Thousands in the Line of Fire in SW Oregon

KGW TV/AP ^ | 31 July 2002 | Jeff Barnard

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the Lars Larson link.

If I'm not fishing, erranding on a Honey Do List, I will be listening to Lars.

The connection got whapped when Savage came on.

Lars should visit Free Republic for his info.

Then Lars needs to read Carry Okie's book and invite Mark for a one hour visit. Can you imagine what would happen to the Watermelons in Portland if Carry, aka, Mark became a regular guest.

[Grampa Dave]

I'm out of here for probably the rest of the day.

Keep the replies and data coming to this thread.

A great friend is crossing that 60 year old threshold today. I have to go celebrate with him and let him know that at age 60, we still have fun. That it sure in hell beats the alternative, of not being over 60 when the years after your birth pass 60.

I hope the people in the Illinois Battle have homes, ranches and farms by this time tomorrow.

[cake_crumb]

Cool pic...DON'T forget the skidders. Another resource the Forestry Dept used to use was...please, don't anyone take offense....was SKIDDERS. Yeah, I know it's dirty word, but when loggers were working in one area, whether Old Growth or New Growth timber...those 740 John Deere skidders, with 4 feet of ground clearance, and the equivilant power of a D6 Cat....could make a difference in stopping a wildfire.

Unfortunately, in THIS particular area, loggers are no longer allowed....becaue the NUTBALL followers of the "GODDESS" would not allow it..

Where's that clown who pretends to be a governor right now???

[blackie]

Residents braced to flee...Cave Junction:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/07/31/1a.oregonfires.0731.html

Firefighters gain upper hand...Sisters:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/07/31/1a.fire.0731.html

[tubebender]

We drove through Selma, Cave Junction and O Brien in mid June. The area is like much of the west was 50 years ago. Laid back and easy going. Is that widlife park still open? It looked like it was closed in June.

I remember back during the ""Megan Fire a few years ago. The Forest Service was in charge because it was in the Six Rivers National Forest. It threatened Willow Creek and the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. When it crossed over onto the Reservation the Tribe told the Forest Service to get lost as they had mismanaged it so badly. I think it burned 60,000 acres. The Eco Freaks stalled the salvage logging till the trees were useless. We have two independent saws mills on the auction block at this minute because they can't buy logs.

[cake_crumb]

<P><B>Oregon: </B>Major wildfires were burning on 305,422 acres Monday. About 12,145 firefighters are working in the state. Top priorities were the Cache Mountain fire near Sisters, the Sheldon Ridge fire near The Dalles, and the Florence Complex west of Grants Pass, which nearly doubled in size Sunday night. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people from the Black Butte Ranch resort subdivision remained evacuated from the Cache Mountain fire. <BR></P> <P><B>Utah: </B>Three fires are burning across 107,783 acres. The Rattle Complex has burned 94,519 acres and was 95 percent contained Monday morning. The County Line fire has burned 3,464 acres and was 87 percent contained. The 9,800-acre Hammond fire was expected to be contained Monday. <BR></P>

Bad stuff.

[blackie]

Fire may jeopardize Oregon's insurance:

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/07/31/1a.firecost.0731.html

[Carry_Okie]

Part of my speaking tour is taking me through Show Low.

I will get pictures.

[Salvation]

From katu.com

July 31, 2002

Watch this story in Windows Media.

Southern Oregon Fires
Nation's Top Priority

CAVE JUNCTION - Firefighters worked to reinforce their last-ditch line of defense against a 30-mile wall of fire threatening Oregon's Illinois Valley, as more residents left with their belongings.

Josephine County sheriff's deputies were to begin posting signs marking the four evacuation routes out of the southwestern Oregon valley that is home to 17,000 people.

Commanders of the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires in southwestern Oregon had racheted up the evacuation notice Tuesday, urging residents to be packed and ready to leave within 30 minutes of a notice to be carried on local radio.

Weather conditions worsened with red flag warnings going up, calling for strong winds out of the north and low humidity on the ridge tops where fire is already spotting miles ahead.

"We are looking at the fire at this time as uncontrollable," said Greg Gilpin of the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Unfavorable winds prevented firefighters from lighting off backfires during the night to reinforce their primary fire line.

Another 100 miles of line still must be built to corral the Florence and Biscuit fires, considered the number one priority in the nation Wednesday for firefighting resources.

About 200 people sat in the stifling heat of the Illinois Valley High School gym to hear the bad news, but many shared Heon's view.

