Air Force Drone Sparks Wildfire
7 June 2007
published by www.ksl.com
Dugway,Utah, USA — An Air Force drone gets the blame for a wildfire thatburned 46 square miles in the Cedar Mountains.
A Hill Air Force Base spokeswoman says the drone was part of a weapons testTuesday. The unmanned aircraft was hot when it landed and the dry grass andbrush started the fire Tuesday in Tooele County.
The Quincy Fire was declared contained yesterday.
Brush fire burning in Lake Os dry lakebed
30 May 2007
published by www.nbc-2.com
Lake Okeechobee, USA — Water levels in dried-out Lake Okeechobee match ahistoric low set in 2001, while firefighters battle a blaze burning on part ofthe exposed lake bottom.
The South Florida Water Management District expects the record of almost ninefeet from May 24, 2001, to evaporate by Thursday as the region’s worst knowndrought continues. The average water level for this time of year should bearound 13 feet.
Fire officials say the blaze started Monday in the vegetation left to dry inthe sun as the lake waters receded from its northwest rim.
The cause of the fire is not known. It’s about 75-percent contained, but onlyseparated from a Lakeport RV park by a canal. The voluntary evacuations werecalled off when the crew had most of the fire under control.
Officials with the DOF say the fire was likely sparked by human carelessnessand that it will probably take about a week to completely douse the blaze.
“The big concern is definitely tomorrow, we’re going to make sure we canhold this with in the lake boundaries. But it has the potential to increasetomorrow,” said Melissa Yunas of the DOF.
Lake Okeechobee is the primary backup drinking water reservoir for 5 millionpeople in South Florida during dry periods and the lifeblood of the Everglades.
About 75 miles away in Charlotte County, 911 operators have been flooded withcalls about smoke. But DOF officials say the smoky conditions should clear up byThursday.
Canada to face worsening forest fire problem:UN
5 June 2007
published by www.ctv.ca
Canada — A United Nations report says Canada will have to change itsstrategy for battling forest fires because climate change is causing larger,more intense blazes.
The report says this development is expected to impact the country’s woodsupply, the forest industry and forestry-dependent communities and alter thetraditional fire fighting practices.
Experts say global warming will create ideal conditions in Canada for forestfires, such as warm temperatures and dry air.
A research scientist with Natural Resources Canada says more than two millionhectares of Canada’s forest is claimed by fire every year.
Mike Flannigan says if climate change continues at its current pace, the areaclaimed by fire could double by the end of the century.
The UN report said the changes in the number, size and intensity of firespose an increased threat to people and the environment and will also costcountries millions in infrastructure losses and fire-fighting costs.
Firefighters Gaining Upper Hand in MonoCounty Wildfire
7 June 2007
published by www.krnv.com
USA — The Larson Fire continued to burnThursday, but firefighters said they were making progress.
The fire was sparked Friday and rekindled Tuesday, along U.S. Highway 395between Walker and Coleville, both in California. Firefighters credited morefavorable conditions, lighter winds and some rain, in helping their efforts.
“Last night on the fire it was 37 degrees, that’s what crews weretelling us up there. That’s a nice cold temperature which fire tends to slowdown in a little bit. That, in combination with some terrain improvements, it’sgotten into some rock, less fuels,” said Franklin Pemberton, FireInformation Officer.
As of Thursday morning, the fire had burned about 1,500 acres and was 50percent contained.
Calmer winds enabled air tankers and helicopters to attack the fire from theair. The wind had also pushed the fire in the opposite direction, causing it toburn into itself and preventing it from spreading.
A portion of U.S. 395 that had been closed was reopened Wednesday, andevacuated residents were allowed back into their homes. About 70 family membersof the Marine Corps stationed north of Coleville were among those who returnedhome.
“Today was a piece of cake compared to yesterday. Yesterday, it waspretty scary. The smoke was real thick and black, and the wind was, what didthey say, 75 to 80 miles an hour. I mean, it was coming fast,” said LenoreMartin, resident.
But despite the better conditions, firefighters said they were not calling ita done deal, and that their work was far from over. Fire officials expect fullcontainment by Tuesday.
