- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, July 11, 1990
- Date: Wed, 11 Jul 1990
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, July 11, 1990
INCIDENTS
90-189 - Death Valley (California) - Fatality
V.L.C., 23, of Long Beach, California, was riding with a
companion on an ATV near Ibex Dunes on July 4th when the vehicle broke down.
Her companion walked out for help. V.L.C. eventually walked away from the
ATV. Temperatures in the location at the time were around 118 degrees.
Initial reports suggested that the incident had occurred on BLM land, so BLM
rangers and San Bernadino deputies conducted a search and found V.L.C.'s
body on the 5th. The cause of death was ruled to be exposure. Both V.L.C.
and her companion had been drinking heavily before the incident took place.
(Telephone report from Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 7/10).
90-190 - Chattahoochee (Georgia) - Multiple Injuries
At 7:25 p.m. on the evening of the 8th, a raft with eight people aboard was
struck by lightning. All eight were knocked from the raft, but were able to
make it to shore. A witness on the shore with a cellular phone called 911
and emergency units responded to the location. Three of the eight were
hospitalized; at least two have since been released. (Ken Garvin, CHATT,
via telephone report from Bill Springer, RAD/SERO, 7/11).
90-191 - Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - Drowning
B.S., 38, of Delaware, Ohio, drowned while wading in the ocean one
mile north of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Witnesses believe that he was
knocked down by a wave. (Telefaxed report from Capt. Steve Alscher,
RAD/SERO, 7/9).
FIRE ACTTVITY
1) 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
ID USFS Idaho Panhandle *Flat Creek - T2 50 CN 7/12
BLM Lewistown *Shotgun Coulee 200 None
MT USFS Bitterroot Sabe Creek 400 CN 8/30
NM State State *Bar 400 None
NV BLM Elko *Black Sheep 2,100 CN 7/11
GA FWS Okefenokee *Mitchell I. - T1 600 None
AK FWS Yukon Flats A121 - T2 130,000 None
Kanuti A185 18,340 MS
Yukon Delta A204 6,500 MS
Koyukuk A213 8,450 MS
A237 780 MS
A238 5,000 MS
NPS Denali A148 (West End) 50,000 MN
Kobuk Valley *Unnamed 150 CL 7/9
AK Tok Area A156 - T1 44,100 None
Porcupine - T1 1,630 None
Southwest Area Crooked Creek 10,330 CN 7/10
004011 2,150 MS
004013 5,550 MS
004014 500 MS
004032 11,320 MS
004035 8,580 None
004009 130 MS
A162 130 MS
Fairbanks Area Pedro Dome - T2 910 Yes
011128 3,000 None
011103 1,600 MS
011150 560 MS
011155 800 MS
011139 2,200 MS
A261 800 None
Delta Area 012046 2,100 None
012047 150 None
Tanana Zone A225 150 None
A212 1,400 Yes
A222 1,550 MN
A225 6,400 None
A233 600 None
A235 20,000 None
A297 4,100 MS
A298 3,100 MS
A332 1,000 None
A200 18,820 MN
State Galena Zone A239 6,700 MS
A245 1,500 MS
Upper Yukon Zone A299 150 CN 7/8
BLM Tanana Zone A200 15,000 MS
Galena Zone A184 100 None
A168 950 MS
A205 350 MS
Southwest Area A377 8,330 None
Native Tanana Zone A218 2,600 MS
Kenai/Kod. Area A247 750 None
Southwest Area A346 100 None
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) NARRATIVES -
- Bear Creek Fire (Denali) - About 15 percent of the fire's perimeter was
reported to be smoldering yesterday; there were very few visible flames.
The southwest quadrant of the fire was being pushed into a 1986 burn by
light northwest winds. Scattered rain showers and cooler temperatures
are expected to keep the fire burning at low intensity.
