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4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 King James Version God saved Portland from being decimated by one of the deadliest fires Oregon has ever seen. If not for the winds miraculously changing from easterly to westerly and soon bringing the rains it is very possible much of Portland would have burned to the ground. It is inconceivable why the Lord saved Portland other than he will not take the righteous with the wicked, but there is no other explanation than God for how this miracle happened. Oregon has over a half a million...

A Soviet Ilyushin 76 (Courtesy GlobalEmergency Reponse)It covers an area the size of 12 football fields with one 10-second drop [of liquid – water or retardant]. It puts a fireline down 300 feet wide and 3,900 feet long in 10 seconds. It would have saved every community in Colorado and Arizona this year. It would have saved those 300 homes in Los Alamos two years ago." ] -Tom Robinson, chief administrator for Global Emergency Response, on the Ilyushin-76 "Waterbomber" The gargantuan Biscuit wildfire in Southern Oregon has now engulfed just under half-a-million acres since lightning ignited it and other western...

<p>"While visiting the west coast this week, I saw the destructive effects of one of the worst wildfire seasons in history," Bush said in his weekly radio address.</p> <p>"As we work to put out the fires and bring relief to their victims, we also have a responsibility to prevent the devastation that can be caused by future fires," he added.</p> <p>Bush said U.S. forest policy needed to focus on thinning out trees to reduce the incidence and damage from wildfires. He characterized the current U.S. forest policy as a, "hands-off approach" that was "devastating to our environment."</p>

Bush expected to promote new forest policy 08/21/02MICHAEL MILSTEIN and JIM BARNETT When he speaks Thursday in Medford, President Bush is expected to push for more intensive thinning of Western forests to reduce fire danger. And he will likely support legislation streamlining environmental rules that have slowed many Western logging projects. It will plainly signal the administration's approach to forest management against the backdrop of epic wildfires burning throughout Oregon and the West.It could also incite a storm of opposition from environmental groups that argue logging only will do more harm to Western forests. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said Tuesday...

Australian and New Zealand fire fighters were deployed today to a massive wildfire burning out of control on the United States' west coast. Weary US fire fighters have struggled for a month to contain what has become Oregon's largest fire in more than 100 years. "We are excited to have the Australians and New Zealanders here because we need all of the help we can get," Paul Galloway, a spokesman at the Oregon fire fighting headquarters, said. "It's a pretty significant fire that has stretched our resources on a national level." Australia and New Zealand sent 48 of their most...

August 10, 2002 Florence fire jumps lines, makes tracks for Brookings By PAUL FATTIG Medford Florence fire jumps lines, makes tracks for Brookings Mail Tribune The dog days of August continue to hound firefighters battling the southern flank of the 331,375-acre Florence fire. As temperatures rise, residents in the hamlet of Wilderness Retreat along the Chetco River more than a half-dozen miles east of Brookings have been warned to evacuate on a moment’s notice if the fire flares up along its southwest flank. However, the fire is about three and a half miles from the scattered homes and as of...

Grants Pass- U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth said thinning national forests and restoring the natural role of fire in the ecosystem should be made top priority after he toured the largest active wildfire in the nation.The Florence Fire was threatening to become the largest wildfire in state history after expanding to 308,000 acres on the Siskiyou National Forest and adjoining lands in southwestern Oregon and Northern California.The largest wildfire in Oregon was the Tillamook Fire in 1933 which burned 311,000 in the northwest corner of the state.The threat to 17,000 people of the Illinois Valley has eased, but the...

Forest Service Chief Calls for Controlled Burns 08/09/2002 By JEFF BARNARD, Associated Press Writer U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth toured the Florence Fire Thursday and said it is imperative to thin national forests and restore the natural role of fire in the ecosystem. Bosworth said he wanted a firsthand look at the largest active wildfire in the nation, to see how well the national firefighting effort is dealing with what could become the worst wildfire season in history. "The most important thing we can do in a good part of the West is doing some thinning and reintroduce fire...

<p>With strong afternoon winds blowing fires statewide (Oregon) out of control, firefighters gained little ground Wednesday as thousands of acres continued to burn under steadily advancing flames.</p> <p>"We're losing the war," said Marc Hollen, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. "And the enemy keeps multiplying."</p>

An Army battalion will soon join firefighters from severalstates who are converging on Oregon to battle wildfires raging in vast stretches of brush and timber. Ten Oregon crews that were fighting fires in other Western states will be returning home by the weekend joined by firefighters from eight other states, fire officials said late Wednesday. And on July 29, 650 Army soldiers from a base in Kansas will be arriving in Oregon, officials said....(snip) For complete article click here