Timpanogos Cave |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2024. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Monday, October 1, 1990 On the afternoon of September 28th, A.H., 43, appeared at the park visitor center in a Class A NPS uniform with a badge and name tag, but without a tie or stetson hat. A.H. said that he was currently a ranger at the Grand Canyon on a business trip to Salt Lake City and requested free admission to the cave for himself and his party of 21. The ranger on duty instructed him that he could only be granted free admission with supervisory approval; although A.H. persisted in his demand for some time, he eventually agreed to pay the fee for the cave tour, which was scheduled for the following day. Rangers became suspicious of A.H.'s status because his uniform was incomplete and out of date, he was unable to remember his complete address, and his pager went off while he was in the visitor center. A background check revealed that A.H. had been an employee at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the early 1970's, but that he had not worked for the NPS since then. When A.H. appeared at the visitor center to pick up his tickets on the following day, he was cited under 36 CFR 11.2 for misuse of the NPS arrowhead. His government driver's license, which had been issued at Grand Canyon in 1972, was confiscated. A.H. has been ordered to appear in federal court in Salt Lake City and to surrender his badge at that time. (Telefaxed report from Mike Tranel, CR, TICA, 9/28).
At about 6 p.m. on September 30th, a pickup operated by G.K., 31, of Lehi, Utah, left the roadway of State Highway 92 in the park and overturned in the American Fork River. Ranger Arlo Shelley came upon the accident on his way home from work; he and several witnesses to the accident extricated G.K. from the truck and began CPR. Chief ranger Mike Tranel also responded along with units from the Utah County sheriff's office and Utah state highway patrol. G.K. was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that evening. The accident investigation was conducted by the highway patrol, and preliminary reports indicate that alcohol may have been involved and that G.K. was not wearing a seatbelt. The pickup and a three-wheel ATV it had been carrying were removed from the river by 7:30 p.m. There was no indication of pollution from either fuel or oil. (Telefax from Mike Tranel, CR, TICA, 10/3).
Around 3:00 a.m. on the morning of the 3rd, the fire alarm in the park visitor center sounded. The responding ranger discovered flames in the back of the building and immediately called the county fire dispatcher. Although the Pleasant Grove and Alpine fire departments responded quickly, the building, which housed both the visitor center and the park offices, was almost entirely destroyed. At this point, it appears that the only objects which will be salvageable will be some of the park's files and those items contained in the park's fireproof safes. The loss is estimated at between $1 million and $1.5 million. State and county fire marshals were on the scene yesterday, and Jim Farrell, the Service's structural fire specialist, will be flying to the park today. Salvage work will begin as soon as the investigators have completed their work. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but arson is not thought to be among the possibilities. [Telephone reports from U.S. Park Police; Mike Hill, Superintendent, TICA; Doug Erskine, Branch of Fire all on 2/3]
The damage to the park's visitor center has been estimated at approximately $750,000. The walls, slab and some utilities, valued at about $250,000, will be salvaged. The building cost $135,000 when it was constructed in 1964, but would cost about $1,000,000 to replace. Discussions are currently underway on what sort of visitor center should be constructed. The fire was caused by an overloaded extension cord to the heat tapes on the roof. Jim Farrel, structural fire specialist from the Branch of Fire, was at the scene for three days and facilitated the work of the review team, which included three people from Denver Service Center and four from Rocky Mountain Region. The superintendent would like to publicly thank all the people from the park, Denver Service Center, the region, Boise and the state for providing "simply outstanding" assistance during the period since the fire, and adds that he "couldn't have asked for or received better support." He also asks that employees remember that heat tapes should be plugged directly into hardwired outlets, and that extension cords should never be used between outlets and tapes. [Telephone report from Mike Hill, Superintendent, TICA, 2/11]
A storm which dropped over two inches of rain in American Fork Canyon on September 8th caused substantial damage on the Timpanogos Cave trail. Slides started just above the park's visitor center and continued throughout the trail's mile and a half length. Major slides occurred at over ten locations, covering the trail with up to eight feet of rock and dirt debris and damaging both the trail surface and rock retaining walls. Park crews shoveled foot paths through the major slides in order to advance up the trail and check the conditions further up. The rock fall barricade at the top of the trail was full of debris; although it was cleared, the barricade screens will need repair. Several smaller rocks broke through the screens and fell into the interior of the cave trail restroom. Large amounts of water also flowed into the structure. Power at the cave was out. The trail will remain closed until all debris can be cleared and the rock fall hazard to visitors can be reduced. [Telefax from Dick Powell, RAD/RMRO, 9/9]
