Around the nation: Wildfire evacuation for 300 is canceled

WASHINGTON
Wildfire evacuation for 300 is canceled

QUINCY — An evacuation order for up to 300 people was lifted Wednesday as more firefighters were put to work on a wind-driven wildfire fueled by sagebrush in central Washington, officials said.

A survey Wednesday morning showed the blaze had covered more than 2.7 square miles — not the nearly eight miles officials had feared on Tuesday — and was about 20 percent contained, said Lt. Bob Schwiesow of Douglas County Fire District 2.

Crews keeping blazes in check

Fire crews in the Tri-Cities have been busy -- and lucky. They've been able to quickly control wildfires in the region.

Tuesday was no different for Benton County crews who battled small fires along Johns Road in north Richland, Canal Drive in Kennewick and a blaze that burned several hundred acres near Coffin Road, south of Kennewick.

With strong winds in the area throughout the night, "it had all the potential" to turn into a big fire, said Richland Fire Chief Grant Baynes.

"We were really lucky, most of them were kind of contained quickly," he said. "It was just one of those day, but we hit it hard and got free of it."

Wildfire fire near Parachute is fully percent contained

PARACHUTE, Colo. (AP) - A 150-acre wildfire burning five miles southwest of Parachute in western Colorado has been fully contained. It was sparked by lightning Monday evening.

Bureau of Land Management spokesman David Boyd says more than 100 firefighters battle the blaze. A couple engines and crew from Mesa County will stay at the scene to mop up.

Fire in Rhodes: Hotels in the south were evacuated.

Despite the firefighers and inhabitants'Α efforts, the wildfire continues raging for the fourth consecutive day in Rhodes forests. Despite the ongoing efforts to contain the fire, hotels in Kiotaria, southern Rhodes have been evacuated for precautionary reasons. Although the area is not threatened by the blaze, the thick smoke prevailing there had caused the tourists'Α concern. Meanwhile, the blaze surrounded Laerma village today.

British tourists evacuated as forest fire sweeps across Greek island of Rhodes

France, Italy and Cyprus are sending firefighting aircraft to help tackle the fire, which has burned thousands of acres of forest in the popular destination.

A Thomas Cook spokesman said two of its customers had been moved from an apartment in the Kiotari area.

The firm said in a statement "The safety of our holidaymakers is of the utmost importance and we continue to monitor the forest fires in Rhodes.

"As a precautionary measure, a small number of Thomas Cook guests have been moved to alternative accommodation."

California wildfires now 98% contained

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California fire officials say the thousands of blazes sparked by a massive lightning storm are 98% contained after burning for more than a month.

Of the more than 2,000 fires ignited during the June 21 storm, only 27 were actively burning Friday.

Dismal Swamp fire is far from out

The wildfire in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk has absorbed nearly 8 inches of rain over the past month, which has kept it at bay and reduced its smoke, firefighters said.

But the 4,660-acre fire is far from out, and it could surge back out of the deep peat of the swamp floor if the weather turns dry for a week or so -- an entirely possible scenario with much of the summer still ahead.

"People in and around the refuge are looking down the barrel of a long, long summer," John Calabrese, a spokesman for the refuge, said. "It's going to take a tropical storm or depression with 6 to 8 inches of rain in a short time to put this fire out."

Cactus Fire fully contained

Fire officials report that a wildfire burning near Whitehall has been fully contained.

Authorities have determined that lightning caused the 518 acre Cactus Fire which was reported on July 19th.

Fire crews, assisted by a helicopter continued to work on Wednesday to shore up the containment lines.

Wildfire torches 89 acres near Moab, no injuries or damage

A wildfire burned for an entire day, blackening 89 acres along the north edge of Moab before it was fully contained Wednesday. Lightning ignited the fire at about 3 p.m. Tuesday between town and the Colorado River, said Vaughn Gruber of the Moab Interagency Fire Center.

The Slough Fire, named for a nearby ditch, spread into Moab city limits, but no structures were damaged.

Northern Wildfire Smoke May Cast Shadow On Arctic Warming

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2008) — The Arctic may get some temporary relief from global warming if the annual North American wildfire season intensifies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado and NOAA.

Smoke transported to the Arctic from northern forest fires may cool the surface for several weeks to months at a time, according to the most detailed analysis yet of how smoke influences the Arctic climate relative to the amount of snow and ice cover.

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Calif. woman mauled by bear recovers after surgery

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman mauled by a bear in a rural area of Southern California was recovering Wednesday as game wardens sought to trap and kill the animal.

Allena Hansen, 56, was resting comfortably after undergoing extensive surgery to repair injuries suffered in Tuesday's attack, said Roxanne Moster, a spokeswoman for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Despite suffering severe lacerations to her face and head, the woman managed not only to escape but to drive herself to a nearby fire station, Kern County fire spokesman Sean Collins said.

"For her to be attacked in that manner and drive to a fire station, she must have been running on pure adrenaline," Collins said.

Florida Woman Attacked by Fox, Then Shot By Husband

MORRISTON, Fla. — Authorities say a Levy County, Fla., man accidentally shot his wife while trying to hit a fox that attacked her.

The couple told deputies they spotted an animal in their yard Friday morning and went outside to see what it was.

The fox bit the woman on the left leg and wouldn't let go, so she told her husband to get a gun.

The man fired a .22-caliber rifle seven times, killing the animal but also hitting his wife in the lower right leg.