WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 090713

California's 385 mi.² Rim Fire has taken on the dubious distinction of third-largest in state history (1); CalTrans announcing the reopening of State Route 120, the main road into Yosemite (2); while a National Public Radio segment interviews a member of the Geronimo Hotshots on the East Flank of the Rim Fire (3); the contribution of firefighters from the Lake Tahoe region being discussed in the next article (4); where fire managers are doing their part to prepare for their own wildfires (5); but as firefighters return to the East Bay from Yosemite, their next fight may be in the San Francisco Bay Area (6); the next article taking a look at some of the technology used to rope in the massive Rim Fire (7); a fire management consultant discussing what makes wildfires so unpredictable (8); even as a Burned Area Emergency Response Team arrived in Yosemite to help prevent erosion when the rains and snow arrive (9). As campers get in their last few weeks of pleasant weather, Oregon's Department of Forestry advised caution due to the continued wildfire threat (10); an air-tanker pilot discussing the history of his profession in the United States (11). The impact of wildfires on hunting in Washington's Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is the focus of the next article (12). A missing firefighter whose disappearance sparked a massive search in New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest apparently died when his ATV crashed (13); while an update on Colorado's efforts to launch its own firefighting air fleet is provided by the next article (14). The Bureau of Land Management plans to open a new Great Basin Geographic Area Coordination Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, next year, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating costs (15); but wildfire activity in Wyoming has been down considerably this year, suppression costs totaling only about $1 million versus $42.5 million last year (16). As firefighters continue to return from firelines in the West, three wildland firefighter recount their experiences: the first from York, Pennsylvania (17); the second a resident of Spafford, New York (18); and the third a member of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (19). Although the number of wildfires across Georgia this year were down, activity in Coweta County was up (20); but Ontario, Canada's, Ministry of Natural Resources reported a relatively quiet wildfire situation in the Northwest Region (21); and wildfire activity was down in the Mediterranean Basin as well, with less than a dozen wildfires being reported in France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Turkey (22). Comments by residents of Riau, Indonesia, on forest fires in the region are provided by the next article (23). Heading to Australia, helicopters were called in to help battle a bushfire on the northern beaches of Sydney, New South Wales (24). And finally, a firefighter who lost his wedding ring battling Colorado's Black Forest Fire got a pleasant surprise as his fourth wedding anniversary approached!

(1) Rim Fire Is Third-Largest Wildfire In California's History

(2) Main Road Into Yosemite Reopens As Firefighting Continues On Rim Fire

(3) Firefighters Work To Contain Last Embers Of Massive Rim Fire

(4) Firefighters sent to help fight Rim Fire

(5) Wildfire season peak puts fuels reduction in focus

(6) Firefighters Return From Rim Fire, Prep for High Fire Danger in Bay Area

(7) Incredible Technology: How to Fight Wildfires

(8) What makes wildfire wild?

(9) Federal teams headed to Rim Fire to assess damage

(10) Wildfire danger still a threat

(11) Oregon Trails: Fighting Fire

(12) Wildfires past and present could hamper local hunting

(13) Missing New Mexico Firefighter Found Dead

(14) Efforts Continue To Bring Firefighting Air Fleet To Colorado

(15) Salt Lake to become regional firefighting hub

(16) Mild wildfire season so far in Wyoming

(17) York County man helps battle forest fires out west

(18) Spafford resident talks about his recent experience of fighting forest fires in Montana

(19) Local Forest Fire Service member talks about battling Idaho blaze

(20) Wildfire numbers up in Coweta

(21) More fires called ‘out’

(22) EFFIS - Current Situation

(23) Text your say: Forest fires

(24) Helicopters water bomb bushfire at Forestville in Sydney's north

(25) Firefighter Surprised With Replacement Wedding Ring