- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 31, 1990
- Date: Tues, 31 Jul 1990
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Tuesday, July 31, 1990
INCIDENTS
90-9 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Follow-up on Search for Aircraft
On January 13th, a Cessna 172 piloted by J.T. of Loma Linda,
California, disappeared from radar while flying near Mt. Whitney. A search
was initiated, but was suspended after 13 days when no sign of the aircraft
was found. On July 28th, the plane and remains of the pilot were found at
the 11,300-foot elevation one mile southwest of Colby Pass. J.T. was
apparently killed on impact. (Chief Rangers' Office, SEKI, via CompuServe
message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/30).
90-206 - Joshua Tree (California) - Para-Military Activities
On July 9th, ranger patrols discovered that a large and illegal para-military
training party had camped in a remote area of the park which is
five miles from any paved area and accessible only with four-wheel-drive
vehicles. Evidence collected at the scene included over 600 rounds of rifle
and pistol casings from 9-mm, AK-47 and M-16 weapons, indicating
considerable live firing at the site. The area is within two miles of a
desert big horn sheep watering hole. (Paul Henry, GR, JCTR, via CompuServe
message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/30).
90-207 - Death Valley (California) - Aircraft Accident with Fatalities
Two Air Force F-4 Phantoms collided in mid-air over the park on the morning
of the 26th, then crashed in the park. Two airmen were confirmed dead, and
two others sustained minor injuries. The aircraft, neither of which was
armed, were operating out of George Air Force Ease. Park personnel secured
the crash site for the Air Force. (Telephone report from Carl Christensen,
RAD/WRO, 7/26).
90-208 - Crater Lake (Oregon) - Falling Fatality
On the afternoon of July 27th, D.Z., 33, of Mead, Washington,
stopped at Discovery Point with her three children, ages five, seven and 16.
When the youngest got close to the crater edge, D.Z. attempted to get
her back and fell over the rim in the process, landing some 700 feet below.
Her body was later recovered by park rangers. (Telephone report from Mark
Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 7/30).
90-209 - Pictured Recks (Michigan) - Employee Fatality
D.J., 41, a recently hired maintenance mechanic at the park, was
killed near midnight on the 26th in an auto accident near St. Croix,
Wisconsin. D.J. had EOD'ed on the 15th. He was living in temporary
Quarters in the park, while his wife and son remained in their home in
Amery, Wisconsin. D.J. was going home for a long weekend when he was hit
head-on by a drunk driver at Turtle Lake, about ten miles from his house.
Wisconsin State Police are investigating. (Telephone report from Tom
Thompson, RAD/MWRO, 7/27).
90-210 - C & O Canal (Maryland) - Assist in Search and Arrest
On July 27th, park rangers assisted the Maryland State Police and Washington
County Sheriff's Office in a search for a suspect in an attempted double
murder which occurred near the canal. Two people had been injured by
gunfire in a nearby (church parking lot early in the evening. The suspect,
who was heavily armed, fled the shooting, but was apprehended the next
morning in a nearby Maryland state park after having attempted suicide. All
three persons are expected to survive. The suspect is believed to have been
a seasonal park employee in the Maryland state park system. The incident
was reportedly caused by a love triangle. (Telefax from Tony Sisto,
RAD/MCRO, 7/30).
90-211 - Perry's Victory (Ohio) - Structural Fire
On the afternoon of the 25th, the Put-In-Bay Fire Department responded to a
fire in a house trailer owned by and located on park property. The fire,
which occurred due to faulty wiring in a fan, caused smoke damage and burned
the floor, walls and a door of the trailer. There were no injuries and no
estimate of damage has yet been made. The trailer, which was being utilized
by a seasonal employee, was not occupied at the time. (CR, PEVT, via
CompuServe message from Capt. J.J. McLaughlin, RAD/MWRO, 7/26).
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS IEVEL - II
One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous Class A, B,
and C fires occurring and a potential exists for escapes to larger
(project) fires. Minimal mobilization of resources from other geographic
areas occurring. The potential exists for mobilizing additional
resources from other geographic areas.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire Acres Status
ID NPS Crater of Moon Split Butte 800 Yes
WA NPS North Cascades McCallister 100 None
USFS Wenatchee Canoe Creek - T2 505 CN 8/6
OR USFS Deschutes Wake Butte - T2 360 CN 7/31
ID BLM Boise Rattler 1,113 Yes
*Spring Creek 600 CN 7/31
*Indian Jim 160 CN 7/30
NV USFS Toiyabe *Floriston - T2 50 CN 8/4
BLM Winnemucca *South Fork 600 CN 7/31
*Theodore 750 CN 7/31
CA USFS Los Padres *Ynez - T2 756 None
AZ NPS Grand Canyon Topeka 200 None
USFS Coconino Encinoso - T2 60 Yes
AK FWS Yukon Flats A-197 - T1 127,260 None
BLM Tok Area 013026 831 None
Tanana Zone A-270 23,600 None
A-421 6,000 None
Southwest Area 004069 1,240 None
004068 4,210 None
Galena Zone A-168 2,900 None
NPS Denali A-148 46,000 MN
A-374 1,300 MN
A-255 23,600 MN
A-405 11,000 MN
A-413 6,000 MN
A-327 1,900 MN
A-350 67,280 MN
Army - A-133 14,000 None
AK Tok Area 013021 - T1 90,300 None
013035 11,500 None
Tanana Zone A-414 14,700 None
Delta Area 012054 7,500 None
Native Southwest Area 004066 250 None
Upper Yukon A-412 35,640 None
Alaska also has 33 fires unstaffed under modified suppression
strategy for a total of 1,014,752 acres and 46 fires under limited
suppression strategy for 687,366 acres.
