Sydney, Australia Australian EOD officers have testified before a commission of inquiry who are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fire at the Marrangaroo Training Area in Lithgow. The fire, which started on October 16, was found to be started during an EOD training exercise. As is continued burning for nearly a month, it became known as the State Mine fire and destroyed five homes and seven structures in the Lithgow area. Before being extinguished, the fire covered 50,000 hectares (approximately 123,000 acres).

Australian EOD Warrant Officer Andrew Newsome told the inquiry that his staff attempted to put out the fire with shovels and a hose, but the flames were just too high to control. Testimony also indicated that Defence personnel fighting the blaze were almost hit by fragmentation from UXO that exploded in the area due to the fire. In his testimony, Newsome told the committee, "There wasn't really anything we could do to fight that end of the fire...We couldn't get to the face of it ... there might have been more unexploded bombs."

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Salt Lake City, Utah The Pinyon Fire burning on Camp Williams has burned over 5 acres of land including part of a mock Afghan village used for training. Crews battling the blaze have been hampered by the possibility of UXO in the area. Helicopters are being used to battle the fire from a distance as ground crews stay outside the exclusion zone monitoring the fire. At one point nearly 100 homes were evacuated but the evacuation has since been lifted.

San Diego, California A brush fire that started on one of Camp Pendleton's active training ranges has burned more than 200 acres and is moving northeast toward the installation. The cause of the fire was reportedly linked to munitions training (munition type involved not reported).

Crews are fighting the fire from the sky with fixed wing aircraft and a helicopter due to concerns over UXO in the area. Efforts are underway to contain the fire. So far, no structures have been damaged .

Makakilo, Hawaii A wildfire burning near a residential subdivision revealed five munitions items that were initially hidden in the brush and overgrowth. The munitions were found by fire fighters fighting flare ups in the area. The Honolulu Police Department's Specialized Services Division responded and identified the munitions as military ordnance. The police then called the Army for support. The Army dispatched the 303rd EOD unit based out of Schofield Barracks to provide technical support. EOD identified the munitions as 2.75 inch rockets. At least two of the rockets reportedly contained potentially live fuzes with the remaining being inert. EOD safely transported the munition to Schofield Barracks for proper disposal. The cause of the wildfire was undetermined.

Edinburgh, Indiana The National Guard is busy trying to extinguish the fire that has been burning in their impact area since 21 October. Due to concerns over UXO in the area, the firefighting efforts are concentrated on using helicopters to deliver water to the area. The fire reportedly started when a flare used in the impact area caught the grass on fire. No residential properties are in danger but several neighbors have voiced concerns to their Congressman (Milo Smith) and the Base Commander about heavy smoke in the area.

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Lompoc, California Firefighters are reportedly taking extra precautions as they fight a fire on Vandenberg AFB due to concerns over UXO in the area. The Bear Creek fire which has scorched nearly 1,300 acres is almost complete extinguished. Officials reported that the fire was caused by an arching power line last Thursday afternoon.

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