Business heavily damaged by grass fire Woman charged with arson

Business heavily damaged by grass fire Womancharged with arson

30 April 2008

published by www.bclocalnews.com 

Jim’s Auto Service, located behind Lakeview Mall shopping centre, received extensive damage from a grass fire that got out of control last Tuesday afternoon.

“We [Burns Lake fire fighters] were on scene by 2:50 pm,” said fire Chief Jim McBride, after the fire, speaking of the business owned by Jim Goertzen.

“It was a grass fire gone awry,” said McBride.

“Somebody started a grass fire behind the southeast corner of the building, it [the fire] spread into a back corner shed , went up into the roof, and that was that.”

RCMP spokesman Mike Kisters said, “The fire was witnessed to have started in the grass behind the building, which quickly spread to the structure.”

“Charlotte L. Morris, a 33-year-old female from Burns Lake, was arrested and taken into custody, and has since been charged with arson and breach of an undertaking.”

Kisters said that a bail hearing had been held for Morris after she was arrested and charged, but the court did not release her.

“She is currently remanded into custody, and will appear in court on May 13, 2008, where a judge will decide whether she will be released.”

Alcohol appeared to have been a major contributing factor to the incident, said Kisters.

No one was injured in the fire, but two people were taken to Lakes District Hospital in private vehicles to be treated for smoke inhalation, and later released.

No one was injured in the fire.

“Two people were taken to Lakes District Hospital in private vehicles to be treated for smoke inhalation,” said B.C. Ambulance paramedic Greg Giles, who was on scene at the fire.

Lakes District Hospital said Wednesday morning that the two people had been released.

Mechanics employed by Jim’s Auto Service had their eyes washed out by ambulance personnel in the parking lot adjacent to Jim’s Auto Service.

Two fire trucks with crews were dispatched to the scene. and several police cars were also in attendance..

RCMP set up a yellow tape perimeter to keep people at least 75 metres away from the east side of the building, fearing the possibility of a propane tank explosion.

Fire fighters were still hosing down the fire at 4:15 pm, 90 minutes after it started, with one firefighter using a water hose inside the building, pointing it towards the east ceiling of the building; and three fire fighters were hosing down another shed at the back of the building.

As fire fighters fought the blaze, volunteers removed vehicles to prevent damage.

McBride said next day, “It was amazing to see people in the community come out after the fire was put out, and again last night, to help retrieve items like computers, files, and other items from the scene. That was his business, that was his livelihood.”

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End the forest wars

    End the forest wars

7 May 2008

published by www.theaustralian.news.com.au  

Tasmania, Australia — The bushfire smoke that blanketed the sky above Hobart late last month graphically marked an abrupt turn in the public debate about forest management.

Environmentalists were quick to make the link between forest regeneration burns and carbon emissions, and to argue that old growth should be saved to serve as carbon stores.

Indeed, this debate was anticipated in February at a conference in Hobart on management of the world’s old forests; by co-incidence that week Government adviser Ross Garnaut released his interim report on Australia’s possible response to global change.

Like it or not, carbon and the forestry debate are now firmly linked. Peppered throughout Garnaut’s report are references to how land cover change, and especially de-forestation, is connected to worsening climate change.

Garnaut advocates re-forestation and forest conservation to providing breathing space for new technologies to “de-carbonise” our economy in the next decade before we trigger dangerous climate change. He says Australia should be working with Indonesia (the globe’s fourth-largest carbon emitter in absolute terms) and with Papua New Guinea (a potential big emitter) to reduce their carbon footprint by conserving forests.

Garnaut also has made specific reference to “structural economic adjustment” to help domestic industries, including forestry, adapt.

Clearly, if we don’t practise what we preach in our forests, the charge of double standards is hard to dodge, and Garnaut’s quest for “head room” to allow new clean technologies to become operational will collapse.

This would be a brave new world for forest managers and forest conservationists, both battle-scarred following decade-long debates about biodiversity conservation, aesthetics and wood production. While hard-won agreements for greater reservation and changed forest practices have been achieved, simmering tensions remain over old-growth forests and the development of pulp mills.

