Laurie .
with every 30 seconds the render shows more fireflies. they will not go away.

you said you tryed iwth the worst scene for fireflies. did you try glossy materials? i have a glossy floor with a glossy sofa and a car shader on the sphere. i get fireflies.

maybe it can be fixed. but fact is that i have the latest buid,a simple scene,simple materials and simple lighting. i get a lot artifacts.

but they will fix it.