Wildfire News, Successful burnout diminishes threat to Illinois Valley, Oregon homes

Oregon Live/ AP ^ | 2 August 2002 | Jeff Barnard

[Grampa Dave]

Wildfire News! Successful burnout diminishes threat to Illinois Valley, Oregon homes

By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press 8/2/02 3:43 AM

SELMA, Ore. (AP) -- A shift in the wind allowed firefighters to torch miles of brush in an effort to save thousands of homes in southwest Oregon.

Hotshot crews poured fire from drip torches, burning a black swath of safety for the 17,000 people of the Illinois Valley. With each mile of burnout added along the 30-mile front of fire, the threat to the towns of Selma, Kerby, Cave Junction and O'Brien diminished.

"I certainly feel better today," Illinois Valley Fire Chief Kyle Kirchner told those who attended a community meeting Thursday night on the Illinois Valley High School football field.

"We're close to turning a corner, but we're not out of the woods yet."

The Florence and Sour Biscuit fires have burned 200,000 acres since lightning started them two weeks ago. Together, they have become the nation's top firefighting priority because of their size, behavior, and the threat to people.

Throughout Oregon, nearly 13,000 firefighters battled major wildfires burning 452,000 acres.

The burnout, which removes brush and other fuels that could feed the wildfire, comes just as the Siskiyou National Forest begins the season of most intense wildfire -- the month of August. Firefighters expect the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires will smoke until the fall rains come.

Firefighters wanted to start the burnout earlier this week, but had to wait for the winds to shift so the fires they ignited would not spread toward town.

"Ma Nature does it on her own schedule," said Erik Christiansen, fire behavior analyst on the Florence Fire, as he watched the burnout from a pickup truck. "We can predict it, but she's still in control."

The fire was only 5 percent contained, but each new mile of burnout eased the threat.

The burnout of the strip one to two miles wide was expected to take three days, and the weather through the weekend was predicted to be favorable -- cooler, moister air with gentle winds. One complication was a chance of rain on Monday. The burnouts must be done before then, or they can't be finished until the ground dries again, said Incident Commander Tom Lohrey.

With the threat diminishing, most local residents are staying, rather than heeding fire commanders' advice to evacuate. The Red Cross reported that only 950 people have left their homes.

Brian and Stephanie Pfeiffer still have their bags packed in case they have to flee, but they looked forward to a calm night.

"I think we'll be able to sleep tonight," Stephanie Pfeiffer said after the meeting. "I feel better now that (the firefighters) are feeling more optimistic."

While wildland firefighters concentrated on the burnout, structural firefighters finished mapping and assessing the hundreds of homes closest to the fire, burning about five miles west of U.S. Highway 199.

Meanwhile, fire commanders began building forces to combat the northern and western flanks of the fire. Bulldozers, hand crews and structural firefighters worked on the north end of the Florence Fire, to protect the community of Agness, which is a center of whitewater rafting river on the Rogue River.

Also high on commanders' priority list was the Timbered Rock fire about 20 miles north of Medford. It had burned about 20,000 acres, was 20 percent contained and was being battled by about 1,000 firefighters. Officials had urged the residents of 40 homes to evacuate.

Here are some of the other major wildfires that were burning Thursday in Oregon:

----The Cache Mountain fire, burning on 4,200 acres 15 miles northwest of Sisters, has destroyed two homes but was 100 percent contained.

----The Tiller Complex, east of Canyonville off Interstate 5, has burned 26,850 acres and was 25 percent contained.

----The Toolbox Fire, which has scorched 86,794 acres in Lake County, was 75 percent contained.

------

On the Net:

National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

Florence/Sour Biscuit Fires website: http://www.pnw-team2.com/florence/index.html

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, Tubebender for letting me know that this new story on the California Fires just south of the Illinois River Valley, Oregon:

Eureka Times-Standard
Firefighters battle unwieldy Del Norte fires
By John Driscoll The Times-Standard


Friday, August 02, 2002 -

GASQUET -- The effort to battle two fires only a few miles from here continues to grow, but a big, restless wildfire has kept about 30 evacuated families from getting back to their homes.

