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Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, June 11, 1999
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Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 04:55:16 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, June 11, 1999
INCIDENTS
99-256 - Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - Suspicious Death Investigation
On the morning of April 7, 1998, a woman's body was found in a ravine about
50 feet from the Buckeye Trail and about 100 yards north of the bridge at
Blue Hen Falls. The victim was positively identified by her ex-husband as
K.P. of Twinsburg, Ohio. She was found fully clothed in a black
jogging suit. Preliminary examination by the county medical examiner could
not determine the cause of death. An investigator from the Ohio Bureau of
Criminal Investigation processed the scene and the victim's abandoned vehicle
and examined the body at the coroner's office. Three extensive searches of
the Blue Hen Falls area were conducted by Summit County deputies, FBI agents
and members of their evidence response team, NPS criminal investigators and
rangers, and officers from the Peninsula Police Department. Metal detectors,
rakes and sifters were used, but no evidence of how the victim died was
found. A multi-agency investigation into the suspicious circumstances
surrounding K.P.'s death has been begun. The FBI, in concert with the
National Park Service, is leading the investigation. The NPS has allocated
local and national staff and resources to the investigation and has worked
closely with the FBI, the county sheriff, prosecutor and medical examiner,
and the U.S. attorney's office to ensure a thorough and coordinated
investigation. Investigation into the unexplained death remains active.
[Bruce Cunningham, MWRO, 6/10]
99-257 - Cape Cod NS (MA) - Rescue
Ranger Garrett Moynhihan received a call from Wellfleet police reporting a
surfer in distress off LeCount Hollow beach on the afternoon of June 9th.
Moynihan picked up park lifeguard Paul Finn en route; the two met Dave Pike,
an off-duty Wellfleet lifeguard, at the beach. Finn and Pike spotted two
men - S.W. and C.C. - clinging to a surfboard about 50
yards off shore. A strong off-shore current, heavy surf and winds of 25 to
30 mph were preventing S.W. and C.C. from paddling back to the beach.
Finn and Pike utilized a rescue paddle board and a recovered surf board to
paddle out and bring the two men to safety. The water temperature at the
time was 50 degrees. One of the two men had lost his board while surfing;
the other tried to rescue him, but both became exhausted and drifted off in
the current. A Coast Guard boat and helicopter were en route to the scene
when the two were rescued. [Bob Grant, DR, South District, CACO, 6/10]
99-258 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Illegal Aliens; Drowning
On the night of May 31st, two man - J.P., 18, from El Salvador,
and a companion from Honduras - attempted to cross Mansfield Channel between
South Padre Island and the park. The Honduran swam across first.
J.P. heard him cry out once, but it was too dark to see what had
happened. J.P. used a piece of debris as a flotation device to help
him get across the channel. He was subsequently contacted by a park staff
member on turtle patrol. J.P. told rangers that his companion had
drowned. An air and land search was begun, but no sign of him was found.
This is the first documented fatality of an illegal immigrant attempting to
swim Mansfield Channel. The channel is about 200 yards wide and about 12
feet deep and has strong currents. It's nonetheless used by illegal aliens
to cross into the United States. Rangers and Border Patrol agents continue
to apprehend them on a regular basis. [Gus Martinez, PAIS, 6/10]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Tue Wed % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 6/8 6/9 Con Con
AZ Grand Canyon NP Mt. Emma FUM 100 200 NR NEC
NM Cibola NF La Jara T2 3,382 3,382 95 6/9
State * Water Canyon -- - 540 100 CND
GA Chattahoochee-
Oconee NF Rice Cabin -- 120 120 100 CND
FL Osceola NF Friendly T1 69,060 69,060 80 6/15
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; FUM = Fire Use
Management Team
% Con Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown; NR = no report
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, 6/6 0 0 0 1 0 5 6
Monday, 6/7 3 18 3 0 138 28 190
Tuesday, 6/8 0 14 2 0 97 12 125
Wednesday, 6/9 0 9 3 0 110 8 130
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 6/6 95 127 42 5 570
Monday, 6/7 79 110 35 0 558
Tuesday, 6/8 71 88 35 0 519
Wednesday, 6/9 46 74 29 0 514
CURRENT SITUATION
Moderate initial attack was reported in California on Wednesday, but there
was little fire activity elsewhere. Very high to extreme fire indices were
reported in Georgia, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. [NICC
Incident Management Situation Report, 6/10]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
No entries.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
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.
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