Latest Oregon Wildfire Update at 3:20 pm

KGW TV ^ | 07/22/2002 | KGW Staff

[Grampa Dave]

Kitzhaber Tours Fire Scenes, Guardsmen Arrive 07/22/2002

By kgw.com and AP Staff

updated @ 3:20 p.m.

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, conducting an aerial tour of Oregon's wildfires Monday afternoon, praised a group of property owners for taking steps to keep their homes from burning in the midst of the devastating Squire Peak Fire.

Not one home around the community of Ruch was lost in the fire, although four outbuildings were destroyed. That fire was now 95 percent contained.

Gov. Kitzhaber talks with folks in Ruch about fire conditions. (KGW Photo) Kitzhaber also said this year's early and devastating fires show that the federal government needs to make a bigger committment toward making forests healthy and less vulnerable to annual wildfires.

As the governor toured fire zones in the south, firefighters faced more lightning and erratic winds on Monday as help arrived from Oregon National Guard troops.

Lightning storms were forecast to move up from Mount Shasta in Northern California into the Summer Lake Basin where the Winter and Toolbox fires have burned together to cover 92,000 acres of Fremont National Forest and neighboring private ranchland and timberland.

Firefighter Don Johnson, of Lakeside, Ariz., hauls fire hoses back to trucks after the north end of the Winter fire crossed the line Sunday.

A convoy of 250 Oregon National Guard troops arrived Monday fresh from firefighting training to begin taking over mop-up duties on the Winter Fire, Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Tom Berglund said.

"You really have to keep your eyes wide open and know what to look for," said guardswoman Tonya Frazier, as she geared-up and preapared to be deployed at the fire scene.

Kitzhaber took off by Blackhawk helicopter for the embattled Winter Fire area, after his stop in Ruch.

The Winter Fire was 40 percent contained at 31,100 acres, with full containment forecast for Thursday at 35,000 acres. The Tool Box Fire stood at 59,160 acres, and was also about 40 percent contained. There was no forecast for full containment.

Fires were taking a toll on farm communities across the state.

Fire Burns Ranch

Last week the fire burned wire-to-wire through Dan Napier's Winter Ridge Ranch, where he raises Tennessee walking horses in the narrow band of flat land between Winter Ridge and Summer Lake. And on Monday, he was calling seed dealers as far away as Madras to find grass to stabilize the hillsides against fall and winter rains.

"This thing isn't over for us yet," he said. "The danger of erosion is so great."

Napier lost a hay barn, tack room and a shop when the fire blew through his ranch last week, but he managed to get his horses to safety with the help of neighbors. They won't be able to come back until he repairs burned fences.

The Winter Fire pushed out a bulge on the southwest flank into stands of beetle-killed timber on the Fremont National Forest Sunday and advanced on its north flank along the narrow face of Winter Ridge.

Flames March Across Ridge

Helicopters made continuous water drops on the steep face of the ridge where the flames marched through Ponderosa pine and mountain mahogany.

Firefighters have already contended with strong winds, high temperatures and shorts in a high-tension power line caused by smoke in the air.

The blue bolts of electricity arced from the Bonneville Power Administration lines to the ground, and have killed several cows at the Winter and Toolbox complex. Firefighters don't go near the lines.

The expected storm could spark new fires and force authorities to draw crews off the major blazes, said David Widmark, a spokesman at Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland.

"What happens with the weather will tell us what the rest of the week will look like for fire behavior," Widmark said.

Winter and Toolbox Merge

related stories

State's Fire Insurance Now a Bargain California Fire Forces Evacuation Strong Winds Drive Washington Fire The Winter and Toolbox fires burned together Saturday and now have a leading edge about a mile across, burning over rolling hills between Summer and Silver lakes in the high desert.

Fire officials dispatched another 800 firefighters to the blaze Sunday, bringing the total force on site to about 2,000 people.

Fire management was also upgraded Sunday to a Type I team of national fire experts, Widmark said.

The fire was the second largest in the country, trailing only the Rattle complex burning in a remote part of Utah, and was about 15 percent contained Sunday, Widmark said.

A voluntary evacuation order remained in effect for the 60 homes near Summer Lake. Several homes in the Silver Lake area also were threatened, he said.

He said there are about 25 fires in Oregon that the center considers major.

