NPS Morning Report - Monday, July 15, 2002



                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, July 15, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-278/291 - War in the Pacific NHS (Guam) - Follow-up: Typhoons Halong and
Chata'an

Typhoon Halong, which threatened the two parks (War in the Pacific on Guam
and American Memorial on Saipan), passed 100 miles south of Guam, affecting
only the most southern portions of the island. Efforts are currently
underway to make repairs and clean up following the passage of Typhoon
Chata'an. Although damage reports are not yet available from the two parks,
today's NICC report states that the Forest Service and FEMA have dispatched
personnel to Guam, Micronesia and the Northern Marianas to provide disaster
aid and supplies. The Forest Service has been tasked with organizing and
staffing a receiving and distribution center and assisting with operational
planning. [Chuck Sayon, WAPA, 7/12; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 7/15]

02-037 - Gulf Island NS (MS/FL) - Rescue; Search and Body Recovery

Nine people were thrown overboard when two vessels capsized during a storm
in Mississippi Sound on the night of Sunday, July 7th. The Coast Guard
rescued six of them, who were found at the park boundary north of Horn
Island. The Coast Guard, Department of Marine Resources and park rangers
Ben Moore, Ben Bryant and Jim Graves searched for the remaining three
people and found their bodies the next day - one between Horn and East Ship
Islands and the other two near Deer Island, which is outside the park.
[CRO, GUIS, 7/8]

[Additional reports pending. . . . ]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 5

Fire activity jumped dramatically over the past three days. There were 319
new fires on Friday, 331 on Saturday, and 504 yesterday. Of these, 59
became large fires. Initial attack yesterday was heavy throughout
California and the Northwest and moderate in the Rockies, Great Basin and
Southwest. Please the NICC summaries noted below for details on the extreme
fire behavior being displayed by many of these fires.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in 17 states: Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming.

Priorities for large fires in the Southwest, the Rockies and the Great
Basin are being established by the multi-agency coordinating groups for
those areas.

For a map showing the locations of current major fires , click on
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/firemap.html ; for details on all major fires
currently burning, click on http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf or
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html.

National Resource Commitments

                  Sun   Mon   Tue   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun
Date              7/7   7/8   7/9   7/10  7/11  7/12  7/13  7/14

Crews             276   264   207   197   178   236   304   423
Engines           551   585   444   329   346   460   637   940
Helicopters       137   141   119   110   93    120   130   171
Air Tankers       3     4     4     1     0     6     2     11
Overhead          2,890 2,711 2,141 1,934 1,536 1,671 2,152 2,676
Area Commands     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0
Type 1 IMT        4     3     3     3     1     2     4     6
Type 2 IMT        8     7     7     7     9     14    17    23
T1/T2 SIMT *            -     -     -     -     -     -     -     5
Fire Use IMT            2     2     1     2     2     1     1     0

* Type 1 and Type 2 state incident management teams

National Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has issued two FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - one for high temperatures, dry
fuels, gusty winds and dry lightning for the mountains of northern Wyoming,
the other for high dispersion indices for northwest Florida.

Park Fire Situation

Shenandoah NP (VA) - The Rocky Top II Fire (800 acres) was fully contained
on Friday.

Yellowstone NP (WY) - The park is dealing with a number of fires:

Broad Fire - A Type I incident management team, along with additional
related fire resources, began arriving on Friday, July 12th, to assume
management of the fire. The fire, located six miles east of Mt. Washburn on
the east side of the Yellowstone River, continues to actively burn and is
estimated at 9,000 acres. A total of 192 firefighters and overhead
personnel have been committed to the fire. On Sunday, three ground crews
will began working on a fire line on the southwest corner of the fire.
Helicopters continued making water bucket drops through the weekend. Fire
personnel also continue work on short- and long-term assessments of the
fire and specific confinement strategies that can be implemented when
appropriate. The fire is in very rugged, inaccessible terrain, well away
from any developed areas in the park; no structures are threatened by this
fire.  A large column of smoke may be visible from the fire during the late
afternoon burn periods, which is not unusual since the fire is burning in
very heavy fuels of old growth forest and heavy accumulations of dead and
down wood fuel.

Robinson and Divide Lake Fires - Both fires were patrolled with two-person
patrols through the burn period on Saturday. No heat was reported found in
either. The Robinson Fire was a quarter acre lightning-caused fire located
in the southwest corner of the park.  The Divide Lake Fire was a 10-acre
lightning-caused fire located near Highway 191, Milepost 21.

Sedge Fire - This lightning-caused fire is approximately one-quarter acre
burning in heavy fuels between Turbid Lake and Lake Yellowstone. Initial
attack included helicopter bucket drops and the deployment of six
firefighters. Ten firefighters with helicopter support are planned for
today.

Butte and Cub Fires - These fires, each a tenth of an acre, were caused by
lightning strikes. Both are burning in heavy fuels, one north of Lake Butte
off the old Turbid Lake road and the other just east of Lake Yellowstone on
the north bank of Cub Creek. Bucket drops were made and two firefighters
were assigned to each blaze.

Some trails and backcountry campsites have been closed near the Broad Fire.
Although none of these areas are immediately threatened, the park closed
them due to unpredictable fire behavior and concerns over public safety.
The following areas have been closed: Specimen Ridge Trail, Agate Creek
Trail, Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail, Astringent and Pelican Creek
Trails closed north of campsite 5B1, north of Fern Lake, and one mile north
of Fern Lake Cabin.  Seven Mile Hole Trail and Washburn Hotsprings/Spur
Trail closed from the summit of Mt. Washburn to the junction with Seven
Mile Hole Trail.

Smoke from the Broad Fire is present in several areas throughout the park
and is expected to continue throughout the weekend.  Visitors with
respiratory problems should consider this while visiting the park.

Due to the high fire danger, no wood, charcoal, or open fire is allowed in
any backcountry area in the park.  In the park's frontcountry, fires are
allowed only in designated fire rings at developed campgrounds.  Fires
fueled by liquid fuel and LPG fuel are permitted in the backcountry and
frontcountry only if used in self-contained appliances.

For a recorded message of updated fire information, call 307-344-2580.  For
fire maps and other fire information visit the park's web site at:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/index.htm

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/13-15; Public Affairs,
Yellowstone NP, 7/14]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

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