CALFIRE NEWS: Al Qaeda ‘Ember Fire Bomb’ Fails Testing

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

CALFIRE NEWS: Al Qaeda ‘Ember Fire Bomb’ Fails Testing

Al Qaeda ‘Fire Bomb’ Fails Cal Fire’s "Live Fire" Testing. (Don't try this at home.)

What: Al Qaeda is reportedly exploring a new way to attack the U.S., encouraging terrorists to make homemade “fire bombs” to start massive wildfires in California and the western U.S. Al Qaeda magazine article back in early May gave step-by-step instructions on how to build and use an “ember bomb,” which sends flaming embers out into the dry fields.

“The magazine had very specific outlines and drawings and details on how to create that ‘fire bomb,’ so we felt it was in our interest to go ahead and put that together and determine what kind of threat it was,” RRU Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said.

Why: An unclassified bulletin from CAL FIRE and the California Threat Assessment Center described how the agencies wanted to test out the al Qaeda “fire bomb”.

Who: CalFire personnel constructed the crude, very simple firebomb components following the published instructions. But the bomb didn’t ignite on the first try. Then since dinner was almost ready, they adjusted tactics and ignited the Ember Firebomb(Styrofoam cup with fuel in it) with a match and it burned for nearly 12 minutes, but it sent out no embers, and failed the test.

“It wasn’t as effective as they alluded to in the magazine,” “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t create something else, (but) we don’t see it being a real serious problem that they’re going to be able to use those here.” RRU Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said.

Fire officials said the ineffectiveness of the “fire bomb” in testing is encouraging. However, they urge residents to report any suspicious activity and take the normal precautions that should be taken every year during fire season to protect their homes.

News Video Report:

More information: ABC Original News Report: May 3rd 2012 - http://youtu.be/nU0hL6WR8HQ "War On Terror Is Over" Alert: Al Qaeda Magazine Calls For Firebomb Campaign In USA http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-calls-massive-forest-fires-montana/sto... CBS Report "Al Qaeda ‘Fire Bomb’ Fails Cal Fire’s Test" - http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/07/17/al-qaeda-fire-bomb-fails-cal-fires-test/ California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012