Wildfire news: September 3

California: Report released about cause of October fires

The cause and origin investigations by CalFire of three of the major fires in southern California that scorched hundreds of thousands of acres last October concluded months ago that powerlines caused the Witch Creek, Guejito, and Rice Canyon fires. But a report just released by the state's Consumer Protection and Safety Division of the state utilities commision confirms these findings and further accuses the power company, San Diego Gas and Electric, of refusing to fully cooperate with the investigation.

From the San Diego Union:

The 32-page analysis not only cites failures by SDG&E but also by Cox Communications, which maintained lashing wires blamed for sparking the Guejito fire. The report calls on the Public Utilities Commission to further investigate the extent of violations and recommends rule changes to avert future fire danger.

Investigators singled out SDG&E for delaying the final report, saying the power company failed to fully cooperate by not making witnesses and evidence available.

One utility official “instructed me to contact SDG&E's attorneys to determine when CPSD staff would be allowed to interview SDG&E personnel,” lead investigator Mahmoud Intably wrote.

Intably recommended the utilities commission make special note of SDG&E's lack of cooperation and issue a separate order clarifying that utilities must “provide immediate access to witnesses, sites or any other evidence requested” by regulators.

SDG&E issued a statement rejecting virtually every finding from safety inspectors.

“This report . . . is full of speculation and faulty conclusions, with sparse evidence – if any – to support its claims,” the statement read.

In a separate statement, Cox Communications also said the report's conclusions were not supported by evidence.

The company said the Cox Communications wire identified as the cause of the Guejito fire “was fully intact prior to the extreme Santa Ana winds, which caused SDG&E's lines and our lines to come into contact.”

Cal Fire said in July that a Cox lashing wire broke loose and connected with an SDG&E power line, sparking the Guejito fire. Lashing wires are thin strands used to bundle cables and other wires together.

Intably said he found other broken lashing wires during his investigation, indicating the problem might be more widespread. He suggested commissioners strengthen the rules regulating such wires.

The Witch Creek fire combined with the Guejito fire and killed two people, burned almost 200,000 acres and destroyed 1,141 homes. The Rice Canyon fire charred almost 9,500 acres and destroyed more than 200 houses.

Hundreds of plaintiffs are suing SDG&E to recover damages caused by the three fires.

Wildfire news, October 15

California: Power company criticized for fire danger related power shut-off plan

San Diego Gas and Electric announced earlier that they planned to shut off power to large areas of San Diego County during periods of strong winds and high fire danger. It turns out that not everyone is crazy about the concept. From CBS8:

SDG&E is under fire for its proposal to shut off power during high winds in wildfire-prone areas.

At a meeting Tuesday night in front of the State Public Utility Commission, San Diegans voiced their concerns about the idea.

Also present at the meeting, county officials asked the commission for a full investigation into the matter.

"To convince the commission to do the right thing and hold SDG&E's feet to the fire to do what they should've done years ago, changing the poles from wood to steel, more spacing between the lines and better tree-trimming vegetation management," said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

A SDG&E representative at the meeting said the company is committed to doing whatever is possible to make its system safer.

HERE is a link to a video news report on the subject.

Night flying helicopters in San Diego County

Some politicians in the San Diego area continue to be obsessed with night flying firefighting helicopters. Some of them still think that a few water drops when the 2003 Cedar fire began as the sun was setting could have prevented it from growing to 270,000 acres. The fact is, the strong Santa Ana winds at the time would have made any helicopter drops ineffective.

Here is an excerpt from a story in the North County Times:

Five years after local officials were infuriated by a decision to ground aircraft at sunset rather than attack California's largest wildfire in its infancy, the region is moving ---- albeit slowly ---- to battle blazes from the air after dark.

State fire officials said helicopters did not fly at night during this week's San Diego County wildfires, largely because pilots were able to knock down flames with water and fire retardant during the day.

But the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, has opened the door to making drops at night over the backcountry areas it is responsible for protecting, including 1 million acres in San Diego County.

And the state agency gave the city of San Diego the green light in September to fly its two twin-engine firefighting helicopters over those areas, in the event another inferno like those of 2003 and 2007 breaks out.

"CalFire has agreed to allow night flying in state responsibility areas if they determine that the equipment is safe," said county Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents much of the backcountry, including Ramona. "This is a historic change in policy."

While it is disappointing the state did not give a green light to the county because it does not consider its helicopters to be safe, Jacob said a future aircraft purchase, possibly with money from a November ballot measure, could put the county in the night firefighting business.

For now, said sheriff's Lt. Phil Brust, county helicopters will focus on flames during daylight hours.

"During the day, we can do any mission that is asked of us," Brust said. "But once the sun goes down, they (CalFire officials) are not comfortable flying in those helicopters."

