NatDis - Here a fire, there a fire...

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http://www.boston.com/dailynews/149/nation/Fire_forces_partial_evacuation:.shtml

Fire forces partial evacuation of northern California town

By Martin Griffith, Associated Press, 5/29/2001 04:38

SUSANVILLE, Calif. (AP) A raging forest fire forced the evacuation of 54 homes, charred 3,500 acres and coated the town with dark soot as firefighters worked to keep the blaze from reaching the city center.

The fire started Sunday on private timberland after being sparked by a man shooting targets in the woods, said state Department of Forestry spokeswoman Wendy McIntosh.

''It was real smoky and scary,'' said Roger Bailey, who was forced to evacuate on Monday. ''I had tears on my cheeks. It's home.''

Susanville, with a population of about 17,500, is about 80 miles northwest of Reno, Nev. By late Monday, flames had come within a mile of town and 35 percent of the blaze was contained.

''The biggest problem they're having is with the smoke and with the spotting fire that's jumping forward,'' McIntosh said.

McIntosh said two residents suffered minor injuries. No structures were damaged.

A separate fire that burned more than 6,000 acres north of Reno was 40 percent contained late Monday as firefighters worked to reinforce a fire break before the wind kicked up again.

In New Mexico, firefighters struggled over rugged terrain trying to contain a wildfire that burned 1,450 acres in the tinder-dry Guadalupe Mountains in the southeastern part of the state.

Residents may be accustomed to fires especially after last year's devastating season but the Susanville blaze one was uncomfortably close, said Dan Merritt of the Susanville Interagency Fire Center.

''This is the closest it's come to town in the 35 years since I've been here,'' Merritt said. ''It's also the earliest we've had a major forest fire in those 35 years.''

The mandatory evacuations forced residents from the River Roost mobile home park and outlying areas to fill up pickup trucks with photos, pets and other belongings before fleeing.

Cars had to use their headlights to cut through the thick soot and smoke in the air around Susanville.

''We took photos of our kids and grandkids, some family heirlooms and left,'' said Jean Bailey, one of 15 people forced to spend Monday night on a cot at a high school. ''You take the irreplaceable stuff. The furniture can be replaced.''

About 1,000 firefighters were on scene and hoped to slow the fire's advance overnight, using fire engines and bulldozers to build a fire line. Helicopter water drops were called off until sunrise Tuesday.

Schools were to stay closed Tuesday due to concerns about air quality.

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001

Answers

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/149/nation/Crews_battling_fires_in_nor th_:.shtml

Crews battling fires in north, central Florida; smoke forces temporary road closure

By Associated Press, 5/29/2001 08:38

MAYO, Fla. (AP) Crews battled dozens of brush fires around the state Tuesday, including a blaze that has burned nearly 61,000 acres in north Florida.

The 15-day-old Mallory Swamp fire has charred commercial timberland and swampland in Lafayette and Dixie counties. It was about 35 percent contained early Tuesday, a state Division of Forestry statement said.

More than 420 crew members fought the blaze Monday along with another blaze dubbed the Koon Pond fire, which broke out at 2 p.m. and grew to approximately 1,200 acres. Forty-four National Guardsmen were expected to arrive Tuesday.

Three air tankers, five helicopters and 10 tractors were diverted from the Mallory Swamp fire to attack the Koon Pond blaze, three miles to the northwest.

Peninsular Florida is in the fourth year of its worst drought since record-keeping began. Rainfall is 50 to 60 inches below normal over the four years. As of the holiday weekend, the state had 2,844 wildfires burning across 254,500 acres so far this year, state forestry officials said.

Fire officials advised the public to drive carefully Tuesday morning because a mixture of fog and smoke was likely to cause visibility problems.

An Orlando man, Henry John Pileggi Jr., 43, was killed and at least 10 others injured in multiple wrecks Monday along Interstate 4, with heavy smoke from one or more brush fires possibly a factor in the crashes, officials said. Pileggi's car ran into the back of an 18- wheeler and was struck from behind by another vehicle.

The crashes led the Florida Highway Patrol to temporarily shut down all lanes of the major east-west artery.

The smoke came from an 800-acre blaze in Lake County, north of the crash site, and a 1,200-acre fire in Polk County, to the south.

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001


http://www.boston.com/dailynews/149/nation/Nevada_wildfire_40_percent_ con:.shtml

Nevada wildfire 40 percent contained; California blaze scorches 3,500 acres

By Associated Press, 5/29/2001 00:37

RENO, Nev. (AP) A fire that burned more than 6,000 acres north of Reno was 40 percent contained Monday as firefighters worked to reinforce a fire break before the wind kicked up again.

''Right now it's looking pretty good,'' Dave Stout, a fire information spokesman at the fire command center near Sutcliffe, said late Monday afternoon.

''The wind isn't much of a factor, at least down low,'' he said.

Winds in the hills around Pyramid Lake were somewhat stronger but were not ''hindering the work,'' he added.

In New Mexico, firefighters struggled over rugged terrain trying to contain a wildfire that burned 1,450 acres in the tinder dry Guadalupe Mountains in the southeast of the state.

As temperatures inched into the 90s, with low humidity and increasing wind, firefighters faced a difficult challenge in the rough terrain, said Ken Bunt, acting assistant coordination center manager for the U.S. Forest Service.

The three lightening-ignited blazes had nearly burned together Monday night, with the smallest contained and two others between 20 percent and 50 percent under control.

Near Susanville, Calif., about 80 miles northwest of Reno, a raging fire forced evacuation of residents from 54 homes, charring 3,500 acres as firefighters worked to keep it from reaching town.

The large blaze started Sunday on private timberland, sparked by a man who was target-shooting, said state Dept. of Forestry spokeswoman Wendy McIntosh. The man has been cited, but his name was not available Monday.

The fire came to about a mile west of town and a half mile south of California Highway 36 and was 35 percent contained, she said.

''The biggest problem they're having is with the smoke and with the spotting fire that's jumping forward,'' McIntosh said.

McIntosh said two residents suffered minor injuries, but no structures have been damaged or destroyed.

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001


Not looking good...

The really bad fire season in Southern California is months away, when the Santa Ana wind's start blowing, late August-October. Remember our fire storms about 6 years ago? (give or take a year or so, I'm getting old, ok?)

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001


Hey! No flaming, please!

LOL

Talk about a hot topic, eh?

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001


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