NOTES:
- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this
report). 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; MS means the fire is being managed under a
modified suppression strategy; "none" means no estimate; "yes"
means the fire has been contained.
3) NPS NARRATIVES -
- Denali (Alaska) -
* A-350 Fire - About 20,000 acres of the fire are burning within the
preserve. Approximately 20 percent of the perimeter is smoldering,
and another ten percent is active with flames of one to two feet in
length. The fire is burning in black spruce and feathermoss, and white
spruce along the river. Air observations indicate that the fire could
reach two cabins in one burning period under favorable conditions. The
fire is burning in a modified suppression zone.
* A-148 Fire - Fire activity has diminished considerably. There are no
visible flames.
* A-374 Fire - There is little activity on the fire. Three percent of the
perimeter is smoldering.
* A-255 Fire - The fire is moving slowly. The most active area is the
west/northwest flank.
* There has been little activity on the remaining park fires.
- Craters of the Moon (Idaho) -
* Split Butte Fire - The fire was returned to the park on the 27th. BLM
will monitor the fire periodically.
- North Cascades (Washington) -
* McCallister Fire - A Type II team from Mt. Hood was released Sunday;
another Type II team from Wenatchee NF with three Type II crews were to
arrive yesterday. Plans are to bring in a wilderness assessment team
to look at a long-term strategy and available options.
- Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) -
* Avalanche 1 RX Fire - No new information.
- Grand Canyon (Arizona) -
* Topeka Fire - The fire burned through light carrier fuels on the
weekend and shewed little growth.
- Yosemite (California) -
* Moraine Fire - The fire was started by lightning on the 29th and has
burned five acres.
* Hoover Creek RX Fire - This naturally-caused fire has burned just over
14 acres and is in prescription.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 141 fires for 29,262 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
Padre Island Sequoia/Kings Joshua Tree
Redwoods Zion Cumberland Island
Everglades Death Valley
Indiana Dunes Bryce Canyon
Lava Beds
Great Basin
El Malpais
Hawaii Volcanoes
Scotts Bluff
Grand Canyon
Whiskeytown
Denali
Wrangell-St. Elias
6) ANALYSIS - Several fires have been reported in the Northwest, Great
Basin and Nevada due to yesterday's lightning. High to extreme indices
continue to be reported in several areas throughout the West. Cooler
temperatures, higher humidities and rain have been reported in Alaska,
and fire activity has accordingly decreased. Demobilization is being
begun on many fires.
As of Monday, the parks reporting to the NPS Branch of Fire Management
in Boise had 30 firefighters, eight monitors and 16 overhead personnel
committed to fires nationally. Five NPS helicopters and six engines
have also been committed.
7) PROGNOSIS - Increased fire activity is expected in the West due to
continuing hot and dry temperatures, new fires begun by lightning
yesterday, and thunderstorm activity forecast for today. Demobilization
from Alaska is expected to increase due to current and forecasted
weather.
(CompuServe report from Hailie Locklear, Branch of Fire, Boise, 7/30; NICC
Intelligence Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 7/31).
OFFICE NOTES
1) Glen Canyon is seeking information concerning federal, state or local
laws or regulations that require all boats on inland waters (other than
rivers) to have a device on-board to contain solid human waste until it can
be properly disposed of at a sanitary dump facility. They are aware of
Coast Guard regulations on closed sanitary systems but are studying the
feasibility of implementing special regulations to require port-a-potties on
all boats. They would appreciate names (and phone numbers if available) of
areas with such regulations in place or that may be contemplating such
regulations to control human waste on lake shores. Call John Ritenour,
Chief, Resource Management Division at FTS 761-3150 or 602-645-2471, or
write to him at Post Office Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040.
2) The accident to which occurred this spring to Joshua Tree park ranger
Grady Arrington has left him paralyzed from the chest down. He has since
incurred considerable medical expenses, so a trust fund has been established
to assist in the rehabilitation process. Ml proceeds from the sale of
tickets to a special raffle will go into this trust fund. Prizes include a
Smith & Wesson .38 special, custom-built target revolver, a Ruger P85 9mm
semi-automatic pistol, and a Smith and Wesson Model 14 .38 special revolver.
Tickets are $5.00 each and the drawing will be held in October at the Ranger
Rendezvous in Las Vegas, Nevada. Winner need not be present. Anyone
interested in selling raffle tickets is encouraged to contact Paul Henry at
619/367-3523.
STAFF STATUS
- Division Chief: Dabney at meeting on ranger museum in Harpers Ferry
(7/31).
- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin at meeting on ranger
museum in Harpers Ferry (7/31).
- Branch of Fire: Norum on AL (7/24-8/5); Gale on SL (7/25-8/5); Botti
on AL (7/30-8/10); Hallie Locklear from SWRO on detail to Branch of Fire
Management (7/23-8/4).
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 (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650