The county sheriff helicopters are both single-engine Bell 205 models.

Division Chief Tom Humann, aviation safety officer for CalFire in Sacramento, said the state agency doesn't consider single-engine helicopters safe because, if the engine goes out, the pilot has no choice but to bring the aircraft down.

In daylight, a pilot has a 180-degree range of view to rely on for spotting an emergency landing spot, he said. But at night, even with night-vision goggles, a pilot's range is 40 degrees.

"It's kind of like looking through a couple of toilet paper rolls," Humann said.

And a pilot is much more likely to crash at night in a single-engine aircraft, he said.

Washington, D.C wildland fire presentation

The folks at the Department of Interior in D.C. apparently think that the residents of their fair city need wildland "fire-proofing tips for homeowners".

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior will host a multi-media presentation on wildland fire prevention and containment, featuring fire-proofing tips for homeowners and first-hand experiences of Interior firefighters, on Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the Yates Auditorium of the Main Interior Building. The public is invited to attend this free family event, entitled “Smokejumpers, Groundpounders and Shots – Tales from Wildland Fire” at 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.

San Diego preemptive power outage gets mixed reviews

The plan by San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to turn off electricity to large portions of the county during periods of strong winds and low fuel moisture is being applauded by some and criticized by others. The company's power lines have been blamed for starting numerous large fires over the last 40 years and they are probably very concerned about their liability and how it will affect their profits.

They have several options:

1. Reduce the chances that the power lines will start fires by ensuring that wooden poles, fuses and switches are in satisfactory condition, replacing some wooden poles with metal poles, putting some lines underground, improving their tree-trimming programs along the lines, and inspecting the lines more frequently.
   
2. Implement the preemptive power outage program during Santa Ana wind events. This risks receiving heavy criticism from their customers who need power for medical equipment, traffic lights, telephones, garage door openers, and water systems. Convince tens of thousands of individuals, companies, and agencies to purchase and install emergency backup power systems, or have SDG&E pay for the systems. Option #2 may result in them getting sued.
3. Do nothing, and continue to have their power lines start fires. They will continue to get sued if they choose this option.

As far as we know, this is an unprecedented plan, turning off power to large areas because the lines may start a fire during strong winds. They may be hoping that by scaring the public about losing their power, the state legislature will exempt the company from liability.

The scare-the-public tactic works for the Bush administration. It may work for SDG&E.

Wildfire news, October 3

Corrections officer dies on Arizona fire

From the Arizona Capitol Times:

A corrections officer working with an inmate hotshot crew died Oct. 1, shortly after the crew began working to contain a fire near Lake Havasu City, according the Arizona Department of Corrections.

The officer, Douglas Falconer, 46, apparently died of natural causes, the agency said in a statement released Oct. 2. No more details were available.

"Officers and inmates alike responded immediately, and emergency medical assistance made every effort to revive Officer Falconer," according to the statement.

Falconer was assigned to the Arizona State Prison Phoenix-Globe inmate wildland fire crew. The crew is stationed at the prison in Globe. Falconer become a state corrections officer in 2004, working with the hotshot crew since July 2007.

On the field, two corrections officers and a sergeant team up to oversee each of the prison system's 15 hotshot crews. The Globe crew was working on a fire line to contain the Sacramento Fire near the California border at the time of Falconer's death.

The crew had responded to seven previous wildfires in the past two seasons, DOC officials said.

Falconer is survived by his wife. Flags at state facilities will be lowered to half-staff the day of Falconer's funeral services, which have not yet been arranged.

Our condolences to the family of Douglas Falconer.

Power company to shut off electricity to lines during extreme fire danger

The San Diego Gas and Electric Company, whose power lines are blamed for starting the 1970 Laguna fire and the 2007 Witch Creek fire, both over 100,000 acres, plans to de-energize some power lines during periods of extreme weather. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The proposal was outlined in a letter that the utility plans to send Friday to about 45,000 customers living in the highest fire-risk areas. The letter also outlines other steps the utility, which has 1.4 million customers, has taken to reduce the potential for wildfires.

A report released by Cal Fire in July said that arcing SDG&E lines ignited the Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice Canyon fires, three of the most devastating wildfires that raced across the county last October.

The letter said that five conditions would have to be met before power is turned off, and the utility anticipates that would happen “as infrequently as one time or less per year.” An estimated 1,000 to 10,000 customers would likely be affected at one time, and outages generally would be 12 to 72 hours, although that could be as short as several hours, the letter said.

The five conditions are:

• The National Weather Service issues a red-flag warning indicating that conditions are highly conducive to wildfires.
• Sustained winds are greater than 35 mph or wind gusts are greater than 55 mph.
• Relative humidity is less than 20 percent.
• The moisture level in “non-living” materials such as sticks, twigs and leaves is less than 6 percent as determined by the National Weather Service.
• The moisture level in “living” plants and bushes is less than or equal to 75 percent as determined by Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service.

A fire already burning would not be a condition for activating the shut-down program, the utility said.

SDG&E said it would attempt to contact customers before shutting down power, but that in some cases there might not be time to do so. Customers also could be notified by the county's Office of Emergency Services reverse 9-1-1 system. Customers can register for reverse 9-1-1 system online at ReadySanDiego.org.

The utility said other steps it has taken to reduce the potential for wildfires include replacing more than 300 wood poles with steel poles; using heavier wire in some rural areas; expanding aerial inspections of transmission lines; and adding new high-resolution cameras to inspect lines.

75 years ago today, 29 firefighters were killed on the Griffith Park fire near Los Angeles.

This was the deadliest fire for wildland firefighters in American history.

The Griffith Park Fire occurred at 2:26 p.m. October 3, 1933 in Block 36, Dam Canyon in the Mineral Wells Canyon area near the old Los Angeles Zoo. A group of 3,780 men were employed clearing brush as part of the Los Angeles County welfare relief program. A small fire had started at the bottom of a slope and a number of men were ordered or volunteered to fight the fire. A sudden wind change sent a shaft of flame up the slopes of Dam Canyon killing 29 workers of thermal burns and injuring more than 150 others. Engine 56, Hose 27 along with 50 Mountain Patrolmen responded and contained the fire to 46.83 acres.

From the IAWF Wildland Fire Event Calendar

Power company sues their customers after burning down their houses

San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), whose powerlines have been identified by CalFire investigators as causing the devastating Witch and Rice fires that burned large areas of eastern San Diego County in 2007, have said they intend to sue 14 of their customers whose homes burned in the fires. More than 1,100 homes and 197,000 acres burned, but SDG&E claims that the homeowners "failed to maintain property in respect to brush clearance". The power company's strategy is a countersuit to offset the suits of their customers who lost their homes.

Some of the homeowners are understandably stunned by this development.

This is like, for instance, if someone had a vicious dog who escaped through an improperly maintained fence, then attacked you and caused serious injury. Could the dog owner sue you for not carrying a weapon so you could have fought off the dog just before it attacked you?

As Wildfire Today reported on January 25, there are a gazillion lawsuits related to these fires. which so far are keeping over 150 lawyers gainfully employed and involve $1 billion.

Attorneyatlaw.com has more details.

HERE is a link to a map of the Witch fire.

UPDATE: January 30 @ 2:03 MT

As we have written in the past, we are strong advocates of the Prepare, Stay, and Defend program, for less flammable building materials, for property owners to maintain a fire safe environment around their structures, and for firefighters not being forced into unsafe situations fighting fire at unprepared homes. But if it turns out to be the case, as it appears now, that the fire was caused by negligence of the power company, it is unconscionable for them to sue their customers whose homes would not have burned down if the power company had not started the fire.

Wildfire news, October 31

Wyoming: fire inside missile silo

A fire inside an unmanned live nuclear missile silo on May 23, 40 miles east of Cheyenne, Wyoming was discovered by the Air Force five days after it did $1 million in damage and self-extinguished. The Air Force would not confirm that the Minuteman III multiple-warhead atomic missile was armed with a nuclear warhead when the fire occurred. The fire was not in the launch tube where the missile stood.

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Greeley Tribune:

Many of the missile silos in Weld County are in the New Raymer Fire District. The fire department covers 1,100 square miles and has dozens of missile silos within its boundaries.

“Our department has been trained about missile silos and fire,” said new Raymer Fire Chief Cyle Lambert. “The Air Force comes out and trains us, but they pretty much say they’re in charge if there’s a fire.”

Lambert said firefighters in New Raymer are only trained to respond to the manned silos — there are two of them in the fire protection district — and they are not to respond to the unmanned silos. The arrangement for missile silos is to have one manned silo commanding the launch of as many as 10 unmanned silos.

“Probably our biggest worry about the silo fires,” Lambert said, “is that a wildland fire could spread over a silo. But we’ve been assured it wouldn’t cause any kind of serious accident.”

Arellano says the fire was caused by a faulty battery and extinguished itself from a lack of fuel after an hour or two. It burned a box of shotgun shells, a shotgun and a shotgun case that were kept in the room, but the Air Force investigative report did not mention any debris from the shells, Arellano said.

Damage was estimated at $1 million, including replacing damaged equipment and cleanup.

It took five days to discover this fire that did $1 million in damage in a Minuteman III multiple-warhead atomic missile silo? Holy Crap! And it burned a box of shotgun shells?

