NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, August 20, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-519 - Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Ranger, Paramedic Hit by Lightning

The park received a report of a 47-year-old man who was unconscious and not
breathing near the saddle below Twin Sisters summit, elevation 11,428 feet. 
Rangers, trail crew members, and paramedics from the Estes Park Medical
Center responded as thunderstorms gathered over the mountains.  They
performed CPR on the victim for over an hour before ending efforts.  During
the response, ranger Scott Wanek and paramedic Dan Clark were struck by
lightning at locations below the tree line in separate incidents that
occurred just minutes apart.  Wanek was treated and returned to work the next
day; Clark sustained a ruptured eardrum and mild concussion.  [Doug Ridley,
IC, ROMO, 8/19]

98-520 - Kings Canyon NP (CA) - Search in Progress

Rangers have been searching for D.C., 51, and his 22-year-old son,
C.C., since the two failed to return from a backcountry trip to the Rae
Lakes/60 Lakes Basin on Monday, August 17th.  There were last seen at Fjord
Lake on the north side of the basin on Saturday.  The C.s are considered
to be experienced hikers, are well-equipped, and are familiar with the area. 
At the time of the report, 52 people, a dog team and two helicopters had been
committed to the search.  [Debbie Bird, CR, SEKI, 8/19]

98-521 - Grand Teton NP (WY) - Rescue

M.G., a climber from Cambridge, Massachusetts, fell while
attempting to climb the north face of Easy Day Peak in the Wind River range
late on the morning of August 9th.  M.G. was following the first pitch
of the climb when he pulled a large block of rock onto himself and sustained
injuries to both of his lower legs.  Climbing partner David Oka ran to the
trailhead, then to Big Sandy Lodge to report the accident via cellular
telephone.  The county asked for park support; rangers and Bridger-Teton
helitack personnel responded via one of the two helicopters contracted during
the summer to the park and Bridger-Teton NF.  M.G. was lowered to a
helispot at Shadow Lake late that evening, where emergency medical treatment
was provided by park medics.  He was flown out to Pinedale the next morning,
then transferred to a hospital in Jackson, where he underwent surgery for
fractures to his right tibia and full depth lacerations to his left ankle. 
[Colin Campbell, CR, GRTE, 8/19]

98-522 - New River Gorge NR (WV) - Riot; Multiple Felony Assaults

On August 18th, rangers and county deputies responded to a brawl between two
groups camping at Stonecliff Beach.  The G.s and E.'s, a group of four
adults and seven juveniles, were camping at one site.  A second group,
consisting of five adult men and two adult women from the M./B.
clan, arrived around 1 a.m. and begin partying at the campsite next
to them.  Members of the group had evidently been drinking heavily prior to
their arrival.  They eventually went down to the river and went skinny
dipping.  G. knew T.B., one of the nude women, so he asked her
if she could keep the group quiet.  R.M. apparently became
jealous of G. talking to his girlfriend and a fight broke out between the
two men.  The fight broke up when S.B. jumped into her vehicle and
tried to run over D.G. and E.R.E.  E.R.E. and G. jumped
out of the way, and E.R..E threw a rock through the windshield of B.'s
vehicle as it went by.  At this point, the M./B. group left
the camping area, shouting threats at the G./E/ group as they left. 
Even though several other campers were disturbed by the riot, nobody called
for law enforcement assistance.  Around 5:30 a.m., the M./B.
group returned, parking their vehicle some distance from the campground and
walking to the site.  S.E. awoke to someone pounding on her tent; she
came out with a flashlight and found the M.s and B.s standing
there.  One of the men shouted that "you don't mess with the M.s" and
smashed the windshield of S.E.'s vehicle with a tire iron.  Another man came
up behind her and hit her in the hand with a tire iron.  D.G. came out
of his tent at this time and was hit on the side of the head with a baseball
bat, causing a deep laceration near his eye.  A fight broke out and continued
for several minutes.  An uninvolved camper left the area and dialed 911. 
County deputies were on scene first, but the M./B. group had
departed by that time.  A joint investigation is underway.  Seven people have
so far been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and destruction of
property.  [Rick Brown, Protection Unit Leader, NERI, 8/12]

98-523 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Drowning; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

J.D., 55, of Riverside, California went diving for an oil cap at the
rear of his houseboat in Cottonwood Canyon on the evening of August 18th. 
When he failed to resurface, other members of his group tried to find him and
advised the park.  Ranger Steve Luckeson, ranger/diver Russ Miller and dive
team leader Pat Horning responded by boat and helicopter and recovered his
body in 12 feet of water at the rear of the houseboat.  J.D. had earlier
complained of the exhaust from the boat's engine.  Carbon monoxide has since
been confirmed as a contributing factor in the drowning.  [Phil Hibbs, Acting
CR, GLCA, 8/19]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Wed    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    8/18     8/19  Con Con

WA   Wenatchee NF           North 25          --    7,670    7,870   80 NEC

ID   Salmon-Challis NF      Main Salmon Cx    --    7,722    7,722    0 10/15
                            Jackass           --      780      795   NR 10/15
                            North Fork Cx     T1      960    1,720   30 8/26
     Boise NF               Loopsem Creek     T1      108      133   93 8/20

MT   Bitterroot NF        * West Fork Fires   --        -      750    0 NEC

UT   State                * Muddy Canyon      --        -    2,950   35 8/20
                   
                                  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
IMT         T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Sunday, 8/16         3      6        24       0       74     63       170
Monday, 8/17         4      7        17       0      162     51       241
Tuesday, 8/18        0      5        19       0       68     27       119
Wednesday, 8/19      2      6         7       0      103     39       157

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Sunday, 8/16        87        335          72            27           529
Monday, 8/17       101        354          67             8           671
Tuesday, 8/18       67        253          63             9           502
Wednesday, 8/19     66        250          75            21           621

CURRENT SITUATION

Initial attack increased slightly yesterday due to lightning activity in
several areas.  

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Texas,
Minnesota, Michigan, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California and
Arizona.

No fire watches or warnings have been posted for today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/20]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.

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

                                 --- ### ---