This map shows locations in the United States that have experienced wildfires greater than 250 acres, from 1950 to 1983.  Sources: Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and the USGS National Atlas.

An excellent source for wildfire information is Firewise Communities.  Part of the National Wildland/Uban Interface Fire Program,  the national Firewise Communities program is “intended to serve as a resource for agencies, tribes, organizations, fire departments, and communities across the U.S. who are working toward a common goal: reduce loss of lives, property, and resources to wildland fire by building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings.”  Check out their page called Firewise You Can Use.  It contains some nice interactive models, including one called Dynamics of Wildfire.

Specialized Information Services of the National Library of Medicine has released an informative website on the health effects of wildfires. Featured on the website are links to government resources, air quality information, Toxline and MedlinePlus pages, as well as information of first responders. Included also is a link to the US Fire Administration publication, “Wildfire…Are you Prepared?“

UC San Diego will be closed for the rest of the week due to the wildfires in the San Diego area.  Here’s the announcement from the Biomedical Library’s blog:

UCSD will cancel classes for the rest of the week, and “non-essential” personnel requested to stay home. As far as we know at this time, libraries will be closed, but several librarians are checking mail coming into the Ask A Librarian webform at http://biomed.ucsd.edu/ask/email.html. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to our Interlibrary Loan or Circulation transaction systems from home Internet connections, so requests will have to wait until the libraries are open again and all staff have access to our systems. Please be assured that any fines resulting from lack of access to campus will be made right.

Due to the wildfires in the San Diego area, UC San Diego is closed again today. Click here for current information from the UC San Diego website.

And from the UC San Diego Biomedical Library’s website …

UCSD is CLOSED today, Monday, October 22 and Tuesday October 23 due to poor air quality and concern over the wildfire situation in San Diego. All UCSD libraries will be closed including the Medical Center Library in Hillcrest. Classes are cancelled, and essential personnel should check with their supervisors to determine if they should come to work. Several librarians are checking the Ask A Librarian email form from home and answering questions as best we can without access to our collections or transaction systems.

In some areas of the United States, wildfires are included on disaster lists. The National Drought Mitigation Center maintains a nice site on drought-related resources. Click here for a current map of drought conditions in the United States.

In a related story, the University of California at San Diego is closed today due to wildfires in the area. Click here for current information on this development from the UCSD main web site. Click here for emergency updates from the UCSD Medical Center.