Was it Bill Mahr who decided the Calif fires were under control because Bush let FEMA enter the situation?
Forest agencies in Aust use a system of cold or fuel reduction burns to maintain/enhance fire safety (among other things).
There are many difficulties with using this system. The weather has to be just right, not too hot and dry, not too cool and damp. Fuel needs to be cured. Wind needs to be in the desired direction with low(ish) wind speeds.
Escaped fuel reduction burns are just as damaging as a wild fire.
In past years residents of urban (city) areas have vociferously complained about air quality (smoke) resulting from fuel reduction burns. putting pressure on agencies to not burn.
The resources committed to fuel reduction burns are high making it a costly excercise.
Burning areas too often reduces the viability of some plant species especially those which require 10 -15 year lead times to reach maturity for seed production.
The number of dwellings within proximity to planned fuel reduction burns also impacts on fuel reduction burns.
All these things combined make fuel reduction burning difficult but not impossible. Cold burning forest and scrub away from urban centers does have an impact on wild fire by reducing fuel loads. Fires still happen, they are just less intense.
I must say I was surprised at the number of dwellings lost this time around, however this is probably a result of population density rather than any failure on the part of residents an/or authorities to protect.
The end story I believe is that residents have a responsibility to provide protection of their own property by choosing fire safe designs and maintaining their property in a manner that will reduce the impact of wildfire.
Good luck to all involved.
They've done control burns here too, but not so much in these areas, if I remember right.
One of the problems this time was that the winds were so ferocious and often swirlly that the water tankers, whatever you call them, were swaying all over the place and ineffective. Plus there were so many fires over so much territory that the distribution of resourses was crazymaking.
