WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 110213

Although US Forest Service has lifted fire restrictions in California's Stanislaus National Forest, residents were warned by CAL FIRE that the fire danger still exists (1); homeowners in Calaveras County also receiving wildfire warnings from the state (2). In Oregon, Bend City Council debated what to do about the potential that a wildfire could shut down the city's water supply (3); while the US Forest Service is conducting controlled burns in New Mexico's Carson National Forest as weather permits (4). A bipartisan wildfire committee has completed its recommendations to Colorado's governor (5); but plans for tougher building codes in wildfire-prone parts of the state are losing their appeal in the state legislature (6). A representative of the Center for Creative Healing in Portland, Maine, comments on the impact of climate change in regards to wildfires in that state (7); while fire crews in Danbury, Connecticut, relied on eyes in the sky to direct them to a wildfire near Pine Mountain (8). South Carolina Forestry Commission received kudos for its Firewise program, which is credited with helping firefighters quickly squelch a wildfire in the Carolina Forest (9); and although Ontario, Canada, reported 357 fires that scorched 44,124 hectares this year, overall it was a pretty quiet fire season (10). The efficacy of using drones over bushfires in Australia is revisited by the next article (11). Bushfire smoke made for hazy skies in Sydney, New South Wales, producing a toxic brew that prompted health warnings from officials (12); this at a time when weather forecasters are predicting a challenging month across the state (13); insurers coming in for scorn from the NSW Attorney-General (14); while the Treasurer offered support to bushfire survivors (15); but vegetation burned in the bushfires is already beginning to recover (16). Country Fire Service fire crews kept a 20-hectare bushfire away from homes in South Australia's Adelaide Hills (17). And finally, a resident of West Kelowna, British Columbia, who started a bushfire with fireworks got an unwelcome Halloween trick when his marijuana operation was discovered by firefighters!

(1) Forest lifts burn ban, but not Cal Fire

(2) Burning remains Suspended Fire Danger Remains High Despite Cooler Weather

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