One who didn't was Maggie Connery, whose husband is one of 1,200 firefighters on the Florence Fire. Holding her 2½-year-old son, Connery said she was taking her children to nearby Grants Pass to stay with family.

The Florence Fire stands at about 145,000 acres and Sour Biscuit at about 35,000 acres. Maps posted outside the gym showed they are still four miles from running into each other but together form a 30-mile long front of fire threatening the communities of O'Brien, Cave Junction, Selma and Kerby.

Incident commander Mike Lohrey of the U.S. Forest Service said bulldozers have dug fire lines connecting a network of Siskiyou National Forest roads to create a last-line of defense between the eastern front of the fire and the communities along U.S. Highway 199.

Waiting for the right conditions, firefighters were to begin burning out brush and timber in the three-mile-wide space between the bulldozer line and the fire.

The burning operation was expected to take the next three days if all goes well. "We're waiting for those conditions when you feel a light wind on the back of your neck so the flames are sucked into the fire," Lohrey said.

Bulldozers began building another fire line on the north end of the fire to protect the community of Agness, a hub of whitewater rafting on the Rogue River.

Some residents expressed frustration that the fires were not stopped two weeks ago after the original lightning strikes. But Gilpin explained that firefighting resources around the nation are stretched to the limit.

Meanwhile 110 structural firefighters continued going house to house plotting their locations by Global Positioning System and assessing whether the homes can be defended if the fire hits.

"If we can improve the defense ability with minor modification we will do that," said Tim Birr, spokesman for the Oregon Fire Marshal's Office.

"We will do a little weed-whacking but we will not take down a tree in your yard," he said.

One primary escape route, U.S. Highway 199 south to the coast, remained closed by another fire in California; however, U.S. Highway 199 north to Grants Pass and three different back roads remained open, said Josephine County sheriff's Lt. Lee Harman.

Weather forecaster Jim Harrison said there was no rain in sight but northwest winds should continue for the next couple of days which would tend to push the fire toward the bulldozer line. Three homes have already been lost to the Florence Fire.

Chevron gas station owner Jeff Stiles said quite a few people left the valley Monday, but those who remain seem calm. "This is a survivalist area," he said. "There are a lot of people who want to make a last stand at their own property. The people who stayed are a tough breed."

The crossroads animal hospital sold out of pet carriers and nearly ran out of sedatives for dogs and cats, said Sue Fiske.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Posse has been helping people round up livestock to transport to safer ground, and veterinarians and kennels in Grants Pass 30 miles away, are offering refuge for pets.

One of the animals evacuated was a 40-year-old horse named Tye, which was ridden by John Wayne in the movie "Rooster Cogburn," said Gary Brummett, owner of the Deer Creek Ranch outside of Selma.

At the local senior center, Floyd Watkins shot pool with Rusty Fox and said quite a few older residents have left the area because of problems breathing the smoke, but most have stayed, hoping for the best. (Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Salvation]

Updated Summary as of 7-31-02 (2:39 PM)

