Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Cleanup of Major Mud Slide Begins
Work on removing debris from the East Entrance road was set to begin
yesterday morning. The road was temporarily closed Sunday night between
the East Entrance Station and Pelican Creek, just east of Fishing
Bridge. Debris clean-up on Monday made it possible to reopen the section
of the road between Pelican Creek and Sylvan Lake late Monday afternoon,
but the road remains temporarily closed between the Sylvan Lake
barricade and the East Entrance station. An estimated 10,000 cubic feet
of debris covers the roadway. There are also some sections of the road
where the guardrails and posts were swept away and where the roadbed has
been washed out from under the asphalt. HK Contractors, Inc. of Idaho
Falls will assist with the debris removal. They already had personnel
and equipment on site for a road reconstruction project that was slated
to escalate in scope on Tuesday. The mud slide area is within an
avalanche zone. During the winter, artillery shells are shot into
threatening snow banks to reduce the threat of avalanche. Despite a
recent, aggressive cleanup of the area, it is possible that some
unexploded ordinance may be contained in the debris covering the road.
Experienced park staff have equipment to scan the debris to ensure it is
clear of hazards before it is removed. Once the debris is removed, park
staff will be in a better position to assess the repair work necessary
to reopen the road. No cost estimate or date for reopening the road is
possible at this early date. Despite the temporary closure of the park's
East Entrance, the other entrances to Yellowstone National Park and all
visitor services remain open. Travel between the park and Cody remains
possible over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY-296) and the Beartooth
Highway (US-212) through Cooke City and the park's Northeast Entrance.
Visitors may experience up to half-hour delays between 6:00 a.m.and 6:00
p.m.east of Cooke City due to road construction.
[Submitted by Al
Nash, Public Affairs Specialist]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Search in Progress
On Monday, July 19th, rangers began searching for D.B., a
49-year-old climber from Butte, Montana, who was reported overdue Monday
morning. D.B. headed into the mountains early on the morning of
Friday, July 16th, to attempt a solo climb of the Grand Traverse —
a technical climbing route that begins with Teewinot Mountain, winds
around the ridge line to Nez Perce, and summits eleven of the major
peaks in the range, including Mt. Owen and the Grand Teton. Fred Donich,
D.B.'s friend and climbing partner, called the park on Monday morning
and advised that D.B. was overdue. Rangers learned that D.B. spoke
with his mother on the morning of July 15th, when he called her on his
cell phone. D.B.'s car was located in the Lupine Meadows parking lot;
his cell phone and a pair of crampons were in the car. D.B. is an
experienced and skilled mountaineer who has climbed extensively in the
Teton Range. He intended to complete the Grand Traverse in a single day.
Twenty searchers from the park and the Bridger Teton National Forest
were involved in the search on Monday. The park's contract helicopter
began flying aerial reconnaissance flights over the search area Monday
afternoon, once weather permitted. Initial search strategies included
looking for recent tracks in snow and concentrating on areas of
identified high probability. Three ground search teams assisted in these
efforts. Monday's search efforts continued until dark and resumed
yesterday morning at 6 a.m. The search more
than doubled in size on Tuesday, incorporating another 50 personnel and
a second helicopter from Yellowstone National Park. As of late
yesterday, approximately 70 people were involved in search efforts,
including personnel from the park, Teton County Search and Rescue, an
interagency helitack crew, and five teams of search dogs from Wyoming
K-9 Search and Rescue. Search efforts were concentrated on the Grand
Traverse itself as well as areas into which D.B. may have descended
due to unexpected factors such as injury or weather.
[Submitted by
Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Gasoline Tanker Crash and Fire
A tanker truck hauling 9,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline rolled over
and caught fire on Highway 85 within the park on the afternoon of
Saturday, July 17th. The driver suffered a broken leg and several
lacerations, but was able to extricate himself from the truck and escape
the fire. The burning tanker lay on its side along both lanes of the
highway; flames shot a hundred feet into the air and the column of smoke
that was visible from 60 miles away. Rangers responded, set up ICS and
made the first fire/EMS response. They were joined by four local fire
departments, Pima County Sheriff's Department, Arizona DOT, Arizona DPS,
Border and Customs Enforcement, and an ambulance squad from Ajo. The
fuel burned for more than four hours before the fire could be brought
under control. The road surface, underlying roadbed, adjacent soil and
surrounding vegetation sustained significant damage from the fire and
spilled fuel. An Arizona DOT hazmat team conducted an assessment of the
accident scene. It appears likely that the entire road section and
underlying soil will be removed. The accident is under
investigation.
