WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071513

Firefighters from El Centro Fire Department practiced battling Southern California wildfires over the weekend (1); while a 4.5-acre wildfire burning near a solar panel field at Intel’s Folsom campus forced the shutdown of the power plant (2); but as the $150 fire fee for rural dwellers comes due, proponents and critics voiced their opinions on the controversial fee (3). Wildfire activity across Oregon is summarized by the next article (4). A forecast of hot weather and the threat of lightning prompted fire officials in Western Washington to warn of an elevated wildfire danger (5); the difficulty of preventing wildfires being discussed by an Umatilla National Forest official (6). A 27,881-acre wildfire in Nevada's Spring Mountains is now 70% contained (7). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Don Falk, an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, lays out three areas to address in regards to mega-fires (8); the next article chronicling the sad spectacle of Granite Hill Hotshots being laid to rest in four different states this weekend (9). Although thick underbrush exacerbates the wildfire danger in New Mexico's Cimarron Canyon State Park, there are no plans to conduct thinning projects anytime soon (10). Crews continued to clear away wreckage from Colorado's Royal Gorge aerial tramway, destroyed in a recent wildfire (11); but even though Trinidad Lake State Park is still under a Stage One fire ban, Trinidad Lake has reopened following two wildfires (12); and one month after the 14,000-acre Black Forest Fire destroyed 486 homes in Colorado Springs, one family has begun to rebuild (13); even as hundreds of people attended a fundraiser to help those impacted by that blaze (14); but insurance companies have tallied up $292.8 million in claims for the blaze so far (15); the following article providing some useful advice for residents of Northwest Colorado in the event of a wildfire (16); a Professor at Arizona State University focusing on what he considers to be a misplaced war against Western wildfires in a Denver Post Op-Ed piece (17). The next article profiles Idaho's Saylor Creek Rangeland Fire Protection Association in which ranchers become wildfire First Responders (18); while a wildfire may impact rafters along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River (19). The ecological benefits of prescribed burns in Utah's Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest are examined by the next article (20); but an increase in temperatures in Creek County, Oklahoma, awakened wildfire fears in the wake of last year's blazes which scorched thousands of acres, destroying hundreds of homes (21). An Incident Management Team arrived to take control of the fight against a 500-acre wildfire in Montana's Lolo National Forest (22). A two-hectare wildfire near British Columbia, Canada's, Ellison Provincial Park has been contained (23); additional crews being dispatched to wildfires in the Yukon (24); but dozens of firefighters from Alberta have headed to Manitoba to help fight wildfires (25); while the state of emergency in Wabush, Labrador, has finally been lifted as fire crews gain the upper hand on a 270 km² wildfire (26). Numerous wildfires were reported across Europe over the weekend: a 500-acre wildfire being reported between Laggan and Dalwhinnie, Scotland (27); while more blazes were reported in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Sweden, and Turkey (28). The Pacific island of Fiji's National Fire Authority is asking people to refrain from leaving debris fires unattended after one sparked a wildfire (29); but as members of the Association of South East Asian Nations met for a two-day conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, there was little hope that the persistent haze from wildfires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra would be resolved quickly (30). Victoria, Australia's, bushfire disclosure laws now require property sellers to disclose whether their property resides in a bushfire-prone area to buyers (31). And finally, hundreds of participants honored the memory of firefighters killed at the Twin Towers on 9/11 by climbing the equivalent of 110 stories at Green Bay, Wisconsin's, Lambeau Field!

(1) El Centro Firefighters conduct Wildland and Urban interface training

(2) Wildfire Burns Near Intel’s Solar Panels

(3) Rural area firefighting fee comes due again

(4) New wildfire burns 50 acres near Stephenson Mtn.

(5) Warm weather and threat of lightning increases wildfire danger

(6) Not all wildfires are preventable

(7) Carpenter 1 wildfire at 70-percent containment

(8) Let's rethink how we deal with forest fires

(9) Yarnell Hill Fire: Firefighters laid to rest in 4 different states

(10) Underbrush adds to fire potential in Cimarron Canyon

(11) Colorado Wildfires-Royal Gorge

(12) Trinidad Lake fully reopens to boating

(13) Rebuilding underway in Black Forest Fire burn scar area

(14) Local Fundraiser For Victims Of The Black Forest Fire

(15) Black Forest fire insurance claims nearing $300 million

(16) Monday Medical: Prepare for a wildfire emergency

(17) The misplaced war against Western wildfires

(18) Ranchers serve as first responders to wildfires

(19) Wildfire near popular fork of Salmon River

(20) Fire for the Forest: Prescribed burn at Hell’s Hollow nurtures new growth of aspens

(21) Local fire departments preparing for possible wildfires

(22) Superior wildfire blows up to 500 acres

(23) Forest fire contained

(24) BC sends crews to Yukon forest fires

(25) Alberta sends crews to Manitoba to help fight wildfires

(26) Wabush lifts state of emergency

(27) Wildfire being tackled at forestry plantation

(28) EFFIS - Current Situation

(29) Bush fires a worry

(30) Haze-hit nations say Asean meet unlikely to clear the air

(31) Bushfire disclosure laws to aid property buyers

(32) Hundreds climb Lambeau to raise money, honor 9/11 firefighters