Burning debris and rocks on the roadway has kept U.S. Highway 199 closed to all but some locals, though complete closures have been in effect at times.

The size of the fires burning in the Smith River National Recreation Area remains the same as was reported Thursday, but authorities are only now getting their first glimpses of how big the fires are. Unpredictable winds have kept firefighters guessing, but generally the progress of the largest blaze -- called the Sour Biscuit Fire -- has been toward the northeast, away from Gasquet.

"One day it's OK, one day it's not," said Emma Young, a cashier at the Hiouchi Store. "It depends on the wind."

Hundreds of people have stopped to look at maps and fire information set out at the store in the past two days.

Hiouchi, like Gasquet, is on 24-hour evacuation alert. About 30 families who live in the Low Divide area north of Hiouchi were evacuated earlier this week as the Sour Biscuit Fire approached after blowing into California from its origin in Oregon.

The Sour Biscuit Fire is now 33,000 acres, with about 20,000 acres on the California side of the border.

But it is the smaller Shelly Creek Fire, which stands at 700 acres, that is getting the most attention. The fire is being fought by more than one firefighter per acre, and crews burned away vegetation along the highway to halt any advance of the main fire.

From the ground on Fish Hatchery Road Thursday, wielding two walkie-talkies, U.S. Forest Service Division Supervisor Michele Tanzi guided a Coulson Pacific helicopter with a 1,000-gallon water bucket to spots on the fire's front. The pilot doused a single burning tree with pinpoint accuracy, snuffing a blaze that could have send embers flying to another area, before returning to dip the bucket into the Smith River.

Within 10 minutes at the site, the wind could be felt shifting directions again and again, giving a clear picture of what the fire crews are up against. It's tough flying too, with low-lying smoke keeping an aerial assault on the blaze timid.

"It's so smoky they can't see each other or what they're dropping on," said Forest Service Battalion Chief Syndy Heidt.

A plethora of agencies has set up a base at the Del Norte County High School. The force of more than 1,000 camped there is expected to grow over the next few days.

New crews from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the California Department of Forestry and other agencies were getting outfitted at the camp Thursday. After getting clothed, they picked up lunches that weigh about 6 pounds each. California Conservation Corps crews doled out huge quantities of water and food at lunchtime, while later, cooks grilled and baked massive amounts of high-calorie comfort food like chicken breast and apple crisp.

There were lots of people about, but resources are slim.

"Well, we could be working on it all summer," said Six Rivers National Forest Supervisor Lou Woltering.

The threat of more wildfires on Six Rivers this summer is not lost on Woltering, who said teams that handle big wildfires are in short supply during this busy fire season. Storms are expected to move up the Sacramento River Valley later this week, and with them could come lightning. Woltering said crews at the Six Rivers ranger districts would respond to new fires, but larger forces often needed to snuff them are scattered around the west.

"We're scrambling," Woltering said.

Indeed, the Forest Service allowed the fires that have become the Sour Biscuit Fire to burn after lightning sparked them on July 13 or 14 in Oregon. On July 27, the fire burned into California. On the following day it made a run that burned 5,000 acres in California, but pilots couldn't see the fire because of the intense smoke from it and another fire to the north now burning more than 150,000 acres.

That fire, called the Florence Fire, and the Sour Biscuit Fire are only about a mile from merging into an even larger fire.

"It's the first fire I've seen like this in the 34 years I've been here," said 50-year-old Jim Schlotter, a student living in an area near Hiouchi.

The smaller Shelly Fire is about 50 percent contained, and is expected to be under control by Saturday. Highway 199 should also be open then. Forest Service Branch Director Kent Swartzlander said that winter months are likely to take their toll on the already landslide-prone cliffs above the highway into Oregon.

The Patrick Creek Lodge past Gasquet toward the northeast was only days ago looking like it would be burned to the ground by the Shelly Fire. It's situation somewhat less tenuous now, the lodge's owners have begun serving meals and coffee to firefighters coming off fire lines sometimes only a stone's throw away.

