US surrenders to wildfires – calls in reinforcements from New Zealand

The United States is facing the brunt of forest fires all across its northern and western parts and have now requested firefighters of New Zealand for assistance to contain these fires. Accordingly, a team of fifteen Kiwi firefighters are joining the battle against the wildfires.
The team would leave for the National Interagency Fire Centre in Boise, Idaho from where they would proceed to Washington, Montana, California or Oregon depending on the situation.
This has been reported in nzhearld.co.nz dated 21 August 2015.

The Kiwi team of rural firefighters had just returned from a month-long stint in Canada last week and have to contain the fires in the US. Already, fires in Oregon and Washington have burnt more than 200,000 hectares in the past few days, and those in California have destroyed nearly 50,000 hectares this year.
The prevailing high temperatures, dry conditions and lightning strikes were posing major problems and hampering the efforts of local firefighters and army volunteers. Therefore, the logistics skills of the Kiwis will be important to tackle this disaster - especially their skills in managing aircraft to fight fires and also ferrying supplies to remote locations.
The Kiwi team is, at reset, on a two-week assignment, but that could be extended by a further fortnight, if necessary.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Tourists leave Lake Chelan as wildfires rage through Western United States

Wildfires raging through western United States have compelled the authorities to call up 200 active-duty soldiers to fight dozens of wildfires. This the first time in nine years that such a step has been taken as reported in foxnews.com dated 18 August 2015.

The National Interagency Fire Center has made the announcement that these active-duty military troops are being roped in to help. The teams would comprise 10 crews of 20 soldiers from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division. The crews would train on Aug. 19 and leave on their mission the next day.
Their duties would most probably be in Washington State, Oregon, California, or Idaho. Incidentally, several large fires have threatened the Lake Chelan resort region of central Washington. Tourists are leaving as well as residents and fires have destroyed a warehouse filled with nearly 2 million pounds of apples.
The fires have come in the midst of the summer tourist season in the scenic town located along Lake Chelan in the Cascade Range and the economic impact of tourists leaving has yet to be assessed.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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A 3-year-old boy, one bullet and two victims in a motel

#albuquerque #motel #handgun #toddler It was an accident no doubt but, the fact remains that easy availability of guns in America is leading to avoidable incidents. The latest in the series is that of a three-year-old boy who has wounded both of his parents as reported in news.sky.com dated 1 February 2015. He had fired a single bullet from a gun that he had found in his mother's handbag.
It seems the kid from New Mexico was searching for an iPod when he came across the loaded weapon which went off accidentally. The father was struck in the buttock and the bullet exited through his hip to hit the woman in the arm. She was eight months pregnant, in the arm.
The incident happened in a motel in Albuquerque where the family were living.
As explained by the father, he was getting to order pizza when the weapon was fired.
Police found a 9mm handgun inside the room at America's Best Value Inn. A police spokesman has said that any owner of a gun should ensure that it is safely locked up, especially with children around.
It may be recalled that just a month earlier, a toddler of Idaho accidentally shot dead his mother – the weapon was a gun it found in her handbag.