Los incendios forestales liberan a la atmósfera3.431 millones de toneladas de CO2 cada año, según la FAO
1 June 2007
published by www.consumer.es
Spain — El aire cada vez más caliente y las escasaslluvias elevan el riesgo de incendio en la zona mediterránea.
El cambio climático está favoreciendo la proliferación de incendiosforestales, cada vez más numerosos y destructivos. La situación no ha pasadodesapercibida para la Organización de la ONU para la Agricultura y laAlimentación (FAO), que insta a los países a invertir más en prevención ypreparación contra el fuego.
“Los países necesitan mejorar su colaboración, compartir susconocimientos y centrarse cada vez más en las personas, que son la causaprincipal de los incendios, a través de campañas de concienciación y educación”,afirma Peter Holmgren, jefe del Servicio de Desarrollo de Recursos Forestales dela FAO.
La agencia de la ONU estima que cada año los incendios forestales consumenalrededor de 5.130 millones de toneladas de biomasa, y liberan 3.431 millones detoneladas de dióxido de carbono (CO2) a la atmósfera, que se suman a lasemisiones de las industrias que provocan el efecto invernadero y el cambio climático.La incidencia y gravedad de los incendios aumentará sobre todo en Norteamérica,debido al calentamiento global, y en la región mediterránea, por el aire cadavez más caliente y la menor pluviosidad en verano.
La FAO añade que en el sudeste asiático, el uso recurrente al fuego paraganar nuevas tierras y destinarlas a la agricultura genera emisiones que afectanseriamente al medio ambiente y a la salud humana.
Grouse ‘benefited’ from wild fire
6 June 2007
published by news.bbc.co.uk
A wild fire which destroyed thousands of trees in a Highlands nature reserve10 years ago may have benefited black grouse, according to RSPB Scotland.
Male grouse perform mating displays early in the morning
The fire at Corrimony burned for a week in June 1997, and the society spent £30,000 hiring a helicopter to dump water on the flames.
Conservationists had feared the worst for the rare game bird.
However, an RSPB survey has now found the numbers of black grouse males at an all-time high.
The black grouse is on the RSPB’s red list of birds of conservation concern – the highest category.
At the time of the fire the reserve had recorded 16 sightings of males lekking – the name for the birds’ mating display.
However, the blaze appears to have sparked regeneration and the latest surveyfound the figure had increased to 57.
The fire ravaged 170 hectares (420 acres) of the 1,530 hectare (3,780 acre)site to the south-west of Inverness.
The reserve is also home to the Scottish Crossbill
Dan Tomes, the current site manager, said: “While distressing, fires are actually important, natural occurrences in forests from time to time, and can play a role in allowing vigorous new vegetation growth to come through.
“The numbers now are evidence of the work we’ve done since then in replanting native trees and in sensitively managing the whole ecosystem, including removing fences -which can kill grouse – and carefully grazing moorland habitats.”
The Corrimony reserve was purchased weeks before the fire with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The reserve also provides an important habitat for the Scottish Crossbill, bullfinches and the Spotted Flycatcher.
The site manager said he expected to plant a further 28,000 trees during2007, using Scottish Forest Alliance funds.
Mongolia to observe national day ofmourning for 15 helicopter crash victims
21 June 2007
published by www.iht.com
Ulan Bator, Mongolia — Mongolia will ban all sports and entertainment eventsin a national day of mourning for 15 people killed in a helicopter crash, thegovernment announced Thursday, as opposition lawmakers called for threeofficials connected to the accident to resign.
The Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter had been taking firefighters and equipmentto a forest fire when it disappeared from radar screens on June 13.
Victims’ relatives complained to reporters that the government did not launcha search for two days, and the helicopter was not found until three days afterthe crash.
The opposition Civil Courage party issued a statement Wednesday calling forthe immediate resignation of Emergency Minister S. Otgonbayar, TransportationMinister Tsengel and Deputy Prime Minister M. Enkhsaikhan. The officials, whowere in charge of the firefighters, helicopter and rescue efforts, have notissued a response.
Media reports have claimed that the firefighters were not properly equippedand could not send out a distress signal after the crash.
Authorities have not said what caused the crash, the response to whichtriggered public outrage.
Fourteen people aboard firefighters, emergency officials, and two pilots died before rescuers reached them, government spokesman Batbaatar, who likemany Mongolians uses only one name, told reporters.
