INCIDENTS

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Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Eight Rescued During Storm On Lake

Ranger Ryan Regnell was on boat patrol in the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead on July 25th when a severe thunderstorm with 50 mph winds and four- to six-foot waves struck the area, catching many boaters by surprise. Regnell saw a boat in mid-basin that appeared to be in trouble. Upon arrival, he found eight people — five adults, a small child and two infants — onboard a low profile Mastercraft "Wakeboarder" with little freeboard. It was under power, but taking on water. The operator was trying to make it to Lake Mead Marina, but was still three to four miles out. Shortly after Regnell's arrival, the boat lost power and started taking waves. Two waves almost filled the boat, so Regnell quickly attached a tow line and got the vessel's bow back into the wind and moving toward the marina. The forward motion helped bail the water, keeping the boat afloat. Regnell called for Nevada Division of Wildlife game wardens Karen Welden and Fred Esparza and asked them to respond and help offload the passengers. Regnell's tow line snapped just as the NDOW wardens arrived, and the vessel began to sink once more. Regnell managed to tie the line to the boat and get it headed into the wind again. They then got the women and children transferred to the NDOW boat. With the Mastercraft lightened, Regnell could make headway toward Lake Mead Marina. About a quarter mile out of the harbor, the tow line snapped again and the vessel again began to sink. The ranger and wardens were able to attach a tow line from the NDOW boat to the sinking vessel, and the boat was towed the remaining quarter mile to the harbor launch ramp. The visitors, who were from Illinois, said that they knew the storm was coming and that high winds had been predicted, but decided they could make the harbor before the storm hit.
[Submitted by Tom Valenta, Shift Supervisor]

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (TX)
Robbery Of Church Donation Baskets

On Sunday, July 27th, a member of the Franciscan Order was leaving the Mission San Jose Church with the donation baskets from the noon Mass when he was accosted by a man in his mid-twenties who grabbed the baskets and fled into some nearby woods that are owned by the park. This Mass is known as the Mariachi Mass and it is the most heavily attended religious activity in the park. Although the donations had not yet been counted, it is estimated that over a thousand dollars was stolen. San Antonio Police investigated the incident, but the suspect and money have not been located. Park staff also searched the wooded area but failed to find anything related to the crime.
[Submitted by Dan Steed, Chief Ranger]

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (CA)
Head-On Collision with Fatalities

On July 19th, ranger Mike Martin received and investigated a report of a possible drunk driver on Highway 299W within the park. Before he could find the vehicle, dispatch received a report of a head-on collision. One of the vehicles involved in the accident matched the description of the vehicle that Martin was attempting to locate. Rangers, park firefighters and CDF firefighters responded; ranger Craig Cavanna was IC. Both drivers and one of the passengers were trapped in the two vehicles. The driver of the first car suffered broken legs and may have to have a foot amputated; one passenger in his vehicle was dead, another went into respiratory arrest at the scene and eventually into cardiac arrest. Rangers and firefighters administered oxygen and CPR until she could be airlifted to a local hospital. A third passenger suffered a broken wrist and multiple lacerations and bruising. The suspected DUI driver of the other car was extricated and treated for severe head and chest trauma. She died several hours later at a local hospital. The highway, which is the main road through the park, was blocked for almost two hours in the middle of the afternoon, with temperatures near 110 degrees. CHP is investigating the accident. Shortly after this incident, rangers responded to a diving accident in which a young man suffered head and spinal injuries from diving into shallow water in the lake. He was medevaced to a hospital with fractures to his cervical vertebrae and is partially paralyzed from the waist down. The next morning, a CISD team was brought in to work with people who had been involved in these incidents. Ranger Steve Thede, a peer support counselor, and CDF counselors and a psychologist managed the session.
[Submitted by Steve Prokop, Chief Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Thursday, July 31, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate yesterday in the eastern Great Basin, Rockies and southern California and light elsewhere. Nine of the 240 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack. Another nine were contained.

Fire Danger

Day	7/26	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30	7/31
Alaska	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	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	VX
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	VX	VX	--	--	VX	--
Texas	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Utah	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Washington	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	7/25	7/26	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30	7/31
Crews	540	536	538	494	462	386	458
Engines	1,023	983	1,007	865	736	663	768
Helicopters	166	162	166	170	164	148	151
Air Tankers	3	5	4	6	7	5	3
Overhead	3,436	3,437	3,337	3,829	3,814	3,286	3,502

National Team Commitments

New team commitments or changes in teams are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
ID	ACT	Ribar	Salmon-Challis NF Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Mann	Flathead NF/Glacier NP Fires	---	---	---
MT	T1	Stam	Robert Fire Flathead NF/Glacier NP	14,500	5%	UNK
MT	T1	Raley	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	18,600	35%	9/5
MT	T1	Bennett	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	21,374	25%	8/18
MT	T1	Frye	Black Frog Complex Bitterroot NF	7,500	35%	UNK
ID	T1	Mortier	Slims Fire Nez Perce NF	5,000	10%	UNK
ID	T1	Martin	Cramer Fire Salmon-Challis NF	5,615	90%	7/31
ID	T1	Sexton	Hot Creek Fire Boise NF	22,228	30%	UNK
WA	T1 ST	Anderson/ Furlong/ Ghormley	Fawn Peak Complex Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	73,640	35%	UNK
ID	T2	Gray	Toboggan Fire Idaho Panhandle NF	120	0%	UNK
UT	T2	Broyles	Centerville Fire State Lands	215	20%	8/3
OR	T2	Hoff	Kelsay Complex Umpqua NF	1,050	30%	UNK
MT	T2	Chrisman	Hidden Lake Fire Beaverhead/Deerlodge NF	3,500	75%	8/2
MT	T2	Sandman	Ross Creek Fire Kootenai NF	195	70%	8/2
ID	T2	Kechter	Hunt Creek Fire State Lands	475	25%	8/1
UT	T2	Suwyn	Joe Hatch Fire Moab FO, BLM	250	30%	UNK
CA	T2	To T3 team	Ackley Fire Modoc NF	9,940	90%	UNK
WY	T2	Blume	Ditch Creek Fire Bighorn NF	370	95%	7/31
SD	ST2	Jones	Red Point Fire Black Hills NF	17,500	100%	CND
OR	T2	Morcom	Clark Fire Willamette NF	4,964	80%	8/2
OR	ST	Thorpe	Frog Hollow Fire State Lands	750	70%	8/1
WA	ST	Berndt/ Andring	Hatten Road Fire Spokane District, BLM	12,000	NR	UNK
ID	FUM	Bonefeld	Shasta Fire Nez Perce NF	139	N/A	N/A