- Billberg Lake Fire (Denali) - The fire was detected in a modified
suppression zone on July 8th and has been burning in black spruce
surrounded by marsh on its northern, eastern and western sides. On the
9th, the fire was a half mile away from Birch Creek, which will probably
serve as a fire break. Light winds blowing from the northwest are
pushing the fire into marshland. Five to ten percent of the fire
perimeter was smoldering, and there were no visible flames.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 221 fires for 72,867 acres reported in past 24 hours.
Here are the comparative figures for fires through July 10th for
this year and last year:
Year-To-Date Fires Year-To-Date Acres
1989 32,795 1,214,756
1990 35,521 1,301,143
5) NPS FIRE DANGERS - The following parks are experiencing high to
extreme fire danger this morning:
High Very High Extreme
Cape Cod Lake Meredith Cumberland Island
Everglades Hawaii Volcanoes Yukon-Charlie
Guadalupe Mtns. Joshua Tree
Lava Beds Sequoia/Kings
Pinnacles Denali
Whiskeytown Wrangell-St. Elias
Kobuk Valley
6) ANALYSIS - Lightning activity throughout the West has generated numerous
small fires. Demobilization in Alaska is in progress.
As of yesterday, the parks reporting to the NPS Branch of Fire Management
in Boise had 245 firefighters, 7 monitors and 140 overhead personnel
committed to fires nationally. Nine NPS helicopters have also been
committed.
National parks report the following this morning:
* Big Cypress - The Airplane Prairie prescribed fire was ignited
last Friday and burned 1,000 of a 2,000-acre plot before being hit
by a thunderstorm which dropped three inches on the perimeter.
There's been no activity on the fire since.
* Guadalupe Mountains - One helicopter and one handcrew continue to work
on the Frijole Fire. Several new hot spots appeared close to the line
in McKittrick Canyon on the 9th, but were knocked down by bucket drops.
* Sequoia/Kings - The one-acre prescribed fire was completed yesterday; a
five-acre burn was planned for the afternoon.
* Yosemite - A 50-acre prescribed fire is burning within prescription and
should be controlled on the 15th.
* Joshua Tree - Lightning hit the park on the evening of the 9th; a smoke
was seen the following morning and a BLM helicopter was to conduct
a recon flight yesterday.
7) PROGNOSIS - The potential exists for hold-over fires and new lightning
starts as high temperatures and thunderstorms spread throughout the
West. Increased demobilization from Alaska to the Lower 48 is expected.
(Telefaxed reports from Ken Hay and Ken Kehrer, Branch of Fire, Boise, 7/10;
NPS National Wildland Fire Summary, 0430 MDT, 7/11; NICC Intelligence
Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 7/11).
OFFTCE NOTES
1) Jenness Coffey of this office would like to hear from any park which is
currently or has in the past impounded trespass livestock under 36 CFR 2.60.
You can reach Jen at FTS 268-6380 or 202-208-6380.
2) A complaint was filed in District Court (Western District of Michigan,
Northern Division) on June 18th by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs to
have the trapping ban at Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks determined
illegal. Although legislation authorizing the lakeshores permits fishing and
hunting in accordance with state and applicable Federal laws, the acts are
silent on the matter of trapping. Trapping is therefore considered to be
appropriately prohibited under the Service's regulations. Yesterday, the
court issued an order denying the plaintiff's motion for summary judgement
and supporting the Service's position. A full report on this case will
appear in the September/October issue of the EXCHANGE.
3) The American Society of Travel Agents is trying to identify receptive
services throughout North America. A receptive service operator is a
company that offers most or all of the following services - meeting and
greeting, sightseeing tours, hotel reservations, transfers, airline
reconfirmations, and complete tour quotes. If there are companies or
individuals in your area who provide such services and might like to be
included in a directory to be used by travel agents, please contact the WASO
Tourism Office at (202) 208-4918 or fax the information to Priscilla Baker
in WASO at (202) 208-7520.
STAFF STATUS
- Division Chief: No travel scheduled.
- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: No travel scheduled.
- Branch of Fire: Norum, Gale and Broyles in Alaska Area Command in
Fairbanks (indefinite); Hurd meeting with fire staff in Boise (7/9-7/13).
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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