Insufficient brake force blamed in Canada crash

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (AP) — Insufficient brake force was applied before an oil train came barreling out of nowhere in the middle of the night and slammed into a small town in Quebec, killing 47 people, officials said Friday.

Donald Ross, chief investigator for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said the insufficient brake force could have been due to mechanical problems with the handbrakes, or a problem with the way someone applied them.

"The train got out of control because it wasn't fully immobilized," said Transportation Safety Board investigator Ed Belkaloul. "The number of brakes (applied) is important, but the quality of the braking is also important."

An unattended Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train was parked overnight on a rail line before it came loose, hurtling down a seven-mile (11-kilometer) incline on Jan. 6. The train derailed and ignited in Lac-Megantic, near the Maine border. All but one of its 73 cars was carrying crude oil, and at least five exploded, setting off massive explosions that devastated the small lakeside town of 6,000 people.

A spokesman for the agency said it has had a closer look at 25 tanker cars since gaining access to the blast site two days ago — and has taken pictures and samples.

The investigators said they are also analyzing the contents of the tanker cars that did not explode in the crash, looking for clues on why the crude oil in the other cars exploded so violently.

"We want a more in-depth chemical analysis of the goods. We want to make sure dangerous goods do not explode," said Belkaloul.

The agency says the investigation has already resulted in two safety advisories urging a revision of the Canadian Rail Operating rule governing the securing of parked trains.

More than 700 firefighters lose ground to raging Nevada wildfires

Hundreds have been evacuated from their homes as deadly mountain wildfires continue to rage through parched woodland in northern and southern Nevada this morning.

A 24-square-mile blaze has forced more than 500 people out of homes in Mount Charleston some 25 miles Northwest of Las Vegas while other fires have broken out near Reno and Kearn.

More than 750 firefighters, including 18 elite Hotshot crews, today lost more ground to the raging wildfire fire named Carpenter 1 which was sparked by lightning striking dried woodland on July 1. It comes just 24 hours after the funeral of 19 firefighters who lost their lives battling wildfires just 700 miles away near Yarnell, in Arizona on June 30.

Smoke from the blaze near Mount Charleston created a towering white cloud that stretched northeast, visible from downtown Las Vegas.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality issued a health advisory that officials said would remain in effect today through Sunday.

An influx of firefighters and equipment including bulldozers, seven helicopters, four air tankers and a DC-10 jet fire retardant bomber arrived in the area as other fast-moving fires were reported across the state.

A 27-square-mile fire has burned through the Pine Nut Mountains southwest of Reno while further South salt cedar trees have caught fire along the San Pedro River bed outside the remote community of Kearn.

Beautiful country, what a shame .........

 Laura Zuckerman

(Reuters) - A wildfire roaring through mountainous terrain in Idaho's Boise National Forest headed toward a resort town on Thursday, as voluntary evacuations began and firefighters scrambled to make a last stand against the advancing flames.

The Idaho blaze, sparked by a utility vehicle that caught fire, has charred nearly 70,000 acres of sagebrush and woodlands east of Boise over the past six days, burning a rental cabin and six non-residential structures, authorities said.

The fire is one of dozens burning out of control across 10 drought-parched western states, including a blaze that destroyed more than 70 homes this week in Washington state and another that was threatening a town in Southern California.

So far this season, wildfires have consumed about 6.3 million acres (2 million hectares) across the country, over 1 million acres more than the 10-year average for this time of year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

Are we an intelligent race of people here in the USA, or what. 

Fires in Colorado, heat wave over much of the country, dry, dry, dry ..... 

and what are they saying on the news ...............

 FIREWORKS ... FIREWORKS ..... FIREWORKS

A record number of fireworks displays this year

 ........... all over, everywhere, does that make sense to anyone?

I wonder how many fires the fireworks will start.

Observation

Why does Obama feel he needs to fly to Colorado and see the disastrous fires raging out there? What can he actually accomplish, other than causing a great deal of congestion. It seems like any disaster in our country, or for that matter, around the world, has to be visited by some politician who has absolutely nothing to offer.

All presidents and governors have always done the same thing. They have enough "hot air" already, one of the problems they are having. I wonder how many people will be involved in his visit.

"Hey, all you firefighters, stop what you are doing, forget that damned fire, go get showered and cleaned up, be back here in two hours, Obama is coming and we want a nice looking crowd to meet him. Be sure to wash your hands, he will  do a lot of hand shaking. What? Great idea. Clean those shovels up and paint VOTE OBAMA on them."

Better idea, take ALL the Washington politicians out there, give them shovels, and let them work on the fire line. Be nice to see them work for their money for a change.

Wildfire victims crowd shelters as fight continues

By P. SOLOMON BANDA
  
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Fire crews fought to save the U.S. Air Force Academy and residents begged for information on the fate of their homes Wednesday after a night of terror sent thousands of people fleeing a raging Colorado Springs wildfire.

More than 30,000 have been displaced by the fire, including thousands who frantically packed up belongings Tuesday night after it barreled into neighborhoods in the foothills west and north of Colorado's second-largest city. With flames looming overhead, they clogged roads shrouded in smoke and flying embers, their fear punctuated by explosions of bright orange flame that signaled yet another house had been claimed.

"The sky was red, the wind was blowing really fast and there were embers falling from the sky," said Simone Covey, a 26-year-old mother of three who fled an apartment near Garden of the Gods park and was staying at a shelter. "I didn't really have time to think about it. I was just trying to keep my kids calm."

Wilma Juachon sat under a tree at an evacuation center, wearing a mask to block the smoke. A tourist from California, she was evacuated from a fire near Rocky Mountain National Park last week and, now, from her Colorado Springs hotel.

"I said I hope it never happens again, and guess what?" Juachon said.

Comment for the day

Watching the evening news .... flooding in Florida, huge holes in the earth, some swallowing up homes, more rain on the way, dangerous situation.... Fires in Colorado, hundreds of homes burned and thousands of acres of gorgeous land  is ruined ....... Stockton  California is going bankrupt, business's are closing, 26 million in the red ..... the big news of the day .... College football is going to have playoff games in 2014 ....  are we a great country, or what?

PS,  let's not forget all the debris washing up on our shores in California, tons and tons, much more to come, and the money has already run out to "clear the mess" .... and tons more are on the way

PSS ..... my wife and I were just talking about the above problems .... primarily everyone having money problems, individuals, cities, states, the federal government ......  in my estimation, all for one reason, UNCONTROLLED SPENDING OF GOVERNMENT MONEY ... Fiscal Responsibility is a Myth, does not exist .... uncontrolled spending ....... the weather related problems don't help, either.

GM burning up sales

DETROIT — Engine fires are forcing General Motors to recall the Chevy Cruze, a popular model that has helped GM win back small-car buyers.

The recall covers 475,000 vehicles made in the U.S. from September of 2010 through May of 2012. It's the car's fifth recall since it arrived in showrooms nearly two years ago, raising questions about the sedan's reliability.

The fires can break out when fluids drip onto a hot plastic shield below the engine. The problem occurs mainly when oil is spilled and not,  properly cleaned up during changes, General Motors said Friday.

The company knows of 30 fires caused by the problem, but no injuries have been reported, spokesman Alan Adler said. Flames engulfed and destroyed cars in two cases reported to federal safety officials.