Wildfire News Of The Day - 091813

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bill Derr, a former Special Agent for US Forest Service Law Enforcement, sent along an article which revisits CAL FIRE's controversial $3.66 million "slush fund" (1); the agency of human-caused wildfires in the Tahoe National Forest being examined by the next article (2); while the National Park Service created a time lapse video of the Rim Fire, which is now 84% contained after burning over 250,000 acres (3); but after a busy summer of wildfires across the state, firefighters reflected on long days, hard work, and MREs (4). The manager of Oregon's Lake County Air Tanker Base discusses the contribution of SEATs in battling wildfires (5); while a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters demonstrated that charred forests left behind by wildfires accelerate snowpack melt (6). Firefighters were honored for their diligence battling Nevada's Carpenter 1 wildfire, which scorched nearly 30,000 acres on Mount Charleston (7); even as Burned Area Emergency Response Teams began helicopter mulching on its hillsides (8). In Arizona, the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team plans to donate proceeds from a charity game tonight to the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots (9); but although much of the news out of Colorado lately has been of floods, Summit County plans to hold a Community Wildfire Preparedness Fair at the end of this month (10). Five years after the devastating Oregon Trail Fire, Idaho Power has been working diligently to reduce the wildfire danger from its equipment (11); where summer wildfires contaminated water sources in the Boise National Forest (12). An 80-acre wildfire was reported in Utah's Blacksmith Fork Canyon yesterday (13); but a 400-acre wildfire outside of Polson, Montana, was nearly contained (14). A lead plane pilot from Salem, Arkansas, discusses what it's like to fly for US Forest Service in the next article (15). The European Forest Fire Information System listed 15 wildfires as being active in France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Romania, and Turkey (16); and as summer approaches in South Africa, the next article provides some useful tips to property owners to reduce the danger of bushfires (17); but a Malaysian palm oil firm is under investigation for setting fire to peatland in Indonesia, creating uncontrolled wildfires (18). A study stretching back 110 years examines how people die in Australian bushfires (19); but Australian Capitol Territory's bushfire management plan is being debated furiously in Parliament at the moment (20). Although the official bushfire season in New South Wales doesn't begin until October 1st, Rural Fire Service officials are concerned about an early start (21); prompting a meeting of officials from several agencies to discuss coordinating plans to fight bushfires this season (22). An abundance of fuel has raised the risk of bushfires resulting from agricultural burnoffs in parts of Victoria (23); while a bushfire in Western Australia forced evacuation of the Kurnangki Aboriginal Community (24). And finally, after three years of hard work and preparation, Arizona's United Yuma Firefighters L1234 Pipes and Drums band is ready for prime time!

(1) Grimes: Audit uncovers embers in Cal Fire slush fund

(2) Human-caused Wildfire Prevention Reminder

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