RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Wednesday, July 24, 1991
INCIDENTS
90-109 - Gulf Islands (Mississippi/Florida) - Correction on
Followup Report
The followup report on the prosecution of D.B. and
F.W. for the murder of B.M. which appeared last
Friday erroneously stated that the U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of Florida would be prosecuting the case
against the pair. U.S. Attorney George Phillips, who will be
handling the case, is from the Southern District of Mississippi.
[CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/22]
91-308 - Olympic (Washington) - Potential Oil Spill Impact
On the morning of July 22nd, the 610-foot Chinese vessel, Tuo Hai,
collided with a 365-foot Japanese fish-processing vessel, the
Tenyo Maru, approximately 20 miles off Cape Flattery. The Tenyo
Maru subsequently sank. The freighter suffered little damage
and continued on its voyage. One of her crew of 85 is missing
and two have been evacuated to local hospitals. The Tenyo Maru
was carrying 273,214 gallons of fuel oil and 91,071 gallons of
diesel oil. As of 9:45 a.m. PDT yesterday morning, oil was
bubbling to the surface and a four by nine mile oil slick had
formed. The slick was moving southwest in a calm sea and was
reported to have turned to mousse (brown, frothy, coagulated
oil). Storms were expected yesterday and today, however, and
they may move the oil toward the shore of the Olympic Peninsula.
The park has about 60 miles of wilderness beach along the
peninsula. The park has put its existing oil plan into effect
and is working with the Coast Guard on a preliminary contingency
plan. [Telephone report from Reed Jarvis, RAD/PNRO, 7/23]
91-309 - Gates of the Arctic (Alaska) - Fatality
C.B., 40, and D.S.C., 51, both of Beltsville,
Maryland, were on a several day hike and float trip in the park
when C.B. became tired and ill and unable to continue.
D.S.C. let him in a tent on the North Fork of the Koyukuk River
at Ernie Creek on July 18th and went for help. D.S.C. was
able to reach Red Star Lake around noon on the 21st. The park
was notified of the situation shortly thereafter and dispatched
an aircraft to the area. The pilot found C. B. dead. The body
was subsequently recovered and taken to Fairbanks. An autopsy
is to be performed, but the death appears to be from natural
causes. [Telefax from Ron Sutton, GAAR, 7/21]
91-310 - North Cascades (Washington) - Rescue
On the afternoon of July 18th, climbers J.D. and D.K.,
both of Tempe, Arizona, fell while attempting to climb the
south face of Eldorado Peak. D.K. was leading a pitch on a rock
when he fell; his protection and the belayers anchor both failed,
causing the pair to fall approximately 30 feet. Both were
conscious after the fall, and D.K. was able to dig J.D. out
of the bergschrund in which he was trapped. D.K. stabilized him
in a sleeping bag, then managed to locate the rest of his party.
A National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) group climbing in
the area organized the rescue and radioed an overhead aircraft
for assistance. That call was forwarded to the park and local
sheriff's department around 8:00 p.m. A rescue helicopter from
Whidbey Island NAS was dispatched at first light the following
morning, and evacuated the two climbers to a hospital in
Sedro-Woolley, where they received treatment for various
fractures, lacerations and bruises. [CompuServe message from
RAD/PNRO, 7/22]
91-311 - Zion (Utah) - MVA with Fatality
J.G. of St. George, Utah, was driving eastbound on
Smith Mesa Road on the evening of July 14th when he failed to
negotiate a turn and went off the road. The car plunged and
rolled down a 300foot slope. J.G was ejected and killed; a
passenger who was wearing a seatbelt suffered injuries but
survived the accident. [Dave Buccello, ZION, via telefax from
Sheri Williams, RAD/RMRO, 7/19]
91-312 - Chaco Culture (New Mexico) - Sexual Assault
A young female jogger was threatened with a knife and raped one
mile east of Gallo campground around 7:30 p.m. on the evening of
July 20th. She immediately left the park with a girlfriend; the
girlfriend notified park rangers of the incident on the 21st.
