NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, July 30, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-444 - Zion NP (UT) - Flash Flood with Two Fatalities

Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the park on Monday, July 27th, that
killed two hikers.  The gauge on the Virgin River at park headquarters
recorded an almost seven-fold increase in stream flow, which jumped from 
108.5 cubic feet per second (cfs) to over 740 cfs.  Because the National
Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning, rangers warned visitors not
to hike in Zion's slot canyons before the flood and throughout the day.  As
ranger Jon Anglin was checking the Narrows trail early on Tuesday morning, he
was contacted by seven hikers who reported that they'd seen a body floating
in the North Fork of the Virgin River the previous evening and had pulled it
to shore.  They were stranded by the high water, though, so were unable to
hike out and report the incident until Tuesday morning.  Rangers recovered
the body at 10:45 a.m.  They subsequently found an unlocked vehicle parked in
Zion Canyon which had two wallets inside.   A license in one of the wallets
indicated that the victim was R.A., 27, of Long Beach, California;
information in the other suggested that he was hiking with P.G., 31,
of Paramont, California.  Two other hikers confirmed that a man meeting
P.G.'s description had been hiking with R.A.  A search was immediately
begun, which led to the recovery of P.G.'s body from debris in the North
Fork on Wednesday.  The two men had apparently been hiking in the Narrows
when they were caught by the flood and swept away.  The Narrows route is a
rugged, 16-mile hike in a narrow canyon that is between 800 and 1,000 feet
deep; about half the hike is through the river itself.  All major trailheads
in the park have signs warning people of the potential of flash floods.  Park
spokesman Denny Davies noted that the volume of water would have been almost
impossible to withstand: "At 150 cfs, it's impossible for even the strongest
hiker to maintain his or her balance.  At 740, you're lucky to survive." 
[Denny Davies, ZION, Michael Vigh, Salt Lake Tribune, 7/29]

98-445 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Flash Flood, Rescues

The North Rim received about an inch of rain within 15 minutes on the
afternoon of Thursday, July 23rd.  North Rim rangers alerted rangers at
Phantom Ranch of the significant rainfall.  Less than two hours later, a
flash flood on Bright Angel Creek arrived at Phantom with a four-foot crest. 
There was a large amount of debris at the front of the flood, which was also
pushing large boulders.  The creek, Bright Angel campground, and Phantom were
full of visitors prior to the flood's arrival, but rangers had warned
visitors to stay out of the creek and watch for a flash flood.  Rangers
nonetheless had to rescue a young couple, a woman, and an unattended small
child from the edge of the creek near the campground, and a German visitor
who became trapped on a piece of land further downstream where the creek
splits into two channels.  Superintendent Rob Arnberger and regional director
John Cook, who were in the area on an official visit, assisted in the rescue
efforts and also helped calm visitors at the ranch.  [GRCA, 7/27]

98-446 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Two Rescues

On July 26th, a river guide with a satellite telephone contacted dispatch and
reported an emergency at the mouth of Havasu Creek.  An 18-year-old girl on a
Western River Adventures trip had slipped into the creek while walking across
the top of a 15-foot waterfall.  The hydraulic at the base of the waterfall
recirculated her underwater for four minutes; she then surfaced, unconscious. 
A river guide restored her breathing through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,
but she had also sustained numerous injuries, as she'd been pummeled against
rocks under the surface of the water.  Park medic Stephen Willis and
paramedic Ken Phillips responded in the park helicopter and treated and
evacuated her to Flagstaff Medical Center, where she is in stable condition. 
During this incident, rangers at Phantom Ranch reported a 54-year-old woman
suffering from hyponatremia (low sodium).  She had vomited profusely and
suffered a torn esophagus.  A backup helicopter responded with paramedic K.J.
Glover, who evacuated the woman, now vomiting blood, to the park clinic.  Her
condition deteriorated at the clinic.  A Guardian Air helicopter was summoned
from Flagstaff, and she was flown to the Flagstaff Medical Center and
admitted to the critical care unit.  [Ken Phillips, GRCA, 7/28]

98-447 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Base Jumping Arrests

Late on the evening of July 20th, a motorist reported that five parachutists
had jumped from the New River Gorge Bridge.  The incident had occurred about
90 minutes before the call had been made.  The responding ranger found T.B.
of Monson, Massachusetts, sitting at the commercial outfitter takeout
at Fayette Station.  T.B. said that he'd had an argument with his friends
and that they left him there and drove away.  The vehicle returned while the
interview was underway.  When the driver spotted the ranger, he quickly
backed up and left.  The vehicle was quickly stopped, and the occupants -
W.W. of Lexington, Kentucky, and G.B. of East Patchogue, New
York - were interviewed.  T.B. and Ballou admitted to parachuting from the
bridge; W.W. said that he was the driver and pickup person, but that he
hadn't jumped.  They said that five people had jumped, four landing in the
takeout area and the fifth on the railroad tracks across the river.  They
gave details and named the other persons involved, but declined to reveal
where their gear was stashed.  As they left the takeout, rangers saw another
man, identified as M.C., standing near Rivers Rafting Company. 
M.C. admitted to jumping from the bridge, revealed that all the gear was
stashed under one of the rafting buses parked at Rivers', and took the ranger
to the location.  The ranger met with all five parachutists the next day. 
T.B., G.B., M.C., T.C. and C.S. were cited for
disorderly conduct.  Nobody was injured in the jump, but the jumper who
landed on the railroad tracks narrowly missed trees and a power line.  [Rick
Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 7/22]