"They've been very grateful," said 19-year-old Tami Hanover, a waitress at the lodge. "They're really putting their all into it."

The Sour Biscuit Fire burning outside of Gasquet and Hiouchi is still a wild card, with no containment at all. Like Wednesday night, fire officials will be holding another meeting -- this time in Hiouchi -- to keep residents apprised of the fires' progress.

"People really desire information," said Forest Service spokesman Ken Wilson. "It's pretty understandable. It's their homes, their lives, their families."

---

This totally burns me, and I don't live in this area.

Did the Clintoonian Pink Panty Wearing Enviralist Florists playing Forestry Service set back and allow this fire to burn as per the Green Agenda, they work 24/7 to serve?

[cake_crumb]

There's a bump list...or there used to be. It was called "enviral" list? I can't remember....we need a way to archive all the pertinant info in one spot. Like a seperate "folder"...or a seperate FR category.

[EBUCK]

List of bump lists....Enviralists is the correct bump list.

EBUCK

[Grampa Dave]

Maybe you and backhoe can get together and compare notes.

I'm the world's worse organizer in stuff like this.

Backhoe has done a great job.

If a wheel has been invented and used, never make another one. Just use that one.

[Grampa Dave]

More feedback on the fire from the California Side:

---

Line holding at Shelley Creek Fire

Published: August 2, 2002

By Kent Gray

Crescent City, California: Triplicate staff writer

A full-blown assault on the Shelley Creek Fire paid dividends Thursday as fire crews refused to give ground along Highway 199.

Fire spotters lined the highway about every 50 yards keeping tabs on smaller fires while helicopters dropped hundreds of gallons of water on interior blazes – heavy enough to snap branches off the trees. A few fires jumped the highway but were quickly extinguished, said officials with the U.S. Forest Service yesterday.

"By early evening we should be done securing the line," said Kent Swartzland, the branch director of the Shelley Creek Fire. "The only problem we still have is with the Cedar Rustic Campground, we've had spotting (fires) all around there."

Swartzland estimated the 700-acre fire was at 50-percent containment at noon yesterday and said full containment is expected by this weekend. "At that point it will just be a matter of mopping up. That should finish it for this fire," Swartzland said.

Approximately 850 people were assigned to fight the Shelley Creek Fire – compared to 144 assigned to fight the 19,513 acres of the Sour-Biscuit Fire burning in California.

Fire Commander Wally Bennett said Wednesday battling the Shelley Creek blaze would be a first priority because of the terrain and nearby structures. The Shelley Creek Fire is the blaze responsible for closing Highway 199.

Caltrans trucks escorted fire vehicles between Patrick Creek and Monkey Creek yesterday on Highway 199, scooping rocks and other debris from the road that the fire had dislodged from the steep hills above.

An unidentified explosion that rumbled through the area in the afternoon launched a flurry of radio calls, but officials ultimately dismissed it as a falling tree or an emptied and discarded fuel can.

Officials said the Sour-Biscuit Fire grew very little on Wednesday and Thursday. This allowed a fire break to be built on the west side of the fire near Low Divide Road, where approximately 30 residences were evacuated last weekend.

"It's looking great," said Ann Garland, the liaison officer with the Forest Service. "We're working on a burnout along the line there and making really good progress."

According to Forest Service maps, the fire jumped Low Divide Road east of Copper Creek Mine and burned about a quarter-mile west of the road. The Forest Service maps designate the road as Wimer Road in the area north of the Rowdy Creek Road intersection.

Garland said most of the northern portion, up to the Oregon border, is secured now but a small area on the southwest perimeter is currently being doused with water by helicopter.

"We hope to have it done by today," Garland said about securing the southwest portion. "The west is essentially secured but not contained. There is no containment yet on this fire."

The southern and eastern perimeters of the fire have been difficult to define, officials said, because of heavy smoke and "dirty" burns.

"A dirty burn is where you have low brush that has been burned through but surrounding brush and leaves have only been dried out by the blaze," said Dave Webb, fire management officer. "These areas can potentially come back and reburn, so you have to keep a close eye on them."

