Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Two Hikers Die On Mountain
On Tuesday, May 24th, climbing rangers recovered the remains of two
missing hikers from 8,000 feet on the Muir Snowfield. Climbing rangers
Stefan Lofgren, Bree Loewen and Andy Anderson, assisted by a Long Ranger
helicopter, recovered the remains of T.S., 57, and his nephew
G.S., 27, both of Lakewood, Washington. Climbing ranger Mike
Gauthier saw the hikers at 9,000 feet on his trip up to Camp Muir on
Saturday. The two fell behind Gauthier's party and may have attempted to
head back down the route due to a drastic change in weather that hit
suddenly. The storm brought whiteout conditions and over a foot of snow,
making travel difficult. The backpacks of the two victims contained a
tent and enough gear to spend the night out of the elements. The extreme
weather conditions may have prevented them from putting up their tent.
It appears that they may have become exhausted, sat down and succumbed
to the weather. The incident commander was Mike Gauthier.
[Submitted
by Patti Wold, Interpretive Media Specialist]
Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Hiker Sustains
Minor Injuries in Bear Incident
Jo.S., 52, of Poquoson, Virginia, was injured by a single,
adult-sized grizzly bear on Monday, May 23rd, in an incident which took
place in the early afternoon in an off-trail area west of the Savage
River. She and her husband Ja.S., 54, had hiked up the slope along a
ridge and were returning to the trail. They took a different route going
back and found themselves in heavy brush with poor visibility. They had
climbed up on an eight- to nine-foot rock outcropping to survey the area
for a better route when they heard the bear as it ran downhill toward
them through the six-foot-high vegetation. Snorting as it ran past them,
the bear stopped about 20 to 30 feet below them, then turned and
charged. The bear leapt up the rock and grabbed Jo.S. by the
right ankle with its mouth, pulling her down to the ground. She
immediately assumed a fetal position, and Ja.S. shouted and
jumped down to assist his wife. The bear looked up and moved quickly
away, disappearing into the brush. The entire attack took place within
just a few seconds. The couple made their way up to the ridge, then
walked down to the Savage River Check Station, where they reported the
incident to the rangers at approximately 3:30 p.m. They were assessed
and treated on scene and taken by ambulance to Healy, where they were
treated by the local clinic's physical assistant. Jo.S.
sustained injuries to her right ankle, bruising on her left side and a
broken nose due to the fall from the rock. She was taken to Fairbanks
for additional treatment, but was released that night. Ja.S.
was treated for a sprain to his left ankle that he sustained from the
jump off the rock. Wildlife technician Win Staples and rangers Dan
Fangen-Gritis and Jeff Caulfield hiked into the area Monday evening to
attempt to locate the bear. They did encounter two bears, but neither
behaved in an unusual or aggressive manner. A sow grizzly with two
yearling cubs has been frequenting the area, but she was not seen. Park
managers have temporarily closed the Savage River drainage downstream of
the park road to all access. The vehicle parking areas on both sides of
the river are closed to use, and hiking trails into the area have been
signed with warning notices to prevent entry. The area will remain
closed for the next several days as rangers and wildlife management
staff monitor the area. This is a popular area for picnicking and day
hiking, as it is within the section of the park road that is accessible
to private vehicles. [Submitted by Pat Navaille, IC and Kris Fister,
IO]
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Contractor Fatally Injured in Accident
R.P., a contractor from E.F. R.P. and Sons of Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania, was killed in an accident in the park around 4:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, May 24th. R.P. was operating a crane at the time and was
attempting to lift a tree that had fallen through the roof of a spring
house on Freeman Tract Road. Although the tree had fallen over, the
trunk was still attached to the tree's base. R.P. told NPS
employees to go ahead and cut through the tree at the base while he held
it with the crane. When the cut was completed, the tree suddenly swung
like a pendulum, striking the crane's cab and severely injuring him. One
of the park employees who was on scene immediately radioed for
assistance, and rangers and advanced life support personnel arrived
within minutes. Responding were Shawnee FD, Bushkill Ambulance and
Bushkill ALS. CPR was begun and a medevac helicopter was called in.
R.P. was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced
dead. An investigation into the accident by rangers, OSHA investigators
and Pennsylvania State Police troopers is underway. [Submitted by Bill
Halainen, Public Affairs Specialist]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Thursday, May 26, 2005
Preparedness Level 1
Agencies reported 42 new fires on Wednesday. Two became large fires. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Weather Forecast
Very warm high pressure will continue to dominate weather over much of the West today. The best chance for thunderstorms will be across the eastern two-thirds of New Mexico and southeast Colorado, where a backdoor front has entered the region. In Florida, the panhandle will see very low relative humidity today.
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
No updates on National Park Service fires have been received since yesterday.
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 |
5/25 |
5/26 |
% Con |
Est Con |
|
NM |
USFS |
T2 |
Lineback |
Mesa Camino Fire, Santa Fe NF |
---- |
832 |
70 |
5/27 |
|
AZ |
State |
T2 |
Philbin |
Skunk Fire Fire, Globe, AZ |
1,985 |
1,985 |
95 |
5/29 |
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Date |
5/17 |
5/18 |
5/19 |
5/20 |
5/24 |
5/25 |
5/26 |
|
Crews |
* |
* |
22 |
16 |
18 |
21 |
25 |
|
Engines |
48 |
113 |
35 |
12 |
32 |
40 |
60 |
|
Helicopters |
9 |
9 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
9 |
7 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
113 |
147 |
127 |
73 |
79 |
89 |
126 |
* Erroneous number.
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
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Ranger Honor Guard Participates in National Police Week 2005
National Police Week ceremonies were held in >Washington, DC, from May 12th to May 15th this year. National Police Week is dedicated to remembering law enforcement oOfficers who have died in the line of duty, and to honoring their sacrifice and the families and friends they have left behind.
At the candlelight vigil on May 13th, 153 names were added to the memorial wall in Judiciary Square, all of whom were killed in the line of duty in 2004. Over 20,000 friends, family, and law enforcement officers gathered to remember these heroes, and lit over 20,000 candles, lighting up Judiciary Square.
This year, the National Park Service once again added a name to the memorial wall - Ranger Suzy Roberts, who was killed in the line of duty last September while clearing a rock slide from a road in Haleakala. Suzy's parents, family, and friends were present at Police Week this year and took part in the ceremonies and events throughout the week. Rangers from the National Capital Region attended the vigil to honor her memory.
A four person detail from the National Park Service Honor Guard - rangers Chris Figge, Russ Hughes, Kevin Moses and Lena Boesser-Koschmann - participated in National Police Week this year. Team members participated in events including the candlelight vigil and guarding the memorial wreath. Hughes also honored the fallen heroes by playing "Taps" at the memorial on National Police Officer's Memorial Day on May 15th.
[Submitted by Lena Boesser-Koschmann, lena_boesser-koschmann@nps.gov, 702-249-1696] More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Arches National Park (UT)
Passing of Edie Wilson
Past NPS employee Caroline Wilson has reported the death of her mother, Edith "Edie" Wilson. She passed away on May 21st at the age of 93 in Cottonwood, Arizona. Edie was the first wife of Bates Wilson, who was instrumental in getting Canyonlands established as a national park. Bates and Edie lived at Organ Pipe, El Morro, and Arches/Canyonlands. There will be a memorial service at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 26th, at the Rock House at Arches National Park. For more information about the service, Edie's daughter, Julia, at juliegeo@npgcable.com.
[Submitted by Annie Corson]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found by clicking here. 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 Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.