[Submitted by Fred Patton, Chief Ranger]
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA)
Assault on Ranger
Ranger Chris Rugel stopped a car for a seatbelt violation in Fort
Spokane campground just before 10 p.m. on
July 2nd. The driver said he had neither a license nor identification.
Ranger Adam Kelsey obtained the driver's name and date of birth and
checked them; two arrest warrants for assault/domestic
violence came back on him. Kelsey approached the vehicle and told
the driver to place both hands on the steering wheel, but he instead
immediately took off, making a quick U-turn. In so doing, he ran over
Kelsey's foot and hit his left knee. A high speed pursuit ensued onto
the Spokane Indian Reservation, where the driver bailed out near a
tribal campground. A brief foot chase followed, but was called off due
to darkness. A 911 medical call came in for the man the next morning. He
was flown to Spokane, where he assaulted a male nurse while in the
hospital. He told Spokane PD officers that he'd swallowed an "eight
ball" of methamphetamine during the vehicle pursuit. The man is
currently in custody on the outstanding warrants and for the assault on
the nurse. A felony warrant was obtained for an assault on a federal
officer, with a grand jury indictment pending. The man, who has a
history of methamphetamine use, was recently arrested by BIA for
possession of a stolen AK-47 and had threatened to kill another BIA
officer. A digital scale and a 10-inch knife were found inside the
vehicle during the search. The man had just been released from jail two
days prior to the incident.
[Submitted by Chris Rugel, District
Ranger, Fort Spokane District]
Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
Smuggling of Undocumented Aliens
During the night of June 30th, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) officers saw a number of people cross the Mansfield Channel by
raft at the southern end of the park. Responding rangers, ICE
agents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stopped two
vehicles traveling north on the beach and arrested four smugglers, all
Mexican nationals. Later that same night, a total of 17 people —
six Chinese, nine Brazilian, and two additional Mexican nationals, all
believed to be connected to the smuggling operation — were
apprehended in the dunes near the 20 mile marker. Coast Guard law
enforcement personnel responded to South Padre Island, stopping two
vehicles and arresting three Mexican nationals believed to have
transported the undocumented aliens to their crossing point at the
Mansfield Channel. Interviews of those arrested showed that the
group entered the United States on June 28th and then were placed in a
"safe house" (in this case a motel room) until they could be transported
to the park. All four vehicles are being considered for asset
forfeiture.
[Submitted by Randy Larson]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was moderate in Alaska on Tuesday and light elsewhere. Five of the 250 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack — three in southern California and two in the Great Basin. Six others were contained.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
Warnings and Watches
No warnings or watches have been issued for today.
NPS Fires
For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
{||inc|http://data2.itc.nps.gov/fire/includes/bill_table.cfm||}
National/State Team Commitments
Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.
Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.