Suddenly the game has changed. The catch is that rules of the new carbon game for forests are far from settled.

Factoring forests into national and international carbon trades will be devilishly complicated, as complicated as the global carbon cycle itself, the full understanding of which remains on the frontiers of ecological science.

To make matters worse for Australia, the life cycles of eucalypt forests have peculiar attributes, especially the need for wildfires to initiate regeneration. This compounds the problem of neatly quantifying the carbon biomass in forests. The fact that our giant eucalypt forests arise from occasional intense fires is often forgotten.

Similarly, the fact that climate change will increase the likelihood of more frequent and bigger bushfires profoundly challenges our management. The plain truth is that eucalypt forests are periodic emitters of carbon and excluding fire from our forested landscape is neither realistic nor ecologically justifiable. Factoring eucalypt forests into the carbon economy is not for the faint-hearted.

Quantifying the current and potential carbon stocks is a research challenge. We are not yet in a position to undertake routine carbon auditing exercises that will be a prerequisite for a carbon economy. We don’t have a good enough handle on the carbon dynamics of our forests, on the relative contribution made by regrowth and old-growth forests, or the life cycle of the carbon products derived from the harvest of native forests and plantations.

We need a coherent and comprehensive national monitoring framework which properly values carbon in wood products, and establishes a sensible baseline for forests and the forestry sector. The omission of the agriculture and forestry sectors from reporting frameworks shows how important this work is, and reinforces Garnaut’s emphasis on research and development to enable adaptation to climate change.

Universities have a unique opportunity to create the knowledge required to help resolve many of these vexed issues surrounding carbon and forest management. Hard evidence from independent researchers will be crucial in resolving many of the claims and counter-claims about the relative carbon costs and benefits of different forest management practices. Because forest science is at the centre of the emerging carbon economy, degree courses for “landscape carbon accounting” are not out of the question.

Viewing forests through a climate-change and carbon lens changes all the old orthodoxies about forest conservation and management. With foresight, imagination and serious investment in research and training, the carbon economy presents a remarkable opportunity to create new forest-based industries and jobs.

We need to end the “forest wars” and focus on future challenges. Garnaut may be the trigger for this renaissance in forest management.

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Grampians recovery continues

    Grampians recovery continues

9 May 2008

published by stawell.yourguide.com.au

Australia — The Grampians National Park is continuing to recover from the 2006 fires thanks to a massive effort to replace damaged infrastructure along with fuel reduction burns to reduce the threat of a repeat of the devastating event.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings toured areas of the national park that have been rebuilt and rejuvenated since the fires burned 130,000 hectares of the Grampians.

“The local community, businesses and volunteers have worked with the Brumby Government to rebuilt infrastructure in the Grampians, including re-opening the Sundial carpark and walking track precinct, along with the Silverband Road,” Mr Jennings said.

Mr Jennings said the Brumby Government is committed to reducing the risk of future bushfires by conducting fuel reduction burns over 300 hectares of the Grampians this autumn.

“These fuel reduction burns aim to reduce the intensity of future bushfires which are a threat to the people that live, work and play in the Grampians National Park as well as being a threat to the biodiversity of the park itself,” Mr Jennings said.

“Victoria’s firefighters are putting every effort into fuel reduction burns while conditions are most suitable, including giving up their weekends to conduct these burns.”

To date, more than 70,000 hectares of public land in Victoria has been subject to planned burns for ecological and fuel reduction purposes.

“The community has so far been very tolerant while these burns are carried out, but there is still extensive burning to be carried out across Victoria,” Mr Jennings said.

The work to restore and replace damaged infrastructure in the Grampians is continuing.

Works currently being carried out include a project at the Major Mitchell Plateau, one of the most remote locations in the Grampians, where helicopters are needed to transport materials and personnel to remove burnt material, build a new toilet and replace 430 metres of boardwalks on the Plateau walking track.