Rangers in turn contacted officers in the San Juan County
sheriff's department, who contacted the victim by phone. The
victim declined medical treatment and refused to meet with
rangers or officers from the sheriff's department. The incident
may be linked to a series of rapes and murders occurring in the
area around Farmington, New Mexico. The victim's identity
remains unknown. [Harold Timmons, CHCU, via CompuServe message
from Bonnie Winslow, RAD/SWRO, 7/22]
91-313 - Sequoia (California) - Drowning
At about 6:00 p.m. on July 20th, an unidentified person in the
Middle Fork of the Kaweah River about a quarter mile above
Potwisha campground called for help. H.V., 24, of
Tulare, California, jumped into the river in an effort to
provide help. The person who called for assistance was able to
get to shore, but H.V., who was wearing tennis shoes and
jeans, sank from sight. Rangers were notified and were able to
pull him from the river. They attempted to revive H.V., but
were unsuccessful. H.V. was with friends and family members
at the time of the incident. [Doug Morris, CR, SEKI, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/22]
91-314 - Chattahoochee River (Georgia) - Drowning
T.L.H., 25, of Smyrna, Georgia, drowned while
attempting to swim across the river near Diving Rock on the
evening of July 21st. The Cobb County dive team located his
body in 15 feet of water on the morning of the 22nd. Witnesses
said he'd been drinking. Divers found running pants down around
T.L.H.'s ankles, which may also have been a factor in his
drowning. [Telephone report from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 7/23]
91-315 - Big Bend (Texas) - Fatality
A body was found in the park near the San Vicente Crossing of
the Rio Grande River on July 19th. Responding rangers received
the body from residents of San Vicente, Mexico, and conducted a
preliminary examination into his death. No identification was
found, and the cause of death could not be determined. Rangers
and FBI agents are investigating the incident. [Dave Evans,
BIBE, via CompuServe message from Lois Hoddenbach, RAD/SWRO,
7/22]
91-316 - Indiana Dunes (Indiana) - Drowning
K.M., 14, of Chicago, Illinois, was playing in Lake
Michigan off Porter Beach when he was caught by a rip current
and drowned. K.M. was one of nine teen-aged assistants to an
adult supervisor of a group of about 40 youths from the Chicago
Boys and Girls Club, which was on an outing in an adjacent state
park. They had walked from the state park into the national
park. All public beaches from Michigan City, Indiana, to Gary,
Indiana, were closed at the time due to the rip currents. A
member of the group who went to K.M.'s assistance had to push
him away when K.M.'s struggling threatened to pull him under.
The youth made a second attempt to reach K.M. after he stopped
struggling, but also got caught in the rip current and had to be
rescued by a visitor. [Joe Wieszczyk, INDU, via telefax from
John Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 7/23]
91-317 - Yosemite (California) - Fatality
A 14-year-old female died of an apparent drug overdose while
camping in Lyell Canyon on July 18th. The girl was on a
commercial pack trip from Mammoth. Her sister discovered her
body in the morning. It appears that she had ingested over 80
tablets of Norpramin, an anti-depressant drug, on the previous
evening. Due to unusual circumstances surrounding the death,
park investigators and the U.S. Attorney's office are conducting
a manslaughter investigation. [J.R. Tomasovic, YOSE, via
CompuServe message from RAD/WRO, 7/23]
91-318 - Yosemite (California) - Arson
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on the evening of July 18th, Wawona
rangers and park fire personnel responded to a vehicle fire at
the Wawona Hotel. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a 1987
BMW which had been damaged by a fire which had been extinguished
by passing visitors. The rangers could smell the odor of an
accelerant and began an arson investigation. The vehicle
belongs to a concession employee who works at the hotel, and it
is believedthat the fire was started by another employee. Park
investigators and the California fire marshall's office are
investigation. [J.R. Tomasovic, YOSE, via CompuServe message
from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/23]
91-319 - Lassen Volcanic (California) - Assist to Agency; Arrest
On July 20th, rangers received a complaint of a drunk driver at
Mineral Lodge, which is adjacent to the park. Ranger Castro
responded and encountered two apparently intoxicated men in a
truck. Upon further investigation, Castro found several weapons
in the truck, including an Uzi automatic rifle, an M1 carbine, a
black powder rifle, a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and a .22
caliber revolver. All were loaded. Since California Highway
Patrol officers were 45 minutes away, Castro arrested the two
men, who will be charged with DUI, possession of open containers
of alcohol and several weapons offenses. [Al Schneider, LAVO,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 7/23]
91-320 - Isle Royale (Michigan) - Diving Accident; International
Assistance
On July 18th, the park received notification that a visitor,
J.S., was experiencing what appeared to be the bends.