Another pilot died Tuesday in a hospital, and the seven survivors wererecovering from injuries, including broken bones and frostbite.
The 15 victims were set to be buried Friday and the country will observe aday of mourning, Parliament announced. Flags will be flown at half-staff,government employees will observe a minute of silence and all sports andentertainment events will be banned.
One firefighter who survived the crash said he lost consciousness when thehelicopter plunged into a forest and found himself thrown from the aircraft.Sukhbaatar, interviewed at the hospital where he is recovering, said he was ableto crawl, prepare food and make tea using water collected on parachutes.
“During the night, it was cold and we covered ourselves with parachutes,”he said. “During the day, we spread out the parachutes and made signs tohelp rescuers to find us.”
President Nambaryn Enkhbayar said it was important to determine what “irresponsibleactions” contributed to the crash and slow rescue response, and questionedthe logic of sending so many firefighters to the blaze when rain in the areamight have extinguished it.
The Mongolian government no longer has any working helicopters, Batbaatarsaid. The government’s other helicopter was damaged during a Parliament member’sfox hunt.
North Port brush fire ‘suspicious’
30 May 2007
published by www.heraldtribune.com
North Port, USA — Authorities are calling a brush fire “suspicious”that charred 130 acres Friday night and forced dozens of residents to flee theirhomes.
“We would love to nab him,” Patrick Mahoney, a spokesman for theDivision of Forestry, said about finding the person who ignited the blaze.
Mahoney did not say if there were any leads. Nor did he say how the fire started.
The fire was 100 percent contained by Tuesday, but forestry officials were stilltending to hot spots.
The fire broke out on Yorkshire Street about 5 p.m. and quickly spread to aneighborhood just east of Atwater Drive, threatening 50 homes.
No homes or other structures were damaged. But the flames were close enough tohomes that police went door-to-door on several blocks telling residents to leave.They were allowed to return about 3 a.m. Saturday.
Wind and numerous overgrown lots in the area helped fuel the fire.
Firefighters from several cities and counties helped North Port crews battle theblaze.
North Port Fire Marshal Michael Frantz said because so many of the city’s homesare separated by overgrown undeveloped lots, it takes additional crews andapparatus to achieve the protection needed during a fire like Friday’s.
Another brush fire that scorched about 50 acres last week several miles away ina neighborhood on the city’s west side is also believed to be man-made but notnecessarily suspicious in nature, Mahoney said. Residents near Ponce de LeonBoulevard were evacuated while crews there worked to save homes. Only a boat anda trampoline were destroyed.
USFS Anza fire station closed
14 June 2007
published by www.towncrier.com
By J.P. Crumrine, Assistant Editor
The U.S. Forest Service (FS) announced last week that Station 53 in Anza would close.
Im working on some alternatives and this may only be a temporary situation, said FS San Jacinto Ranger District Fire Chief Norm Walker. During this period, the Kenworthy unit (engine 52) will spend mornings and afternoons in Anza.
During this time of year, fires are more likely to start in Anza than Garner Valley. If lightning strikes are expected, they normally occur in Garner Valley and the engine will remain at station 52, according to Walker.
Regardless of the length of time for the station closure, its cause was the loss of staff. Separately, the engine chief and crew were offered positions with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
While state and local agencies typically offer higher salaries to experienced FS firefighters, the confluence of several other events, such as prosecution of a Forest Service crew boss in Washington, have created strong incentives for those interested in seeking a career change.
The accompanying table compares the salary of a fire or engine captain for the FS with other local and State agencies. This difference is not unusually greater this year.
Although the national and regional offices continue to argue that staffing and station closures are at normal levels, the data suggests an alarming trend.
Locally, one of seven stations is now closed. In the region, more than 10 percent of the 3,600 fire positions are vacant despite efforts since winter to accelerate firefighter hiring.
Although funding exists to meet normal staffing levels, there are still 485 job vacancies in the regions fire organization, wrote Matt Mathes, FS regional information officer. These vacancies mean that currently 75 percent of the regions engines are staffed and two type 2 initial attack crews have leadership vacancies.