|
State |
Agency |
Team |
IC |
Fire and Location |
7/20 |
7/21 |
% Con |
Est Con |
|
AK |
State |
1 |
Anderson |
Boundary Fire, Fairbanks Area |
484,600 |
485,600 |
20 |
UNK |
|
WA |
USFS |
1 |
Bennett |
Icicle Fire, Okanogan/Wenatchee NF |
778 |
778 |
30 |
7/25 |
|
CA |
State |
1 |
Cable |
Foothill Fire, Los Angeles County |
5,984 |
6,002 |
81 |
7/21 |
|
CA |
USFS |
1 |
Cable |
Crown Fire, Angeles NF |
---- |
3,000 |
10 |
UNK |
|
CA |
State |
1 |
Gelobter |
Pine Fire, Los Angeles County |
17,418 |
17,418 |
95 |
7/21 |
|
NV |
USFS |
1 |
Martin |
Waterfall Fire, Humboldt-Toiyabe NF |
7,680 |
8,723 |
100 |
CND |
|
ID |
USFS |
2 |
Brunner |
Cabin Creek Fire, Salmon Challis NF |
783 |
783 |
100 |
CND |
|
AK |
BLM |
2 |
Carlson |
Eagle Complex, Upper Yukon Zone |
614,565 |
614,565 |
NR |
UNK |
|
AK |
BLM |
2 |
Furlong/ Gormley |
Central Complex, Upper Yukon Zone |
170,000 |
195,000 |
0 |
UNK |
|
AK |
State |
2 |
Goheen |
Chicken Fire, Tok Area Forestry |
392,352 |
392,352 |
NR |
UNK |
|
AK |
State |
2 |
Kurth |
Taylor Complex, Tok Area Forestry |
455,917 |
458,207 |
NR |
8/3 |
|
WA |
USFS |
2 |
Johnson * |
Pot Peak Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF |
11,800 |
11,850 |
68 |
UNK |
|
ID |
USFS |
2 |
Suwyn |
Dollar Fire, Boise NF |
782 |
782 |
100 |
CND |
|
AK |
BLM |
FU |
Bird |
Solstice Complex, Upper Yukon Zone |
547,351 |
547,505 |
5 |
UNK |
|
CA |
NPS |
FU |
Cook |
Meadow Fire, Yosemite NP |
3,750 |
4,250 |
N/A |
11/1 |
* Washington Interagency IMT
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
|
Date |
7/15 |
7/16 |
7/17 |
7/18 |
7/19 |
7/20 |
7/21 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
|
Crews |
274 |
279 |
257 |
284 |
301 |
273 |
261 |
|
Engines |
459 |
520 |
609 |
644 |
653 |
482 |
481 |
|
Helicopters |
114 |
128 |
115 |
124 |
125 |
109 |
98 |
|
Air Tankers |
5 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
1,901 |
2,066 |
2,221 |
2,237 |
2,234 |
2,495 |
2,506 |
Further Information
This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:
Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
Information on NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:
FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Risk Management Division
Safety Alert: Boot Recall
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firm below. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless
otherwise instructed.
Name of product: Georgia Boot Steel Toe Logger Boots
Units: About 10,000 pairs
Manufacturer: Georgia Boot, of Frankin, Tenn.
The boots may have been mislabeled to indicate that they are resistant to electrical current, which is incorrect. This may result in a serious shock or electrocution to consumers. Georgia Boot has not received any reports of incidents. This recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injuries. The recalled steel toe logger boots are brown and black and have laces that tie up to the calf. The recalled boots have stocknumbers of G8320, G8322, and G9360, which can be found on a label under the tongue of the boot. The same label has stitching of the "Georgia Boot" name. Retail shoe stores nationwide and independent retail stores sold these boots from October 2002 through April 2004 for between $80 and $150. Consumers should stop using the boots immediately and returnthem to the company for a free repair. Call Georgia Boot toll-free at (877) 795-2410 anytime,send an e-mail to the Company at productnotice@georgiaboot.com, or write to Georgia Boot, P.O. Box 10, Franklin, TN 37063, Attn: EH Product -Labeling Issue. Consumers also can log on to the Company's Web site at www.georgiaboot.com
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
GS-11/12 Ranger Operations Supervisor
The park is currently recruiting for a GS-11/12 ranger operations supervisor whose primary duties will be the performance and supervision of all ranger field activities within the 68-mile long national seashore. The person in this newly created position will supervise eight commissioned park rangers and oversee all field protection operations. The ranger staff deals with a wide variety of missions and challenges, including emergency services, an interagency smuggling interdiction program, boat operations, search and rescue, wildland fire, and many natural resource issues including poaching and illegal commercial fishing. The position has no required occupancy, providing an opportunity to buy an affordable home in a wonderful sub-tropical coastal setting. The city of Corpus Christi is 18 miles away and offers a full range of educational, medical, and shopping amenities. The vacancy announcement is open until July 27th and can be found under announcement number PAIS-E-8 on USAJOBS. For further information contact the chief ranger's office at 361-949-8173 x 237.
[Submitted by Randy Larson]
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.