer

(22) Increasing CO2 Levels 'Fertilize' Arid Regions

(23) Hazard reduction burn near power station

(24) Saugus firefighters come to the rescue for ducklings trapped in drain