INCIDENTS

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Arches National Park (UT)
Lost Women Found Following Major SAR

B.G., 68, of Hemet, California, became lost near the Devils Garden Campground on the afternoon of May 13th. She became separated from the rest of her party while hiking on the Broken Arch Trail and was found by searchers 22 hours later — thirsty, hungry and tired, but otherwise in good condition. Park and Grand County SAR ground searchers, with the assistance of a scent dog, found her footprints late in the evening of May 13th in rough, canyon-cut slickrock terrain and began tracking her.  Replacement ground searchers continued tracking her the next morning and were joined later by a Civil Air Patrol plane and two helicopters, one from Mesa Verde NP and the other from the Utah Department of Public Safety. Over 50 people were involved in the search from Arches, Canyonlands and Mesa Verde and seven other federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey, Civil Air Patrol, BLM, Utah Highway Patrol, Grand County Sheriff's Department and Search and Rescue, and Moab Valley Fire Protection District. The incident received significant regional media interest.
[Submitted by Jim Webster, IC]

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Man Survives Attempted Suicide

A 45-year-old man attempted suicide in the park on May 14th by driving his 1996 Honda Accord off Highway 410 near milepost 63. The man, reportedly despondent over marital problems, began drinking that morning, took $3,000 in cash from his bank, and drove to the park. According to witnesses, he was heading north on the highway when he accelerated, crossed the centerline and crashed through a wood rail. The car traveled about 150 feet down a talus slope, then rolled several times and came to rest on the slope 300 feet below the road. The driver survived with little or no injury and got out of the Honda before it burst into flame. The fire torched several trees and started a ground fire. Rescuers from the park, Greenwater VFD, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Washington State Patrol, and King County rescue extricated the man via a technical raising. He was flown to Harborview Hospital ER for further examination and observation by mental health professionals.

 
[Submitted by Uwe Nehring]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report — Friday, May 21, 2004

Preparedness Level 1

NIFC reported 924 new fires yesterday. Three of them — all in the Southwest — became large fires.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Warnings and Watches

A RED FLAG WARNING has been posted today for strong winds and low humidity for all of southeastern Arizona and the northern half of New Mexico.

FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been issued today for winds, dry humidity and dry fuels in areas of south-central and southeast Colorado below 8,500 feet, and for strong winds and low humidity in northern and eastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and northwest Texas.

National Resource Commitments

Day	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
Date	5/15	5/16	5/17	5/18	5/19	5/20	5/21
Crews	75	60	48	13	22	21	22
Engines	46	30	26	35	44	25	24
Helicopters	18	9	15	12	14	10	6
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Overhead	143	174	122	65	109	39	57

National Team Commitments

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres 5/20	Acres 5/21	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
AZ	T2	Kvale	KP Fire Apache-Sitgreaves NF	--	1,900	0%	5/26
AZ	T2	Kvale	Rose Fire Apache-Sitgreaves NF	--	1,200	10%	5/24
AZ	T2	Kvale	Pigeon Fire Apache-Sitgreaves NF	--	350	5%	6/15

Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)
Paria Prescribed Fire (Prescribed Fire Treatment)

The initial phase of the Paria Prescribed Fire in Bryce Canyon National Park began today (Wednesday, May 19, 2004) with a 25-acre blacklining operation on the northeastern boundary of the unit. This is a second entry fire for the 1000-acre unit. The project is expected to last a few more days until complete. (full report)
Status: Trails, viewpoints, and roads in the vicinity of the burn unit have been temporarily closed for visitor safety.
Acreage: 25-acres of the 1000+-acre unit has been burned.
Resources Committed: 40+ personnel, 5 fire engines, 1 water tender, 1 helicopter with crew.
Estimated containment date: May 22, 2004[Submitted by David Eaker, Bruce Fields, bruce_fields@nps.gov, 435-834-4912]

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.