This is one of 60 similar silos in Weld County, Wyoming. I'm sure the other 59 are monitored much more efficiently. Those other 59 might even have fire alarms so headquarters would know if a damn Minuteman III multiple-warhead atomic missile silo was on fire!

Sleep well my friends.



Greece: First Aerial Firefighting conference held

From Aero-News.net

Organizers say the Aerial Firefighting Conference 2008, which took place in Athens, Greece on October 22-23, was highly successful. Organized by Tangent Link Ltd, the first annual conference was attended by twenty-two nations.

The conference was chaired by Johann Goldhammer of the Global Fire Monitoring Center and Rear Admiral Terry Loughran. The agenda included fixed and rotary winged operations, safety, management and technologies; subjects which dominated the vibrant conference.

Many interagency meetings ensued to discuss and debate how to tackle wildfires from the air and how international aerial fire fighting management organizations can improve and share their knowledge and systems. An exhibition of some of the worlds' leading operators and suppliers was held simultaneously; the exhibition drew considerable interest from the delegates and provided a focal point for many of the accompanying discussions.

Panel sessions took place on Air Pollution from Aerial Firefighting and a debate was hosted by Chris Allen from the EU-Civil Protection Directorate on whether Europe should finance a cross-border aerial fire fighting squadron. Leading exponents took part in the debate including Tom Harbour, Director, Aviation United States Forest Service (USFS, USA), Shane Fitzsimmonds, Commissioner NSW Rural Fire Service (Australia), Dave Bokovay, Aviation Manager CIFFC (Canada) and Colonel Fernando Pastor Villar, Commander 43rd Group Spanish Air Force (Spain).

Two new upcoming events were announced at the conference. The Aerial Firefighting USA Conference is scheduled to take place in Anaheim, CA on February 19-20, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The event is supported by UN-ISDR and the Global Fire Monitoring Center, and sponsored by Bombardier.

The second event is a one-day Aerial Firefighting Australasia Conference taking place in conjunction with the New South Wales Rural Fire Services' "International Wildfire Management Conference 2009" taking place in Sydney, Australia -- the largest fire fighting management event of its kind in the Australasia region.

California: Power company shelves plans to cut power during high fire danger

San Diego Gas and Electric, a company whose power lines are blamed for starting multiple very large wildland fires, has postponed until next year plans to turn off the power to large sections of San Diego County during periods of high fire danger. Wildfire Today covered this story earlier HERE.

This is their proposed map of areas that could lose power.


This week the Commission announced that no rules exist to prevent the utility from shutting off the electricity. But they said they want to review the plan which would shut off power to 45,000 citizens. SDG&E still hopes to be able to turn off the power as they wish next year.

We wrote on October 4:

As far as we know, this is an unprecedented plan, turning off power to large areas because the lines may start a fire during strong winds. They may be hoping that by scaring the public about losing their power, the state legislature will exempt the company from liability.

The scare-the-public tactic works for the Bush administration. It may work for SDG&E.

Wildfire news, November 20

California: Freeway fire may have been started by exhaust

Investigators are evaluating the possibility that the 30,305 Freeway fire west of Corona may have been started by the catalytic converter on a vehicle. The fire was officially contained on Wednesday. The fire caused minor injuries to 14 firefighters, destroyed 187 residences and damaged 127 others, while four commercial properties were either damaged or destroyed.

Westmont College says its students didn't start Tea fire

From the LA Times, concerning the fire near Montecito and Santa Barbara, California:

Westmont College, the 1,200-student Christian university that was damaged in last week's disastrous Tea fire, announced Wednesday that none of its current students were involved in the incident that sparked the blaze.

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said the fire that damaged or destroyed 219 homes was ignited by a group of 10 students who had built a bonfire and abandoned its smoldering remains.

The department, however, did not say which school the suspects attended, raising speculation among some residents that the students attended Westmont.

On Wednesday, college President Gayle D. Beebe responded to the rumors in a written statement.

"On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m., Drew Sugars, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's [Department], officially informed the college that no current Westmont students were present nor in any way involved with this tragic incident," he wrote.

HERE is a link to an article about the unusual history of Santa Barbara's Tea Gardens, where the Tea fire started from the abandoned bonfire.


Hawaii fire on Lanai contained

The fire on the island of Lanai is now contained at about 1,000 acres. Yesterday Wildfire Today covered the evacuation of 600 people, some in boats.


San Diego County suing power company for fires

San Diego County is suing San Diego Gas and Electric over the damages caused by the fires of October, 2007. The suit includes damages for the loss of property tax revenue; loss of wildlife habitat; debris removal; and destruction of public buildings.

Three of the most damaging 2007 wildfires – the Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice Canyon fires – were started when sparks from arcing SDG&E power lines ignited brush during high winds, two separate state investigations have found.


