NPS Morning Report - Thursday, August 23, 2001
- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, August 23, 2001
- Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 09:34:07 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, August 23, 2001
INCIDENTS
01-461 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Arrest of Murder Suspect
On Friday, August 17th, rangers received a "be on the lookout" notice
for B.G., 56, of Nelson County, Virginia. Warrants had been
issued for B.G. charging her with first degree murder, and she was
reported to be armed and dangerous. On the 18th, B.G. called Virginia
State Police by cell phone and reported that she'd been in an accident
on the parkway near Bald Mountain. Ranger Mark Gall searched the area
and found where her vehicle had gone off the parkway near milepost 21.
B.G. was still in the vehicle, which was about 600 feet over the side
of the mountain. Gall and officers from the Forest Service and Nelson
County Sheriff's Department placed B.G. in custody without incident.
She was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. She
remains in the custody of the sheriff's department. [John Garrison,
LES, BLRI, 8/20]
01-462 - Joshua Tree NP (CA) - Rescue
On August 19th, the park received a report of an injured climber who
was stuck on a ledge in the Indian Cove area. Rangers found P.B.,
19, stranded over 30 feet above the ground on the north face
of Vanishing Wall. P.B. had been rappelling with friends when he
lost control of his descent. He attempted to slow his fall by grabbing
the rope with his ungloved hands and consequently suffered severe
burns and skin loss to both hands. He was therefore unable to assist
in his extrication. Rangers climbed to the top of the formation,
lowered a rescuer to P.B., attached him to a rescue system, and
lowered him to the ground. Temperatures exceeded 105 degrees during
the rescue. P.B. is a Marine stationed at the Twentynine Palms
Marine Corps base. Keith Kelly was IC. [Patrick Suddath, DR, JOTR,
8/22]
01-463 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Suicide
The park received a request to make a welfare check on a 41-year-old
man living in a trailer at Lake Shore Trailer Village when he failed
to turn up for work. Boulder Beach rangers discovered that he had died
from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. This was the park's
thirteenth fatality this year. [Sarah Alonso, Dispatch, LAME, 8/22]
[Additional reports pending....]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 5
Two new large fires were reported yesterday. One was in southern
California, the other was in the Rockies. Four large fires were
contained. Initial attack was light everywhere.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona,
California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.
NICC has posted two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for today - one for strong
winds this afternoon and evening in the Snake River plain and Magic
Valley, the other for gusty winds and low relative humidity in the
northern Rockies.
For the full NICC report, see http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.
National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)
Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed
Date 8/19 8/20 8/21 8/22 8/23
Crews 774 800 805 809 788
Engines 1,115 1,228 1,299 1,289 1,171
Helicopters 193 92 93 239 217
Air Tankers 24 4 3 2 2
Overhead 4,670 4,913 4,785 5,028 5,021
Area Command IMT 1 1 1 1 1
Type 1 IMT 7 7 10 11 9
Type 2 IMT 11 13 12 11 9
State IMT 7 8 8 7 6
Fire Use Team 2 2 3 3 2
Park Fire Situation
Yosemite NP (CA) - The Hoover Complex (4,550 acres, 65 FF/OH) is ten
miles southeast of Yosemite Village. It consists of the Hoover, Clark,
Kuna, Cold Creek and Lyell Fires and is being managed for resource
benefits. Zimmerman's fire use management team has been assigned.
As many of you may have heard from the news, however, the situation
just to the west of the park has been a bit livelier. Here are some
excerpts from an AP article in today's San Francisco Chronicle
entitled "Hundreds Seek Shelter From California Wildfires":
"Hundreds of residents sought shelter in rural areas west of Yosemite
National Park as wind-whipped flames forced mass home evacuations and
made Northern California a focus of firefighting in the West...
"The Creek fire outside Yosemite was one of six major fires that have
burned more than 53,000 acres in Northern California. The 11,500-acre
Creek fire has closed some roads leading east into Yosemite, claimed
four residences and threatened about 3,000 other homes. Officials
believe it was intentionally set.
"Though thousands of people lived within miles of the fire, only 435
evacuated their homes in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, according to
the California Department of Forestry.
"'We did have a large amount of people that just chose to stay,' said
forestry department spokeswoman Kary Hubbard. 'Many of the homes, the
fire has burned around them.' Those who did leave headed for Red Cross
shelters...
"The worst isn't over, warned Dennis Cross of the California
Department of Forestry. Although firefighters in Northern California
expect lower temperatures in the mid-80s and higher humidity, 'there's
no turning point yet,' Cross said. 'The fire continued to jump lines
that were already in place.'"
Extreme N/A
Very High Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Grand Teton NP
High Dinosaur NM
[NPS Situation Summary Report, 8/22; NICC Incident Management
Situation Report, 8/23]
* * * * *
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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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