98-448 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Resource Violations

Ranger Lloyd Griswold saw a pick-up truck driving in the bed of the Canadian
River on July 18th, then saw four men get out of the truck and begin seining
in the standing water.  Griswold and Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens
contacted the men and confiscated 278 fish.  The driver, R.C.,
was charged with entering a closed area; the wardens issued
state violation notices to the four men on 30 separate charges pertaining to
the illegal taking of fish.  [Dale Thompson, CR, LAMR, 7/29]

98-449 - Grand Teton NP (WY) - Search; Drowning

J.C., a 29-year-old Chinese national, drowned in the Snake River at the
base of Jackson Lake Dam on the afternoon of July 16th.  Park dispatch had
received a 911 call reporting that a man had fallen into the river and
disappeared in the current.  Several rangers were on scene within ten minutes
and began a hasty search and witness interviews.  The witnesses said that the
man had been fishing while standing on a submerged boulder; he'd lost his
footing, fallen into the river, and been carried upstream towards the dam by
recirculating river currents.  The hasty search was unproductive, so dogs,
boats, a helicopter and additional searchers were brought in.  The focus was
on the turbulent water in the dam's discharge zone.  It could not be
searched, however, because of the swiftness of the water, and visibility was
precluded by its turbulence.  Bureau of Reclamation staff were asked to
reduce the dam's discharge.  Although they responded immediately, the
discharge volume could not be reduced sufficiently until three hours after
the initial 911 call.  J.C.'s body was spotted and recovered.  Over 50 people
were involved in the effort, including members of the Teton County river
rescue unit.  Rangers and park concessioners provided support and assistance
for J.C.'s widow and other family members for two days following the accident. 
[Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE, 7/28]

98-450 - Fort Caroline NM/Timucuan E&HP (FL) - Special Event

Timucuan hosted the 18th annual Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament,
billed as the world's largest saltwater fishing tournament, between July 13th
and the 18th.  The festival and weigh-in took place on a city-owned site
within the park; actual fishing took place in off-shore waters.  The event is
operated by the non-profit Jacksonville Marine Charities, with law
enforcement provided by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Coast Guard and
Florida Marine Patrol.  The week-long event featured two small fishing
contests and the main tournament, which included fishermen on nearly 1,000
boats.  Park staff worked an information booth and made roving contacts
throughout the festival, which was attended by over 25,000 people.  Much of
the attendance was attributable to the Charlie Daniels Band's concert, held
at the festival site on Friday night.  The entire event ran very smoothly. 
The only enforcement incident involved the arrest of two boat captains who
were operating at high speed within a no wake zone, causing the boat of a
tournament official to capsize - then failing to render aid.  Presentations
on the park were made at meetings of all boat captains for all three
contests, greatly increasing public awareness of Timucuan.  Dr. Quentin
White, a marine biologist from Jacksonville University, has collected data on
fish from the tournament for 16 years, this year collecting heart tissue and
earbones and determining length, weight and sex.  Data from this on-going
study provides valuable information for determining tournament policy and
practices. [Brian Peters, DR, TIMU, 7/24]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Wed    %   Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    7/28     7/29  Con  Con

WA   Colville Agency        Omar Lake Cx      T2    4,000    2,000   75  7/31
     State                  Cleveland         --    2,100   15,700   50  7/31
     Department of Energy * Elk Meadows       --        -    5,000   50  7/30

OR   Burns District         Hollywood         --      300      550  100  CND
     Umpqua NF            * Steamboat Cx      --        -      100   25  NEC
     Malheur NF           * Stockaid          --        -      700   10  NEC

UT   Cedar City District  * Buckskin          --        -    1,110   80  7/30
                          * Sam               --        -      414  100  CND

ID   Payette NF           * Raft              --        -      800  UNK  NEC

NV   Winnemucca District  * Airport           --        -    1,200   40  7/30

OK   State                * Bear Mtn. Cx      T2        -    6,000  UNK  NEC
                          * Blue Mountain     --        -    1,000  100  CND

FL   Merritt Island NWR     SRB #1            --      300      300   40  7/29

TX   State                * Humbolt           --        -      250  UNK  7/30
                            Sugarloaf         --      300    3,500  UNK  NR
                            Hackberry         --      100    1,000  UNK  NR

                                  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, 7/26         0      3        16       1       51     59       130
Monday, 7/27         3      5        10       6      137     70       231
Tuesday, 7/28        0      7        11       0      345     96       459
Wednesday, 7/29      1      5        39       3       74    204       326

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Sunday, 7/26        41        242          57            11           201
Monday, 7/27        56        299          90            21           306
Tuesday, 7/28       65        325          80            12           303
Wednesday, 7/29     86        427          89            14           628

CURRENT SITUATION

Significant initial attack continued yesterday in the Northwest and increased
in several areas in Texas, Oklahoma and the West.  Activity elsewhere was
moderate.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma,
Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, California, and Washington.

NICC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for eastern Washington for high winds, low
relative humidity and dry lightning.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/30]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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

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