NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Wednesday, September 6, 1995

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

95-586 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Near Collision; Aircraft, NPS Helicopter

An airplane flying illegally below the rim of the Grand Canyon narrowly missed
colliding with the park helicopter on the evening of August 17th.  The park
helicopter, with pilot Jerry Bonner and two park medics aboard, was responding
to a report of an individual with a head injury near the Little Colorado River
confluence.  The helicopter was traveling 800 feet above the ground at the time
of the incident.  Immediately after the near collision, the high-performance
airplane took evasive action and began a climbing turn.  The aircraft,
tentatively identified as a World War II fighter or trainer, had the words "Fly
Navy" painted on the underside of its wings.  A second aircraft was seen
following the first at a slightly higher altitude.  Just prior to this incident
and less than ten miles up river, members of a commercial river trip, including
Vice President Gore and his family, saw the aircraft pass over their campsite. 
River rangers who were transporting Secret Service personnel determined that
one of the aircraft had passed about 300 feet over the vice president's camp. 
Aircraft are not permitted to fly lower than 7,500 feet above sea level in this
area of the Grand Canyon.  The park is actively investigating this incident and
is assisting the FAA in their own investigation.  [CRO, GRCA]

95-587 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Climbing Fatality

J.K., 33, a Japanese citizen, fell to his death while descending the
Keyhole route at the Ledges on Longs Peak on August 25th.  Rangers Jim
Detterline and Mike Pratt witnessed the accident.  Earlier in the day, the two
rangers had talked to J.K. about current snow and ice conditions on that
route, then had encountered him again as they were descending and he was
turning around from a summit attempt.  J.K. was hiking with the rangers
when his ankle twisted and he lost his balance and fell 400 feet.  Pratt, who
is also a paramedic, descended the slope to confirm his death.  Ironically,
J.K. was on dry rock at the time of the fall.  The body was removed by
helicopter.  J.K. was later cremated, and some his ashes were scattered at
the Keyhole a few days later.  [Kris Holien, ROMO]

95-588 - Devil's Post Pile (California) - Drowning

On September 2nd, P.H., his wife and daughter, and another couple
went hiking in the park, returning by way of the San Joaquin River on a cross-
country route.  They stopped by the San Joaquin, and P.H. took his three-
year-old daughter out on a log extending over the river.  They slipped off the
log and fell into the fast-moving water.  The three-year-old was pulled from
the river by the other couple, but P.H. was caught in the whitewater and
became lodged under debris in the river.  His body was recovered several hours
later.  [Tom Tschohl, SEKI]

95-589 - Little River Canyon (Alabama) - Falling Fatality

B.S., 44, and her husband, both from Birmingham, were visiting Lynn
overlook on the afternoon of September 2nd.  B.S. walked to the edge of a
bluff, where she apparently lost her balance and fell about 65 feet.  Rangers
and rescue personnel were on scene within 30 minutes and found her dead upon
arrival.  An investigation into the reason for her fall is being conducted. 
[CR, LIRI]

95-590 - Biscayne (Florida) - SAR; Missing Diver

On the afternoon of September 3rd, B.D., 36, of Miami, was diving
with three men in 60 feet of water at Triumph Reef, about six miles off-shore. 
The other divers lost track of B.D. while underwater; when they surfaced,
they found they were more than a quarter mile from the dive boat and being
swept north.  One diver discarded his spear gun and held on to a lobster trap
float to keep from drifting any further.  After about 30 minutes, this diver
was sighted and picked up by a fishing vessel.  The other two divers were soon
located and rescued, but B.D. could not be found.  A search was begun which
utilized park, Coast Guard and county vessels, Coast Guard and private
helicopters and aircraft, and Coast Guard divers.  Despite the good conditions
prevailing at the time, no sign of B.D. was found.  The Coast Guard has
discontinued its search, but rangers continue to check the area while on
patrol.  [Wayne Elliott, CR, BISC]

95-591 - Yosemite (California) - Assault with a Deadly Weapon

A fight broke out in a campsite in Hodgdon Meadows between members of a church
group just after midnight on September 3rd.  V.B., 22, suffered a
stab wound from a ten-inch-long knife and began bleeding profusely because the
knife hit an artery.  Responding rangers from the Mather District provided
advanced life support for V.B. and arrested Mark Remizov, 24, for assault
with a deadly weapon.  V.B. and Remizov are both recent Russian immigrants
and reside in San Leandro, California.  The altercation apparently stemmed from
competition for the affection of a young woman from the church group.  [CRO,
YOSE]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY

                                                    Tue     Wed    %   Est
State    Area                Fire         IMT       9/5     9/6   Con  Con  

 WA   Wenatchee NF       Chelan Cx         T1       175      565   10  NEC

 OR   Deschutes NF       Pringle           T2     1,000      850  100  CND
                         Labor             --       235      235  100  CND
      Malheur NF         Overhold          --       100      250   50  NEC
      Wall-Whit NF       Dead Horse Flat   T2        21      101  100  CND    

 CA   Shasta-Trin NF     French            T2       130      120   85  CN 9/6

 MT   Beaverhead NF      Ferguson Lake     T2       101      101  100  CND
      Crow Agency      * Crown Butte       T2         -      500    0  NEC
                       * Little Big Horn   --         -    2,500   90  CN 9/6
      Lewiston Dis.    * Dunn Ridge        T2         -    2,400    0  NEC

 UT   State            * Rozell Hills      --         -      400  100  CND

 ID   S. Idaho Dis.      Heil Well         --     2,200    2,200  100  CND   

 WY   Worland Dis.     * Ferris Creek      --         -      200    -  NEC

HEADING NOTES:


Fire     * = newly reported fire (on this report).  Cx = complex.
IMT     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST1 = state Type 1; ST2 = state Type 2.
% Con   Percent of fire contained.
Est Con Estimated containment date.  NEC = no estimated date of
        containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report.

3) FIRES YESTERDAY -

                NPS     BIA      BLM     FWS    States     USFS      Total

Number            6       4       64       0       105      134        313 
Acres Burned      1   3,050   10,572       0     1,183    1,271     16,077

4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -

               Crews     Engines     Helicopters     Airtankers     Overhead

Federal          101       131           46               0            193
Non-federal        8        19            1               0             13

5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -

                                      CY 1995            Five Year Average
                                    Year-to-Date           Year-to-Date

Number of Fires - U.S.                 64,225                  57,859     
Acres Burned - U.S.                 1,683,890               2,584,244 
Number of Fires - Canada                7,763                       -
Acres Burned - Canada              17,529,061                       -

6) SITUATION - Initial attack continued in most areas yesterday, and large fire
activity increased in the northern Rockies.  Significant progress was made on
several fires in the Great Basin and Northwest.  

7) OUTLOOK - Continuing thunderstorms and discovery of holdover fires will keep
initial attack at high levels.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/6]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

OBSERVATIONS

"The founders of the national park system acted wisely when they had the first
national park 'set apart.'  Not set apart to be uselessly hoarded as a miser
hoards his idle gold, but set apart for definite, prescribed uses; to work for
the nation's welfare, just as properly invested capital works and accrues
benefits for the investor."

                                          Arno B. Cammerer, Director, 1933-1940

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

Telephone: 202-208-4874
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cc:Mail:   WASO Ranger Activities
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