2,000 homes threatened by ‘erratic’ wildfire near Yosemite

27 July 2008

published by edition.cnn.com

USA — Fueled by dry timber that hasn’t burned in a century, a wildfire in central California grew to more than 16,000 acres and is threatening more than 2,000 homes near Yosemite National Park, a fire official said Sunday.

“This thing is burning in every different direction,” said Daniel Berlant of the California Department for Forestry and Fire Prevention. “That’s what made it so difficult for us to really get our … containment lines around it.”

Some 200 of the homes in Mariposa County on the outskirts of Yosemite park are “immediately threatened,” and under mandatory evacuation orders, he said. Other residents are just being warned that they may have to leave “at a moment’s notice” because of the approaching blaze.

“These are very scattered rural areas, but we do have about 2,000 homes that are in the path of the fire so that does have us concerned,” Berlant said. “We’re working very closely with the local sheriff’s department there to help get residents out of the area.”

The fire blazed in areas that haven’t burned in 100 years near Yosemite National Park on Saturday.The fire also caused officials to cut power to the park, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

The fire began Saturday as a result of someone target-shooting in the woodland area, he said. It charred some 1,000 acres near the town of Midpines, but it exploded in size on Saturday.

“It’s burned over 16,000 acres now, it’s really burning in areas that haven’t burned in 100 years,” Berlant said Sunday. “So the vegetation is extremely dry and there’s a lot of it to burn.”

Berlant said 900 firefighters are on the scene with “hundreds more” en route. The fire is burning in steep terrain and firefighters on Saturday used a military plane to drop retardant on the blaze.

“As soon as sun comes up here in California, we’re really going to hit it hard from the air,” he said.

No structures have been lost to the fire, and no one has been injured, he said. But Berlant said the quickly moving fire is a major concern for California firefighters.

“When you see such erratic fire behavior — we had reports of over 100-foot flames — that’s a huge challenge for us,” he said.

“But we are doing our best right now, and we’re making good progress.”

Feds Say California’s Fires Aren’t a Disaster

3 July 2008

published by www.californiaprogressreport.com

USA — The numbers are staggering – 1,400 wildfires burning around the state. Over 70 homes destroyed and 7,800 under threat. President Bush has declared the fires a federal emergency and released $50 million in federal aid, announced by FEMA administrator David Paulison – surely a sign that the feds are fully engaged in the fire aid effort, right?

Not so fast. There is a difference between an “emergency,” which frees up something like the $50 million in firefighting funds, and a “federal disaster” declaration, which frees up the full range of FEMA assistance to fire victims, including relocation shelters and financial assistance.

According to the Monterey Herald the federal government has refused to declare the California fires a disaster:

“But assistance from FEMA for fire victims has not been approved because the fires have not been declared a federal disaster.

“Paulison said a preliminary damage evaluation will be done to determine if more declarations are needed.

“Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, said he was told it does not appear California’s wildfires qualify as a federal disaster because the level of destruction has not been great enough.”

It’s conservative government in action – the stingy nature of FEMA assistance that was revealed to the world during Hurricane Katrina continues to dominate the Bush Administration’s approach to disaster relief. As a Daily Kos diarist has explainedFEMA is screwing around with Midwest flood disaster relief and of course, FEMA’s initial reaction to last fall’s fires here in California was tohost a news conference where its employees posed as actual reporters and lobbed softball questions at FEMA administrators.

California’s fire season is going to be long and difficult. As the Big Sur andGoleta fires show, a rapid response by firefighters is necessary to saving homes and lives. Unfortunately a combination of drought and a lack of firefighting resources is intensifying the fires.

Understaffing is one of the main issues facing firefighters, as theFirefighter Blog makes clear:

“Fire has jumped a southern containment lines and crews are attempting to hold a secondary dozer line with limited resources. Structures, heavy fuel loads due to sudden oak death, . Active fire behavior on the southern end and north of Pfeiffer State Park is becoming a challenge to containment actions. East Zone: Numerous structures and improvements located in the proximity to Carmel Valley Road and Tassajara Road areas. Limited access. Extremely steep and rugged terrain with continuous heavy fuel loading. HEBM is needed for military assets.”

“It seems improbable this fire could move that far north but Commander Deitrech has a tired army under his watch. Under “normal” conditions he would already have the necessary resources to mount a proper attack. Like all the other fire commanders statewide he is simply understaffed.”

If this is a problem now, one shudders to think of what will happen this fall when the Santa Ana winds kick up across a bone-dry Southern California. FEMA’s stinginess and the lack of adequate firefighting resources are both the product of conservative opposition to government – the only body in our society that’s capable of managing a response to disasters of this magnitude.

Big Sur Ablaze

The Basin Complex Fire that is raging on the Big Sur coast about 20 miles south. The fire jumped a containment line last night and isnow threatening the village of Big Sur. The entire area is now under an evacuation order, and the 850 or so residents are now gathered at Carmel Middle School or with friends and family in the area.

The Big Sur community has always been tight-knit, and grew even moreso in the late 1990s after El Niño rains washed out Highway 1, closing it for months. One result is a rich online network of sites providing information and resources about the fire, such asXasáuan Today’s fire news and Sur Fire 2008’s community information.

The Carmel chapter of the Red Cross is taking donations for the shelter and other needs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was here earlier today surveying the fire damage, and John Laird had this to say:

“Governor Schwarzenegger’s visit to Big Sur today is a significant indicator of the impact the Basin Complex fire is having on the people of the Central Coast and California. The people and businesses of the Big Sur community have shown courage, resourcefulness and generosity as this difficult fire has unfolded.

“Today and in the weeks ahead, as I continue to work hard on the budget in Sacramento, I will stay focused on ensuring funds are available to fight this fire. And as we consider next year’s budget, I’ll continue to advocate for the funding increases for air attack resources, as approved by the Assembly Budget Committee.

California’s firefighters are stretched thin by the fires, andArnold has called the National Guard to help relieve the burden. Another example of how we need to be nation-building here at home, not using the National Guard to occupy Iraq.

By Robert Cruickshank, a historian, activist, and teacher living in Monterey. He is a contributing editor at Calitics.com and works for the Courage Campaign, in addition to teaching political science at Monterey Peninsula College. Currently he is completing his Ph.D. dissertation in US history, on progressive politics in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. A native Californian, he was raised in Orange County and educated at UC Berkeley.

Climate Change Likely To Add Fuel To Wildfires, Causing Greater Risk Of Respiratory Harm From Smoke Inhalation, U.S. Government Study Finds

17 July 2008

published by www.enn.com

Wildfires, which have ravaged the Western United States to a record degree in recent years, are likely to become even more severe, frequent and widespread due to climate change, leading to an expected increase in respiratory illness from smoke inhalation, increased property damage, and significant disruption to communities throughout the West and South, warns a new government report issued today.

The report, prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in conjunction with the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), details the impacts of climate change on public health and welfare. It concludes that nearly every region of the U.S. is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which will likely include degradedairquality, more frequent and more intense extremeweather events, and greater transmission of diseases. It further states that climate change will likely cause harm toecosystems across the country, posing threats to humans andanimals alike. 

“These ecosystems provide vital habitat for threatened and endangered species and are therefore at the crux of WWF’s conservation mission,” said Dr. Richard Moss, vice president for climate change at WorldWildlife Fund (WWF). “But they are also vitally important to human welfare in that they provide essential services ranging from clean water and building materials, to food and recreational opportunities.

“To protect both nature and humanity, it is essential that policies be implemented — at the national and international levels — to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. And, recognizing the disruptive consequences of climate change, we must also move forward on the development and implementation of preparedness measures.”

The report released today, Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems, states that nearly every region of the country will be affected by climate change, which is likely to exacerbate challenges already being faced by state and local governments. “The challenges presented by population growth, an aging population, migration patterns, and urban and coastal development will be affected by changes in temperature, precipitation, and extreme climate-related events,” the report says.

In response, the report outlines a variety of measures to prepare for the expected impacts of climate change and urges that some be implemented without delay: “[T]he strength and consistency of projections for climatic changes for some exposures of concern to human health suggest that implementation of adaptation actions should commence now.”

The release of the report today by the EPA comes less than a week after the agency made a public announcement that it would not issue a determination on whether climate change is endangering public health or welfare. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that EPA would be legally required to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act if the agency made an endangerment finding.

“The report issued today further confirms that climate change poses a serious threat not only to the natural environment, but also to public health and welfare,” said Moss. “Yet the EPA appears to have opted not to use the report to inform its decision.”

Rare California Condors Threatened by Huge Fires

10 July 2008

published by www.planetark.com

USA — Naturalists feared on Tuesday for endangered California condors caught up in a massive two week-old blaze still sweeping through the scenic Big Sur area.

The fate of three condor chicks born in the wild in April — key to the reintroduction in California of the threatened species — was unknown. One nest was in the path of the fire and flames damaged an aviary where captive chicks are trained before being released into the wild.

“We have three mating condor pairs this year and three active nests that we are really concerned about. We don’t know if the chicks are dead or not,” said Cathy Keeran of the Ventana Wildlife Society. The society is the only nonprofit group releasing and managing California condors in the wild.

Keeran said eight captive chicks had been rescued by helicopter just before fire went through their home in the society’s aviary in a remote Big Sur canyon last week.

The Big Sur fire, sparked by lightning strikes on June 21, has consumed more than 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) and destroyed 48 homes and other buildings, fire officials said on Tuesday. Containment is not expected until the end of July.

A three-day heat wave forecast for central and southern California starting on Tuesday is expected to bring triple digit temperatures and low humidity, further complicating efforts to control the Big Sur fire and another blaze further south near Santa Barbara that has charred 9,700 acres (3,600 hectares) in seven days.

Fire has already swept through a wild area where one of the condor chicks was nesting. “We did fly over the nest and we saw the area was burned but the redwood tree (containing the nest) was still standing,” Keeran said.

The two other chicks have nests closer to the Pacific Ocean but their fate in the thick acrid smoke covering the region is not known, she said. California condors have a low breeding rate, laying eggs only once every two years, and chicks depend on their parents for more than a year.

The Ventana Wildlife Society (www.ventanaws.org) manages 43 wild condors in the Big Sur area. The birds are equipped with tracking devices and the society puts out food to supplement what the carrion-eaters find in the wild.

“We have a couple we have not been able to locate. Hopefully their transmitters are just not working properly,” Keeran said. “Most are staying very low and towards the coast and in the fog line, so they are flying around the fire.”

Naturalists have been struggling to prevent the extinction of the California condor — the largest bird in North America — for more than 40 years.

The bird was declared an endangered species in 1967. Ten years later, there were only an estimated 25-30 birds in the wild until scientists began capturing and breeding them in captivity before releasing them, with mixed results, in the mid-1990s.