Favorable weather might help the effort this weekend.

"The temperature is expected to drop five to 10 degrees this weekend and we have a possibility of showers on Sunday – but a very low probability," Garland said.

[BOBTHENAILER]

That this brush and debris has not been regularly cleaned out all along is entirely due to the Democratic Party/Enviromentalist Socialists forestry policies preventing it, and preventing thinning the forests with logging as well.

Thank you both for telling it like it is. Enviro-nazis are to blame for what is the two year total now? over 8 million acres torched?

[RJayneJ]

Essay Of The Week

Quote of the Day by by Libloather

[Salvation]

Sounds like good news, but we still need to fight the envirowackos.

[Grampa Dave]

You posted:

All the tree-huggers and those they have deceived in Oregon need to take a good hard look at these fires. Nothing beautiful about forests denuded with such hot fires. Nothing there for the precious spotted owl, either.

Any conservative or moderate who still supports these Green Enviralists after these fires, is not a conservative nor a moderate. They are dangerous liars to themselves, their family and those who live around them. They are the enablers of these criminals. They enable them to harm America/Americans on a 24/7 basis.

Supporting these Green Enviralists is the same mental illness of any American supporting the al Qaeda terrorists and blaming 9/11 on the innocent Americans killed on 9/11!

Enablers of criminals are worse than the actual criminals. Without the enablers, most criminals/terrorists would not be able to do their vile evil deeds.

[Salvation]

August 2, 2002

Wildfires torch illegal marijuana gardens in southern Oregon

CAVE JUNCTION - A wildfire raging through southern Oregon has burned more than trees - illegal marijuana gardens are going up in expensive puffs of smoke, police say.

"We're getting reports from some of the firefighters out there of (marijuana) grows," said Lt. Lee Harman of the Josephine County sheriff's office. "But we're not gonna put our Marijuana Eradication Team (ahead) of the firefighters."

Some of the world's highest-grade marijuana is grown in the Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, where the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires have consumed about 183,000 acres.

It's unclear how much marijuana is burning as the two fires move through the mountains.

Lt. Brian Anderson, who once headed the sheriff's Marijuana Eradication Team, said he couldn't begin to guess how the burning of marijuana plants on federal lands might affect the local economy.

But some people familiar with growing cannabis said wildfires this late in the summer could have a devastating impact on serious growers' gardens.

Marijuana has been a cash crop in the southwestern Oregon county since at least the mid-1960s. But by 1976, new methods of growing the plants caught hold in and around the verdant Illinois Valley, once hailed as the Italy of Oregon for its abundant agriculture.

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

[Grampa Dave]

Here is the link to Madfly's new thread about John Stossel's program tonight re the Planted Lynx Hairs: (Missing Lynx Are Animals More Important Than People? Commentary By John Stossel )

All of this ties in. These green eco terrorists are liars, they plant evidence, they manipulate data to achieve their eco terrorist agendas.

It is time for America to put a choke chain on these Green Pit Bulls and choke them down to simpering little puppies.

[cake_crumb]

Ah....ENVIRALISTS!!! Thanks...I can never remember what the thing is called...which is why I can never find it, I guess

[joyce11111]

I don't know if this has been posted before, if it has, it won't hurt to post again.

Scientists chastise Forest Service chief 07/27/02

MICHAEL MILSTEIN

A group of top Northwest scientists has fired back at U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, saying the agency has only itself to blame for years of inaction that have turned Western forests into tinderboxes.

In a scathing letter to a congressional committee that earlier heard from Bosworth, the six scientists said the forest chief misrepresented their work to Congress and falsely implied that the Forest Service is bogged down by unwieldy policies and questionable science.

"Why the chief did it, only he knows," said Robert Beschta, an Oregon State University forestry professor who signed the letter.

Since becoming chief last year, Bosworth has blamed "analysis paralysis" for slowing agency projects, from Northwest timber sales to bridge repairs. A new Forest Service report titled "The Process Predicament" says procedural tangles have held up projects to thin clogged, flammable forests left from decades of fire suppression.

