WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071913

An article from Scientific American paints an ominous picture in which wildfires could increase sixfold in the western US with only a minor increase in temperatures (1). A wildfire in Southern California's San Jacinto Mountains has grown to 24,818 acres in size and is only 15% contained (2); a UC Riverside fire ecology expert weighed in on firefighting efforts where old-growth vegetation is making for a tough fight (3); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Lasser, a retired Lt. Colonel in the California National Guard, sending along a notice about the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing joining the fight against the Mountain Fire (4). Oregon Department of Transportation reported that a stretch of Highway 97 north of Klamath Falls was closed by a 470-acre wildfire that is now 75% contained (5); while in Washington, State Route 538 and Highway 9 were closed for a time due to a one-acre wildfire burning in rugged terrain near Mount Vernon (6). Sen. Harry Reid blamed climate change for wildfires that have ravaged the state of Nevada (7); the next article revealing the financial settlements the families of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire will receive (8). Sen. Mark Udall joined the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture in announcing the new Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership, which aims to promote wildfire prevention in the western US, at Ft. Collins, Colorado (9); and a concert promoter pledged 100% of proceeds to help Black Forest Fire survivors (10); but after the speeches and benefits are over, the daunting task of cleaning up after the Black Forest Fire remains (11). A 250-acre wildfire burning in Boise County, Idaho, is now 10% contained (12). MAFFS-equipped C-130s from Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing will be deploying to Idaho for firefighting operations this weekend (13); while a 4,100-acre wildfire near Superior, Montana, breached containment lines (14). An Op-Ed piece by a former New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve forester warned about the possibility that a wildfire which rivals the damage done by Hurricane Sandy may be in that state's future (15). Another evacuation of Canadians from Split Lake, Manitoba, to Winnipeg was prompted by smoke from a nearby wildfire (16); but five years after a school field trip apparently sparked a 53,008-hectare wildfire near Grand Rapids, the reconciliation process is still ongoing (17); and as 11 wildfires blazed across 60,000 ha, Québec's Natural Resources Minister closed a section of forest near Havre-St-Pierre due to the wildfire danger (18); a home video capturing the outbreak of a wildfire in Newfoundland's Nicky's Nose Cove (19). European wildfires continue to appear, with blazes being reported in the UK, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Romania, and Turkey (20); the following article providing more details on wildfires across the UK (21); a video segment showing a firefighting helicopter loading up to battle a wildfire in Wales (22). The important contributions of NASA satellites and citizen activism in helping corral rampant wildfires in Indonesia is the focus of the next article (23). The CEO of Victoria-based Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre has been honored with a South-East Asia and Pacific region medal from the Commonwealth Forestry Association for his work defending Australia from bushfires (24); but despite the fact that a Helensburgh, New South Wales, couple has a new home to replace the one destroyed by a 2001 bushfire, the wife cringes whenever conditions are ripe for bushfires (25). And finally, despite their building burning down in the Black Forest Fire, the Black Forest Veterinary Clinic is still helping their four-legged friends!

(1) Wildfires, Already Out of Control, Could Increase Sixfold

(2) Calif. wildfire grows, spurs more evacuations

(3) Mountain Fire: Old-Growth Forests Increase Danger, Expert Says

(4) Specialized C130 Firefighting Aircraft Activated for Response

(5) Forest fire closes Highway 97, another fire nearly contained

(6) Wildfires burn areas for the first time "in a long time"

(7) Harry Reid Blames Nevada Wildfires on Climate Change

(8) Families of 19 firefighters killed in Yarnell Hill blaze to get lump sum payments, other help

(9) Cabinet members, Udall promote wildfire prevention

(10) Benefit for Black Forest fire victims

(11) Cleanup not over for Black Forest Fire victims

(12) Summit Fire burning near Pilot Peak slows down

(13) Local C-130s to face fiery task

(14) West Mullan firefighting tactics keeping homes safe

(15) Is New Jersey prepared for the Sandy of wildfires?: Opinion

(16) Forest-fire smoke forces more Split Lake evacuations

(17) Reconciliation slow on huge forest fire likely set during student trip

(18) Quebec shuts down part of a forest near Havre-St-Pierre

(19) Video shows swift start to Nicky's Nose Cove fire

(20) EFFIS - Current Situation

(21) Heatwave: city centre road melts and wildfires blaze across Britain

(22) Helicopter gathers water to fight Wattsville mountain fire

(23) How the eyes in the sky are keeping a check on forest fires

(24) Forester honoured for work on bushfire strategy

(25) New home after Helensburgh bushfire nightmare

(26) Black Forest fire destroyed veterinarian's building, but not his practice