The Age of Western Wildfires

From the Source:

"The cooler temperatures of fall may have arrived on the East Coast, but in California and the Pacific Northwest, fire season burns on. There are six large fires raging out West, and this year’s season is likely to burn 10 million acres of land, more than in any year since 1960, when federal records began to be kept.

Explanations abound: global warming has provided consistently hotter weather, and warmer winters have meant less snow melt during the spring. Drought has plagued the country, and invasive beetles have killed millions of trees, leaving mountains of ready-to-burn timber." 

Lost Mauna Loa Hikers Rescued

We are grateful for all of the risks and hard-work our Hawaii island fire department personnel endure each and every day. 

From the Source:

“Rescuers from the county and the US Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area assisted a group of hikers who had become lost while descending from the summit of Mauna Loa Saturday night.”

"A team of HFD and PTA personnel located the lost hikers with the help of PTA “brush trucks,” a combination all-terrain vehicle for firefighting and rescues and escorted them to the observatory."

Above: "Two brush trucks similar to the one picture above were used to help rescue hikers lost on Mauna Loa. Texas A&M photo."