The weather gave firefighters a break today and they used it to make some progress on containment, but the winds and low humidity are returning on Saturday.

Information from the current Wallow Fire InciWeb Page

• Date Started: 5/29/2011
• Number of Personnel: Approximately 3,137 including 19 hotshot crews and 45 hand crews
• Location: south and west of Alpine, Arizona
• Cause: Human – under investigation
• Equipment: 17 dozers, 221 engines, 66 watertenders
• Size: 408,887 acres [639 miles² 1655 km²] based on last night’s infrared data
• Aircraft: 14 helicopters, DC-10
• Percent Contained: 5%
• Injuries to Date: 3
• Residences: 5,242 threatened, 29 destroyed, 5 damaged
• Structures: 24 destroyed
• Other: 1 truck destroyed
• Area Command Team 3 lead by Jim Loach is now managing the Wallow Fire

The fire is 5% contained on the northeast side of the fire. Last night’s operational period included burnout operations, structure protection, patrolling for spot fires, and mop up in the Alpine area. The predicted weather today is expected to allow firefighters to continue burnout operations. Today’s operational period also includes, building fireline using handcrews & dozers around Springerville and Eagar, structure protection, patrolling for spot fires and mop up. The DC-10 air tanker was used during yesterday’s operations in the area of Greer.

[For the latest information click on the Fire symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]

It’s back to the bean sprouts for the Germans, according to the BBC: German tests link bean sprouts to deadly E. coli

New data released in Germany strongly suggests that locally produced bean sprouts were, as suspected, the source of the deadly E. coli outbreak.

“It’s the bean sprouts,” said Reinhard Burger, head of Germany’s centre for disease control.

Officials initially blamed the E. coli, which has killed 29 people, on imported cucumbers, then bean sprouts.
…

Mr Burger, who heads the Robert Koch Institute, told reporters on Friday that even though no tests of the sprouts from a farm in Lower Saxony had come back positive, the epidemiological investigation of the pattern of the outbreak had produced enough evidence to draw the conclusion.

The institute, he added, was lifting its warning against eating cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, but keeping it in place for the sprouts.
…
[Read more →]

Position: 15.6N 109.3W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 9 mph [15 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 110 mph [175 kph].
Wind Gusts: 125 mph [205 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 30 miles [ 45 km].
Minimum central pressure: 966 mb ↑.

Currently about 505 miles [815 km] South of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Adrian has peaked as the pressure is rising and winds have fallen to a Category 2. The conditions for the anticipated turn to the North are building too late and the storm has passed beyond their influence.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Waiting for Good Food

When you get a moment, OK?

[Editor: Ringo is most assuredly not on the hunt – it is too hot. She is patiently waiting for me to put wet food in the dish. She knows I am to her side, but maintains her watch on the wet food dish.]

Friday Ark