- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, August 9, 1990
- Date: Thurs, 9 Aug 1990
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Thursday, August 9, 1990
INCIDENTS
90-246 - Olympic (Washington) - Drug Arrest
On August 6th, rangers, U.S. Park Police officers and Grays Harbor County
Drug Task Force officers executed a search warrant on a residence near Lake
Quinault and arrested G.E.P., 46. G.E.P. was arraigned in U.S.
District Court on the 7th on the charge of possession with intent to
distribute controlled substances; numerous other charges are pending.
During entry to the house, G.E.P. threatened rangers with a loaded, semi-
automatic pistol. He surrendered the weapon only after repeated orders to
drop it. Seized during the raid were significant quantities of marijuana,
hash oil, methamphetamine, LSD and several unidentified substances.
Marijuana was found under cultivation in a building adjacent to the house,
and a trailer on the grounds was apparently used to manufacture
methamphetamine or "crank." A complete methamphetamine lab was discovered
packaged in the attic. Officers also found several thousand rounds of
ammunition and 22 firearms in the house, including rifles, a shotgun and
semi-automatic pistols. Most were loaded and had rounds in their climbers.
One weapon, an M-1 carbine, had been illegally modified. The raid was the
crimination of a one-month undercover operation conducted at the park's
request by the Park Police narcotics unit based in Washington, D.C. In
addition to G.E.P., the officers were able to develop information for
arrest warrants on 11 other individuals in the Lake Quinault and Amanda Park
areas. (OLYM press release, forwarded via CompuServe by Mark Forbes,
RAD/PNRO, 8/8).
90-247 - Ross Lake (Washington) - Assault with Deadly Weapon
On August 4th, a jogger running along a power line access road reported
being fired on by a man in a vehicle covered with a green tarp camouflaged
with leaves and brush. Ranger Galen Stark and a Skagit County deputy
investigated and encountered a middle-aged male suspect. The suspect, M.Y.
of Albuquerque, New Mexico, claimed he was an anti-christ incapable of
living in modern society, had squandered a $100,000 inheritance, and
believed in white supremacy. He claimed he held his hand up to his head and
clicked his mouth to scare off the jogger, who was tanned and who he
therefore believed was non-Caucasian. A .22 caliber automatic pistol and
loaded clip were found by a tree behind the car. The license plate was
expired, but had a masterfully forged 1990 sticker. M.Y. was arrested and
charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The investigation is continuing.
(CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 8/8).
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - IV
Two or more geographic areas experiencing incidents requiring Type I Teams.
Competition exists for resources between geographic areas. 450 crews or
nine Type I teams committed nationally.
2) NATIONAL OVERVIEW
Approximately 13,000 firefighters are now battling fires in eight Western
states and Alaska. Lightning activity is continuing throughout the West,
and numerous new fires have been reported. About 12,000 lightning strikes
were recorded in the Western states on Monday and early Tuesday; another
4,000 were recorded in California, southern Oregon, Nevada and north central
Idaho between noon Tuesday and early yesterday morning. Demand remains
heavy for crews, airtankers, helicopters and smokejumpers. Logistical
problems have been compounded by the unavailability of personnel transport
aircraft, as the military has contracted most available commercial aircraft
for activities related to the situation in the Middle East.
Some of the more significant, non-NPS fires include the Stormy Complex,
which has 900 firefighters working to protect structures and commercial
timber; the Pine Springs Basin Complex, which consists of 15 separate fires
and is threatening ranches and private structures; the Campbell Complex,
comprised of the Pine Creek and Dye Fires; and the Florence Fire, which is
being attacked by 400 firefighters.
3) NATIONAL FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 8/8 8/9 Status
MT USFS Custer Sand Dunes - T2 ? 585 None
ID USFS Boise Porter - T1 800 986 Yes
BLM Shoshone *Thorn Creek - 30,000 None
Boise *Castle Creek - 3,000 CN 8/9
*Rough Lake - 100 CN 8/9
WY USFS Bridger-Teton Maki - T2 50 50 None
WA USFS Wenatchee Canoe Creek - T2 505 505 None
Okanogan Swamp Creek - T2 250 304 CN 8/10
OR USFS Deschutes Finley Bt. - T1 1,500 1,500 Yes
Ochoco Pine Springs
Comp. - T1 6,000 25,000 CN 8/16
Buck Sp. - T2 715 3,575 None
Malheur Whiting Sp. - T1 2,200 3,500 None
Sheep Mt. - T2 288 4,200 CN 8/16
*Snowshoe - 2,000 None
UT BIA Ft. Uintah/Ouray Florence - T2 5,350 5,350 CN 8/10
BLM Cedar City Steamboat - T2 236 236 Yes
*Millett Point - 250 None
Burley Indian Springs 3,500 7,000 CN 8/10
NV BLM Ely *Wilson Creek - 450 None
Elko *Wildhorse Canyon - 200 None
NV State *Saval - 6,000 None
*Murphey Creek - 350 CN 8/9
CA USFS Sequoia Stormy Comp. - T1 3,070 3,070 None
Cleveland Conejos 250 250 Yes
Plumas Walker - T1 1,300 1,300 None
Greenville Comp. 120 65 CN 8/8
Angeles Warm Springs - T2 450+ 160 CN 8/9
Sierra Lily 150+ 150 Yes
NPS Lava Beds Fossil - T2 200+ 250 CN 8/9
Yosemite *A-Rock - T1 - 1,300 None
*Steamboat - T2 - 800 None
BLM Susanville Nolan 875 875 Yes
CA CDF Cuyamaca 387 387 Yes
Campbell 13,000 16,000 None
Kern County *Tejon - 6,000 None
AK FWS Galena Zone A-204 69,500 57,400 None
BLM Tanana Zone A-270 24,200 24,200 None
Southwest Area 004069 2,176 2,176 CN 8/15
004068 - T2 7,808 7,808 CN 8/15
004034 111,822 111,822 None
004056 NR 122,869 None
NPS Denali A-148 46,000 46,050 MN
A-374 1,800 1,810 MN
A-255 23,600 23,800 MN
A-406 11,000 11,500 MN
A-413 6,000 6,010 MN
A-391 20,000 20,000 MN
AK Tok Area 013021 - T1 94,650 94,650 CN 8/20
Native Upper Yukon A-412 37,470 37,470 None
Tanana Zone A-391 43,890 43,890 None
Alaska also has 33 fires unstaffed under modified suppression
strategy for a total of 971,751 acres and 45 fires under limited
suppression strategy for 866,422 acres.