At about 12:30 a.m. on May 30th, a two-door Buick with six occupants left the roadway of State Highway 92 just below the park residential area at a high rate of speed, became airborne, hit a tree, and came to rest on a bank of the American Fork River. Two female passengers were able to crawl from the wreckage to the roadway and flag down passing vehicles. Park personnel were alerted and responded along with state, county and local police and local EMS units. P.H., 14, who was six-months pregnant, was apparently ejected from the passenger side of the vehicle and was found almost completely submerged in the river about 200 feet downstream from the vehicle. The driver, M.M., was extricated from the car, and CPR was begun on him immediately. The remaining victims included L.M., 14, who had two fractured femurs and head injuries, and J.M., 15, who was suffering from severe head injuries. All patients were transported to the American Fork Hospital; M.M. and J.M. were later airlifted to Salt Lake City. P.H. had been pronounced dead on arrival. M.M. died later that day, and L.M. and J.M. died on June 2nd. None of the vehicle occupants had been wearing seatbelts. Alcohol was determined not to have been a factor. Once the patients were en route to the hospital, however, county deputies conducted checks on vehicles backed up in the canyon and issued ten citations for alcohol violations. [Telefax from Mike Tranel, CR, TICA, 6/9]
The same storm that struck Petrified Forest caused the closure of Timpanogos Cave on January 8th. Several snow slides had fallen and avalanche dangers remained high, so both American Fork and Provo Canyons were closed. Some power outages were also reported in the park. [Carolyn Barker, AO, TICA, 1/8]
Just before 5 p.m. on July 8th, M.F., age six, slipped and fell into the American Fork River while playing along the bank. His father, B.F., 39, saw him fall in and immediately jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue him. He was unable to reach the boy, lost visual contact with him, then had to pull himself from the river in the park's residential area because the current was extremely fast and dangerous. Rangers immediately began a search along the river throughout the park and were soon supported by Utah County sheriff's office SAR and by personnel from the adjacent Uinta National Forest. The search is continuing along the river for three miles below the point last seen. An incident command post has been set up at a picnic area inside the park. Efforts to recover the body are being hindered by water levels much higher than normal for mid0 summer. [Mike Tranel, CR, TICA, 7/12]
An intrusion alarm sounded at the park visitor center at 1 a.m. on February 27th. The responding ranger and county canine unit arrived within minutes. They found that a large glass panel in the front door had been smashed and that a thief had stolen a programmable telephone valued at $200 and fled the area. An investigation is underway. [Kathy Brown, CR, TICA, 2/28]
Due to extreme avalanche danger, the entirety of American Fork Canyon, where the park is located, has been closed to public access and gated at the canyon's entrance. Employees residing in the park have been advised about evacuation of their homes, but have not been required to leave due to recent moderation of the danger. Daily slides have occurred in the immediate area, but there have been no injuries or damages to property. Park offices will remain in operation as long as employees are able to travel in the canyon. [Kathy Brown, CR, TICA]
M.F., 29, and Paul Snyder were riding their motorcycles on SR 92 through the park at 3 a.m. on May 8th when M.F. hit a six-inch curb on a corner and lost control of his Honda RS-6. M.F. was flipped over the handlebars; both he and the motorcycle travelled about 90 feet through the air before hitting the ground and sliding into the American Fork river. Acting chief ranger Mike Gosse and county and state SAR units responded. The motorcycle was soon found about 175 yards downstream from where it entered the river, but the search for M.F.'s body had to be suspended after three hours due to rugged river conditions and lack of daylight. The search was resumed at 10 a.m. and his body was found outside the park in a log jam about a mile downstream from the point where the accident occurred. [Michael Gosse, Acting CR, TICA]
The park was closed on the afternoon of July 30th due to the proximity of the Oak Hill Fire. The human-caused blaze traveled up a west-facing slope over rugged terrain and spotted into American Fork Canyon, where the park is located. Highway 92 south of the fire through American Fork Canyon remains closed, and a Forest Service campground two miles from the park has been evacuated. At the time of the report (Wednesday), the fire had moved within 500 yards of the park's northwest boundary. Superintendent Kit Mullen has delegated fire management authority to a Type I team assigned to the Wasatch Complex, a group of five fires currently burning in the Uinta National Forest. The park's fire crew has been working on hazard fuel reduction around park structures; interpretive rangers have been assigned to assist the Forest Service and Utah Department of Transportation with road closures and manning on-site information stations. Chief of interpretation Suzanne Flory is the public information officer for the fire. Administrative personnel have been supporting park operations with assistance from maintenance staff. The park will remain closed until further notice. [Kathleen Gonder, AO, GOSP, 8/2, for TICA, whose server is down]
The park was closed on the afternoon of July 30th due to the proximity of the Oak Hill Fire. The human-caused blaze traveled up a west-facing slope over rugged terrain and spotted into American Fork Canyon, where the park is located. The fire has since burned about 900 acres to the northwest of the park and is 15% contained. It's spreading slowly to the north and northwest, away from the park, and has not spotted significantly. When the fire approached the park in the early hours of July 31st, the computer server and critical files were removed from the administration office. The server was placed back on line late on August 3rd and communications with the park have been fully restored. The Oak Hill Fire is being managed as part of the Wasatch Complex. Red-carded park staff were formed into a crew and required to remain in the park around the clock. The Type I team managing the complex advised park staff to reduce fuel around park buildings, which was done. The road in lower American Fork Canyon and the park were closed, but both have reopened. A map of the fire can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinta/fire/wasatchcomplex/maps.html; details on the fire are also available at that site. [Kit Mullen, TICA, 8/6]
