Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Search in Progress for Missing Park Employee
Seasonal park employee Lori Sievers, 22, was reported overdue from a
hike on Monday morning when she failed to return as planned. Rangers
immediately began searching for her. Participating in the operation were
the park's contract helicopter and 40 people from the park, Teton County
SAR, and Wyoming K-9 SAR. On Tuesday, the search was escalated to
include two helicopters and 90 people, adding more employees from the
park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Exum Mountain Guides, and a
20-person fire crew. A Type 2 incident management team has been
established to oversee the operation. Because the actual location of
Sievers' hike was uncertain, rangers conducted aerial reconnaissance
flights over Hanging Canyon, Symmetry Couloir and Laurel Canyon. At 9
p.m. on Monday evening, the park received a call from another hiker who
said that he'd seen a lone female hiker matching Sievers' description on
Sunday near Lake of the Crags. Search efforts are continuing.
[Submitted by Bill Holda, Acting Chief Ranger]
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (KY)
Aircraft Crash with Two Fatalities
A Beech Bonanza en route from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Middlesboro,
Kentucky, was reported missing on the morning of Saturday, July 5th,
with radar contact being lost while the plane was over the park. The
park was notified of the missing aircraft late on Saturday evening. With
the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol, a search was begun on Sunday
morning. The plane's wreckage was found scattered over a
three-quarter-mile area in a forested part of the park on Sunday
afternoon. Although most of the plane was found, there was no sign of
the occupants — pilot J.V., 65, and his son-in-law W.B.,
47. Park staff, assisted by local rescue personnel, began a
search of the area. One of the bodies was found at the base of the ridge
below the crash site in very steep and heavily vegetated terrain on
Sunday afternoon. Shortly thereafter, the body of the second victim was
found in the same general vicinity. An investigation by the FAA and NTSB
is underway. Preliminary findings indicate that the plane broke up in
flight, which explains the large debris area. A critical incident stress
debriefing team is being brought in.
[Submitted by Charlie Chadwell,
Chief Ranger]
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Car Clouting Arrest
Rangers arrested R.S., 22, for breaking into a vehicle at a
pullout along the 15-mile-long Chain of Craters Road at 4:30 a.m. on
Saturday, July 5th. The park had been hit by a string of 20 car clouts
over the past two weeks, all occurring in the late night and early
morning hours. Based on evidence collected by rangers and according to
his own admission, R.S. is addicted to smoking "ice," a dangerous form
of methamphetamine, and was fueling his habit by breaking into cars and
stealing valuables. R.S. was taken to federal district court in
Honolulu and is facing felony charges. Through identification of R.S.'s
MO and a partial confession, rangers have been able to close all of the
earlier automobile burglaries.
[Submitted by Paul Ducasse, Chief
Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was moderate in the Southwest and southern California yesterday and light elsewhere. Seven of the 224 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack — one in the Rockies, three in the Great Basin, another three in California.
Fire Danger
|
Day |
7/4 |
7/5 |
7/6 |
7/7 |
7/8 |
7/9 |
|
Alaska |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
|
Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
California |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Colorado |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Hawaii |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Idaho |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Montana |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Nevada |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
New Mexico |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Oklahoma |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Oregon |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Texas |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Utah |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Wyoming |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme
Fire Weather Watches and Warnings
No watches or warnings have been posted for today.
National Resource Commitments
|
Day |
7/3 |
7/4 |
7/5 |
7/6 |
7/7 |
7/8 |
7/9 |
|
Crews |
181 |
205 |
215 |
207 |
233 |
206 |
495 |
|
Engines |
309 |
371 |
372 |
406 |
483 |
449 |
491 |
|
Helicopters |
59 |
61 |
61 |
72 |
78 |
93 |
142 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
1,027 |
1,138 |
1,119 |
1,200 |
1,371 |
1,992 |
1,648 |
National Team Commitments
New team commitments indicated in bold face.
|
State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Fire/Location |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
|
AZ |
T1 |
Oltrogge |
Aspen Fire Coronado NF |
83,000 |
75% |
UNK |
|
WA |
T1 |
Lohrey |
Fawn Peak/Sweet Grass Okanogan/Wenatchee NF |
1,720 |
0% |
UNK |
|
CA |
T2 |
Rios |
Woodlot Fire Yosemite National Park |
300 |
NR |
UNK |
|
NM |
T2 |
Raley |
Encebado Fire Taos Northern Pueblo |
3,355 |
5% |
UNK |
|
WA |
T2 |
Johnson |
Rattlesnake Canyon Colville Agency |
9,000 |
35% |
7/13 |
|
OR |
T2 |
Morcom |
Link Fire Deschutes NF |
906 |
60% |
7/12 |
|
NM |
FUM |
Duncan |
Dry Lakes Complex Gila NF |
68,450 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
AZ |
FUM |
Hiatt |
Powell Fire Grand Canyon NP |
3,606 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
UT |
FUM |
Bonefeld |
Woodenshoe Fire Manti-LaSal NF |
2,710 |
70% |
7/9 |
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Woodlot Fire
A Type 2 incident management team (Rios) has been ordered for the 300-acre Woodlot Fire, which is burning a half-mile southwest of El Portal. The communities of Foresta and El Portal may be threatened.
Noatak National Preserve (AK)
Aklumayuak Creek (B366) (Wildland Fire,Wildland Fire Use)
After a multitude of lightning strikes in northern Alaska, this fire started burning in a Limited Management Option. (full report)
Fire was monitored at 16:05 7/7/03 and a new map revealed an acreage gain of 160 acres. No activity was observed and fire was called out.
Acreage: 410
Estimated containment date: 7/7/03[Submitted by Dan Warthin, Dan_Warthin@nps.gov, 907-683 9548]
Noatak National Preserve (AK)
Okoklik Lake (B342) (Wildland Fire,Wildland Fire Use)
Fire was discovered by Alaska Fire Service GIS section on satellite imagery at 1430 6/24/03. Fire burns in tundra with moderate potential for growth. Located in a Limited Management Option area. Alaska Fire Service was unable to monitor fire on 6/24 due to lack of resources; they will monitor when resources are available. (full report)
Fire was monitored at 16:05 7/7/03. An updated map revealed acreage gain of 50 acres. No activity was observed and fire was called out.
Acreage: 1,300
Estimated containment date: 7/7/03[Submitted by Dan Warthin, dan_warthin@nps.gov, (907) 683-8548]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Visitor and Resource Protection
Don Coelho Selected As New Chief, LE&ES; Division
Don Coelho, currently the deputy chief ranger for law enforcement services in Yosemite, has been selected as the new chief of the Division of LE&ES in WASO. He will EOD in mid-August. Don joined the NPS in 1974 and worked in different positions in Yosemite — as a criminal investigator, as a patrol ranger in the Valley District, and as the Wawona/Chinquapin area ranger. He was the supervisory park ranger for the Wawona District in the mid-80s, then went to the Fish and Wildlife Service, where he served as a special agent until July, 1987. Don returned to the NPS as a supervisory park ranger at Petrified Forest, then went on to tours as law enforcement specialist at Grand Teton, as district ranger for the North District of Grand Teton, as district ranger for the Valley District in Yosemite, and then successively as acting, assistant and deputy chief ranger at Yosemite. Over the course of his career in the NPS, he has worked in just about every ranger specialty, including law enforcement, criminal investigation, SAR, EMS, SCUBA, structural fire, wildland fire, and frontcountry, backcountry, lake and river patrol. [Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection]
[Submitted by Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.