WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071713

The US Department of Interior chief told the House Natural Resources committee that a decade of drought could produce a record wildfire season this year (1); General Aviation pilots being warned about potential temporary flight restrictions due to wildfires (2). A funeral ceremony in Southern California honoring a Granite Mountain Hotshot killed in Arizona June 30th is covered by a video segment (3); even as a 14 mi.² wildfire continued to churn through the San Jacinto Mountains outside of Palm Springs, forcing the evacuation of a camp for cancer-stricken youngsters (4); strike teams from Kern County arriving to help (5). A summary of wildfire activity in Oregon is provided by the next article (6); while Washington state Department of Natural Resources reported that hundreds of lightning strikes in the northeastern part of the state ignited 10 wildfires (7). Smoke from California's wildfires mingling with blazes still burning in Nevada's Spring Mountains prompted Clark County Department of Air Quality to issue warnings for the entire Las Vegas Valley (8). A study by the Pacific Biodiversity Institute shows that homes in the path of Arizona's deadly Yarnell Hill Fire that had defensible space were the only ones to survive (9); but with the the onset of the monsoon season, four national forests are lifting fire restrictions (10); while Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake introduced a bill into the U.S. Senate which is intended to help with forest thinning (11). Today marks the 37th anniversary of the deaths of three members of the Mormon Lake Hotshots while fighting a fire in Battlement Creek, Colorado (12); and as assessors continue to add up the damage the Black Forest Fire caused, the next article considers some more esoteric losses (13); Summit County's Forest Task Health Force meeting to discuss the possible increase in high elevation wildfires (14); the Colorado Springs neighborhood of Crystal Park going one step further and installing lightning detectors to help spot potential wildfires early (15). After over 4,000 lightning strikes on Idaho's Boise National Forest, eight new wildfires were reported (16); the same storm knocking out power to thousands of Idaho Power customers (17). A wildfire in Montana's Lolo National Forest has increased in size to 150 acres (18). British Colombia, Canada's, Coastal Fire Centre reported that a small wildfire burning along the shores of Cultus Lake was now 60% contained (19); but a locomotive apparently sparked a small wildfire in Innisfil, Ontario, yesterday (20); a forest fire in Québec forcing nearly one hundred residents to evacuate the town of Baie-Johan-Beetz (21); a shed fire being blamed for a wildfire that broke out in Nicky's Nose Cove, Newfoundland (22); fire officials in Labrador determining that a 15-hectare wildfire outside of Avondale was deliberately set (23); a reporter going behind the scenes to observe the devastation left behind by that wildfire (24); but despite the number of wildfires in the news recently, government statistics show the total blazes this year are down from last year (25). As wildfires rage across Europe, firefighters in London, England, have reported twice as many grass fires as is typical for this time of year (26); while an ABC News video segment shows a helicopter in Portugal reloading at a public swimming pool (27). Having seen over 1,000 wildfires since March, the Himalayan nation of Nepal is hoping that its new Forest Fire Detection and Monitoring System will help reduce the damage done by future blazes (28). ASEAN members announced that they hope to ratify a haze treaty in regards to Indonesia's annual wildfires by early 2014 (29); but Singapore pressed Indonesia's representative for secretive maps that show which plantation companies control areas spawning wildfires (30); the ASB Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins releasing a policy brief that aims to identify the source of the haze (31). A team of researchers led by a professor at Australia's University of Queensland has developed disposable drones which could be used to scout bushfires (32); but as the legal wrangling before South Australia's Supreme Court continues, the court struck down a portion of a lawsuit against Country Fire Service over a 2005 bushfire on the Eyre Peninsula which killed nine people and destroyed 93 homes (33). And finally, firefighters in Salt Lake City, Utah, are doing their part to raise money for families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots at the "19 Heroes Remembered" fundraiser!

(1) Interior Chief Says Drought May Cause Record Wildfires in U.S.

(2) Prepare for firefighting TFRs, says AOPA

(3) Funeral Held For Seal Beach Native Killed Fighting Arizona Fire

(4) Idyllwild fire a 'rapidly changing animal'

(5) Kern County firefighters leave to help contain the Mountain Fire in Riverside County

(6) Lightning strikes spark several Oregon wildfires, most of them small

(7) Lightning starts wildfires in NE Washington

(8) Smoke from wildfires prompts air quality advisory for valley

(9) Brush-clearing saved homes in deadly Ariz. wildfire

(10) 4 national forests in Ariz. lift fire restrictions

(11) McCain, Flake introduce bill to reduce wildfire risks

(12) Mormon Lake Hotshots' deaths weren't in vain

(13) Damage assessment grows for Black Forest fire

(14) In a changing climate, wildfires more likely in higher elevations

(15) Community Uses Technology to Help Prevent Major Wildfires

(16) Officials: Lightning sparks eight new fires in Boise National Forest

(17) UPDATE: Afternoon Storm Causes Power Outages, Sparks Wildfires

(18) Lolo National Forest monitoring 150-acre Gold Creek fire

(19) Air tankers still battling blaze at south end of Cultus Lake

(20) Bush fire in Innisfil

(21) Forest fires force evacuation of Quebec town

(22) Shed blaze sparks forest fire

(23) Forest fire near Avondale 'intentionally set'

(24) Taking a look behind the fire scene

(25) Forest Fires Down from Last Year

(26) Firefighters tackling 'twice as many grass fires'

(27) Helicopter Fighting Wildfire Refills From Public Pool

(28) US supports Nepalese system to detect forest fires

(29) Indonesia set to ratify haze treaty by early 2014

(30) Singapore tells Indonesia to share forest fire maps

(31) ASB Partnership Analyzes Impacts of Indonesian Forest Fires

(32) Disposable Drones May Prevent Forest Fires

(33) Court strikes out part of legal claim against Country Fire Service over 2005 fatal bushfires on Eyre Peninsula

(34) Utah firefighters host workout to raise cash for Arizona’s fallen firefighters