Arizona: Marteen fire still active

Marteen fire on Squaw Mountain. USFS

This fire northwest of Flagstaff has been burning since August 7. It is a fire use fire, so it's not being suppressed. Thought dead after the summer monsoons, the fire, 700 acres at that time, sprang back to life on October 15. Now it has burned 10,788 acres. It is expected to continue to burn slowly and creep around as long as conditions remain dry.

Top Wildland Fire News Stories: Sept-Dec, 2008

On December 30 and 31, after combing through the 800+ posts on Wildfire Today during 2008, we posted the top wildland fire news stories of January-April, and May-August. On December 29 we posted a list of fatalities on wildland fires.

Today, January 1, we have the top stories for September-December, 2008. Posted below are excerpts from the articles. To read the full text in the original articles, click on the links.

September 1
Montana: Dunn Mountain fire: contained at 102,383 acres

This huge fire 30 miles northeast of Billings received some rain late on Sunday. The precipitation and cooler temperatures enabled firefighters to make good progress Sunday and Monday, resulting in the fire being 100% contained today. Here is a photo from a couple of days ago:



John N. Maclean on the Thirtymile Fire sentencing

As many wildland firefighters know, John N. Maclean is the author of three books about wildland fire. Having known John for a while, we contacted him after Ellreese Daniels was sentenced for Daniels' actions on the Thirtymile fire. We asked him for his reaction to the sentence and discovered that he was writing an article on the subject for Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News. We received permission from John and High Country News to publish the article. Wildfire Today thanks them both for their generosity. The article is included in its entirety HERE.

September 4
San Diego's new helicopter

The City of San Diego introduced their new firefighting helicopter to the public yesterday. Copter 2, a Bell 412, is the city's second helicopter. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The city is paying for the nearly $11 million helicopter with a 15-year lease-purchase agreement, financed by Koch Financial Corp., said Deputy Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. The helicopter will cost $15.9 million over the term of the lease.

The Bell 412 is quieter, carries more weight, and is faster than Copter 1, the city's Bell 212, Fennessy said. He said Copter 2 can be flown with instruments in zero visibility, while Copter 1 requires some visibility to be operated.

According to the city, Copter 2 can drop 375 gallons of water. While hovering over a lake, a pilot can refill its drop tank in 17 seconds.

File photo of an LA County Bell 412

September 6

Some insurance companies requiring 1,000-1,500' clearance around houses

Allstate insurance in response to the massive fires in recent years in southern California is no longer selling new homeowner policies in the state. Some companies that are still selling new policies are requiring massive clearances around structures.

September 8
Cancer risk for firefighters

We are not aware of any specific study that has been completed on the occurrence of cancer among wildland firefighters, but there is enough data out there about structural firefighters that make this a major concern. Wildfire Today has covered this before, but the Spokane Spokesman-Review has a new disturbing article about a local cancer cluster. Here is an excerpt.

Doug Bacon missed the funeral of a fellow Spokane firefighter because the 59-year-old was in treatment for throat cancer – the same illness that had just killed his friend and co-worker.

A third Spokane firefighter who joined the department with Bacon in the 1970s also has been diagnosed with throat cancer.

"It's to the point we're trying to figure out which fire we were all on together," said Bacon, who survived his cancer and returned to the job in mid-2006. "I've got attitude. I fought it."

Firefighters are at least twice as likely to get cancer as the average person because of exposure to toxins emitted in fires, such as benzene, asbestos and cyanide, studies say. More firefighters have been diagnosed with cancer in the past two years than in the previous 10 years, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and recent studies.

September 11
Wildland Firefighter Foundation recognized by CNN

Vicki, Burke, and Melissa have been doing wonderful things at the WFF for a number of years. It's great that CNN is recognizing them. Here is an excerpt from the CNN article, but if you go to the original HERE, you will be able to view some videos featuring Vicki and the work the WFF is doing.

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) -- Firefighter Jonathan Frohreich had never heard of The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, much less its founder, until recovering from severe work-related injuries last month.

Vicki Minor's Wildland Firefighter Foundation has granted more than $1.5 million in aid to more than 500 families.

As he lay in his hospital bed in Sacramento, California, Vicki Minor put her hand on his shoulder.

"She introduced herself and told me that she was there to help," recalls Frohreich, who had been in a helicopter crash that killed nine of his colleagues. "She just said, 'Anything.' She was there to do anything for me."

Since 1999, Minor has dedicated herself to providing emergency assistance and ongoing support to injured and fallen wildfire fighters and their families nationwide through her Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Wildland firefighters are called into action when the United States' vast natural resources are threatened by fire.

