Wildfires (and Hockey)

It's the season for 'em...

C-130s Fight Texas, Mexico Wildfires: Two specially modified C-130s from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., on Sunday dropped about 12,000 gallons of fire suppressant and retardant on raging wildfires in the northern Mexico state of Coahuila during four missions. The two aircraft carry the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, a self-contained aerial firefighting device. They began operating from Laughlin AFB, Tex., on April 16 after the Mexican government requested US assistance. So far, they've released roughly 21,000 gallons of fire suppressant and retardant in seven missions. These Reservists have also been helping to fight wildfires spreading in southern Texas. Four additional MAFFS-equipped aircraft were slated to arrive at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Tex., by Monday to help fight the Texas wildfires. They're from Air National Guard units in California, North Carolina, and Wyoming. (Laughlin release) (Tyndall report by Lt. Col. Susan A. Romano)

The Cannon Airplane Patch fire department got into the act right here in P-Ville yesterday, too.  From the Portales News-Tribune:

Firefighters from more than 30 departments struggled most of Sunday to contain a massive grass fire that erupted near Melrose and quickly spread through Curry and Roosevelt counties, damaging homes and forcing several evacuations near Clovis and Portales.

The fire started about 11:30 a.m. after a tire on a vehicle blew out and sparks from the wheel set nearby grass ablaze. It had burned an estimated 17,000 acres, fanned by wind gusts of up to 30 mph that frequently changed directions.

[...]

A spokesperson for Cannon Air Force Base said there was no fire damage to the base. The spokesperson said the base fire department assisted in extinguishing a small blaze south of the base, a flare apparently set off by the main fire.

It's been a VERY dry Spring and the wind has been fierce (as noted elsewhere in these pages).  The combination of the two can make for some very anxious ranchers in this part o' the world.  Anxious everybody, when ya get right down to it.  (photo credit: Portales News-Tribune)

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Your hockey update: Chicago is toast. The current custodians of the Stanley Cup will suffer a first-round exit at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks unless they can become the fourth team in history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. Here's Steve Rosenbloom, writing in the Chicago Tribune:

It might not be officially over, but it's over. The Hawks aren't going to come back on the Canucks they owned the last couple springs. These aren't those Hawks, and these are those Canucks. The Hawks aren't going beat this team four straight when they can't beat them even once. I mean, the Hawks have led just once after the nine periods in this series.

Yup. I've watched all of Chicago's playoff games and they ain't got it. I'm thinkin' every Dallas Star is a bit pissed right now.

Boston could be in the same boat, after losing their first two games... at HOME... to the Habs. It ain't lookin' good for Bruins fans, to say the VERY least.

I'm pissed at Versus. The Nashville-Anaheim series is arguably the best of the playoffs based on what I've read, and Versus hasn't showed us one single game in that series.  I shouldn't get too strident in my criticism, though... coz ALL the Beloved Wings games have been televised.  Game Three is tonight, in Phoenix.

Let's Go Red Wings!

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A hockey update of another sort...  Remember last week?  It was exactly a week ago today when I said "One final note... this is also the time o' year when blog traffic falls off the cliff."

I NEVER lie.