- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, July 19, 1990
- Date: Thurs, 19 Jul 1990
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Thursday, July 19, 1990
INCIDENTS
90-197 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Lightning Fatality
At about 3 p.m. on the afternoon of July 14th, 13 hikers on the summit of
14,495-foot Mt. Whitney felt a buzzing sensation in their feet and noticed
their hair standing on end. They entered the historic Smithsonian shelter
and heard nearby lightning activity. About a quarter hour later, the group
heard several loud booms, the cement and rock floor and walls of the shelter
started buzzing, there was a flash, and a white and yellow, one-foot
diameter ball of lighting started bouncing off all four walls. The entire
group was numb for about five seconds; one member received third degree
burns on both shoulders, one member went into cardiac and respiratory
arrest, and the others received minor burns. Members of the group performed
CPR on 26-year-old M.N. of Huntington Beach, California,
for six hours but were unsuccessful. He was evacuated by a Forest Service
helicopter to the Southern Inyo Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9
p.m. In a separate incident one half mile below the summit, another
party of two was struck by lightning twice. One hiker went into respiratory
arrest for 15 minutes, but was revived by his brother. The pair then walked
about six miles and descended 2,000 vertical feet before being evacuated.
The injured member was later diagnosed as having a fractured spine. (Doug
Morris, CR, SEKI, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/16).
90-198 - Kalapapa (Hawaii) - Structural Fire
A fire was discovered in the old hospital building around 5:30 a.m. on July
18th. Although the building was unoccupied, it was being used as a storage
area for both the park and the Hawaii Department of Heath and a wing was
being remodeled as a maintenance office. Other park buildings were scorched,
but the fire was confined to the original old hospital. The new hospital was
evacuated, with no injuries reported. A damage assessment is being
completed, but the building itself is a total loss. The cause of the fire
is unknown and under investigation. (Al Baldwin, KALA, via CompuServe
message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/18).
90-199 - Death Valley (California) - Violent Storm
A lightning storm on the 17th which was accompanied by extremely high winds
deposited over one inch of rain on the south central area of Death Valley.
This area includes the headquarters and housing area for the monument. The
storm began around midnight and continued throughout the night, causing all
road into the area to be closed except Highway 190 to Las Vegas. All
commercial electrical power and most telephones were shut down. The entire
roof was blown off the carpenter shop and two smaller out buildings as well
as several heme windows and motor vehicle windows. Park rangers conducted a
technical rescue of two German nationals and one Swiss national who became
marooned on an extreme exposure during the height of the storm. Most of the
park's roads were to be reopened by mid-afternoon on the 17th, but it is
uncertain when electrical power will resume. (Dale Antonich, CR, DEVA, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/17).
FIRE ACTIVITY
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
MT USFS Bitterroot *Gird Point - T1 1,970 None
ID USFS Boise *Mormon Creek - T1 440 CN 7/20
Challis *Big Creek - T1 220 CN 7/20
Fish Lake *Killian Sp. - T2 100 None
GA FWS Okefenokee Mitchell I. - T1 4,500 Yes
OR USFS Gifford Pinchot *Yellowjacket 551 None
Wenatchee *White River 550 None
*Lake Wenatchee - T2 255 CN 7/19
Malheur *Corral Basin - T2 1,100 CN 7/19
Wall.-Whit. *Bear - T2 407 CN 7/19
OR State *Spring Butte 915 Yes
AK FWS Yukon Flats A121 - T2 164,000 None
Upper Yukon A143 65,000 None
NPS Denali Bear Creek 32,000 MN
Sandless Lake 600 MN
Billberg Lake 300 MN
Hot Slough 500 MN
*A-255 1,500 None
*A-364 (Above) None
*A-406 200 None
AK Tok Area A156 - T1 45,900 None
Porcupine - T1 1,600 MN
Southwest Area Crooked Creek 11,330 CN 7/10
004035 17,950 None
Fairbanks Area 011128 3,000 None
A261 800 None
Delta Area 012046 2,100 None
012047 150 None
Tanana Zone A225 150 None
A222 2,580 MN
A225 6,400 None
A233 1,000 None
A235 20,000 None
A200 18,820 MN
Upper Yukon Zone A299 150 CN 7/8
BLM Tanana Zone A200 18,820 MN
Galena Zone A184 100 None
Southwest Area A377 8,330 None
Native Kenai/Kod. Area A247 750 None
Alaska also has 46 fires under modified suppression strategy
for a total of 202,939 acres.
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) NPS NARRATIVES -
- Denali (Alaska) -
* A-255/A-364 Fire - A few spots of open flame and smoke are reported on
five to ten percent of the combined fire's perimeter. The fire is
being pushed by five to ten knot winds from the southwest and is
burning in a mix of open canopy black spruce and tundra.
* A-406 Fire - No new information.
* Bear Creek (A-148) Fire - This fire has again come back to life with
open flame on the north and west sides and smokes scattered throughout
the burn. Approximately five to ten percent of the perimeter is active.
The fire is burning in a mix of open canopy black spruce and tundra.
* Billberg Lake (A-374) Fire - This fire has also become active as a
result of warmer temperatures. A few smokes have been observed along
the southwest perimeter near a small watercourse. Five to ten knot
winds from the southwest are driving the fire into a black spruce and
tundra mix.
- Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) -
* Avalanche 1 RX Natural Fire - The five-acre fire is being closely
monitored and is within prescription.
* Avalanche 2 Rx Natural Fire - The fire is out.
- Yellowstone (Wyoming) -
* Stonetop and Washburn Fires - Monitoring crews are being left in place
until a survey can be completed.
* Broad Fire - The fire has been controlled.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 299 fires for 5297 acres in past 24 hours.
5) NPS FIRE DANGERS - The following parks are experiencing high to
extreme fire danger this morning:
High Very High Extreme
Everglades Scotts Bluff Yukon Charlie
Indiana Dunes Hawaii Volcanoes
Guadalupe Mts.
Lava Beds
Pinnacles
Redwood
Sequoia/Kings
Whiskeytown
Wrangell-St Elias
Denali
6) ANALYSIS - Fire activity is continuing in the Northwest, Northern Rockies
and the Great Basin. Containment targets should soon be reached on
several fires. Alaska is experiencing an increase in fire activity due
to hotter and drier weather conditions.
As of yesterday, the parks reporting to the NTS Branch of Fire Management
in Boise had 40 firefighters, 10 monitors and 14 overhead personnel
committed to fires nationally. Four NTS helicopters and five engines
have also been committed.
7) PROGNOSIS - The potential exists for increased fire activity due to hot
and dry weather conditions and dry thunderstorms in Oregon and Idaho.
Fire activity in Alaska is expected to increase as the weekend approaches
and forecasted thunderstorms arrive. Type II helicopters and Type I
crews are expected to continue to be in high demand.
(CompuServe report from Ken Hay, Branch of Fire, Boise, 7/18; NICC
Intelligence Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 7/19).
OFFICE NOTES
1) The morning report comes to you from various scenic locations in New
England this week and next week, as your correspondent is on annual leave
and communicating via a portable Sharp PC-7000 at sundry ports of call.
Greetings this morning from the banks of the Connecticut River in western
Massachusetts...
Please send any morning report messages directly to Ranger Activities'
CompuServe address (WASO-RANGER).
STAFF STATUS
- Division Chief: No travel scheduled.
- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Farabee at FLETC for health and
fitness coordinator training (7/16-7/27); Halainen on AL (7/16-7/27).
- Branch of Fire: Erskine and Gale in PNRO, Seattle (7/19); Botti in
Washington on budgetary matters (7/16-7/20).
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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