- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, July 22, 1994
- Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, July 22, 1994
Broadcast: By 0930 ET
INCIDENTS
94-405 - Hawaii Volcanoes (Hawaii) - Follow-up on Hurricane Emilia
High surf from Hurricane Emilia was being reported along the park's
coastline yesterday. Based on information gained at a Civil Defense
meeting, the park decided to keep backcountry coastal areas closed, but to
open the coastal section of the Chain of Craters Road and the eruption site
during daylight hours. The eruption site and coastal road were to be closed
again yesterday evening. As the storm moves to the northwest, surf
conditions are expected to improve. [Gail Minami, Operations Supervisor,
HAVO, 7/21]
94-410 - Lincoln Memorial (District of Columbia) - Homicide
Just before 4:30 a.m. on July 20th, Park Police officers discovered that a
shooting had occurred at the Lincoln Memorial. An officer on duty at the
time heard a gunshot from the memorial chamber and found a 30-year-old male
lying on the ground with a gunshot wound in his chest. A 9mm pistol was
found near the body. The victim was pronounced dead at George Washington
Hospital shortly thereafter. An investigation is underway. [Capt. Marvin
Ellison, RLES, RAD/NCRO, 7/21]
94-411 - Lake Mead (Nevada/Arizona) - Shooting
On July 14th, B.F., 19, of Las Vegas, Nevada, admitted himself to
Boulder City Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound received while in the
park. B.F. and five of his friends, members of a large gang known as the
"Flip Side Phenoi" gang, were reportedly fishing in the El Dorado Canyon
area of Lake Mohave, a remote location 25 miles south of Boulder City. Two
other fishermen were about 50 feet away when they arrived in the area around
2 a.m., but members of F.'s group said that no words were exchanged with
them. About ten minutes after their arrival, one of the two fishermen
opened fire on B.F. and his friends; the second fisherman soon removed a
gun from his tackle box and also opened fire. B.F. felt a bullet strike
him in the arm and jumped into the water. B.F.'s assailants fled the area,
stopping long enough to smash the windows of the two vehicles belonging to
F.'s group. Investigating rangers discovered ten spent .22 shell casings
and one .25 shell casing at the scene. The two assailants are believed to
belong to a rival gang called "The International Brotherhood of Phenoi."
[Bud Inman, LAME, 7/20]
94-412 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Suicide
On the morning of July 17th, rangers and Fayette County deputies responded
to a report that a man had jumped from the New River Gorge bridge and found
the body of M.A., 19, of Annandale, Virginia, 430 feet below the
bridge near the Fayette Station road. Eyewitnesses reported that Ancona
parked his vehicle off the side of the northbound lane of the bridge,
climbed over the railing, and jumped to his death. M.A. was a student at
West Virginia University. Drugs were involved. [CRO, NERI, 7/19]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - II
The national preparedness level has dropped from Level III to Level II.
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/20 7/20 Status
CO USFS White River NF Ute Creek - T1 2,800 2,850 CN 7/23
BLM Craig Dis. Cabin Gulch 200 800 CND
AZ USFS Coronado NF Rattlesnake - T1 25,525 25,525 NEC
* Bellows - 101 CND
Apache/Sit. NF Sunset 274 274 NEC
State - Redington
Complex - T2 20,725 20,725 CND
NM USFS Cibola NF Big Rocks
Complex - T2 7,015 7,015 NEC
Gila NF Pigeon 6,250 6,250 CN 7/22
BLM Roswell Dis. * Yellowsink - 300 CND
CA USFS Klamath NF * Dillon Complex - T1 - ?? NEC
NV BLM Elko Dis. Mahogany 9,800 9,800 CND
Battle Mtn Dis. Simpson - T2 1,250 1,250 CND
CA State - Badger 7,520 7,520 CND
OR BLM Lakeview Dis. * Spaulding - 400 CND
USFS Deschutes NF * Four Corners - 300 NEC
* Fire 751 - 300 NEC
FL State - Lake Lou 225 225 CND
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 NEC - No estimate of containment
CND - Contained CN/CS (date) - Expected date of containment
3) FIRE HIGHLIGHTS -
* Dillon Complex, Klamath NF - The complex is comprised of 46 fires ranging
from five to 50 acres. The Dillon Creek area has nine fires with the
potential to become major incidents. A Type I team has been ordered.
* Four Corners, Deschutes NF - Crane Prairie resort and campground have been
evacuated. A Type II team has been ordered.
4) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 7 29 28 0 125 57 228
Acres Burned 3 217 1,493 0 237 69 2,019
5) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 137 142 45 30 1,501
Non-federal 43 55 7 5 1,703
6) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1994 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 44,098 42,399
Acres Burned 1,644,743 1,306,674
7) SITUATION - Initial attack escalated yesterday in the Northwest and
northern California. NICC accordingly mobilized a wide variety of resources
to the area. Initial attack also increased in the Southwest, but no
problems were reported. Airtankers are in high demand, as several areas are
reporting extreme fire indices and dry lightning is forecast.
8) OUTLOOK - A red flag watch for dry lightning has been posted for northern
California, eastern Washington, the Cascades, southwestern Idaho, the
panhandle of Idaho, the extreme northwestern portion of Montana, and most of
Oregon. Initial attack activity will likely intensify and resource
mobilization is expected to increase. Competition for airtankers and
helicopters is expected.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/22]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
St. Croix (Minnesota/Wisconsin) - Impacts to Aquatic Species
A DOT highway construction project adjacent to the river has produced a one-
mile long stretch of road with completely exposed banks and no erosion
control devices in place. The NPS and Wisconsin DNR have been working with
DOT to mitigate associated erosion problems, by an intense five-inch rain on
the evening of July 19th resulted in a large mud slide that temporarily
closed the road and a washout of several cubic yards of sand into the river.
Changes in water clarity can be observed in the river as far as 15 miles
downstream from the site. Immediately downstream is the last known global
population of the winged mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula fragosa), a
federally-listed endangered species. Resource managers will begin survey
dives and the collection of sediment cores and other quantitative data to
assess impacts to the mussel bed and to other aquatic species. [Sue
Jennings, RMS, SACN]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Seasonal Firefighter Applications - Various circumstances this year have
made it possible for the WASO Seasonal Employment Unit to offer an extension
on filling 1994 winter seasonal ranger applications (form 10-139). Many
firefighters, especially those on hot shot crews, have been out on fires and
were therefore not given the opportunity to fill out and send in their
applications. The new deadline for having forms postmarked and in the mail
is August 15th. Firefighters should submit a short memo citing this passage
and including the name of the fire(s) they were on and submit it with their
139s. All other hiring restrictions still apply.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843