Some measures, like a bulkhead that burned in a brush fire, were damaged or destroyed before Sandy.

WSJ: Staten Island area hit by Sandy chosen for buyouts

Washington's Taylor Bridge Fire began as a brush fire Monday afternoon.

CNN: Heartbreaking losses as Western wildfires rage

"I thought maybe it was just a brush fire, " Eason says.

FORBES: She Shall Overcome

The newspaper also said a brush fire flared near the crash scene, quoting witnesses who reported power outages that prompted a utility to send workers to the site.

NPR: Small Jet Crash Kills 5 In Eastern Georgia

In September, a twin-engine, two-seat AH-1W Cobra helicopter went down during training in a remote area of Camp Pendleton, killing two Marine pilots and igniting a brush fire that burned about 120 acres at the base north of San Diego.

WSJ: Seven Marines Die as Helicopters Collide

Dollywood was the site of a separate brush fire Saturday night but park officials said that fire would not affect the season opening this weekend.

NPR: Wildfire Burns Outside Great Smoky Mountains

The film takes its name from the practice of setting a small fire to clear out nearby brush, allowing a fast-advancing forest fire to pass by harmlessly.

CNN: U.S. manages disease, not health

In Northern California, a fire in a remote area of brush and timber north of the town of Butte Meadows grew to more than 3 square miles, with 10 percent containment, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

NPR: Fire Forces Evacuation Of Campus, Homes In Calif.

The blaze destroyed two homes and two outbuildings, and damaged a cabin as it burned through 1, 500 acres of brush, fire officials said.

CNN: Firefighters make headway in California wildfire

The area near an uphill incline is considered a collection point for fuel and ignition sources, and it's possible a piece of debris fell into the tinder-dry brush early Thursday and sparked the fire, Piranio said.

NPR: Cause Of California Wildfire Appears Accidental