The Brumby Government has committed $1.5 million to upgrade Jimmy Creek, Plantation, Boreang, Buandik, Smiths Mill and Stapylton Campgrounds and other associated infrastructure,

“Renowned for its mountain ranges, a rich cultural heritage and spectacular wildflower displays, the 168,000 hectare park is a much-loved location that is idea for a wide range of outdoor activities,” Mr Jennings said.

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Forest fire put out

     Forest fire put out

13 May 2008

published by www.norwaypost.no

 Norway — The forest fire which raged in Nissedal, Telemark this weekend, was finally brought under control on Monday, after 650 acres of forest and heather were destroyed.

No one was injured, and the firefighters managed to save houses and cottages in the area.

Firefighters, civil defence crews as well as many volunteers took part in the efforts to stop the fire, assisted by helicopters dousing the cinder dry terrain.

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Timber mafia, fire denuding Sahyadri

     Timber mafia, fire denuding Sahyadri

26 May 2008

published by www.navhindtimes.com 

 India — Right under the nose of three state governments, one of the world´s richest bio-diversity hotspot is fearing to lose its glory to excessive deforestration.

Virdi village, a small hamlet in Maharashtra state, tucked on three state borders – Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka – is witnessing massive deforestation, which is hitting the bio-diversity in this area.

Environmentalists vouch for the sighting of striped tigers, leopards, sloth bear, gaur and other wildlife.

Goa´s state tree “Mhadad (terminillia grenalata)” is found in this stretch and is being robbed away by the timber lobby. Other tree species like kinnal (terminillia panigulata) are also facing the same wrath.

Sitting in an old house in Virdi village, which has a population of around 2,000, environmentalists have held several round of talks with the villagers on saving the forest. But political pressure from within and across the border is strong enough to suppress the movement, an environmentalist informed.

“The deforested area or patch of land is an important habitat of Gaur and the sloth bear. Their sightings have been common here besides being a vital habitat to scores of lesser-known forms,” state´s renowned environmentalist, Mr Nirmal Kulkarni stated. Mr Kulkarni confirmed presence of confirmed large cat movements in this area including striped tigers (panchera tigris).

The village was hit when a couple of years ago the Maharashtra government planned a dam. The work has begun on the dam. Trees are cut next to the village in the thick forest in the Karnataka jurisdiction. While Goa and Maharasthra are discussing the dam project planned downstream, there is no word about the denudation of forests.

“The area is near the famed Vazra Sakla falls and is also the catchment area for a stream that later joins the Valvanti river. This forest is also a catchment area for the Valvanti river and the new dam project by the Maharashtra government has been planned in the same area downstream,” explained Mr Kulkarni.

This youngster in his late 20s is silently working with like-minded people like Mr Rajendra Kerkar, a crusader against the Mhadei dam project. They have been trying a lot to save the forest. These mountains connect the forests of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka and are combined and knows as the Mhadei bioregion. “The stretch is known for reptilian diversity. One can get variety of snakes here,” said Mr Rajendra kerkar.

The Sahyadri hill, home for Malbar pride gliding frog, the only place in the entire world where it can be found, has already lost two acres of its forest to timber mafia and instances of forest fire.

While driving down the ghat road leading towards the Goa border, one can see a huge nude patch in the forest. Smoke emanating from the burnt trees from a distance portrayed a sad picture about the western ghat, which is having a tryst with the excessive greed of human beings and is struggling for almost for four decades now to retain its glory.

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Firefighters worry after Thirtymile plea deal