Fire Information Summary
Oregon Fire Information
Unit	Fire Name	Agency	Location	Acres	Crw-1	Crw-2	Engs.	Hel-1	Hel-2	Hel-3	Team	People	Injuries	% Contained	Cause	Remarks
OR-MAF	Flagtail-Malheur Complex	USFS	8 to 25 miles from Prairie City, OR	25,400	2	46	68	3	3	2	Type 1	1,483		75%	Lightning	Experiencing more spots across the line than in the past few days. Crews have been successful at picking up the spots. Continue with handline construction on the High Roberts Fire. Progressing with mop-up on Flagtail, Easy, and High Roberts Fires.  (1800, 7/30)
OR-UPF	Tiller Complex	USFS	Tiller R.D.	27,850		34	49	1	1	1	Type 2	1,057		25%	Lightning	Light morning inversion lifted over the complex before noon, fire spread is anticipated to increase around 1430. Road closures still in effect for the South Umpqua Road starting at mile marker 6 east of Tiller. (0630, 7/31)
OR-MAF	Monument	USFS	9 miles SW of Unity, OR	23,378	1	27	21	3	1	2	Type 1	1,118		80%	Lightning	Increase in fire behavior. Interior continues to burnout. Rehabilitation of existing hand line. Patrol all divisions. Contingency lines that were created during suppression have been rehabilitated. A military battalion from Fort Riley has been working the fireline mopping up 500 feet in. (1800, 7/30)
OR-FRF	Tool Box Complex	USFS	10 miles S of Silver Lake, OR	86,794	4	34	96	2	4	1	Type 1	1,695		70%	Lightning	Fire activity was restricted to individual torching of trees within fire perimeter and burnout of fuel islands within the fire perimeter. (0700, 7/31)
OR-ORS97	Winter	ODF	10 miles NW of Paisley, OR	35,779		41	41	1	2	1	Type 1	1,331		95%	Lightning	The fire is quiet.  Fire lines are holding and mop-up has reached an average of 150 ft. inside the lines. Fire is expected to remain quiet except for local concentrations of heavy fuel and unburned patches within the firelines. (1700, 7/30)
OR-SIF	Florence	USFS	26 miles west of Grants Pass, 17 miles southwest of Cave Junction	141,650	5	26	52	5	6	2	Type 2	1,350		5%	Lightning	High to very high fire behavior intensities, with short-lived single and group tree torching. Mostly a backing fire today.The fire has spread to within about four miles of Game Lake on the west flank, to Silver Peak on the north flank, to within about seven miles of Selma and Cave Junction on the east flank, and to Chetco Peak on the south flank. The entire Illinois River Valley is under a 24- or 48-hour evacuation advisory. .(1800, 7/30)
OR-SIF	Sour Biscuit	USFS	17 Miles SW of Cave Junction	33,287		13	10		6		Type 2	436		0%	Lightning	The fire continued creeping in all directions. Torching, spotting, and moderate runs also occurred. Coordinated agency planning efforts continued, including emphasis on contingency structure protection. (1800, 7/30)
OR-UPF	North Umpqua Complex	USFS	25 Miles east of Glide near town of Dry Creek	1,749	2	13	11	1	2	1	Type 2	539		80%	Lightning	Active fire behavior was limited to some interior burning of Limpy Fire, well within the lines, with some small areas of burning with flame lengths of 2 to 5 feet and some torching. Other fires had little or no fire activity.  (0700, 7/31)
OR-OCF	747	USFS	12 miles south of Dayville	16,856		18	29	1		1	Type 1	629		85%	Lightning	The Type I IMT met this morning with the local unit and discussed resources needed after transition to a Type 3 organization.  (1800, 7/30)
OR-DEF	Cache Mtn.	USFS	15 miles NW of Sisters, OR	4200		32	47	1	1		Type2	1,007		85%	Lightning	The fire area successfully passed a wind test of strong gusty winds. Significant progress made in all divisions, including mop up around the structures in the subdivision. Black Butte Ranch Subdivision remains evacuated. Highway 20 was opened to reduced speed traffic. The Red Cross shelter in Bend remains open. (1800, 7/30)
OR-WNF	Skunk	USFS	N of Sprague River	2,544	2	6	22	1		2	Type2	364		90%	Lightning	Observed fire behavior was creeping and smoldering. Good mop-up progress was made today on all divisions. Suppression rehabilitation has been started on some portions of the fire. Continue with extensive mop up on all divisions of the fire. Continue with suppression rehabilitation. (1800, 7/30)
OR-ORS	Sheldon Ridge	State	7 miles S of Moser	12,761		20	37	4	3	1	Type 1	658		85%	Lightning	Some active burning where exposed to wind. Smoldering, slow burning elsewhere. Control lines held today with continuous use of heavy and medium helicopters. Coordinating w/County EOC. ODF and OSFM teams integrated with unified command. Conflagration Declaration still in place. Structural shadow team arrived this morning from Multnomah County.(1800, 7/30)
OR-ORS	Timbered Rock	State	15 miles N of Shady Cove	16,925		42	32	9	3	2	Type 1	1,072		20%	Lightning	Active fire behavior began in late afternoon after inversion lifted. Road closures and evacuation planning complete. Contingency plans for shut down of powerlines in the path of the fire. Plans in place for closure of Highway 62 if needed. Evacuation of Elk Creek and Sugarpine area are still in place due to potential fire activity. (1800, 7/30)
OR-WIF	Lucky	USFS	6 miles S of Detroit, OR	61		5		1	1		Type 3	N/R		10%	Lightning	Fire activity was primarily in the interior.  Little or no wind caused minimal growth. Extreme terrain proving to be a major obstacle to containment.  No access or escape routes at the bottom of the fire. (2249, 7/30)
Oregon Totals				428,234	16	357	515	33	33	16		12,739
Washington Fires
Unit	Fire Name	Agency	Location	Acres	Crw-1	Crw-2	Engs.	Hel-1	Hel-2	Hel-3	Team	People	Injuries	%     Contained	Cause	Remarks
WA-WEF	Deer Point	USFS	27 miles N of Chelan	36,000	9	20	41	4	2	2	Type 1	1,045		50%	Unattended Camp Fire	Fire behavior consisted of high intensity surface fire with torching in small trees and short range spotting. Structures threatened is being reduced proportionally as control objectives are met. Sustained winds challenge containment efforts. (1800, 7/30)
Washington Totals				36,000	9	20	41	4	2	2		1,045
2-State totals				464,234	25	477	556	37	35	18		13,784