In addition, compared to the 2005 fire season, there are fewer type 1 crews and fewer engines in the whole region. Of the 485 vacant fire positions, Walker said he has 11 career vacancies in the San Jacinto district.
For 2008, the FS is actually reducing the number of firefighters available nationwide.
CAL FIRE has added 35 new staff to the Riverside county unit just this spring according to Public Information Officer Capt. Julie Hutchinson.
The Riverside CAL FIRE unit is requesting nearly 70 more positions for 2008. Several of these will be battalion chiefs, according to Howard Windsor, deputy fire chief.
Some of the growth is related to population growth and physical expansion of the county, but some is also related to policy recommendations. For example, CAL FIRE hopes to have two chiefs for each battalion next year.
This will provide direct supervision on a daily basis, Windsor advocated.
The FSs attrition is not simply due to personnel losses to CAL FIRE. Local agencies have also been able to take advantage of a deteriorating morale in the FS. The loss of five colleagues in the Esperanza Fire created a lingering gloom among the men in green.
In December, the U.S. Attorneys Spokane, Wash., office finally decided to press criminal charges against Ellreese Daniels, a FS crew boss, for his actions and decisions in the Thirty-mile fire in July 2001 in which four firefighters died. The Department of Agricultures Office of Inspector General had made the recommendation for criminal charges several years ago following their own investigation of the deaths
This sparked a downward spiral in agency morale that is accelerating. In January, the International Association of Wildland Fire conducted an online survey of federal firefighters and 8 percent were more willing to retire of transfer because of the prosecutions. Twenty-three percent indicated they would refuse incident commander assignments.
National and regional officials are now encouraging field staff to purchase private liability insurance.
The Esperanza Accident Report was not salve on the services wounds. Engine Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser is indirectly accused of losing situational awareness during the horrific conflagration and with issuing confusing orders and guidance.
This spring the Angeles Forest Fire Chief resigned unexpectedly. His deputy is approaching retirement. So a nearby forest will soon have both top fire jobs vacant. This neighboring forest is in a very high fire risk situation and also has several stations closed.
According to Stanton Florea, Angeles National Forest fire public information officer, the vacancies within that forest are significant, too.
At this point, the Forest Service must endure staff losses, try to fill vacant positions, and then train new hires. This will take time and money for the FS to return, if possible, to a position of once more being whole.
Locally, the San Jacinto Ranger District is fully staffed for fire, except for Anza. The helicopter arrived June 1 and the Vista Grande Hotshots are available.
A lot of departments have to deal with the baby boom retirements, now, Walker said, knowing that meant loss of experience and talent. Whether for the reasons of retirement or transfer, firefighters are leaving the FS as though escaping an out of control fire.
Var : l’incendie est maîtrisé
27 June 2007
published by www.lefigaro.fr
Les pompiers restent “très prudents”, après l’incendie qui a ravagé 500 hectares de forêt.
Les pompiers jugent la situation “satisfaisante”. Mercredi, à l’aube, quelque 600 hommes, appuyés par 150 engins, pousuivaient toutefois leur intervention sur la zone du sinistre, près du Muy dans le Var, et craignaient notamment une reprise du vent qui a diminué durant la nuit.
“On reste très prudents parce qu’on nous annonce pour ce matin du vent et on ne sait pas quelle direction il aura, a indiqué le commandant Christophe Pasquini. Il n’y a plus de point chaud sur les lisières. Il n’y a plus de brûlots visuels comme hier soir. Il y a eu dans la nuit deux ou trois grosses reprises qui ont été traitées”.
Jet de mégot
Dès le lever du jour, quatre Canadairs et des hélicoptères bombardiers d’eau doivent reprendre leurs rotations au-dessus du brasier dont la progression a été stoppée. Environ 500 hectares de forêt ont été parcourus par les flammes depuis le départ du feu, vers 16h mardi après-midi. Selon la justice, c’est un jet de mégot depuis une voiture qui pourrait être à l’origine de l’incendie.
Par précaution, environ un millier de personnes avaient dû être évacuées de quatre camping de Roquebrune-sur-Argens, à quelques kilomètres du Muy, en début de soirée. Ils ont pu regagner dans la nuit leurs hébergements à proximité desquels des pompiers sont restés en faction.
