Wildland / Urban Interface Fireurban interface

responsibility of homeowners to reduce risks - state law requiring defensible space

cigarettes - state of Oregon could sue cigarette makers to stop gunpowder like additives that make fires more likely

clearcuts

drought - climate change preparation

fire prevention near homes, thinning little trees from woods for more fire resistant forests

(cite Lane County code re: F-1 and fire susceptibility)

Register-Guard, letter to the editor, July 2, 2005
Fireworks hazardous to homes

Since local governments claim to be concerned about urban fire prevention in a drought year, why is it legal to sell tons of fireworks at the start of fire season?
On July 4, 2003, the South Hills came close to a conflagration due to kids playing with fireworks. A large sequoia tree on Hillside Drive (near West Amazon Drive) was set on fire about noon, when it was hot and windy. If this had been a couple of blocks to the south, Spencer Butte Park could have gone up in flames.
Friends of mine in the neighborhood were extremely concerned that it would spread and destroy their home. They used a garden hose to wet their house while waiting for the fire department to arrive.
The fire marshal reportedly has the authority to prohibit these sales for public safety. But do politicians have the political courage to do this, or are they waiting until there's a major fire in the South Hills to take prudent, prevention measures?
I'm sure there would be some people upset that they can't celebrate freedom by exploding incendiary devices made in Chinese military factories. But there would be many more people upset if a firestorm destroyed part of the town.
I hope my concerns are exaggerated and the firefighters of Eugene, Springfield and Lane County are standing by to quickly extinguish all fireworks-caused blazes before they cause property damage and threaten lives.
MARK ROBINOWITZ
Eugene

fireworks and gas station in west Eugene

Grass Fires Char Homes in Oklahoma, Texas
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Dec 27, 9:19 PM (ET)
By TIM TALLEY

(AP) A fire claims the last section of a mobile home in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2005.

Fires fueled by dry brush and driven by gusty wind damaged several homes in Oklahoma and Texas on Tuesday. Several firefighters and residents suffered minor injuries, authorities said.
In Oklahoma, the biggest fire burned at least 400 acres in a rural area near the town of Mustang, southwest of Oklahoma City.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said dozens of fires, mostly in north and central parts of his state, prompted him to deploy firefighters and issue a disaster declaration.
"It's like trying to stop a 30-mph car coming down the street," Texas Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Ebel said. "The wind is the worst enemy right now."
TV station helicopter footage showed at least a half-dozen structures were burned in Mustang, but conditions appeared to improve by late afternoon, when fire crews brought the flames under control.
"We've still got some hot spots that we're concerned about," Mustang Police Chief Monte James said.
He said firefighters battled flames at four houses and sheds. One firefighter was being treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation.
After the flames passed, residents emerged and were "watering their yards and standing in their yards," said Harold Percival, who lives about a mile from the Mustang fire.
"What can you do about it," Pat Hankins, 62, said as he watched his one-story home burn. "You have no control."
Hankins' friend Maria Vantour-Smith said flames hopscotched around Hankins' property before reaching his home.
"It just kept jumping. I've never seen anything like it," she said. They were able to remove a few antiques and other items from the home before it was gutted.
Several other grass fires were brought under control in three areas of Oklahoma City. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, and a child suffered minor burns on his hands when a shed caught fire.
That blaze was apparently started by children playing with fireworks, Oklahoma City Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said.
"We've had warm temperatures, no moisture, low humidity and winds, so any little spark and man it just goes," Stanaland said.
Fire burned across Bryan County in southeastern Oklahoma. The most severe destroyed at least three structures near Achille and resulted in an unknown amount of injuries, mostly from smoke inhalation, said Tim Cooke, the county's emergency management director.
"Our entire county is just about on fire," said "It's everywhere."
Smoke from other grass fires reduced visibility along Interstate 35, forcing officials to close a stretch of the highway in southern Oklahoma near the Texas line.
The wind in Oklahoma was clocked at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
In Texas, Fort Worth Fire Department Lt. Kent Worley said crews had fought nine brush fires during the first half of the day and he expected more. His department also helped battle a blaze in nearby Kennedale. The Dallas Morning News reported that flames in Kennedale threatened two apartment complexes.
Three Arlington firefighters were hospitalized with smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, said Battalion Chief David Stapp. The fires there threatened new housing developments and apartments.
In Hood County, a fire near Canyon Creek forced at least 100 people to evacuate, said Chief Deputy Jerry Lind. He said several structures were on fire, and propane tanks had exploded.
"We've got fires burning structures in several counties," said Tracy Weaver of the Texas Forest Service. "It is just critically, critically dry out there right now."
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Associated Press writer Matt Curry in Kennedale, Texas, contributed this report.