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Subject: Fwd:NPS Morning Report - 7/9/98
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Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 14:11:39 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, July 9, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-370 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - MVA with NPS Vehicle; Visitor Fatality
B.B., 49, of Manhattan, Montana, was killed in a two-vehicle
accident that occurred just west of the West Thumb Geyser Basin junction near
Duck Lake on the afternoon of July 6th. A park truck with two Old Faithful
maintenance employees - driver Jim Knoelke and passenger Scott Hope - was
heading west toward Old Faithful when they saw an eastbound Acura Integra hit
the guardrail, then veer into the westbound lane. Knoelke immediately pulled
as far to the right as possible and had almost come to a complete stop when
the Acura hit the truck head-on. Knoelke was able to contact dispatch and
call in the accident. Rangers and Lake Hospital medical staff responded
immediately. The driver of the Acura, Thomas B.B., 49, received multiple
minor injuries, but his spouse succumbed at the scene. Knoelke and Hape
suffered only minor abrasions and bruises. Both airbags in the Acura
deployed, but Barbara B.B. was reclining and sleeping at the time of the
accident. [Cheryl Matthews, PIO, YELL, 7/8]
98-371 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Firearms Violations; Disorderly Conduct
On July 5th, rangers contacted a group of ten Ku Klux Klan members at Helms
Beach, a primitive camping area on the upper section of the New River. The
rangers were conducting a routine camper registration, but found that the
group had several firearms in their possession. They voluntarily revealed
that they had two handguns and a shotgun; a member of the group who was just
leaving took the weapons with him. The remainder of the group was
accordingly allowed to stay in the camp. On the evening of July 6th, rangers
received a report of a drunk and disorderly group fighting and brandishing
firearms in the same camp. A ranger responded with state police backup and
again contacted the group. Group members were intoxicated, belligerent and
confrontational; they also tried to intimidate the ranger by splitting up and
attempting to surround him. After getting them settled down, the ranger and
trooper found four firearms in their tents and a vehicle - two 9mm pistols, a
.45 pistol and a .308 rifle. They also found and seized a stun gun and a
lineman's telephone with alligator clips. Three men, all from North
Carolina, were cited for weapons possession - T.B., R.G., and
J.R.S., who identified himself as a member of the security service
for the Grand Dragon of the KKK. The ranger determined that the group had
just returned from a Klan rally in Ohio and had decided to stop and camp in
the park on their way back to North Carolina. [Rick Brown, Protection Unit
Leader, NERI, 7/7]
98-372 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Bison Goring
A bull bison gored a 50-year-old woman in the Canyon cabin area around 5:30
a.m. on the morning of July 7th. F.C. of Taipei, Taiwan, was visiting
the park with a tour group and staying in the cabins. She left her cabin
that morning and evidently walked close by a bison, which charged, threw
F.C. in the air, and gored her in the left upper thigh. F.C. landed on her
head and shoulder and lost consciousness for a short period of time. Rangers
were notified by concession employees. Since the bison was still near F.C.
when they arrived, she was placed in the patrol car for emergency medical
treatment, then taken to Lake Hospital. She was later transferred to West
Park Hospital in Cody for additional care. This is the second bison
encounter this summer. On May 2nd, a bison butted a woman in the Old
Faithful area when she approached the animal too closely (98-182). [Cheryl
Matthews, PIO, YELL, 7/8]
98-373 - Delaware Water Gap NRA (NJ/PA) - Rattlesnake Bite
Boy Scout troop leader A.B., 42, was hiking on the Appalachian Trail
with a group of scouts on the afternoon of July 8th when he was bitten on the
left hand by a large rattlesnake. According to witnesses, A.B. apparently
attempted to handle the snake, but lost control of the "smart end." A
cellular phone call was made to the Boy Scout camp; staff at the camp called
911, then sent an EMT and a stokes litter to carry A.B. out. When they
reached A.B., they found him attempting to walk out. He was placed in a
litter and taken to a waiting ambulance. A.B.'s left hand, arm and head
began swelling during the carryout, and he began slipping in and out of
consciousness during the last part of the trip. He was admitted to Newton
Memorial Hospital. His condition is not known. [Dispatch, DEWA, 7/9]
98-374 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - Drowning
L.M., 34, of Las Vegas, was swimming with friends near Gypsum Wash
on the afternoon of July 6th when he attempted to cross a small cove and
disappeared underwater. Ranger Andy Coriell was the first to arrive. His
Spanish language skills enabled him to determine the point last seen.
Rangers Ryan Regnell and Paul Crawford arrived on scene and began an
underwater search. They found L.M.'s body in 37 feet of water between 25
and 30 feet from shore. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/7]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level IV
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Tue Wed % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/7 7/8 Con Con
FL Osceola NF Oak Head T1 20,370 20,370 95 7/14
Merritt Island NWR Merritt Island Cx -- 4,987 4,987 80 NEC
State Suwanee Cx T1 16,376 16,376 99 7/15
Flagler/StJohn Cx T1 92,476 92,576 NR NEC
Volusia Cx T2 111,130 111,130 80 NEC
Orlando Cx T1 79,983 73,983 67 7/20
Withlacoochee T2 2,304 2,304 90 7/10
Jacksonville 2 T1 16,143 16,143 86 NEC
Chipola Cx -- 500 700 100 CND
Perry Cx T2 20,400 20,400 85 7/14
TX State Alcon -- NR 85 100 CND
* Horns Chapel -- - 400 UNK NEC
* Harrell -- - 200 UNK NEC
AZ Havasu NWR South Dike T2 3,000 3,000 75 7/7
NM Roswell District * Indian -- - 549 100 CND
OR Siskiyou NF Madstone T2 200 250 60 7/10
WA Spokane District * View Point -- - 3,500 100 CND
AK Fort Greely Carla Lake T2 60,520 60,520 82 NEC
State Midway Lake -- 400 500 100 CND
Heading Notes
Unit Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Sunday, 7/5 1 23 10 0 107 34 175
Monday, 7/6 2 16 10 1 228 17 224
Tuesday, 7/7 1 8 16 0 276 25 326
Wednesday, 7/8 1 12 8 0 162 20 203
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 7/5 134 381 62 4 1,214 @
Monday, 7/6 131 589 73 3 1,445 @
Tuesday, 7/7 181 583 77 2 1,445 @
Wednesday, 7/8 160 572 96 16 1,684 @
@ Resource reports were not received from many fires in the South.
CURRENT SITUATION
Large fires continued to burn in the South and Northwest yesterday.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Florida, Georgia, Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Utah, California, Nevada and
Washington.
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry and breezy conditions in
northern and central Florida.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/9]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
* * * * *
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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