Firefighters worry after Thirtymile plea deal

30 April 2008

published by http://wenatcheeworld.com

YAKIMA — Federal firefighters are still wondering whether they could be the next to face felony charges after a U.S. Forest Service crew boss avoided trial by making a lesser plea.
But a Yakima attorney involved in civil suits related to the Thirtymile Fire suggested Wednesday that Ellreese Daniels’ admission that he was guilty of lying to investigators sets a tougher standard for future prosecution of any firefighters deemed responsible for deaths on the fire line.
The latest developments in the Thirtymile saga come as firefighters across the country prepare for another season. Some crews are already assigned to a big blaze burning in Southern California.
Daniels pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Spokane, averting a federal trial on manslaughter charges in the July 10, 2001, deaths of four Central Washington firefighters. He had been set to go before a jury starting Monday.
The families of the Thirtymile firefighters — and to some degree, those in the wildland fire service — had hoped a trial would resolve the question of whether federal firefighters could face criminal charges for deaths on the fire line.
Daniels’ case was the first time the federal government had brought such charges. Killed were Tom Craven, 30, of Ellensburg; and Yakima residents Karen FitzPatrick, 18, Jessica Johnson, 19, and Devin Weaver, 21.
Investigations by the U.S. Forest Service and the Yakima Herald-Republic found that a series of supervisors did not take steps they should have, including selection of a safe escape route.
But Daniels’ attorney argued that fire behavior and terrain played a large role and that Daniels never meant to act recklessly or negligently.
Dick Mangan was one of many firefighters across the country to volunteer his time to help Daniels’ federal defender.
Mangan acknowledged that the plea was the best for Daniels, if not for his colleagues who are left to wonder whether their names will be on an indictment for some future death.
“Living vicariously through him was not the way to get this resolved,” said Mangan, a retired Forest Service firefighter who now consults on firefighting and safety. “We had nothing to lose, and he did.”
The families generally take the opposite tack, suggesting that Daniels should have been held accountable for locking the crew into a trap on a dead-end road and failing to prepare them for being burned over by the flames.
Some victims’ relatives say the government offered the plea deal because of concerns that witnesses, including current and former Forest Service employees, would waver in their testimony at trial.
Barb Weaver, Devin’s mother, said the plea was just one more step in the search for accountability.
She and her husband, Ken, are still pursuing a federal lawsuit against two Forest Service employees. The lawsuit alleges that the pair destroyed Devin Weaver’s fire shelter and withheld vital information about the reliability of the shelters.
Mariano Morales, a Yakima attorney who worked on the legal case that brought a separate settlement from the shelter manufacturer for the Thirtymile families and two Thorp campers trapped in the fire, suggested that Tuesday’s plea indeed set an unsatisfactory precedent.
Daniels’ disputed statements didn’t kill anyone, Morales pointed out, regardless of the prosecutors’ statement that truthfulness is critical to investigations.
“Telling the truth to investigators doesn’t do anything to make them make better decisions in the heat of the moment,” said Morales, a former Forest Service firefighter.
He suggested that other firefighters can now use Daniels’ case to argue that whatever they did wasn’t as bad.
“That’s the message, is that you can behave like Ellreese did … and as long as you don’t lie about it, we won’t do anything about it. That’s the message they are sending, and I think it’s the wrong message,” Morales said.
Critics of the decision to charge Daniels in the first place remain convinced that federal prosecutors sent a chilling message to firefighters in the Forest Service and the four other primary federal firefighting agencies.
Casey Judd, director of the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, which lobbies for federal firefighters, suggested that the resolution of the criminal case could reinvigorate efforts to clarify federal legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture — parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service — to independently investigate burnover deaths of Forest Service employees.
The law was passed after Thirtymile. Although it was not written to require criminal charges, only to provide a report to Congress, a USDA special agent spearheaded the case against Daniels for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The families who endured the loss of their children say they are working to make sure no other parents have to suffer what they went through.
Daniels’ case was supposed to set the standard and let fire commanders know that they had a serious incentive to keep their crews safe, said Kathie FitzPatrick, Karen’s mother.
“If there’s not justice this time, there will be a next time. We were really hoping that would be different,” she said.

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Australia ‘not ready’ for major disaster

    Australia ‘not ready’ for major disaster

6 May 2008

published by hnews.theage.com.au

Catastrophic disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, dam bursts or cyclones could leave Australia flagging because of a lack of preparedness, a new report says.

A wide-ranging review of Australia’s resilience to a major natural disaster says such events pose a threat to normal life across significant areas of the country, similar to security challenges.

