Wildfires

Double Rainbow Guy Stands up to Yosemite Wildfires

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:01:46 GMT

Source: mashable.com --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Double Rainbow Guy has a new sight to behold — and it's a lot more deadly than a post-shower sky. Paul "Bear" Vasquez first noticed the Wildfires making their way through central California and Yosemite National Park on Sunday — part of what's feared to be the worst season in a century . He had been talking on the phone with a CNN reporter, but he immediately grabbed his camera and started filming. From the very first shot, Bear's live report has the look and feel of the "Double Rainbow" video. He zooms in and out on the fire and stack of smoke and expresses his amazement at the height and amount of destruction the flames are causing to the forest. Read more... More about California , Wildfires , Wildfire , Double Rainbow Guy , and Watercooler ...

Colorado wildfires underscore need to integrate unmanned aircraft

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:47:00 GMT

Source: app.feed.informer.com --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A firefighting aircraft dumps retardent over the Black Forest fire ire near Colorado Springs. (Tom Cooper, Getty Images) By Michael Toscano Guest Commentary Over the past weeks, we all watched in sadness as Wildfires in Colorado’s Black Forest raged out of control, destroying more than 500 homes and displacing nearly 40,000 people. As first responders battled the fires, critical tools that could have assisted them on the front lines — unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — largely sat idle because of government regulations. Unmanned aircraft could make firefighters' jobs both easier and safer, providing them with situational awareness by flying through smoke and at night, situations too dangerous for piloted aircraft. UAS can see through smoke to identify hotspots, help forecasters predict the weather, drop fire retardants and alert authorities to people and property in harm’s way. In spite of these obvious benefits, before a firefighter is allowed to deploy a UAS, they must first get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. When fires are burning and spreading by the minute, this process often makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get timely approval to fly. As a result, the U.S. Forest Service recently reported that it won't be able to use the technology this year in the Northwest. In addition, current rules sometimes require that a chase airplane follow UAS for safety reasons, negating the benefits of unmanned aircraft ...

The two wildfires at Dinosaur National Monument have merged into one 380-acre fire, and fire manager

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:48:48 GMT

Source: www2.craigdailypress.com --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Photo by Dinosaur National Monument/courtesy The two Wildfires at Dinosaur National Monument have merged into one 380-acre fire, and fire managers are currently working to suppress the blaze. ...

Air quality concerns due to wildfires

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:09 GMT

Source: www.cbs47.tv --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
An air quality alert has been issued in the Valley because of the smoke and particulate matter caused by multiple fires in the area. Local health officials are advising people with breathing conditions to stay indoors, and away from the unhealthy particles the fire is kicking up. The Wildfires are producing a lot of smoke, which is affecting air quality throughout the Central Valley. That smoke is affecting the foothill areas down to Fresno, and Tulare and counties. Allergies and hot weather were already making it difficult for many and now doctors say the smoke is making it much worse, especially for people with respiratory or breathing problems. Heather Heinks with the Valley Air District said, "What folks need to keep in mind is that if they see and smell smoke, then they are more than likely inhaling particulate matter, which can have a severe health impact." Dr. Praveen Buddiga with the Baz Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Center said, "People are really recommended to, those who have respiratory conditions or breathing conditions, to take their medicines and try to keep their windows closed. Try not to go outside..." The Valley Air District has monitors with air quality information displayed around the Valley. ...

Wildfires in southwestern Alaska

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:48:50 GMT

Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov --- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Wildfires burned in a remote part of southwestern Alaska on June 16, 2013. ...

Three Sierra wildfires in 24 hours could signal troubled summer

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:55:10 GMT

Source: www.fresnobee.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Deborah Grant heard sirens race past her Yosemite Lakes Park home toward her second property. Read comments ...

Expert warns terrorists may be setting wildfires across American West

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Source: thewesterner.blogspot.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld of the New York-based American Center for Democracy's Economic Warfare Institute warns that last July "al-Qaeda's English-language online magazine, Inspire, published an article called 'It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb,' which featured instructions on how to build an incendiary bomb to light forests on fire. "A few months later, Russia's security (FSB) chief, Aleksandr Bortnikov warned, 'al-Qaeda was complicit in recent forest fires in Europe' as part of the terrorists' 'strategy of a thousand cuts.' Bortnikov spoke of 'extremist sites [that] contained detailed instructions of waging the forest jihad and stressed that such a method had proved itself effective as it inflicted both physical and moral damage, needed little training or investment and it was extremely hard for police to find and apprehend the arsonists.' "Since then, more fatwas advocating that 'Fire is cheap, easy and effective tool for economic warfare' have been issued. They've included detailed instructions for constructing remote-controlled 'ember bombs, and how to set fires without leaving a trace.'" Ehrenfeld notes that, while many of the recent Wildfires in the U.S. have been attributed by law enforcement officials to arsonists none have pointed to al Qaeda as being responsibility for any of them... more ...

Wildfires to Increase Over California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:38:01 GMT

Source: newsblaze.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
AccuWeather.com reports weather favoring the spread of Wildfires will increase over California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona Tuesday into Wednesday. ...

Wildfires Continue to Burn in Eastern Utah

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:52:02 GMT

Source: kuer.org --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Firefighters are still trying to contain three fires started in south eastern Utah last week. The Rock Creek Fire near Price, the Lackey Fan Fire near La Sal and the Dark Canyon Fire west of Monticello all began when a storm rolled through southeast Utah late last week.The Lackey Fan Fire is the biggest of the three having already burned about 900 acres with a crew of over 300 firefighters battling the blaze. The fire is currently burning in the opposite direction of La Sal and crews aren’t planning evacuations at this time. ...