25 Major Fires in Oregon

The 25 major fires along with hundreds of small flare-ups were burning on a total of 225,000 acres in central, southern and eastern Oregon on Monday.

In southern Oregon, the Roseburg complex of fires had burned more than 3,000 acres by Sunday in the Umpqua National Forest southeast of Roseburg. Of the 24 small fires in the complex, three were not being fought on Sunday because of their remote location, Widmark said.

Officials reported two small new fires Sunday.

The Lost Lake fire, started by lightning, burned 224 acres on state land 12 miles east of Medford. The Sheep Rock fire burned 500 acres two miles northeast of Riverside.

Officials on Sunday evacuated the Umpqua Creek Pow-wow grounds in the Boulder Creek/Jackson Creek area.

Several major wildfires were burning on about 225,452 acres in Oregon as of Monday morning. About 8,640 firefighters are working in the state:

WINTER-TOOLBOX FIRES

Started: in Lake County 07/12/02 and merged Saturday.

Size: 91,260 acres

Containment: 40 percent

Evacuations: Voluntary evacuations of 65 homes.

Damage: No.

On scene: 1,981 firefighters

Cause: Lightning.

EYERLY FIRE

Started: 15 miles NE of Camp Sherman, 07/09/02.

Size: 23,204 acres.

Containment: 70 percent.

Evacuations: None.

Damage: 18 houses destroyed.

On scene: 1,026 firefighters

Cause: Lightning.

MALHEUR COMPLEX

Started: 8-25 miles from Prairie City, 07/12/02.

Size: 8,211 acres.

Containment: 20 percent.

Evacuations: None; 50 residences are threatened, and 10 commercial properties, and 184 outbuildings.

Damage: None.

On scene: 833 firefighters

Cause: Lightning

TILLER COMPLEX

Started: Outside Tiller, east of Canyonville off Interstate 5, 07/12/02.

Size: 3,600 acres.

Containment: 6 percent

Evacuations: South Umpqua pow-wow grounds, all camp areas above Mile Marker 11 on the South Umpqua River.

Damage: Unknown.

On scene: 816 firefighters

Cause: Lightning.

FLAGTAIL FIRE

Started: 13 miles west of Seneca, 07/15/02

Size: 7,600 acres.

Containment: 55 percent

Evacuations: None

Damage: Part of Bear Valley Work Center destroyed, one home destroyed, one outbuilding destroyed.

On scene: 560 firefighters.

Cause: Lightning.

NORTH UMPQUA COMPLEX

Started: 25 miles east of Glide, 07/12/02.

Size: 600 acres.

Containment:20 percent.

Evacuations: 20 residences threatened

Damage: one commercial property and ten outbuildings.

On Scene: 385 firefighters

Cause: Lightning.

MONUMENT FIRE

Started: 9 miles southwest of Unity, 07/12/02

Size: 24,700 acres

Containment: 30 percent.

Evacuations: 75 residences threatened, plus five commercial buildings and ten outbuildings.

Damage: Unknown.

On Scene: 724 firefighters, military battalion scheduled to arrive today

Cause: Lightning.

GRIZZLY FIRE

Started: 15 miles west of Lakeview.

Size: 6,050 acres.

Containment: 60 percent.

Evacuations: RV Park threatened. Cottonwood Meadows Lake campground and group camp area is closed.

Damage: Unknown.

On scene: 338 firefighters.

Cause: Lightning.

747 FIRE

Started: Northeast of Paulina in Black Canyon Wilderness, 07/13/22.

Size: 10,630 acres

Containment: 20 percent.

Evacuations: None.

Damage: Road closures.

On scene: 357 firefighters.

Cause: Lightning.

BISCUIT FIRE

Started: 17 miles southwest of Cave Junction, 07/13/02. requesting a type one team

Size: 4,840 acres

Containment: zero percent.

Evacuations: None.

Damage: Unknown, but a wildnerness area is threatened.

On scene: 564 firefighters.

Cause: Lightning.

ROSEBURG COMPLEX

Started: outside of Roseburg, 07/12/02

Size: 700 acres.

Containment: 100 percent.

Evacuations: None.

Damage: Unknown.

On Scene: 168 firefighters.

Cause: Lightning.

LOST LAKE FIRE

Started: 7/13/02, 12 miles east of Medford

Size: 224 acres

Containment: 95 percent

Evacuations: None

Damage: mature conifers

On scene: 117 firefighters

Cause: Lightning

SHEEP ROCK FIRE

Started: 7/20/02, two miles northeast of Riverside, Ore.