Fire and Aviation Management
NPS Fire Summary - Thursday, July 31, 2003

Glacier National Park

An area command team (Mann) is coordinating the Type 1 teams assigned to the Robert, Trapper Creek Complex, Wedge Canyon and Ross Creek Fires. Mandatory evacuations remain in effect. The extended outlook continues to call for higher temperatures, sunny days and more dry weather.

Robert Fire (14,500 acres; 5% containment) — The fire was under a heavy smoke inversion until 3 p.m. yesterday. Crews conducted a successful burnout operation on the west side of the fire and the containment line on the east side was improved. The fire remains a major threat to communities along the North and Middle Fork drainages of the Flathead River and the communities within Glacier National Park. Evacuations have been implemented in West Glacier and Blankenship Road areas. Structure protection is in place for 200 residences and 24 commercial properties. Stam's Type 1 team continues to manage the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 903 firefighters and overhead (including 21 crews), 83 engines and six helicopters.

Trapper Creek Complex (18,600 acres; 35% containment) —The Paul Bunyan Fire has been contained. There is a possibility that the remaining fires in the complex will spread across the U.S./Canadian border and also into the Blackfeet Indian Reservation if they continue to burn north and east across the Continental Divide. The Trapper Creek fire is moving to the east and the Wolf Gun fire is moving to the north. Fire managers and the Canadian Park Service are developing cooperative suppression and contingency plans. Smoke continues to impact Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, B.C. and Lethbridge, B.C., Canada. Ground fires with torching and spotting were observed. Helicopter drops slowed fire spread and prevented fire runs from developing. Structure protection is in place for three commercial properties. Raley's Type 1 team is managing the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 197 firefighters and overhead (including four crews), ten engines and three helicopters.

Wedge Canyon Fire (21,374 acres; 25% contained) — Conditions for extreme fire behavior are in place with very dry fuels and hot, dry weather. Active ground fire with torching, short duration runs and spotting was observed. Crews are making good progress on the southwest side of the fire. Evacuations remain in effect from Moose Creek to the Canadian border. Evacuated residents are being informed daily on the fire's status through community meetings held

each morning and evening. Structure protection is in place for 100 residences. Bennett's Type 1 team is managing the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 1,051 firefighters and overhead (including 30 crews), 69 engines and four helicopters.

Zion National Park

The Timber Top Complex has burned 305 acres. Two new fires were reported on July 29th — containment was expected on one yesterday and suppression action was to begin on the other.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The park had significant lightning and rain yesterday for the fourth day in a row. Seven new fires were reported. Two are being suppressed, but the other five — each less than a tenth of an acre — have been recommended for management for wildland fire use.

Yosemite National Park

The Tamarack Fire has now burned 92 acres. The park also reports eight wildland use fires of under two acres each that are relatively inactive, and another five — Kibbie Fire (19 acres), Snow Fire (4 acres), Starr King (2 acres), Cascade Fire (3 acres, and 8000 Fire (2 acres) — that are active.

Other Park Fires

Fire operations elsewhere in the system include:

• Burning of tamarisk piles at Big Bend.
• A planned 300-acre Rx fire at El Malpais, which was set to being yesterday.
• A small wildland use fire at Grand Canyon.
• Another small wildland use fire at Rocky Mountain.
• A 15-acre Rx research burn completed earlier this week at Saratoga.

Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve (AK)
B416 - Thicket Creek (Wildland Fire,Wildland Fire Use,False Alarm)

A Yukon-Charley National Park Service employee reported seeing a smoke rising out of the Tatonduk River Drainage 16 miles to the North of Eagle. It appeared to be on the south side of the river but due to terrain couldn't see the point of origin nor any flame. There had been recent lightning and intermittent rain in the area. The fire is located in 1999 burn scar. (full report)
Fire has been declared a false alarm. No smoke has been observed since the inital report.
Acreage: Unknown
Estimated containment date: 9/30/03[Submitted by Brad Cella, brad_cella@nps.gov, (907) 644-3409]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (IA,ID,IL,KS,MO,MT,ND,NE,OR,SD,WA)
15 Day Detail Opportunity for Rangers

Dates: 08/04/2003 - 08/18/2003

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (LECL) is in need of rangers to assist with the Corps of Discovery II mobile exhibit while we are at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, IN. We are expecting a potential of nearly 80,000 visitors each day during the fair and will need extra rangers to help. The duties will vary but are primarily designed to provide for a ranger presence, crowd control and overnight security. LECL will pay for all travel, lodging and per diem.

The dates that individuals will be needed are August 5th through August 17th. Travel will be on August 4th and the 18th. If you are interested please contact either myself at (402) 689-6865 for logistics and security or Pat Jones at (402) 689-6741 for general crowd control and interpretation.

Thank you for your consideration in helping during the fair. Please call by close of business on Wednesday July 30, 2003.

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.