September 16
Tanker 09's last drop

Here is a photo of Tanker 09's last drop before they went back to Reno to refill and then crashed on take off September 1.

Photo by Robert Mesa of Santa Clara, California.

September 17
San Diego County contracts for Superscoopers

San Diego County is gradually taking steps to increase their fire preparedness after being criticized in reports following their massive fires of 2003 and 2007. The City of San Diego recently purchased their second helicopter, and the County is contracting for two Bombardier CL-415 Superscooper air tankers and a lead plane for three months.

HERE is a link to a page with a video from San Diego 6 that shows a demonstration of the aircraft in action Tuesday.

September 18
USFS cuts fine for congressman involved in escaped fire

Wildfire Today first covered this on June 4, but now there are new developments.

From The State.com

By JAMES ROSEN - jrosen@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON — A senior federal official, fearful of incurring a congressman’s wrath, sent subordinates on a mad dash earlier this year to retrieve a certified letter demanding payment of $5,773 for starting a fire that burned 20 acres of a national forest.

U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, R-SC

Mark Rey, undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources, said he didn’t want U.S. Rep. Henry Brown to receive the March 12 letter before he testified before a U.S. House committee on which the South Carolina Republican sits.

“I’d just as soon have him not take a chunk of hide out of me,” Rey said Wednesday.

Rey confirmed the actions of Forest Service collections agents as outlined in internal agency documents McClatchy (newspapers) obtained.

September 21
Former San Diego Chief: We're not ready for the next fire

After devasting fires in 2003 and 2007, the San Diego City and County fire departments are struggling to build their wildland fire preparedness up to an adequate level. It is difficult to fathom how this situation could exist in one of the most heavily populated and wealthiest areas in North America. Here is an excerpt from an article in the North County Times.

September 22
San Diego helicopters cleared for night flying

From the La Jolla Light:
Cal Fire and the city of San Diego inked an agreement today clearing the city's two emergency-services helicopters to fight fires at night in the 1.1 million local acres served by the state agency.

September 29
AD Firefighter Association to shut down

After having been virtually invisible for the last year or two, the AD Firefighter Association will cease to exist after September 30, 2009, according to their web site.

October 3
Power company to shut off electricity to lines during extreme fire danger

The San Diego Gas and Electric Company, whose power lines are blamed for starting the 1970 Laguna fire and the 2007 Witch Creek fire, both over 100,000 acres, plans to de-energize some power lines during periods of extreme weather. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The proposal was outlined in a letter that the utility plans to send Friday to about 45,000 customers living in the highest fire-risk areas. The letter also outlines other steps the utility, which has 1.4 million customers, has taken to reduce the potential for wildfires.

A report released by Cal Fire in July said that arcing SDG&E lines ignited the Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice Canyon fires, three of the most devastating wildfires that raced across the county last October.

October 6
NASA Partners With Forest Service On Air Tanker Safety Study

EDWARDS, Calif. — NASA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service on a project to examine the mission suitability of Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire retardant delivery aircraft. The aircraft under study are a DC-10 belonging to 10 Tanker Air Carrier LLC and a 747 owned by Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. The DC-10 tanker has already been successfully employed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in past wildfire suppression missions.


October 11
NTSB releases report on DC-10 air tanker tree-strike

The National Transportation Safety Board has released their official report on the DC-10 air tanker tree-strike incident that occurred in June of 2007. This was a closer call than we realized. The aircraft struck 13 trees, one of which was only 45-feet tall. This may explain some of the reluctance of the U.S. Forest Service to award a contract to Evergreen's 747 air tanker.

October 13
Angel Island fire

This fire on an island in San Francisco bay that Wildfire Today told you about yesterday, is now 250 acres. The local ABC TV station has some excellent photos. HERE is a web cam view of the fire.

October 22
Fire in New Jersey burns 1,200 acres

The fire burns near Atsion Lake in Shamong Township in New Jersey on Tuesday. Photo by Curt Hudson.

Update @ 9:13 p.m. ET

By 4:30 p.m. the fire had burned a total of 1,800 acres and was 40% contained. No homes are immediately threatened, a spokesman said.

=======================================

A fire 10 miles southeast of the Philadelphia suburbs has forced the evacuation of several homes and has burned 1,200 acres as of Wednesday morning. The fire is burning in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in the Wharton State Forest and a portion of it has burned into an area that burned last year.

October 31
California: Power company shelves plans to cut power during high fire danger

San Diego Gas and Electric, a company whose power lines are blamed for starting multiple very large wildland fires, has postponed until next year plans to turn off the power to large sections of San Diego County during periods of high fire danger. Wildfire Today covered this story earlier HERE.

This week the Commission announced that no rules exist to prevent the utility from shutting off the electricity. But they said they want to review the plan which would shut off power to 45,000 citizens. SDG&E still hopes to be able to turn off the power as they wish next year.