Size: 700 acres

Containment: 50 percent

Evacuations: none

Damage: none

On Scene: 70 firefighters

Cause: lightning

NOTES: fire is exhibiting erratic behavior

LAVA FIRE:

Started: 7/13/02, 15 miles north/northwest of Christmas Valley,Ore.

Size: 400 acres

Containment: zero percent

Evacuations: Unknown, possible structures national forest land

Demage: Unknown

On scene: 2 people

Cause: lightning

----

Source: The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Online at: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_0722_news_wildfire_roundup.155088a0.html

[backhoe]

Dave, I'll add a link directly to #23 in the next email I send out- probably in the morning. People need to read this stuff, and get educated.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Latest from the toolbox/Winter/Grizzley

Fire fighters have done an incredible job saving structures & homes. Devastation is beyond imagination to those that have not seen a large scale western forest fire (yellowstone) Fire crossed highway 31 (Paisley area) a few times. Human resources have backed off a bit as fires are converging. Once fires converge, direction of spread is difficult to predict- putting people at risk. The fires are burning some nice deer hunting grounds to the dismay of the Jack Piners here at Klamath. Thunderstorms have hit the area - serious winds/significant temp drops/hail and just a tad of rain.<p.Governor Catslobber on scene today admiring the results of his policies.

[jaz.357]

Thanx for the new search site. I get all the good stuff from my fellow frepsters! Thanx also to you Gramps for the fire update. I just sent info to my Family. You do wonderful work.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Grampa Dave]

One of the benefits of being a freeper is the help that we get and the new ways to see things. Blackie thanks for the new search site.

[Grampa Dave]

The good thing re deer hunting will be the next 3-4 season after this winter's rains. Deer hunting after a burn becomes incredible.

[Grampa Dave]

Their own data re their own agendas is like a huge trail of blood leading to their dens.

They have been pushing this no roads agenda, no timber agenda and nothing taken from the earth agenda for 2 decades now. They brag about their wins with these agendas and raise money based on their agendas being implemented.

If we had a press that presented the truth 10% of the time, there would be no envirals bragging about their poison agendas.

So it is up to the good people like you to spread the word.

[Grampa Dave]

Can you imagine what Gray Fascist Davis would do if he couldn't get his daily dose of several thousand megawatts from Bonneville Power. Plus Bonneville is doing all sorts of things with that extra money and the power we send back up north each night.

Re the wilderness society and the so called gains due to no roads. They are the same as World Com and the liars on Wall Street. They have lied about the great profits that the roadless areas had for Oregon. The retirees didn't move up there for the roadless Druid havens. They moved there because property was cheaper than down here in Kali and the lack of a sales tax.

The anti business behavior of the Oregon enviral governor, Andy Kerr and the fascists of the ONRC have chased away a lot of business and killed the heavy construction industry in Oregon.

Their lies are typical of the lies throughout the nation during the lies of the Clintoons. Also, their lies came before the bust of the Nasdaq.

This data re their lies needs to get out. However, since they took credit for the gains, it proper to blame them for the crash of the Oregon economy which can be documented to their anti logging, anti raw materials and anti business agendas.

Out of work in Oregon, go tell your story to an enviral. He cost you, your job!

[Grampa Dave]

There isn't much to threaten re humans and their resources in that area. So they probably left a couple of guys with a 4 wheel drive, some fire equipment, cell phones and a map to keep the Fire Boss appraised.

[Grampa Dave]

If you can think of any more descriptive key words, please add them.

The enviralists and liberals hate it when we nail them with key words that describe them and their agendas with no wiggle room.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yeah... sounds reasonable...

This is turning into a pretty bad year for fires... a lot more than I recall in quite a while, if I'm not mistaken...

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

One thing this smoke did was help Sunday's fishing. The smoke has blocked out the sun on the lake. The result was eight fish in three hours including a 28", 8 lb monster- Bunker's largest. A 25.5" gem complemented that fish.

[Robert357]

The heavty smoke acts as a conductor, and the electricity will arc out from the lines and down to the ground.

The dust, especially if carbon, is a conductor. The big concern for utilities is that conductive dust will build up on "insulators" and will cause a flashover at where the wired (conductors) are connected to the transmission towers.

