WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081413

Nearly 3 dozen wildfires are blazing in 11 Western states at the moment (1). Wildfire NOTD subscribers Tom Eversole, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting Association, and Dan Snyder, Chief Operating Officer at Neptune Aviation, discussed the contribution of firefighting aircraft in containing wildfires in Southern California this summer (2); while fire crews were patrolling the remains of a small lightning-sparked wildfire in Northern California's Klamath National Forest (3); but the 3,000-acre American Fire, burning in Tahoe National Forest, is only 5% contained (4); while two wildfires in Siskiyou County have burned over 10,000 acres between them (5). Oregon Department of Forestry provided an update on the fire situation in that state (6); and Wildfire NOTD subscriber Will Lopez, a Reporter for the Argus Observer, sent along an article he wrote about the wildfire situation in Malheur County (7); but a firefighter suffered an allergic reaction to poison oak smoke while battling the Douglas Complex Fire (8); while a memorial service for a fallen firefighter was held at the Redmond Fairgrounds yesterday (9). Steep terrain is hampering efforts to battle a 10-acre wildfire near Long Lake, Washington (10); and fire crews are racing against time to rope in a 635-acre blaze near Naches before thunderstorms arrive on Thursday (11); but falling debris from a wildfire north of Spokane continues to block State Route 291 (12). A 350-acre wildfire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, was engaged by multiple air-tankers as residents evacuated (13). In Idaho, three major fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres, the Elk Fire destroying 53 structures in the Fall Creek area (14); wildfire damage to power poles depriving hundreds of customers of their electricity (15). A 4,000-acre wildfire that destroyed at least a dozen homes in Wanship, Utah, is now 5% contained (16); and also spawned a large fire whirl (17). Although a wildfire in Wyoming's Shoshone National Forest has scorched 24 mi.², cooler weather has helped reduce wildfire activity in the state (18); but as summer winds down, US Forest Service officials in the Bighorn National Forest are urging visitors to observe strict fire safety rules to prevent more wildfires (19); while a lightning strike in a stand of beetle-killed trees gave wranglers from the T Cross Ranch near Dubois something other than cattle to round up! (20) Firefighters in Alaska were performing structure protection on an 1,100-acre wildfire burning near the Salcha River (21). A map of British Columbia, Canada's, Clearwater Fire Zone shows that hundreds of lightning strikes have started several wildfires (22); firefighters determining that a small wildfire near Harrison Hotsprings was probably caused by a discarded cigarette (23); smoke from a nearby wildfire forcing the evacuation of some elderly residents with respiratory problems from Tulita, Northwest Territories (24); an update on the wildfire situation in Ontario being provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources (25); a striking NASA satellite photo showing wildfire activity in central Canada (26). Fourteen wildfires were reported in the European nations of Portugal, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (27); the threefold increase in wildfire activity on Cyprus being discussed in the next article (28). As a Tapawera bushfire case moves forward in the High Court in Nelson, New Zealand, firefighters accused the alleged arsonist of trying to trap them with fire (29). If reelected, the Australian Labor Party promised to invest $58.5 million to improve extreme weather detection and, thereby, reduce the bushfire threat (30); while $100 million could be detailed to help eliminate cell phone blackspots in Victoria (31). And finally, University of California San Diego unveiled firefighting robots that could be saving firefighters lives in five years!

(1) Wildfires rip through the West: Lightening, dry conditions to blame

(2) Airborne Assets Speeding Containment Of Wildland Fire Near Palm Springs

(3) Crews battle small lightning fires in Klamath Forest

(4) Hundreds Battle Roaring American Fire

(5) Corral Complex wildfire picks up steam as Salmon, Butler fires continue to grow

(6) Oregon Dept. Of Forestry daily fire update

(7) It’s been a wild, wild, wild wildfire season

(8) Eugene firefighter suffers allergic reaction on Douglas Complex fire line

(9) Memorial for firefighter held today

(10) ALERT: Wildfire Closes Highway 291

(11) Forest fire near Naches grows to 635 acres

(12) Firefighting, debris will continue to block SR 291

(13) Red Canyon fire grows to 350 acres; evacuations ordered

(14) 8 a.m. UPDATE: Elk Fire Destroys 53 Structures in Fall Creek Area

(15) Hundreds of customers without power as poles burn in wildfires

(16) Utah wildfire destroys some homes, threatens hundreds

(17) Fire whirls: a tornado-like sign of an extreme wildfire

(18) Wyoming weather helps keep lid on wildfires

(19) Forest Service Urges Fire Safety

(20) T Cross Ranch Cowboys extinguished forest fire last Thursday; Lightning strike hit grove of large beetle-killed trees

(21) Interior wildfires grow slightly in calm winds

(22) Forest fire situation heating up

(23) Harrison Hot Springs fire likely caused by cigarette

(24) Tulita, N.W.T., threatened by forest fire

(25) Tuesday forest fire report

(26) Wildfires in central Canada seen from space

(27) EFFIS - Current Situation

(28) Forestry department issues fire warning

(29) Firebug in bid to trap firefighters, court told

(30) Labor pledges $58.5m to improve forecasting of extreme weather

(31) Tehan's mobile blackspot pledge

(32) Robots could be firefighters in the near future