WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092313

A New York Times reporter who resides in Southern California discusses wildfires in our first article today (1); while firefighters in Kern County battled a 4.5-acre wildfire near Lake Isabella (2); and the problem of blue gum eucalyptus trees in Santa Cruz County is the focus of the next article (3); while the chief ranger at Sacramento County Park discusses their efforts in preventing wildfire arson (4); and a letter to the editor argues that there should be greater protections and better policies in place to clear fuel and tinder close to municipal water supplies on government land following the Rim Fire, which threatened San Francisco's water supply (5); but an early rainstorm helped firefighters get the upper hand on the 22,450-acre Butler Fire near Eureka (6); allowing fire managers on the Klamath National Forest to lift fire restrictions as well (7). Crews began hydro-mulching Kyle Canyon as part of recovery efforts on Nevada's 27,883-acre Carpenter 1 wildfire burn area (8); while the Arizona Cattle Growers Association and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association responded positively to news that the House of Representatives had passed the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (9). Near Atlanta, Idaho, all but two roads have been reopened following the Little Queens Fire (10); while several fire districts in the Payette National Forest will be conducting controlled burns throughout the fall (11). In Michigan, a bill has been introduced into the legislature that would allow the state to compensate municipalities for fighting fires on state-owned land (12); and Smokey Bear's new book aims to educate school kids in Illinois on the danger of wildfires (13). Firefighters battled an underground fire in Franklin County, Maine, that may have been started by a lightning strike (14); while a pair of pilots from Neptune Aviation will be among dozens of fallen firefighters honored at the 32nd Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland, next month (15). There was trouble in paradise with a 42-acre wildfire reported near a resort on the Hawaiian island of Kauai (16). Portugal and Spain were hammered by numerous wildfires, with blazes also reported in France and Croatia (17); and a United Nations study showed that forest fires in Africa are expected to increase with higher temperatures and decreased precipitation caused by climate change (18). Heading to Australia, over two dozen bushfires broke out in Queensland (19); and with a heat wave in the forecast, bushfire activity will probably go up in that state (20); prompting fire managers from Rural Fire Service Queensland to recommend that homeowners make plans for what to do when a bushfire approaches (21); but people wanting to light outdoor fires in New South Wales will now need a burn permit as the Bushfire Danger Period begins (22). An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter which has been a staple of Victoria's bushfire season will not be returning this year (23); while the National Emergency Medal will be awarded to 4,470 firefighters for their service during 2009's Black Saturday bushfires (24). And finally, wildland firefighters should feel right at home in Nevada's casinos where smoke is considered to be equivalent in density to wildfire smoke on a fireline!

(1) Behind the Cover Story: Paul Tullis on Understanding Wildfires

(2) Fire set by juveniles forces families to evacuate

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