The focus on national security has obscured the potential for much greater deaths and casualties caused by extreme natural disasters and the need for an all-hazards risk approach, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) says.

The report – Taking a Punch: Building a More Resilient Australia – says the country has been very lucky not to have faced the “big one”.

“(That’s) the catastrophic event that produces extensive casualties and loss of life, widespread damage, large numbers of displaced people, significant business failure, extreme relief and recovery costs that simply overwhelms our capacity to respond,” the report said.

“Examples might include a major earthquake on one of our big cities, a tsunami hitting a major population centre on the east coast, a major flood or dam burst in a densely populated area, or significant flooding from the impact of a major cyclone combined with storm surge that affects both urban and regional centres simultaneously.

“There’s little information on the record to generate public confidence that we really know what the breakpoint is in terms of surge and sustainability.”

The report said history was not a guide.

“Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on December 25 1974 with 65 dead, 150 major injuries and air evacuation of around 30,000, many deciding not to return to Darwin,” it said.

“The Granville rail smash in 1977 resulted in 83 deaths and 213 hospitalised. We managed these events effectively.

“On a comparative scale of other events which have impacted other countries and regions, these two cases are small scale.”

A key concern was the importance of having a single-incident management system for command and control of emergencies which can be adapted quickly from the routine to a nationally-declared incident, APSI said.

“Currently there are many systems across policing and emergency authorities.

“If these were harmonised under a common approach it would enable all agencies to contribute through appropriate access and generate greater community confidence and resilience.”

Australia does not have an appropriate, effective, timely national community information and warning system capable of being used in the lead-up to, occurrence of, and recovery from disasters.

“Recent improvements to tsunami monitoring are commendable, but don’t help to convey the message of a potential impact to communities in the middle of the night.”

About 30 per cent of councils in Australia were under severe financial stress with asset management and improvements urgently required, APSI said.

Work commissioned by the Australian Local Government Association suggests a national backlog of $14.5 billion in local government infrastructure renewal work, notably for bridges which can be vital in dealing with natural disasters.

“Climate change will compound the risks of disruption and have a direct influence on the type, scale and frequency of disasters and emergencies Australia will face, including increased flooding, more frequent and intense storms, lightning events and bushfires.

“More coastal zone residential developments are simply increasing these risks.”

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Smoke haze over Perth due to controlled burns

    Smoke haze over Perth due to controlled burns

9 May 2008

published by www.abc.net.au 

Australia — The Department of Environment and Conservation has warned there will be a smoke haze over Perth’s suburbs this morning.

The Department carried out controlled burns on Perth’s outskirts yesterday, in Narrogin, Northcliffe, Manjimup and Wanneroo.

It says there is a chance residual smoke may have been pushed into Perth overnight by light winds.

Police say there is heavy smog between Gnangara Road and Reid Highway and Beechboro Road and Lord Street in the Whiteman Park area.

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Rare birds at risk in moorland arson

     Rare birds at risk in moorland arson

14 May 2008

published by www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk 

UK — An arson attack on moors in Stalybridge may have wiped out hundreds of nesting birds.

The fire, which started just after 4pm on Sunday, destroyed around a square mile of moorland above Swineshaw Reservoir in Stalybridge.

It is feared many birds – some rare species – could have perished in the fire including short-eared owls, merlin, grouse as well as animals such as mountain hares.

More than 40 firefighters spent six hours battling the blaze on land owned by the Enville Estate.

Fiona Draisey, a ranger in the Peak District National Park, said: “It’s decimated the area completely. The worst thing is that it’s bird nesting time. We have already found some eggs that the fire had destroyed and undoubtedly it will have killed some birds and other animals too, especially the younger ones like leverets (baby hares). It’s also about the environment. The peat absorbs carbon but if it’s not burnt at the proper time, ie when it’s wet, it releases carbon into the atmosphere. When people set fire to the moors not only are they destroying the wildlife and landscape for years to come but they are also affecting climate change.”

The attack is the latest in a spate of fires over the last few years that have destroyed hundreds of acres of precious heather moorland in the area.