November 3
Comic book salutes military firefighters

Marvel Comics has created a number of comic books in tribute to our military. Their latest, released free to the military in July, features military personnel, several super heros, MAFFS air tankers, the Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (for mapping fires), and a fire which is threatening San Diego.

Above is one page out of the book. The entire 1.5 MB 5-page book, a .pdf document, can be downloaded HERE from Sagacity Wildfire Services.

The author of the comic book, Stuart Moore, blogged about his creation HERE.

November 5
Barack Obama's position on wildland fire

Now that he is the President-Elect, how will wildland fire be affected? Of course campaign promises don't always materialize, but Obama has an official two-page position paper on wildland fire. We don't recall any Presidential candidate having a specific, written position on wildland fire before this election.

November 13
BDF Engine 56 crash

From FirefighterCloseCalls:
On October 3rd, 2008, at approximately 1940 hrs., a Strike Team made up of 4 BDF (San Bernardino National Forest in southern California) engines and 1 BLM (Bureau of Land Management) engine were traveling from the ICP to their night shift assignment. While in a curve, the right rear wheels of Engine #56 ran off the roadway and caught a four to six inch drop between the asphalt and shoulder.

The driver attempted to correct the situation, resulting in the engine veering across the road, hitting a dirt embankment and rolling over on the left hand side of the road. The engine landed on the passenger side.

The five crew members were treated on scene and transported by ground ambulance to Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, CA. All crew members were treated and released with minor injuries. There were no other vehicles involved. The road was paved, dry, and clear.

California: dozens of homes burn in Tea fire

The Tea fire started at 6 p.m. Thursday and has burned dozens of homes south of Santa Barbara near the community of Montecito, according to Fox Channel 11. Spokesperson Michelel Mickiewicz of Santa Barbara County said at 10:15 p.m. PT that 1,000 acres have burned and 125 engines have been ordered. At least one night-flying water-dropping helicopter has also been ordered but the winds have made it difficult to use aircraft. The crew from the Channel 2 helicopter was able to count at least 50 homes that had burned as of 11 p.m PT, and that was in the dark.

Fox is reporting that the library, the physics building, and some dorms at Westmont College have burned. About 800 students are being sheltered in the gymnasium while structures on their campus burn.

October and November
Sayre, Sesnon, Marek fires

The Sayer fire of November burned into October's Sesnon fire north of Los Angeles. The official size of the Sayer fire is 9,500 acres and it is 30% contained. The Marek fire burned at the same time the Sesnon fire was burning (see map below).

Search and rescue teams with cadaver dogs will be combing through the Oak Ridge mobile home park where 500 mobile homes were lost. They will be looking for the remains of anyone who was not able to evacuate. Even though some people are not accounted for, hopefully they are safe and no remains will be found.


November 17
Freeway Complex fire

This fire near Corona and Yorba Linda, California is still active on the northwest side in the Diamond Bar and Tonner Canyon areas. It has burned 28,889 acres and is 40% contained. At least 120 homes have burned.


November 19
600 people evacuate from fire in Hawaii; some by boat


A vegetation fire on the island of Lanai caused 600 people to evacuate from a hotel and begin to flee the island by boats. The 300 acre fire, pushed by 40 mph winds, threatened the Four Seasons Resort and other areas on the island.


At least four boats loaded with evacuees left the island headed for Maui and Lahaina, but the fire situation eased and the boats were later recalled.

The five firefighters on Lanai had their hands full with this fire. They were eventually joined by 16 firefighters from other islands.

November 22
USFS employee investigated for arson in Esperanza fire area

The Press-Enterprise has a stunning article about a southern California U. S. Forest Service Fire Prevention Technician (FPT), Michael Karl McNeil, 35, who was investigated for arson at several places where he has worked.

The newspaper obtained a copy of a confidential July 2008 report that formed the basis for their lengthy, carefully worded article which says four of the fires for which the FPT was investigated were the same fires that match the dates and circumstances of fires that are associated with Raymond Lee Oyler, who has been charged with setting the 2006 Esperanza fire that resulted in the deaths of five firefighters on Engine 57 of the San Bernardino National Forest. However, investigators determined that McNeil was not responsible for the Esperanza fire.

It appears that two arsonists may have been working in the same general area in 2006, the Banning Pass area.

November 24
"Firefighter instructor" indicted for forging documents

On November 17 Wildfire Today covered the conviction of a Bitterroot Valley, Montana resident, Jay M. Gasvoda, for making false statements to a federal agency. He is a fire contractor who lied about the results of the physical fitness test (pack test).

Now there is news about David Monington of Miles City, Montana being...