NOTES:
- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this
report). T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
* NR - No report received
* CN - Contained
* CL - Controlled
* MN - Being monitored
* MS - Fire is being managed under modified suppression strategy
* None - No estimate of containment
* Yes - Fire has been contained
4) NPS NARRATIVES -
- Yosemite (California) - There were about 20 lightning starts in the park
yesterday, including the A-Rock and Steamboat Fires. Lightning activity
was continuing at the time of the report yesterday:
* A-Rock Fire - The fire is moving rapidly across Merced Canyon. The
development of Foresta has been evacuated, and a strike team of engines
has been requested to protect structures in the area. A Type I team
is now on-scene. The fire is currently burning in ponderosa pine and
manzanita.
* Steamboat Fire - Steep terrain is hampering control efforts. The fire
is burning across Merced Canyon from the A-Rock Fire. Air support was
called in yesterday, but the fire has not yet been staffed with crews.
A Type II overhead team has been assigned to the fire.
* Hoover Creek RX Fire - There's no change reported on this 29-acre fire.
- Lava Beds (California) -
* Fossil Fire - A Type II team is managing this fire as well as other
fires in the Modoc National Forest. It was reported to have been
controlled as of 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon.
- Denali (Alaska) -
* A-255 Fire - There are cloudy skies over the fire, but no precipitation
is falling.
* A-374 Fire - The fire appears cold except for a few smokes on the east
flank. There are no visible flames.
* A-413 Fire - No change reported.
* A-406 Fire - The fire was observed at noon yesterday. There were no
smokes. There was no precipitation in the area.
* A-391 Fire - Although NICC is reporting this as a 43,890-acre fire on
Native lands, about 20,000 acres of the fire have burned in the park.
One smoke was observed on the fire yesterday.
* A-148 - Skies were overcast and heavy rains were falling on the fire
early yesterday afternoon. There were no smokes.
- North Cascades (Washington) -
* McCallister Fire - The fire has been contained. Two Type I crews remain
on the fire.
- Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) -
* Avalanche 1 RX Fire - The fire is moving slowly and producing little
smoke. It's about 1,400 acres in size.
5) NATIONAL FIRE ACTIVITY - 483 fires for 44,078 acres in past 24 hours.
6) NPS FIRE DANGERS - The following parks reported high to extreme fire
danger yesterday:
High Very High Extreme
Grant-Kohrs Bryce Canyon Death Valley
Redwoods Colorado Lava Beds
Zion Wind Cave Noatak
Great Basin Lassen Yukon-Charlie
Yosemite Pinnacles John Day Fossil Beds
Whiskeytown Theodore Roosevelt Coulee Dam
Denali Cumberland Island
Grand Canyon Isle Royale
Indiana Dunes North Cascades
Padre Island Sequoia/Kings
El Malpais Crater Lake
Olympic Craters of the Moon
Great Basin Hawaii Volcanoes
Wrangell-St. Elias
Badlands
Gulf Islands
Scotts Bluff
Voyageurs
Grand Teton
Joshua Tree
7) NPS MOBILIZATION/DEMOBILIZATION -
Resource August 8 August 9
Firefighters 57 172
Monitors 6 11
Overhead personnel 36 51
Type I crews 2 2
Engines 5 7
Helicopters 4 5
8) ANALYSIS - California, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon have been hit hard by
lightning with little or no precipitation. Fires continue to escape
initial attack efforts due to extremely hot and dry weather and extended
drought conditions. Crews, helicopters and airtankers remain in
short supply.
9) PROGNOSIS - Dry lightning, hot temperatures and low humidities are
forecast for much of the West for the next few days. Fire activity is
expected to increase; there should also be major acreage increases on
on-going fires. Stiff competition for resources is expected to continue.
(CompuServe report from Diane Wisley, Branch of Fire, Boise, 1700 MDT, 8/8;
National Fire Information Center's "National Fire News", 1200 MDT, 8/8; NICC
Intelligence Section, Fire Management Situation Report, 0530 MDT, 8/9).
STAFF STATUS
- Division Chief: Meeting of management task group in Seattle (8/8-8/10).
- Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Martin and Marriott at
meeting in El Paso (8/6-8/9); Coffey on SL (8/9-8/10).
- Branch of Fire: Botti on AL (7/30-8/10); Clark on AL (7/29-8/10); Diane
Wisley on detail to branch from RNRO (8/6-8/24).
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