Police are appealing for information about three children – two boys and a girl – who were seen trying to start a fire in the area at that time. Anyone who saw them or knows who they are is asked to call 8725050.

“I think they just like to cause a bit of mischief but they don’t realise the consequences” said Fiona. “I would also urge anyone, if they see any fires on the moors at all, to call 999 immediately. The sooner we can get there, the less damage will be caused.”

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Residents question response to blaze

     Residents question response to blaze

26 May 2008

published by www.mercurynews.com

 CA, USA — Three days after a fast-moving fire whipped through their wildland paradise in the Santa Cruz Mountains, angry and frustrated residents of the tiny town of Corralitos assembled on Sunday with one burning question on their minds.

“When can we go home?” asked an anxious Gayle Bloomquist, who along with her husband, Steve, fled their Eureka Canyon abode just after the sun came up Thursday.

The Bloomquists, like many of the more than 300 people who attended a meeting with fire officials and other authorities at the Corralitos Community Church, was displaced by the Summit fire, which has charred nearly 4,000 acres of forest, destroyed at least 29 homes and 18 outbuildings and devastated tightly knit neighborhoods. About 550 homes are still threatened.

Cal Fire officials said Sunday that the fire was 60 percent contained. But firefighters got a break from the weather as winds slowed down to 20 mph and the temperatures settled in the mid-50s. That left firefighters cautiously optimistic that the worst was over.

State officials said Sunday that the fire has already cost $8.2 million to fight.

Authorities in Corralitos spoke to the standing-room-only crowd with hopes of soothing their concerns that firefighters were too slow to respond to the flurry of early-morning calls from residents.

Fire officials said the blaze was swift and unpredictable in an area that hasn’t burned since fire records started being kept about 100 years ago. In the first eight hours, the moody blaze had scorched 3,000 acres – a pace the crews simply could not keep up with.

Fire officials said some people will be allowed to return home as early as today, while others might wait until Thursday. There are still small areas burning near their homes, so firefighters urged patience because they need free rein of the narrow roads.

“You are going to get in the way of the firefighters,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff Steve Robbins said. “There are still a lot of hot spots. The last thing I want is an accident.”

In response to a question about a supposed slow response time to Ormsby Road, where several homes were burned to the ground, John Ferreira, the Cal Fire unit chief who oversees firefighting efforts in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, put an abrupt halt to the second-guessing.

“We kill enough firefighters over their own desire to do their best and protect the community,” Ferreira said. “I regret that the houses were lost, but we would not have sent our firefighters into that situation.”

Ferreira also said that when the fire broke out, the gusty winds made it impossible to know which direction it was headed.

“You can’t see where the fire is unless you are up above,” he said.

Most in the crowd seemed supportive of the firefighters’ efforts. They frequently applauded when they spoke and were less interested in pointing out blame than just wanting to go home and return to a semblance of their old lives.

“It’s very hard – especially with him,” said Kyla Rodriguez, pointing to her 1-year-old son, Taj. “He’s wondering where the home is and where the kittens are.”

She and her husband, Ryan, were forced out of their Buzzard Lagoon home Thursday and have been staying with family members.

Upper Highlands resident Leslie Douglass was hoping to get some answers at Sunday’s meeting.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot of help for people out of their homes,” said Douglass, who lives on a logging road about a half-mile from Eureka Canyon Road.

She was able to return home briefly on Saturday to pick up some necessities, on a trip organized by Cal Fire. She grabbed her husband Larry’s blood pressure and diabetes medication. She also wanted to feed her chickens and birds, a parakeet and a cockatiel.

For many mountain residents, the ordeal has been a reminder of the fragility of life.

“We’ve been here for 30 years,” Douglass said. “In 1982 it was the floods. In 1989 it was the earthquake. We have been trapped a few times.”

For many reasons, Douglass is also lucky that her house was spared. Like many of the people who live in the rugged, mountainous area, she doesn’t have fire insurance.

“When you have $1,800 a month to live on,” she said, “you have to forgo something.”

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