On the afternoon of Monday, January 28th, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley AFB in Virginia picked up an ELT signal from a point near Alpine, Utah, and advised the state Civil Air Patrol. The county sheriff's office SAR team narrowed the location of the downed plane to American Fork Canyon, somewhere near the park. The sheriff's mobile incident command post was set up in the visitor center parking lot, and all staging for the rescue was done at the VC. Park staff provided support, supplies and local information. Coordination efforts were hampered by the lack of cellular phone reception in the canyon. An air and ground search was begun, but was delayed by poor weather and darkness until the following day. The plane was found at the base of the Gray Cliffs crags in Tank Canyon, a very rugged side canyon about two miles from the visitor center in the Lone Peak Wilderness of the Uinta National Forest. The SAR team determined that the 60-year-old pilot, who had been en route from Oregon to Phoenix, had not survived the crash. The NTSB will investigate the crash and remove the wreckage. The search involved about 60 people. Demobilization was completed around 4 p.m. on the 29th. [Kit Mullen, Superintendent, TICA, 1/30]
On the afternoon of Sunday, September 24th, a three-year-old girl stepped too close to the edge of the cave trail and fell down a scree slope, coming to rest on a flat area about 75 feet below the trail. The girl was with her mother, older sister and brother, and two male family friends, one from Russia and the other from the Ukraine. They'd just completed a cave tour and were heading back down the paved trail to the visitor center when the accident occurred. Both family friends went down the slope to aid the girl. According to the man from the Ukraine, the man from Russia was moving very fast. He fell, and his momentum carried him past the child and over the edge of a cliff, where he disappeared from view. The interpretive ranger who had guided the family's tour called for assistance and a second interpretive ranger responded. The park's chief ranger and county dispatch were notified, and an emergency response was mobilized. Several members of the county SAR team were soon on scene and a medevac helicopter was dispatched to the park. A spotter in the helicopter located the man's body in a drainage. When members of the rescue team reached his location, they found that he'd died of massive head and body trauma. A paramedic in the helicopter employed a hoist to extract the child, who was stabilized and flown by a second helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. SAR team members recovered the man's body later that evening. Doctors found that the child had suffered a severe laceration to her forehead, but was free from fractures or internal bleeding. She was released from the hospital the following day. [Kit Mullen, Superintendent]
A 47-year-old man called the Utah County Sheriff's Office from the park visitor center pay phone at 6:45 a.m. on June 10th and said that he was going to shoot himself. He provided detailed information on where his body could be found. Visitors reported hearing a gunshot shortly thereafter. County deputies arrived in the park within 15 minutes of receiving the call and found the man's body. [Michael Gosse, Chief Ranger]
A major storm with lightning, hail, and heavy rain swept across American Fork Canyon and Mount Timpanogos on the afternoon of Saturday, June 13th. Heavy rain poured down on the park and washed tons of rocks, gravel, and debris onto the cave trail. The trail was covered in six locations and rocks were scattered extensively elsewhere. Two of the piles were over six feet high and each covered 30 to 40 feet of trail. During the storm, a 15-year-old girl on the cave trail was hit in the head by a rock. She was able to get down the trail on her own and was transported to the hospital to receive stitches. Another visitor came from a nearby reservoir in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest complaining of chest pains, and visitor center staff got a nearby paramedic team to respond. Eighteen staff members worked throughout Sunday to clear the tons rocks and debris from the cave trail. Several divisions were represented, but most were maintenance and interpretive staff. This was a great cooperative effort, with everyone remaining upbeat and positive while performing hard manual labor. Because of the larger rocks in the piles, they could not be shoveled easily. The piles had to be worked with picks to loosen the material before it could be shoveled off the trail. After a seven hour effort, the trail was finally opened to the public at 2 p.m. [Denis Davis, Superintendent]
Several reports have recently come in from across the Service regarding unsuccessful (as of yet) searches for missing persons. Rather than itemize each individually, here's a summary, including the relevant parks and links for additional information: Timpanogos Cave NM — On February 18th, J.B., 24, was last seen the morning at a residential treatment center in American Fork, which is near the park. She told roommates she was going running, left all her belongings except for her cellphone in her room, and never returned. National Park Service photos and cellphone data indicate that she was running down a park trail in American Fork Canyon that day, but she has not been found. The family recently established a Facebook page seeking information on her. Source: Provo Daily Herald. Sources: As indicated above. | |