- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, June 29, 1990
- Date: Fri, 29 Jun 1990
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Friday, June 29, 1990
INCIDENTS
90-159 - City of Rocks (Idaho) - Serious Injury
Around 7:30 p.m. on the 20th, A.K., 29, of Herinau, Switzerland, was
parasailing at about 170 feet when he hit some air turbulence, lost control
of his parasail and hit the ground. A.K.'s helmet split open upon impact,
and he suffered massive head injuries. He is presently unconscious and
listed in critical condition. (Telephone report from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO,
6/26).
90-160 - Fort Vancouver (Washington) - Homicide
Between 11 p.m. on the 25th and a little before 1 a.m. on the 26th, three
white male transients became involved in an argument over panhandling money
while in the Waterfront Park area of Fort Vancouver. One of the three, 28-
year-old M.G., stuck another, 43-year-old F.J., with a
piece of driftwood, killing him. M.G. has been charged with first degree
murder, while the third man is being held as a material witness. The
Vancouver Police Department is investigating. (Robert Appling, POVA, via
CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/26).
90-161 - Crater Lake (Oregon) - Rescue
On June 22nd, rangers responded to a report that a 90-pound German shepherd
had fallen over a cliff at Annie Creek Canyon. Rangers repelled
approximately 200 feet down steep scree and an additional 120 vertical feet
over the canyon wall to reach the dog. They were expecting to recover a
body, but instead found the shepherd, known as "Jake", conscious, alert and
in stable condition. He was packaged in a litter and evacuated back up the
canyon wall. Throughout the operation, the dog's owners, a 10-year-old boy
and his father, reassured Jake by talking to him over the park radio. At
last report, Jake was doing fine, having suffered only a bruised lung from
the fall. (CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/27).
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level III
Two or more geographic areas experiencing incidents requiring a major
commitment of national resources. High number of fires becoming Class D
and larger. Additional resources are being ordered and mobilized through
NICC. Type 1 teams are committed in two or more areas, or 300 crews are
committed nationally.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire Acres Status
CA CDF Ventura County *Foothill 585 Yes
Orange County *Cartoon 6,640 CN 6/29
Riverside County *Simpson 125 CN 6/27
San Diego
Resource Unit *Bingo 300 CN 6/27
*Dehesa 1,200 Yes
*Dunbar 175 None
*Wilderness 175 None
USFS Cleveland *Bedford - T1 4,500 None
Los Padres *Paint - T1 3,100 None
NPS Channel Island Julie Ann 550 CN 6/29
CO USFS Gunnison *Horsefly - T2 3,100 None
*Alpine Plateau 100+ None
Arapaho/
Roosevelt *Goodell - T2 141 CN 6/30
BLM Montrose *Menesse Mountain 400+ None
AZ BLM Phoenix *Empire - T2 727 Yes
USFS Tonto *Dude - T1 21,030 None
Coronado *Babcock - T2 70 Yes
AZ State *Picket 450 Yes
State *Montosa - T2 9,100 None
NM BLM Roswell Hagerman 2,300 Yes
*Powell 100 CL 6/27
USFS Gila *Draw 100 CL 6/30
Cibola *Cooper 120 CN 6/29
Santa Fe *Commissary - T2 150 None
NPS Guadalupe Mtn. *Frijole - T1 1,859 None
NM State Corona 563 Yes
UT BLM Richfield *Don't Know 350 CN 6/27
NV BLM Elko *Montello 600 CN 6/29
FL FL State Unnamed fire 38,000 MN
NOTES:
- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire. T1 and T2 indicate
assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - Containment/control dates are estimates; CN means
contain, CL means control, MN means the fire is being monitored; "none"
means no estimate; "yes" means the fire has been contained.
- Agencies - All BLM areas are districts; CDF is California
Department of Forestry.
3) FIRE NARRATIVES -
- Frijole Fire (Guadalupe Mountains) - Strong southwest winds have
been hampering control efforts. An historic cabin has been saved
by burning out around it, but south McKittrick Canyon is still
being threatened. A Type I team has been committed to the fire.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 184 fires for 13,858 acres in past 24 hours.
5) FIRE DANGERS - The following parks are experiencing high to
extreme fire danger this morning:
High Very High Extreme
Cape Cod Mesa Verde Bryce Canyon
Bandelier Guadalupe Mtns. Zion
Pinnacles Padre Island Carlsbad Caverns
Chiricahua Grand Canyon Lake Meredith
Yosemite Hawaii Volcanoes Channel Islands
Great Basin Joshua Tree Santa Monica Mtns.
Lava Beds Chiricahua
Sequoia/Kings Coronado
Saguaro Chaco Culture
Aztec Ruins
Casa Grande
Organ Pipe Cactus
Saguaro
El Morro
Salinas
6) ANALYSIS - Windy conditions, high temperatures and low fuel
moistures continue to hamper control efforts on project fires and
new ignitions. Extreme fire indices continue to be reported
throughout the Southwest, Rocky Mountain states and California.
Eight MAFF units have been activated in southern California and
five airtankers have been ordered from Canada.
Parks are committing personnel to a number of fires throughout
the West. Southwest Region has cancelled all annual leave for
red-carded employees through July 8th. National parks report the
following this morning:
* Bryce Canyon - The park is putting no smoking and no campfire
closures into effect on July 3rd due to extreme fire danger.
* Mesa Verde - The park helitack with five NPS personnel and
six BLM jumpers were committed to the Memefee Fire on the 27th.
* Big Cypress - The park was to conduct a prescribed burn of
about 1,000 acres yesterday.
* Carlsbad Caverns - The probability of afternoon and evening
dry thunderstorms is increasing. Fuel moistures are very
low and afternoon winds have been averaging over 20 mph.
* Sequoia/Kings Canyon - Hospital Rock prescribed burn is
scheduled for today.
7) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is expected to continue, with fires
having a high resistance to control due to the extremely low fuel
moistures. Shortages of Type II helicopters, airtankers and
Type I crews are expected to continue.
(NPS National Wildland Fire Summary, 0430 MDT, 6/29/90; NICC Intelligence
Section, Daily Situation Report, 1630 MDT, 6/28/90; NICC Intelligence
Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 6/29/90).
OFFICE NOTES
1) Major Michael Healy, the law enforcement specialist in Ranger /Activities,
retires tomorrow from the US Park Police. He will be leaving RAD to take a
position as administrative officer at Acadia, effective July 1st.
2) We'd like to hear from any parks with special park use permits for sod
farming. If you've got one, would you give us a buzz?
STAFF STATUS
- Division Chief: No travel scheduled.
- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Loach on AL (6/18-7/9);
Farabee in Alaska for aviation program evaluation (6/24-6/30);
Henry on SL; Kreis on lieu day.
- Branch of Fire: Hurd in meetings with regional fire coordinators
in RMR (6/25), PNRO (6/26) and AR (6/29).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER
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