10 of the worst wildfires in U.S. history

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:02:02 GMT

Source: www.mnn.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Wildfire season is upon us, and this year is already shaping up to be another inferno, especially out West. Unfortunately, rampant blazes are increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception this time of year. It's a trend that comes as no surprise for many climate scientists, who have predicted that one of the effects of global warming will be increased heat waves and drought throughout the Western U.S. ...

Networks Hype Sequester Slashing 'Desperately Needed Money' to Fight Wildfires

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:20:50 GMT

Source: newsbusters.org --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Saturday's CBS Evening News ballyhooed the " enormous strain on resources " that the budget sequester has apparently put on extinguishing a massive wildfire in Colorado. Carter Evans played up how, in addition to fighting the flames, " federal firefighters are facing another challenge : a loss of $50 million, mandated by the budget sequester. That forced the Forest Service to cut 500 firefighters and 50 engines, just when they're needed most ." The CBS evening newscast was actually late to the game, as the network's Big Three competitors also spotlighted the same figures earlier in June. read more ...

Wildfires burning in Central Sierra foothills

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:01:00 GMT

Source: www.recordnet.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
MARIPOSA, Calif. (AP) — A wind-whipped wildfire near the main route into Yosemite National Park in the Central Sierra foothills forced the evacuation of about 150 houses and threatened others, a state fire official said on Monday. ...

Wildfires Burn Out Family for Second Time

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Source: abcnewsradioonline.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
File photo. Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) -- Terrie and John Gardner thought they’d have more time. They were at their Colorado Springs home a year ago, nervously monitoring the Waldo Canyon Fire that was spreading quickly and getting closer. “We started packing some things and preparing,” Terrie recalls. By about 4 p.m., they still hadn’t been told to evacuate. Suddenly, they realized if they waited for an official notice, they’d be dead. “I had gone upstairs for something, looked out the window and saw that the fire had come out the window over the ridge,” she says. “We started throwing everything in the car.” John, 54, says he heard Terrie yell from upstairs. “She says, ‘Come upstairs, you have to see this.’ I look out the window and … the hillside is just glowing. It’s like, ‘Wow.’ We started moving a little bit faster.” The couple managed to quickly pack up their dogs, important pictures, documents, computer equipment and even John’s favorite guitar. “In hindsight, there are things you wish you would have grabbed but they’re just gone,” John says. Terrie, 54, says, “I grabbed a couple of boxes of my daughter’s things. She had a coat that I actually wore as a baby and so I had that.” The Waldo Canyon blaze would become the most destructive blaze in Colorado history, burning the Gardner’s home to the ground along with nearly 350 others. The Gardners have been living for the past year with Terrie ...

Sierra wildfires trigger warning of unhealthy air

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:50:28 GMT

Source: www.fresnobee.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Local air officials have issued a health caution because of smoke from two Sierra Nevada Wildfires. Read comments ...

Who determines how wildfires are fought? Certainly not just the firemen, that's...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:32:34 GMT

Source: www.facebook.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Who determines how Wildfires are fought? Certainly not just the firemen, that's for sure. OpenSecrets analyzes the role of environmental advocacy groups, local governments, farm associations, and yes, lobbying in "The Politics of Fire." The Politics of Fire - OpenSecrets Blog www.opensecrets.org As firefighters in Western states continue to battle Wildfires, lobbyists in Washington are fighting their own battle over how to handle fires like the Black Forest blaze in the future. ...

Texas Boy Scouts evacuated during Colorado wildfires

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:07:03 GMT

Source: www.wfaa.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
When the scouts of Troop 1852 left Missouri City last week, they thought they were going on a camping trip to Colorado. But the trip turned into something far bigger than anyone expected. ...

Kudzu, wildfires and bark beetles

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:01:00 GMT

Source: deltafarmpress.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
How healthy are our forests? How vulnerable are they to fires, erosion and invasive flora and fauna? Well, consider that it’s early June and Western Wildfires are already burning forests to a crisp. Just down the road from my house, in east Arkansas’ St. Francis National Forest, invasive kudzu has overtaken huge swaths of towering trees. On some hillsides, tree carcasses still stand, swallowed up by a choking tide of the vines. Farm Press Blog read more ...

Friendly drones are being used for mapping wildfires, delivering pizza and searc...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:01 GMT

Source: www.facebook.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Friendly drones are being used for mapping Wildfires, delivering pizza and searching for missing persons, not to mention creating engineering jobs. Do you think that there's a place for drones to do good in the world? http://bit.ly/19zo3MG ...

Officials: Majority of New Mexico wildfires contained

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Source: www.connectamarillo.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
Officials say crews have contained the majority of the 94 square miles of Wildfires raging throughout the New Mexico. ...

Southern Utah Also Contends with Wildfires

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:13:42 GMT

Source: coloradoradio.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
(Moab, UT) Approximately 20-thousand acres in Colorado have been burned in the past week by wildfire and now Southern Utah is contending with its own set of mostly lightning sparked blazes. Moab based National Forest spokesperson Sandy Nelson says the Rock Creek Fire is burning in the iconic Book Cliffs between Grand Junction and Price, Utah, and the Lackey Fan Fire is burning in the Manti-La Sal National Forest just outside of Moab where smoke is visible from Highway-191. SB03 Nelson says three additional fires in the Abajo Range were being attacked from the air by smoke jumpers over the weekend. ...