RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           CC: RAD Information Net

Day/date:  Friday, May 26, 1989

INCIDENTS

No incidents reported.

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION

a) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

* Ingraham Fire - Everglades - 81,000 acres:

Containment of the fire is estimated for this evening.

* Chickee Fire - Big Cypress - 8 acres:

The fire started on Thursday in the Miccosukkee village and burned onto the
preserve. The source of ignition is believed to have been an over-heated
lawnmower. The fire destroyed 77 palmetto and palm frond chickee huts
before initial attack; another 32 were saved. None were occupied at the
time of the fire. The fire was pushed by downdrafts from a nearby
thunderstorm and was able to move rapidly from hut to hut due to their close
proximity to each other.

* Walk-in/Tu-Palm Fire - Big Cypress - 300+ acres:

The fire is threatening private cottages. There's no estimate of
containment.

b) OTHER AGENCY

* Coyote Canyon Fire - Cibola NF - 450 acres:

Subdivisions to the east of the fire are currently being threatened. High
winds continue in the area. Containment is expected this evening.

* Willow Fire - Moab District, HEM - 100+ acres:

The fire is burning in Douglas fir and sage on north slopes. A. Type II
team, four crews and a helicopter have been assigned. Low fuel moistures
and high winds are hampering control efforts. No estimate of containment.

* Tenmile Fire - Vernal District, ELM - 125 acres:

Extensive handwork has been required because of steep terrain and hot-
spotting in dry fuels. Containment is expected this evening.

2) FIRE ACTIVITY - 291 fires for 14,279 acres reported on Thursday.

3) ANALYSIS - Extreme indices continue to be reported in the southwest and
in portions of Colorado. Some ignitions are escaping initial attack. One
air tanker and a lead plane have been moved to the southwest.

4) PROGNOSIS - Increased activity is anticipated in New Mexico, Arizona and
Colorado, as hot, windy conditions continue through the holiday weekend.
Demobilization of resources from Florida is expected to proceed as large
fires reach containment. No resource shortages are anticipated.

5) NOTES - The following story appeared in this morning's Washington Post:

"The Forest. Service has ordered, a hunting guide in Bozeman, Montana, to pay
more than $2.7 million to reimburse the government's costs of fighting one
of the forest fires that swept through Yellowstone National Park last
summer. Forest Service investigators said they traced the source of the
blaze to camp stoves set up by outfitter Vernon Smith (on) August 15th.
They said sparks from Smith's stove started a local fire that spread rapidly
under high winds and became the Hellroaring Fire. The blaze burned more
than 52,000 acres in Yellowstone and an additional 29,000 acres in adjacent
Gallatin National Forest before being doused by rain and snow in the fall.

"According to federal law, a person proven to have started a fire that burns
public land can be required to repay the government for losses due to the
fire. The law is seldom used because people found to have started fires
generally cannot pay the high costs of firefighting.

"Smith declined to comment. Government officials said it is unlikely that
he could pay the amount he has been charged, but federal lawyers said they
could recoup part of their costs by attaching his property. Jim Sanders of
Gallatin National Forest said the government also has billed Todd Wilkof of
Canton, Ohio, who was on a back-country trip led by Smith the day the fire
began. Forest Service investigators said Wilkof used a camp stove that
morning. Their investigation of the fire concluded that sparks from the
stove blew into the dry forest and quickly kindled an unmanageable blaze.

"Earlier this year, the federal government had charged four Idaho loggers
with dropping cigarettes in a forest west of Yellowstone last July. That
evidently kindled the North Fork fire, the largest of all the Yellowstone
fires. Those loggers were formally charged only with the misdemeanor of
dropping cigarettes and have not been billed for costs of fighting the North.
Fork fire. Two of those defendants were fined $300 each last week. Charges
were dropped against a third, and the fourth has disappeared and has not
been tried."

(NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530 IDT, 5/26/89; information on Chickee Fire
from NFS VAX sit reports; Washington Post story by T. R. Reid).

STAFF STATUS

Dabney in Bozeman, Hodapp in Denver, Kreis on lieu day, Butts on travel.
Andy Ringgold is acting division chief through today.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: FTS 343-4874/6039 or 202-343-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 343-5977 or 202-343-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER