The Morning Report for Tuesday, October 19, 2004

INCIDENTS

Yosemite National Park (CA)
Arsonist Suspected in Three Homicides

Around 11 a.m. opn Friday, October 15th, the Yosemite Communications Center received a report of visible smoke in the Tiltill Valley area northeast of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The park helicopter immediately responded to perform a fire reconnaissance. Fire personnel on the helicopter saw a man lighting fires with some type of lighting device. As the helicopter hovered overhead, the man pulled out a black object resembling a handgun and the helicopter pilot immediately diverted back to the heli-base and requested law enforcement assistance. While flying back to the heli-base, the pilot landed to pick up two hikers and evacuated them from the area. The hikers later informed investigators that they had been in contact with the man and he had brandished a handgun at them and ordered them to leave the area before they got killed.

Numerous rangers responded to the heli-base, including members of the Yosemite Special Response Team (SRT). Two additional helicopters were ordered, including one from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) which immediately flew several SRT members to the point where the man had last been seen. By that time, however, the fire intensity had grown to the point where it was unsafe to land anyone; moreover, the man could not be located by air because of heavy smoke. Several tactical teams were flown to strategic locations, safely outside the fire's perimeter, while rangers in helicopters worked to evacuate backcountry campers from the area.

Fire suppression efforts were suspended because the man's location was not known. Rangers continued searching for him from the air, but without luck. They continued to monitor the perimeter throughout the night in hopes of capturing him if he left the area.

Meanwhile, an intensive investigative effort undertaken by special agents and rangers tentatively identified the man as R.C. of Brentwood, California. DMV photos were shown to witnesses in the park who confirmed that the arson/brandishing suspect was indeed R.C.

By Saturday, the fire had grown to nearly 1,500 acres and was still too hot and unpredictable to permit the landing of tactical teams. Investigators worked diligently with the Brentwood Police Department, asking them to perform a welfare check at R.C.'s residence. Several Brentwood police officers subsequently entered the residence and found the bodies of a woman and her two daughters, who appeared to be homicide victims.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., while on a fire recon, an observer in the park helicopter saw a man lying in a meadow within the fire's perimeter. From the air, it appeared that he was dead; a firearm was seen next to his body. A team of agents and rangers were quickly inserted to secure the scene, investigate, and extract the body. The man was preliminarily identified as Richard R.C. and the cause of death appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wound. R.C. lighted the fires using a lighter and aerosol spray can.

The entire incident involved over 25 NPS rangers, numerous firefighters, support personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, and three helicopters. The final acreage of the fire has yet to be determined but is estimated at 2,000 acres. Steady rain started early Sunday morning and extinguished most of the fire.

The Brentwood Police Department is in the process of investigating the crime scene at the R.C. residence and considers R.C. a prime suspect in the homicides. Media interest has been exceedingly high.
Click on "More Information" below for a related story from the Modesto Bee.[Submitted by Cameron Sholly, IC] More Information...

Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Confrontation with Drunk Driver

Ranger Jerome Timmons of the Natchez District stopped a motorist for careless driving and suspicion of driving under the influence near milepost 26 just before 11 p.m. on October 9th.

The driver, P.T., a local resident, refused to cooperate with Timmons' instructions to complete standard field sobriety tests. Timmons then told him he was under arrest for DUI, at which point P.T. became argumentative, then threatened to fight Timmons.

Timmons used pepper spray on him twice, but with little effect. P.T. than attempted to hit him, so Timmons responded by striking P.T. with his baton. P.T. then tried to gain control of Timmons patrol car. Timmons drew his gun and ordered P.T. to the ground, but P.T. instead ran to his truck and took off.

A pursuit ensued at speeds under 30 mph. Timmons requested assistance from the Adams County Sheriff's Office and advised that he believed Tanner was headed for his home. The chased ended on a county road adjoining the park.

P.T. was arrested and taken to jail, where his blood alcohol level was found to be over the .08 limit.

Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Poaching Suspect Sentenced

On November 22, 2003, Yellowstone rangers and special agents arrested E.A.J., 31, of Livingston, Montana, following a citizen report of an antelope poaching in progress in the Stevens Creek area of the park.

Ranger Doug Berringer and a park special agent were first to arrive in the area and stopped E.A.J. as he was fleeing the area. After the stop, a short standoff ensued when E.A.J. refused to follow their commands. E.A.J. was repeatedly ordered at gunpoint to keep his hands in view and to get down on the ground, but instead opted to reach repeatedly and aggressively for his waistband area (he later said that he had wanted the rangers to shoot him). E.A.J. was ultimately taken into custody. A dead antelope and a rifle were discovered in the front seat of the vehicle he was driving.

E.A.J. was initially booked into the Mammoth Hot Springs jail for violating the Lacey Act (poaching), resisting and impeding federal officers, using a weapon in a national park, operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a vehicle off of designated park roadways.

A follow-up investigation revealed that E.A.J. was a long-term drug user. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in January of 2004 on a felony charge of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm (18 USC 922(g)). While out on cash bond on his Yellowstone charges, E.A.J. was twice arrested by local Montana authorities, first for DUI and then for domestic violence. E.A.J. was then arrested by U.S. marshals for violation of the terms of his release and was subsequently detained pending adjudication of his case

The U.S. Attorney's Office opted to drop all but the firearms charge in exchange for a guilty plea to same. On September 3rd, E.A.J. was sentenced to serve 50 months in federal prison.

To see the original incident report, click on "More Information" below.[Submitted by Chris Fors, Special Agent] More Information...

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Drowning Near Echo Bay

On the morning of Tuesday, October 5th, rangers responded to a report of a drowning near Echo Bay. The reporting party told rangers that he and a friend had been fishing the night before when their 23-foot vessel was swamped and subsequently sunk due to a microburst from storm that blew through the area.

Both men donned life jackets as a result of the storm. The person making the report stayed with the vessel and eventually reached the shore. His friend made several attempts to make it to shore, but each effort was unsuccessful due to high winds and large waves. He was last seen letting go of a rope that the reporting party had sent to him. The man's body was recovered later that morning.

Weather conditions at the time of the drowning consisted of 50 mph winds with five to six foot waves. This was the park's 20th fatality this year.
[Submitted by Bill Collup, Park Ranger]

New River Gorge National River (WV)
Suicide

Two hikers reported a possible suicide victim near the Beauty Mountain overlook trail around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12th.

Fayette County Sheriff's Department officers, a JanCare ambulance crew and rangers responded. They found the body of a Barboursville, West Virginia, man at a rock outcropping overlooking New River Gorge. He had evidently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; a .380 caliber handgun was found next to his body.

The area was secured and searched, but no other evidence or clues were found. There was no suicide note, but investigators later learned that the man was the subject of a criminal investigation in Cabell County.[Submitted by Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Preparedness Level 1

There were 44 new starts yesterday. None escaped initial attack. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California and Nebraska.

Weather Forecast

A new Pacific storm will bring rain to most of the West today with the heaviest precipitation concentrated over Oregon and California. Most of the Southwest will continue to remain dry.

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

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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/Incident and Location	10/18	10/19	% Con	Est Con

CA	USFS	T1	McCombs	Power Fire, Eldorado NF	16,800	16,800	90	10/21

FL	FEMA	T2	Muir	Hurricane Response, Saufley Field NAS	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

National Resource Commitments

Day	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue
Date	10/13	10/14	10/15	10/16	10/17	10/18	10/19

Crews	71	109	121	132	117	31	15
Engines	137	216	300	307	247	82	30
Helicopters	19	23	27	39	28	12	9
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Overhead	565	633	695	820	404	411	217

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

Fire and Aviation Management
Memorandum: "The First Annual Jeanie Harris Award"

File code P44 (9560)

October 13, 2004

Memorandum

To: Regional Fire Management Officers

From: National Fire Management Officer /s/ Sue Vap

Subject: The First Annual Jeanie Harris Award

Nominations due Friday, November 12, 2004

We are pleased and proud to announce the first annual Jeanie Harris Award. Jean L. (Jeanie) Harris passed away on February 22, 2004 following a brief and sudden illness. As the Fire Budget Analyst in the Intermountain Region's Fire and Aviation Management Office, Jeanie exemplified professionalism, served as a mentor to many and was a true friend to us all.

This award commemorates Jeanie's legacy of service by honoring an NPS Fire Program Management Assistant or a Fire Budget Analyst, at either the regional or park level. Individuals nominated for this award will be recognized for following in the namesake's professional footsteps by demonstrating their exemplary contributions to the support and improvement of the NPS Fire and Aviation Management Program. Nominations for this award will be sought annually in the fall and awarded late fall or sometime into the winter. A specific date and location for the presentation will be determined year to year.

Additional information regarding this award, including the selection process and the required nomination form, may be found on InsideNPS at the NPS Fire and Aviation Management page located at: http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=WasoProgramDetails&prog=674&div=73&page=home

If you have any further questions, contact Dean Berg at 208-387-5216 or by e-mail at Dean_Berg@nps.gov

cc:

NIFC NPS All Employees
NIFC NPS All FMO's
[Submitted by Dean Berg, dean_berg@nps.gov, 208-387-5216] More Information...

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Passing of Glenn Gossard

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is sad to announce the passing of Glenn Gossard, the park's chief of interpretation, on Sunday, October 10th. Glenn fought a long, hard battle with cancer for several years. He will be missed by many, not only in our park but across the country.

Glenn began his career at Glen Canyon in 1982. Prior to that, he worked at Death Valley, Petrified Forest and Navajo, where he served as acting superintendent.

A celebration of Glenn's life was held on Saturday, October 16th, the park amphitheater at Wahweap. The ceremony included photos and shared stories of Glenn's life. A last roll call was done in memoriam as well.

The family is requesting that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the local St. David's Episcopal Church building fund. Donations can be made out to St. David's Episcopal Church and mailed to PO Box 125, Page, AZ 86040.
For additional information, please call 928-608-6200.[Submitted by Lisa Dittman]

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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.