NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, May 29, 1997

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

97-218 - Badlands NP (SD)- Two Employees Murdered

Two park employees, secretary Wiebke Marks and ranger Darrin Harvey, were
killed in a double homicide over the Memorial Day weekend.  When Marks, the
chief ranger's secretary, failed to report for duty on Tuesday, May 27th,
calls were made to her home phone, but were not answered.  Similar attempts
to reach Harvey, who was last seen with Marks on the afternoon of Friday, May
23rd, were also unsuccessful.  Chief ranger Scott Lopez and ranger Glen
Livermont drove to Mark's residence outside the park to check on her.  When
they arrived, they noted that both of their vehicles were in the yard and
found the residence unsecured.  Calls into the house were not answered. 
Fearing that something was seriously wrong, the rangers peered through
windows and observed two bodies on the floor.  Because the residence was
located outside park boundaries, Lopez and Livermont immediately notified the
Pennington County Sheriff's Office and asked for assistance.  Upon entering
the residence, the sheriff's officers found the bodies of Marks, Harvey, and
a third person - a former boyfriend of Marks'.  He was in critical condition
from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.  The incident is currently
under investigation by the sheriff's office.  An NPS critical incident stress
debriefing team was sent to the park yesterday.  Additional details will
appear in future Morning Reports.  [John Townsend, MWRO, 5/28]

97-219 - Haleakala NP (HI) - Rescue

A specialized custom wheel chair van erupted into flames in the headquarters
parking lot on the afternoon of May 21st, momentarily trapping disabled
wheelchair occupant J.H., 46, inside the burning van.  The rented
van was being driven by nurse B.W., with J.H. seated in the rear
passenger area.  Park staff spotted the fire and alerted the fire brigade,
which responded from a garage only 150 feet from the fire.  As firefighters
converged on the scene, B.W. attempted to remove J.H. from the van
through the side doors and down the hydraulic, electrically operated ramp,
only to find the fire had already burned through and shorted the operating
mechanism.  He then returned to the driver's compartment, unstrapped
J.H. from his chair, and pulled him to safety just as the fire
engulfed the interior of the van.  Neither man was harmed.  The fire was
quickly suppressed.  According to the two men, they began smelling gas fumes
as they drove up Haleakala Volcano to the park.  J.H. said that he had
also smelled the odor of burning electrical wires.  An investigation is
underway, but the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.  The $35,000
van was a total loss; the loss in personal property, including the chair,
came to over $9,000.  The park immediately put out a call to the community
via several media sources, seeking donations to help replace the specialized
motor driven wheel chair.  A chair was donated the next day.  [Kerry Buck,
IC, HALE, 5/27]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                    Mon      Tue    %   Est
State      Unit              Fire/Incident   IMT    5/26     5/27  Con  Con

AL   Bon Secour NWR        * Mouse             -       -      722  100  CND 

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; LSS =
                limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
                strategy
     IMT --     T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
     % Con --   Percent of fire contained
     Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
                containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report; LPS = limited
                protection status

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Friday, 5/23         -      -         -       -       --     --        --
Saturday, 5/24       1      1         0       0       19     16        37
Sunday, 5/25         0      2         0       1       39     23        65
Monday, 5/26         0      1         2       0       40     11        54
Tuesday, 5/27        2     12         3       1      147     16       181

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Friday, 5/23        --         --           -             -            --
Saturday, 5/24      12         22           6             1             3
Sunday, 5/25        15         26           9             0             1
Monday, 5/26        11         22           9             5             1
Tuesday, 5/27        7         18           9             1             2

CURRENT SITUATION

One new large fire was reported in the South on Tuesday.  Minor to moderate
initial attack activity was reported in most other areas.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/28]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Reports pending.

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

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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