Editorial: Wildfires blazing in West

Friday, June 30, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

Every year an army of men and women are sent to battle the thousands of wildfires that break out across the United States.

These courageous individuals already have been dispatched throughout the West in what National Interagency Fire Center officials told National Geographic magazine is expected to be one of the worst wildfire years on record. The 56,645 fires reported since January have scorched 3.6 million acres. That's more than three times the national average.

According to the interagency fire center, 262 wildland fires were burning across the United States on Thursday - nine of them in Nevada. Gov. Kenny Guinn has declared a state of emergency and announced Thursday that federal funds have been authorized to help pay Nevada's firefighting costs.

But no matter who picks up the tab, it is the backbreaking work of wildland firefighters that ultimately beats back the flames, protecting countless lives and millions in property.

We can't say enough when praising the efforts of these brave men and women. And we hope that those who travel the back country this holiday weekend are mindful about the campfires they ignite and the cigarettes they should extinguish. Some of these blazes are caused by lightning, but others are entirely preventable. And all of them place people in harm's way.