South Carolina: fire near Myrtle Beach burns 3,000 acres
A fire between Myrtle Beach and Conway, SC has burned at least one home, caused 150 people to evacuate, and has charred 3,000 acres. As of 11:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the spread of the fire has slowed, in part because it bumped up against a 36-hole golf course.
Strong winds gusting to 30 mph and low humidity are making it difficult for firefighters to control the fire, which was 25 percent contained earlier Wednesday evening.
These photos were sent to WMBF-TV by viewers.
Canadian site uses photo of Australian fire to illustrate local fire
In February, Wildfire Today used a photo of a fire in Australia for a caption contest. Here is the photo with the added caption block–the suggestions for the caption are in the comments HERE.
Here is that same photo at Saskatoonhomepage.ca attached to an article describing a 1,000 acre fire near Saskatoon, SK, Canada. The article implies the photo is of the local fire.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
A massive grass fire is burning northeast of Saskatoon.
Cudworth, Wakaw, St. Louis and Hoodoo fire departments on scene as well as 3 planes which spray foam and retardant.
Dave York from the RM of Hoodo says word from the Provincial Fire Centre is that about a thousand acres are affected.
He says the fire started south of Highway 225 and has jumped the highway going north.
Sargeant Carole Raymond says the fire was reported to RCMP shortly before 7:30 this morning. She says traffic is being rerouted off of Highway 225 because the smoke is so thick and dense – there is zero visibility. Raymond says it started as a grass fire and is building into something more challenging at this point.
Jeannette Krayetski with the Provincial Forest Fire Centre says there are 3 planes in the air helping with fire fighting efforts. She says they are planes which spray fire retardant and foam but not a water bomber because There is still ice on some of the lakes.
Sayre fire victims fight AIG and win
The Sayer fire north of Los Angeles in November destroyed 485 mobile homes at the Oakridge mobile home park. Of those, 370 were insured with AIG. Yes, that is the same AIG that was recently bailed out by the government to the tune of $180 billion.
The policies of the home owners in Oakridge said that if their homes were destroyed, they would receive an additional 110 or 125 percent of coverage. AIG told the home owners after the fire that this meant an additional 10 or 25 percent of additional coverage.
After many complaints, the state’s Department of Insurance got involved and convinced AIG to honor the policies as written. This will result in the home owners receiving an additional $100,000 to 125,000. “Now that’s the difference between being able to replace your mobile home and not”, said California Insurance Commission Steve Plizner at a press conference on Tuesday.
Interview with the producer/director of Behind the Lines
In the video below, Jennie Reinish, who produced and directed Behind the Lines: Fighting a Wildland Fire, is interviewed for a program by Santa Barbara City College. Among other topics, she talks about Behind the Lines, which begins at 15 minutes and 45 seconds. (THE VIDEO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE)
Fire near Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada
