NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT
     
     
     To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices
     
     From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
     
     Day/Date:   Friday, November 26, 1999
     
                               *** NOTICE ***
     
     Problems within cc:Mail continue to cause significant delays in 
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     INCIDENTS
     
     94-365 - Monocacy NB (MD) - Follow-up: Double Homicide
     
     On July 2, 1994, Frederick County deputies found the bodies of H.K., 
     76, and R.K., 64, buried under gravel in a shed in a 
     remote section of the park.  The tract where the bodies were found is 
     a seven-acre parcel with a single family home which the park maintains 
     as a scenic easement.  The K.s had been dead for ten to twelve 
     days when found and had died from gunshot wounds from a small caliber 
     firearm.  The suspect in the slayings was B.K., 45, the 
     victims' son; he was arrested five days later in Mobile, Alabama, as 
     he checked into a Holiday Inn with his parents' credit card.  He was 
     still driving their car and had the murder weapon in his possession. 
     B.K. was convicted for the murder of his parents last March.  He 
     entered into a plea agreement which resulted in the state dropping its 
     demand for the death penalty in exchange for B.K. agreeing to offer 
     no defense. On November 10th, a county judge sentenced him to two life 
     sentences without parole. B.K. had employed a number of legal 
     arguments to delay his trial over the years, and most recently 
     attempted to back out of the plea agreement by claiming that his 
     detention and trial violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a 
     result, his trial was the longest in the county's history. [T.W. 
     Kopczyk, CR, MONO, 11/17]
     
     99-692 - Arches/Canyonlands NPs (UT) - Assist; Rescue
     
     On November 20th, Grand County SAR asked rangers from the two parks to 
     assist them in the rescue of a seriously injured climber near Castle 
     Valley, just across the Colorado River from Arches NP. Z.H. 
     was climbing a route on the south face of Rectory Butte when a rock 
     was dislodged by another climber above him; the rock struck him on the 
     head, knocking him off a narrow ledge.  Although he was wearing a 
     helmet, he was knocked unconscious and suffered a closed-skull 
     fracture and other traumatic injuries. One climber remained with him 
     while another rappelled to the ground and summoned help via a cell 
     phone in her vehicle, located over an hour away. A team of nine 
     rescuers, including four NPS rangers, was flown by helicopter to the 
     top of the 375-foot rock tower. Two rescuers were lowered about 100 
     feet to Z.H. They treated him and got him loaded onto a litter. He 
     was then lifted to the top of the rock, where a waiting medical 
     helicopter picked him up and flew him to a trauma center in Grand 
     Junction. Night fell during the final stages of the operation. Z.H. 
     remains in serious condition. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 11/22]
     
     99-693 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Rescue
     
     Rangers received a report of a man with a broken back on the New Hance 
     trail on November 12th. The 45-year-old man had been hiking alone when 
     he lost his footing and fell about 20 feet, fracturing his lower back. 
     He yelled for help for four days, but without luck. A river touring 
     group spotted him lying near New Hance beach and radioed for help. 
     Ranger/ paramedic Phil Mennenoh and IEMT Brian Lakes flew to the beach 
     in a park helicopter and treated the man, who was then flown to 
     Flagstaff Medical Center. He is recovering there from a lumbar 
     fracture of the spine. [Sherrie Collins, GRCA, 11/22]
     
     99-694 - Guadalupe Mountains NP (TX) - Assist; Pipeline Explosion
     
     Two employees returning to the park from a trip to Dell City, about 45 
     miles away, reported a pipeline fire adjacent to U.S. Highway 62/180 
     near Salt Flat, Texas.  Almost immediately after the initial report, 
     Culberson County Sheriff's dispatch asked for the park's assistance 
     with this incident, adding that there were possible injuries and that 
     a number of vehicles were involved, including a school bus.  The 
     on-scene park employees reported that there were vehicles involved, 
     but that the fire was too intense to confirm the number or type.  The 
     park responded with an ambulance, structural engine, and a water 
     tender. Many other agencies from communities within a hundred miles 
     also responded.  Park ambulance personnel treated one individual for 
     multiple first and second degree burns on the face and one arm. An 
     eight-inch butane/propane pipeline had evidently developed a leak and 
     a school bus traveling by on the highway had ignited the fumes. Two 
     commercial trucks following the bus were engulfed in the inferno, but 
     the school bus with children escaped with neither damage nor injuries. 
     The ensuing pipeline fire impinged on an adjacent 20-inch crude oil 
     pipeline, which eventually ruptured.  The petroleum fire closed the 
     highway and the nearby town of Salt Flat was evacuated.  The two 
     individuals who were transported to a hospital were the drivers of the 
     two trucks and miraculously were the only ones who suffered injuries.  
     One driver was released from the hospital; the other is in critical 
     condition in Lubbock University Hospital's burn center. Fourteen park 
     employees assisted with the incident.  The following day, park staff 
     were requested to assist a professional pipeline/oil well fire 
     suppression crew with cooling the pipeline and cleaning up the area. 
     This incident occurred approximately 20 miles from park headquarters 
     and only a few miles from the park boundary, but fortunately no park 
     resources were affected.  The only impact was to park visitors who had 
     to drive over 100 miles to get around the road closure.  (CRO, GUMO, 
     11/18)
     
     99-695 - San Juan NHS (PR) - Ship Grounding
     
     On November 21st, the 564-foot Russian-flagged freighter Sergo 
     Zakariadze grounded at the entrance to San Juan Harbor on the 
     protective breakwater off Fort El Morro, a part of the park.  The 
     ship, which was loaded with approximately 165,000 gallons of fuel oil, 
     30,000 gallons of lube oil, and 17,000 tons of dry bulk cement, 
     sustained heavy hull damage and began taking on water. A unified 
     command was established and crews began removing fuel from the ship 
     the following day. By doing so, the possibility of a spill was 
     minimized and the ship was lightened. Fort El Canuelo, located across 
     the bay from Fort El Morro, was wrapped with protective materials, 
     held together by sand bags and tape. Protective booms are in place and 
     dispersants are ready for use if a spill should occur. The 
     investigation into the cause of the accident continues. [Mark 
     Hardgrove, Deputy Superintendent, SAJU, 11/23]
     
     99-696 - Jean Lafitte NHP&P (LA) - Suicide
     
     On the morning of November 21st, a visitor reported finding a body 
     hanging from a tree just off Coquille trail in the Barataria Preserve. 
     Rangers responded and identified the victim as R.A., a local 
     resident. The medical examiner confirmed that the death was a suicide. 
     R.A. had a criminal history and an outstanding warrant against him 
     for stalking and for other minor violations.  The IC for the incident 
     was ranger Leigh Zahm.  [Jim Carson, CR, JELA, 11/21]
     
     99-697 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Double Suicide
     
     The bodies of a man and woman were discovered on South Beach around 6 
     p.m. on November 16th. All indicators show that they each committed 
     suicide and that this was not a murder-suicide. The couple was from 
     Annapolis, Maryland. A joint investigation with the county sheriff's 
     office is underway. Ranger Luis Krug is the investigator for the park. 
     [Gus Martinez, PAIS, 11/16]
     
     RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
     
     No submissions.
     
     OPERATIONAL NOTES
     
     No submissions.
     
     MEMORANDA
     
     No submissions.
     
     INTERCHANGE
     
     No submissions.
     
     PARKS AND PEOPLE
     
     No submissions.
     
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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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