Responding rangers ascertained that J.S. had been having
discomfort for about a day, and that the malady had progressed
to a severe state. Transportation was arranged on the Canadian
Ministry of Health's helicopter, Bandage One, which operates out
of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The helicopter transported J.S. to a
hyperbaric chamber at Marquette, Michigan. His present
condition is not known. [Stu Croll, CR, ISRO, via telefax from
John Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 7/23]
91-321 - Cape Cod (Massachusetts) - Aircraft Accident
At 3:00 p.m. on the 20th, a Cessna 150 lost engine power and
crashed off Great Island. The pilot, G.S. of Hampton, New
Hampshire, was unhurt. G.S. was spotting tuna for three boats
in Cape Cod Bay when he developed engine trouble, apparently
from a loss of oil pressure. He said that he wanted to put the
plane down on a nearby beach, but that there were people on it
so he landed in the water about 20 feet offshore. The park,
Coast Guard and Wellfleet police responded to the accident. A
winch on a park patrol vehicle was used to pull the Cessna from
the water onto the beach as a precaution against oil and fuel
spills. The plane's nose and front landing gear were severely
damaged. The wings of the Cessna will be removed and the plane
will be trucked from the area. FAA investigators have been
called to the scene. [CompuServe message from Dennis Burnett,
CACO, t/24]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous
Class A, B, and C fires occurring and a potential exists for
escapes to larger (project) fires. Minimal mobilization of
resources from other geographic areas occurring. The potential
exists for mobilizing additional resources from other geographic
areas.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/23 7/24 Status
AK BIA Southwest Area B544 4,710 4,710 NEC
FWS Up. Yukon Zone B460 74,890 77,770 NEC
MT USFS Gallatin NF Thompson Crk. T1 7,746 7,746 CN 7/28
WA USFS Mt. Baker-
Snoqualmie NF * Illabot 400 NEC
ID BLM Burley Dist. * Bear Trap 400+ NEC
Alaska also has 13 fires under modified suppression strategy for
379,589 acres and 43 fires under limited suppression for 535,049 acres.
NOTES:
Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report).
T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
NR No report received MS Modified suppression strategy
CN Contained MN Being monitored
CL Controlled NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 39,047 1,941,348
1991 (Year-to-date) 40,729 1,724,638
1990-1991 (% difference) + 4% 11%
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity has increased in many
areas in the West because of lightning activity. Many
smokejumpers are being deployed.
5) PROGNOSIS - The potential for holdover fires exists because of
recent lightning activity. More lightningcaused fires are
expected over the next day or two. No resource shortages are
expected.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
7/24]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Dick Martin is the acting division chief.
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Coffey at conference of
regional resource management specialists, Indiana Dunes, Indiana
(7/22-7/26); Schampand Marriott at National Technical
Investigators' Association training seminar, Washington, DC
(7/22-7/26).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Broyles at RX-95 faculty meeting, Fort
Apache, Arizona (7/23-7/26); Bristol at COR training, Seattle,
Washington (7/22-7/26); Clark conducting prevention analysis for
Yellowstone (7/20-7/28); Cook at S-290 training development
session, Denver, Colorado (7/22-7/25); Gale in NAR for fire
suppression review at Acadia, Cape Cod and elsewhere (7/20-7/26).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650