I got an emergency message indicating a derating of one of the major interties to California due to fires among my email I downloaded today. If there were a heat wave in California this could become significant.

[Salvation]

From katu.com

July 22, 2002

National Guard troops to join firefighters

PAISLEY, ORE. - Touching down from a helicopter tour of fires across Oregon, Gov. John Kitzhaber urged Congress to boost its commitment to preventing future blazes in the nation's forests.

"This is as much a war as the war we are fighting in Afghanistan,' Kitzhaber said at Paisley High School, which houses 814 firefighters hoping to contain the 31,500-acre Winter Fire in the Summer Lake Basin of south central Oregon.

"Congress has got to put in a permanent appropriation to keep resources coming" for National Fire Plan prevention programs, he said, calling for thinning forests of combustible material.

Kitzhaber touched down in this high desert town just as 250 National Guard troops from the 82nd Armored Cavalry based in Redmond were setting up their tents for mop-up operations.

"This is why I joined the Guard, helping people out when they need help," said Cpl. Thomas Reasons, 25, a grocery store manager who left his wife and two sons back in Sweet Home.

Billeting in cots standing just 12 inches apart underneath olive drab canopies, the troops were assigned to extinguish smoking stumps and hot spots around houses that stand surrounded by black ash on the narrow corridor along Oregon Highway 31 between Winter Ridge and Summer Lake, where the fire burned hot last week.

"We do want to make sure the fire is out around those houses," said Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Tom Berglund. Assigning the National Guard to mop up "puts our more seasoned firefighters more into the heat of battle."

In Paisley, Kitzhaber met privately with horse rancher Dan Napier, who lost a hay barn, shop and chicken coop to the flames. Napier believes precious time was lost in launching the firefighting effort as the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry argued over who should take responsibility.

Deputy Incident Commander Danny Benson said he knew of no such delays, adding that the Forest Service and Department of Forestry in the Lakeview region enjoy a good working relationship.

At an earlier stop in the southwestern Oregon rural community of Ruch, Kitzhaber praised homeowners who prepared for fire by clearing brush, thinning timber, and replacing shake roofs with noncombustible materials. In part because of those preparations, none of the 215 homes in Ruch were evacuated in the face of the Squires Peak Fire.

Kitzhaber said these fires show the need for Congress to boost resources for making forests throughout the West healthier and more resistant to fire.

"This isn't due to lighting strikes," Kitzhaber said. Instead, the fires are the result of unhealthy forests that need thinning and prescribed burns to return to their natural state, which is less susceptible to wildfire.

"This is a huge problem. Unless you make the forests healthy, you're going to face this risk every summer," Kitzhaber said.

As he flew in a Blackhawk helicopter over the Squires Fire to the Upper Applegate Grange Hall near Ruch, he noted that areas where there had been commercial thinning only suffered mild damage from ground fires. He said the forests that were loaded with combustibles suffered major crown fires.

Environmentalists have opposed some thinning projects where the Forest Service planned to cut big trees, which are best able to survive fire, or damage fish and wildlife habitat.

"As you know, I am pretty Green and I get whacked over the head for that sometimes, but the fact is burning down a forest doesn't help fish habitat," said Kitzhaber, who has sided with the environmentalists on some issues.

Homeowner Matt Epstein blamed threats of legal action by environmentalists for keeping forest agencies from doing the proper thinning, saying that steps taken by homeowners on their own property are not enough.

"If you were dealing with 1,000 acres nearby that haven't been thinned," Epstein said, "then you're just throwing pebbles in the ocean."

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, I posted this a new thread about an hour ago, (I don't know what the deal is with our posting clock sometimes)

Here is the link to this as a thread with the interesting remarks made by the Green Poster boy, Katznslobber: (Link to Katznslobber sounding like he may be breaking away a little from his green eco terrorist buddies!)

[Grampa Dave]

You know, we fisher people are truly pyscho, and that includes me.

[nunya bidness]

Don't catch too many, remember they're endangered.

Take care up there.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

The trout aren't endangered, the suckers are. I throw the suckers on the bank for the hawks and release the trout back to the lake.

[AAABEST]

"Druid Cathedrals" ...lol.

The good science on the forest dictates that humans are good for the environment. We groom, clean and maintain natural areas if we have access and it's in our interest to do so.

[AAABEST]

LMFAO!!!

I just noticed your key words. Too funny!