WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 080113

Rolling Stone Magazine wades into the debate over the causes of wildfires in the Western US in our first article today (1). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Ed Story, CEO of Southern California-based Aerial Fire Response & Research Network, sent along a link to a NASA video on how earth's surface temperatures have increased over the past 130 years, exacerbating wildfires (2); while San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District warned that wildfire smoke from blazes in Oregon and Northern California would sully the skies of Kern County (3); and the US Forest Service estimates that it has spent $10.6 million as of yesterday on the Sierra National Forest's 14,147-acre Aspen Fire (4). Smoke has been stifling efforts of firefighters in Southern Oregon battling blazes in Douglas and Josephine counties (5); while firefighters in West Linn had to deal with steep terrain and poison oak in their wildfire fight (6); the impact of wildfires on businesses during tourist season being examined by the next article (7); lightning strikes being blamed for several small wildfires in the Willamette National Forest (8); some folks in Josephine County receiving evacuation orders that turned out to be a scam (9); but a longer, hotter summer is fueling rampant wildfires in that state (10); the situation not helped by a new batch of lightning-sparked blazes in the Cascades (11); while wildfires in Oregon and Washington scorched 200 mi.² (12); drawing in firefighters from across the Pacific Northwest (13); even as a 104 mi.² wildfire in Kittitas County, Washington, forced additional evacuations as fire crews brought it to 8% containment (14). An article from Arizona revisits the issue of target shooters sparking wildfires (15). The next article profiles Black Forest Together, a Colorado citizens group that is striving to help homeowners recover from their losses during the Black Forest Fire (16); a school that stands in the midst of the Black Forest Fire burn area celebrating its survival at the "Wolford Celebrates Community" event (17). With Stage 1 Fire Restrictions being imposed in parts of Idaho, the next article provides an update on the wildfire situation there (18); an un-attended campfire being blamed for an 18-acre blaze near Coeur d’Alene earlier this week (19). The next article profiles the Texas A&M Forest Service Predictive Services Department (20); a wildfire in Grimes County bringing back bad memories of wildfires in 2011 that devastated the region (21). Two amendments that aim to correct forest mismanagement were introduced to legislation in the House Natural Resources Committee meeting by Montana's Rep. Steve Daines (22); but as smoke from wildfires in Idaho and Montana drifts into the area, a Stevensville, Montana, drugstore has stockpiled a supply of face masks to help people with breathing problems (23). A new study by Michigan State University researchers published in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology fingered climate change as the culprit in worsening wildfires in the Western US (24); Connecticut firefighters returning home from battling a 30,000-acre wildfire outside of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada (25). With six lightning-sparked wildfires already burning in British Columbia, Canada, the Southeast Fire Centre is warning campers to be cautious with their campfires, which have already sparked 104 fires so far this year (26); forest fire danger prompting officials to impose a campfire ban in the Kamloops Fire District (27); and the Burnaby Fire Department warned that over a month without rain has left the vegetation tinder dry in their area (28). In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a suspicious wildfire broke out in the Ecological Reserve (29). Nearly 2 dozen fires continue to burn in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey (30); more details on a wildfire in Turkey's Balikesir Province being provided by the next article (31); while the Romanian Air Force began taking deliveries of Caylym Technologies' Guardian aerial firefighting system with which to equip the European Union Civil Protection Mission's C-27 Spartan aircraft (32). Although the 200,000 homes originally listed on Victoria, Australia's, bushfire-risk maps have been removed, nearly 120,000 properties still on the list will face an additional $3,000 in building costs and $200 on a bushfire attack-level assessment (33); Victoria's Fire Services Commissioner responding to criticism about the slow pace of implementing bushfire refuges across the state in the next article (34). The vastness of the terrain over which bushfires are burning in Western Australia's West Kimberley region prompted Department of Fire and Emergency Services spotters to charter a plane from which to monitor the region (35). And finally, Forbes magazine has a bit of fun drawing parallels between firefighter preparedness and wardrobe strategy!

(1) The Great Burning: How Wildfires Are Threatening the West

(2) 130 Years of Earth Surface Temperatures

(3) Wildfires to the north causing unhealthy air in Kern County

(4) Price Tag Exceeds $10M for Raging Calif. Wildfire

(5) Ring of fire

(6) Firefighters attack West Linn brush fire amid poison oak, steep terrain

(7) SW Ore. wildfires force business closures, stifles tourist season

(8) Lightning ignites small fires in Willamette National Forest

(9) Southern Oregon wildfires ignite scam: false evacuation alerts

(10) A longer, hotter summer for Oregon wildfires

(11) Lightning starts dozens of new fires in Oregon Cascades

(12) 1,700 firefighters battle flames in Washington and Oregon as hundreds flee homes

(13) Local firefighters deploy to Central Washington wildfire

(14) Wildfire reaches Kittitas County wind farm

(15) Target Shooting a Major Cause of Arizona Forest Fires

(16) Black Forest Together to take lead in helping residents recover from fire

(17) School in the midst of Black Forest fire devastation shows community heart still beats

(18) Looking back and ahead: Where Idaho stands on wildfire this year

(19) Mica Bay wildfire was human-caused, official says

(20) Forest service prevents forest fires

(21) Wildfires burn for 2 days in Grimes County

(22) Daines amendments focus on forest fires, mismanagement

(23) Stevensville drug store keeps face mask supply for forest fire smoke

(24) Extreme wildfires likely fueled by climate change

(25) Connecticut Firefighters Return Home From Quebec

(26) Costly forest fires

(27) Campfire ban announced to reduce forest fire risk

(28) Bush fires prompt warning from fire department

(29) Argentina fire: Huge forest fire blazes in Buenos Aires

(30) EFFIS - Current Situation

(31) Forest fires continue in Turkey

(32) Caylym’s Guardian Aerial Firefighting System Adopted by the Romanian Air Force

(33) 200,000 houses spared red tape of bushfire-risk mapping

(34) Fire Services Commissioner accepts criticisms about delays to establishment of bushfire refuges

(35) Emergency services monitoring West Kimberley bushfires by plane

(36) What Firefighters Can Teach Us About Wardrobe Strategy