This site last updated:    07/31/02 02:39 PM  (NOTE: not every fire is updated each time the site is updated, but only as new information is received. Call the Information Desk with questions.)  This website is provided as assistance to media outlets requiring statistical information related to the wildland fires in the states of Oregon and Washington.  Active fire behavior, especially during period of increased wind conditions will cause increase burned acreage that may not reflect accurately " on the ground situation".  Please note that the data and situation reports are based on formal incident summaries and situations reported locally may not yet be included or has not been validated for this summary.  Evacuation questions should be directed to state or local Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) for verification. It is advised that media consult the data provided and then call the Information Desk for more specific, detailed information on the fire situation, It will be periodically updated by the Public Information staff at NWCC.  Specific information may be gained through calling the NWCC Information Desk at (503) 808-2764.

[cake_crumb]

I have to go again...but remember...leave when you first feel you must...descretion is the best part of valor...he to fights and run away lives to fight another day........anyone who is in the path of the fire, and has the means to leave now....a long weekend visiting friends or relatives would be in good order now.

[nutmeg]

BTTT!

[Granof8]

http://www.pnw-team2.com/florence/index.html shows as of 8 a.m. July 31:
Florence Fire
Size 141,650 acres
Cost to date $4.88 million
At risk: private residences in the Oak Flat area and McCaleb ranch and private holdings East of McCaleb ranch and the communities of Cave Junction, Kerby and Selma.

[Granof8]

Add now 5% contained, and expected containment unknown.

[Sir_Ed]

You're 35 miles from Selma? You live in Rogue River? I live in eagle Point, my girlfriend lives in Grants Pass.

Ed

[Grampa Dave]

Re the Register article on the state fire insurance cost:

www.registerguard.com | © The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon

---

July 31, 2002

Fire may jeopardize Oregon's insurance
By DAVID STEVES
The Register-Guard

Oregon's early, widespread wildfire season could add to the state's fiscal headaches, although a one-of-a-kind insurance policy will keep a lid on the cost to taxpayers.

So far the state's costs have racked up at the rate of $1.2 million a day, with a projected total of $32 million to put out the 15 biggest fires that have raged in July.

Although the federal government, landowners and insurance companies will pay the bulk of that cost, the state's already-strapped general fund will be hit up for $4.1 million, forestry officials have estimated.

Just three weeks into a fire season that could extend into October, officials are worried that an extended dry spell could push up the state's portion of the cost and prompt insurance companies to jack up Oregon's fire policy premium or simply cancel the policy for next year.

---

Lloyds of London would have to have rocks in their heads if they insured any state like Oregon that is controlled by the Green Eco Terrorists. Their decade of no logging, no removal of dead trees and no removal of brush has made Oregon, Kali, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and other states's forests into the tinder boxes that infest Oregon.

If Lloyds and other major insurers refused to under write the cost of fire fighting in these green controlled states, that could become a big rally point to stop these Green Eco terrorists and their agendas that result in these massive and uncontrollable fires.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Morning Grampa - no new news except the local news. Got anything?

[Grampa Dave]

They apparently started backfires in some areas last night when the winds died down.

Here is this mornings new thread: (Oregon Firefighters start back fires in Illinois Valley fires)

A request to all, please put all replies and comments on the new thread. That makes it easier for the rest of us to follow: Link to New Thread: (Oregon Firefighters start back fires in Illinois Valley fires)

[WaterDragon]

The environmentalist vermin are exposed by these fires as caring nothing about forest animals which are losing THEIR homes, and caring NOTHING about the trees either, of course.

All they are really interested in is power and control and driving normal human beings off their private property.

Is it possible that a single Oregonian could vote for a Democrat after this summer?

[blackie]

Stop the attacks by the wacko, extreme left-wing, enviro-nazis terrorist's on our Freedoms !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!