...indicted last week in federal court in Rapid City, SD on two counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.

The indictment alleges he forged about 14 signatures of South Dakota firefighting officials in an attempt to gain certification from the National Wildfire Suppression Association. The documents fraudulently attest to his training and experience as a firefighter.

November 27
Firefighters prepare Thanksgiving meal for fire victims

We love stories like this.

Firefighters of the Los Angeles Fire Department will be preparing Thanksgiving meals for some of the victims of the recent Sayer fire where about 500 mobile homes burned. The Fire Department has contacted residents of the mobile home park and thanks to members of Fire Station #27 some of them will be eating a warm meal today. Many residents have accepted the offer and up to 50 of them will be shuttled to the station from the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar.

December 2
Tina Hunt on firefighter liability

[...]

The following was written yesterday, December 2, by Tina Hunt, the attorney who represented Ellreese Daniels in the Thirtymile fire case. It is reprinted here with her permission.

"I feel that firefighters should still remain concerned that criminal charges could be brought based upon statements they make during investigations of burnover and fatality investigations. Felony false statement charges can be very difficult to win, and that was certainly my concern in the Thirty Mile case.

While there were others who gave statements which may have been construed as false, only Ellreese was charged, and I felt as if they charged him only because they could hold the hammer of the manslaughter charges over him.

The prosecution in the 30 Mile case was ridiculous; I will always feel that way, and I would NEVER EVER EVER allow a firefighter to make statements during any investigation if I represented them.

Because there is no check on the power of the government to bring these kinds of charges, I believe that the agencies should get together, along with the AG (Attorney General), to ensure that the goals of a burnover/fatality investigation are not chilled by the threat of prosecution."

The sad truth is, if a firefighter is involved in a serious accident, they need to Lawyer Up, and keep their mouths shut.

December 4
Oregon: report issued about escaped Rx fire

In September Wildfire Today reported on the escaped prescribed fire on the Deschutes National Forest near Sisters, Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service investigated the incident and on December 3 issued their report. Wildfire Today reviewed it and here is a brief summary.

December 12
Life magazine fire photos

From the LIFE magazine archive: "Senator Richard M. Nixon on roof of his home in Los Angeles, putting out fires caused by brush blaze."

Google, in an effort to "organize all the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" is digitizing and putting online never-before-seen images from the LIFE magazine photo archive. So far they have put about 20% of the 10,000,000 photos online.

Kent Maxwell, via FireNet, called this to our attention and pointed out that many of the photos are dated August 8, 1949 with the citation Helena, Montana. The Mann Gulch fire, in which 13 smoke jumpers died, started on August 5, 1949 in the Helena National Forest. One of the photos shows 10-12 boxes about the size of caskets.

To search in the photo archive, go to Google and enter: (your search terms) source:life

HERE are the results, showing 200 images, of a search for: forest fire source:life

December 16
Man accused of starting 75,000 a. fire kills himself

Stephen Posniak, accused of starting the Gunflint Trail Fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that burned 75,000 acres in Minnesota and Canada in 2007, committed suicide.

December 19
Witnesses hard to find for Esperanza fire trial

The trial for the person accused of starting the Esperanza fire, where five U.S. Forest Service firefighters died, is scheduled to begin January 12.

From the Press-Enterprise:

The defense attorney for the man charged in the 2006 Esperanza Fire said in court Friday he is having trouble getting U.S. Forest Service witnesses to cooperate with his efforts to subpoena them.

Raymond Lee Oyler, 38, faces the death penalty if convicted of murder in the deaths of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who were killed when the fire swept over them as they protected a home.

December 22
747 Supertanker update, December 22, 2008

Wildfire Today has learned Evergreen's 747 "Supertanker" still does not have an air tanker contract with any wildland fire agency. The aircraft is sitting at Marana, Arizona after undergoing some modifications and tests. One change they recently made was to replace the internal retardant tanks, requiring additional testing. The new retardant tanks hold 20,500 gallons.

[...]

Evergreen now has three important approvals which are necessary in order to seek a contract so the 747 can be used on fires: FAA's Supplemental Type Certificate, Interagency Tanker Board approval, and an FAA Operating Certificate.

The aircraft will go through more drop testing with the U.S. Forest Service in late February or March. There is still a chance that it could be signed up with either the USFS or CalFire in time to be used on fires in the summer of 2009.

December 30
NTSB report on Colorado SEAT crash

On April 15, 2008, a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) crashed while making a drop on the Training Area 25 (TA25) fire on the Fort Carson military reservation near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Pilot Gert Marais died in the crash.

This was the same day that two firefighters died while responding to another wildland fire about 60 miles to the southeast near Ordway. Wildfire Today covered both accidents HERE.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released their "factual report" about the SEAT crash.