Careless wildfires must be prevented.

Wildfires are not only damaging to our natural resources but they also destroy personal property, and they INJURE AND KILL firefighters.
From the time the first call goes out and firefighters begin to respond to the time every firefighter is back home a wildfire is just that wild. It has the potential to cause harm even when most of the big flames and reporters have gone home.

Two firefighters in Florida were injured while "mopping-up",
Mop-up occurs after a fire, or any part of a fire, is controlled. Mopping up makes a fire safe by extinguishing or removing burning and hazardous material.
Mopping up includes:

• extinguishing all smouldering material along the fire's edge;
• ensuring logs/debris cannot roll across the fire line;
• making sure all burning fuel is burnt out or is spread or buried to stop sparks travelling;
• clearing both sides of the fire line of snags, rotten logs, stumps, singed brush and low hanging limbs of trees; and
• searching for underground burning roots near the line.

AND nine (9) firefighters in China died while "guarding against flare-ups". 


The fires behavior can change very quickly and there are hidden dangers around every corner.

Smokey Bear asks everyone to PLEASE Always Be Careful and to Remember that Only You Can Prevent a Wildfire. If even just 1 wildfire could be prevented it might just be that one wildfire that took someones father, mother, wife, husband, brother or sisters life.

World News

9 firefighters die battling China wildfire

9 killed, 7 injured in SW China forest fire

KUNMING, China, March 5 (UPI) -- A wildfire in southwestern China was completely subdued by Saturday morning but not before nine firefighters perished, a local fire official said.

It took 1,140 firefighters to put out the deadly blaze on Jianchuan Mountain in Yunnan province, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.Wan Yong, deputy commander of the provincial forest fire prevention authority, said some firefighters were still monitoring the situation to guard against flare-ups.Local authorities said the doomed firefighters became trapped Thursday when winds reignited an area that had been smoldering. Several others were injured, Xinhua said.

The fire started accidentally started Wednesday by a woman from Jinchang village, who was burning corn stalks on some uncultivated land surrounded by weeds when gusting winds pushed the flames out of control

VOLUSIA COUNTY -- 

News 13 has learned that a second firefighter was hurt battling the almost 17,000 acre Iron Horse Wildfire along the Volusia-Brevard County line.

Division of Forestry officials have confirmed the second firefighter suffered almost the same type burns as the first firefighter when fumes and steam shot up from a hot spot within the fire lines.

DOF officials said this second firefighter, who is with Division of Forestry, was putting out hot spots on the north end of the fire, which is near Maytown Road in Volusia County, around 1 p.m. Saturday.

They said he approached a hotspot, sprayed it with water and the steam shot straight up, burning part of his face, neck and ear.

"Spraying the water onto hot ash, and then it kinda blew back on the gentleman," said Anna Leasa Winter with the Division of Forestry.

Officials are not releasing the name of the firefighter, but they did say he is from the Panhandle.

The firefighter was taken by ambulance to Halifax Medical Center where he is being treated for second-degree burns.

The firefighter's family has been notified, and he is expected to recover. 

 THANKS for listening THANKS for caring THANKS for all you do!