But the scientists from the University of Washington, Oregon State, Idaho State University, Pacific Rivers Council and the Center for Biological Diversity said the Forest Service is mired in conflict because it pushes logging but neglects such pressing issues as decaying roads and the desperate need to thin forests ripe for fires.

"The agency often strives to ignore or deny the vast body of knowledge that has accumulated in recent decades, and instead favors antiquated policies," the scientists said in the letter to the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.

Such direction "is not only a recipe for controversy, but also a recipe for the continued deterioration of forested landscapes," they said. "Humans, too, suffer when these resources are degraded, as will often happen if the forest practices advocated by the chief and 'The Process Predicament' report are continued."

The rebuke of Bosworth, a forester, contrasts with the broad support that former Chief Mike Dombeck, a fisheries biologist, claimed among many scientists. So far it has drawn no response from Bosworth or the subcommittee.

The letter was prompted by Bosworth's June testimony about the "procedural knot" that he says binds the Forest Service, driving up costs and delaying decisions. Bosworth said he could not think of a better example of the "costly, complex and time-consuming" demands than a 1995 report by eight Northwest scientists.

The Beschta Report, named for the Oregon State professor who was its lead author, recommended ways to avoid environmental damage while salvaging leftover wood from burned forests. Three of the authors were based at the time at Oregon State, with others from the University of Montana, University of Washington, Idaho State, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

The report said fires play a vital ecological role in Western forests and advocated a "conservative approach" to logging or reseeding of burned terrain. It found little evidence that logging charred stands would slow future fires and said such cutting might do more damage than the fires.

"In this light, there is little reason to believe post-fire salvage logging has any ecological benefits," said the report, written at the behest of the Eugene-based Pacific Rivers Council, a conservation group.

Speaking to Congress, Bosworth called the report "an unpublished document of questionable science proposed for an advocacy group that has never been peer-reviewed."

Environmental groups have blocked salvage logging projects, including some in Oregon and Washington, by alleging in appeals and lawsuits that the Forest Service had not weighed the principles in the Beschta report.

It is, Bosworth said, a "powerful example of the incentive for land managers to fill, or overstuff, (decision) documents with excessive amounts of information -- even if the information is of questionable relevance and does not illuminate the reasons for the decision."

But scientists who wrote the report said Bosworth distorted their work and misled Congress, blaming them for the failings of the Forest Service's outdated thinking.

"The chief is in serious error to lay it back at the doorstep of scientists, who are saying, 'Pay attention to the ramifications of what you do,' " said David Perry, an emeritus professor of ecosystem studies at Oregon State who is a member of the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry.

Bosworth's testimony "just flies in the face of the facts," said James Karr, a professor of aquatic sciences and zoology at the University of Washington.

"The problem is that the Forest Service used to make decisions based on limited understanding of the consequences, and nobody questioned that," he said. "When they continue to ignore the consequences, and what science tells them, they don't get to do what they want, and they blame it on 'analysis paralysis.' "

The Beschta Report was peer-reviewed by researchers at Oregon State and more than 50 others who endorsed it in a letter to the president, its authors said. Federal courts have upheld the findings, and the Forest Service itself directed field offices to consider the report when planning projects.

"It was peer-reviewed more than most peer-reviewed papers are," Karr said, "and far more than the Forest Service's own work is peer-reviewed."

Beschta, the lead author, said the Forest Service never introduced any studies to counter the report's conclusions. "If the chief thinks the science is questionable, they've had seven years to provide a response, but there's been none."

Deteriorating forest roads and overgrown, flammable stands pose the most immediate threats to forests, the scientists told Congress.

"Despite widespread recognition of these facts, the (Forest Service) diverts staff and money to extraordinarily costly salvage logging projects at the expense of reducing the . . . the road network or undertaking needed fine-fuels reductions in unburned forests," they said.

"There's this huge need to do fuel reduction, yet they seem to have this huge interest in doing salvage logging," Beschta said. "They could have been aggressively thinning forests over the last decade, and I don't know if they could have made a dent, but they certainly could have gotten further than they have." Reach Michael Milstein at 503-294-7689 or at michaelmilstein@news.oregonian.com.

Copyright 2002 Oregon Live. All Rights Reserved.'t hurt anything to post again.

[joyce11111]

DEATH IN WILDLAND FIRES 2001

DeFour wildland firefighters were killed in July when they were trapped by rapid-fire progress in a forest fire in Washington State.

Three firefighters were killed in the crash of a firefighting helicopter in Montana during August.

Two firefighters were killed when two firefighting aircraft collided in midair while fighting a wildfire in California during August.

A total of 14 firefighters died in association with wildfire incidents in Wildland fires 2001

[Grampa Dave]

There have been 14 deaths this year from the Green Agendas driven fires.

However, the way that the fires in SW Oregon are now being fought, the way those 4 innocent young people were murdered last year due to the Green Agendas, appears to be out of the system now.

They are now using bull dozers and all resources available to them. They are quietly letting the sacred Green Wilderness East of the Illinois River just burn instead of placing fire fighters at peril. Instead of sending in fire fighters to be in harm's way in areas without roads, any logging or clearing for the last decade.

However, when this over, there needs to be an investigation into what appears to be the old Clintoonian Pink Panty Florist Service maggots allowing these fires in SW Oregon and NW California just burn out of control. That is the usual tactic of the Florists pretending to be florists.

I was warning two weeks ago that these fires were being allowed to burn and would cause tremendous problems due to the tinder box conditions due to the ONRC and Andy Kerr's agendas for the wilderness area.

[Grampa Dave]

Well, Grampa Dave is going to his local river to practice fly casting and to drown some of his ugly hand tied fishing flies.

I don't like to fish this crummy river, but stripers are in it. Last Saturday my oldest son and I had a ball casting from his boat anchored 100' for an outside pub/restaurant right in our hometown.

Every time we hooked a fish, the patrons at the pub would cheer. Then, some would boo when we returned the fish (catch and release). It was the first time that we fished in that area. My son has a new 25' River buster that he uses in the California Delta to fish for Stripers. We made the 5 miles upstream from the boat launch about as fast as you can drive. Sure beats my old 15 hp engine that he has now on his spare boat.

One of his best fishing buddies is a professional Bass Fisher and has a 200 hp matched set. They were on the Delta a couple weeks ago going 75 mph from fishing spot to fishing spot. My son said that if a bug smacked you in the face, it felt like being shot by a bb gun. His bones were sore for a week after that ride. In the future they will use his slower 40 mph boat.

Have a good day and keep us posted on what's happening.

[Granof8]

Fire Information Update
Florence Fire
Friday, August 2, 2002 08:00 am
Fire Information Center: (541) 592-1029


Status: 164,000 acres Start: July 13, 2002 Cause: Lightning
Location: Five miles west of Selma, Ore., on the Siskiyou National Forest within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.
Percent Contained: 5 Cost to date: $7.1 million Fire Line to Build: 61 miles
Structures Lost: 3 residences and 8 outbuildings
Personnel: 1,313 Injuries: None Expected Containment: Unknown
Today’s Resources: Eleven helicopters (four Type 1, five Type 2 and two Type 3), 35 handcrews (six Type 1 and 29 Type 2), 44 engines, 21 water tenders, 34 dozers. In addition, structural task forces from many Oregon cities and counties are providing fire protection to residences within the fire area and along Highway 199.
At Risk: Portions of Cave Junction, Kerby, Agness, Gardner Ranch and Selma, private residences in the Oak Flat area and McCaleb Ranch, private inholdings east of McCaleb Ranch, Late Successional Reserve, Illinois and Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, campgrounds.
Closures: Galice and Illinois Valley ranger districts on the Siskiyou National Forest west of State Highway 199 are closed to all public access due to extreme fire conditions. The Bear Camp road #2300 is exempt from this closure.
Cooperating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry; Oregon National Guard; Illinois Valley Fire District; Oregon State Police; Josephine County Sheriff’s Dept; American Red Cross; Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office; U.S. Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; Josephine County Emergency Operations Center.
What’s New: Burnout operations between Selma and Kerby, west of Highway 199, are proceeding as planned and are going well. The fire is highly visible at night from these communities and from the highway. Heavy smoke and some flame will be seen in this area throughout the day and into the night. Structural protection engines are in place in Selma and Kerby during the burnout operations.

Telephone traffic, land line and cellular, in the Illinois Valley is exceptionally heavy, causing problems for fire managers who need to call out of the area. To relieve this problem, residents are asked to reduce the number of phone calls they make. Questions to the fire information center may be asked via e-mail. Send messages to pnwteam2@hotmail.com. Also, current information about the Florence Fire is posted on the World Wide Web at www.pnw-team2.com.

An additional information center is open at the Selmac Lake fire camp. News reporters and photographers interested in visiting the camp are asked to check in at the front gate for parking instructions, then are asked to visit the fire information tent. An incident information officer will escort media representatives on tours of the camp, and will arrange interviews.

A new incident management team is setting up today to take control of the west side of the Florence Fire. This team is based in Gold Beach.

Fire danger remains extreme, and area residents are asked to be extra careful with fire.

There will be a second public meeting Saturday, 7:00 p.m., at the Illinois Valley High School in Cave Junction.

The entire Illinois River Valley remains under a 30-minute evacuation notice. The communities of Agness, Gold Beach, and Brookings are not currently at imminent risk.

The American Red Cross shelter is located in Grants Pass at the South Middle School (541-890-0612). Residents who have voluntarily left their homes are asked to call or check in at the shelter; this will help shelter staff locate these people if necessary.

Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 2
Mike Lohrey, Incident Commander

[Granof8]

Fire Information Update
Florence Fire
Friday, August 2, 2002 08:00 am
Fire Information Center: (541) 592-1029


Status: 164,000 acres Start: July 13, 2002 Cause: Lightning
Location: Five miles west of Selma, Ore., on the Siskiyou National Forest within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.
Percent Contained: 5 Cost to date: $7.1 million Fire Line to Build: 61 miles
Structures Lost: 3 residences and 8 outbuildings
Personnel: 1,313 Injuries: None Expected Containment: Unknown
Today’s Resources: Eleven helicopters (four Type 1, five Type 2 and two Type 3), 35 handcrews (six Type 1 and 29 Type 2), 44 engines, 21 water tenders, 34 dozers. In addition, structural task forces from many Oregon cities and counties are providing fire protection to residences within the fire area and along Highway 199.
At Risk: Portions of Cave Junction, Kerby, Agness, Gardner Ranch and Selma, private residences in the Oak Flat area and McCaleb Ranch, private inholdings east of McCaleb Ranch, Late Successional Reserve, Illinois and Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, campgrounds.
Closures: Galice and Illinois Valley ranger districts on the Siskiyou National Forest west of State Highway 199 are closed to all public access due to extreme fire conditions. The Bear Camp road #2300 is exempt from this closure.
Cooperating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry; Oregon National Guard; Illinois Valley Fire District; Oregon State Police; Josephine County Sheriff’s Dept; American Red Cross; Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office; U.S. Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; Josephine County Emergency Operations Center.
What’s New: Burnout operations between Selma and Kerby, west of Highway 199, are proceeding as planned and are going well. The fire is highly visible at night from these communities and from the highway. Heavy smoke and some flame will be seen in this area throughout the day and into the night. Structural protection engines are in place in Selma and Kerby during the burnout operations.

Telephone traffic, land line and cellular, in the Illinois Valley is exceptionally heavy, causing problems for fire managers who need to call out of the area. To relieve this problem, residents are asked to reduce the number of phone calls they make. Questions to the fire information center may be asked via e-mail. Send messages to pnwteam2@hotmail.com. Also, current information about the Florence Fire is posted on the World Wide Web at www.pnw-team2.com.

An additional information center is open at the Selmac Lake fire camp. News reporters and photographers interested in visiting the camp are asked to check in at the front gate for parking instructions, then are asked to visit the fire information tent. An incident information officer will escort media representatives on tours of the camp, and will arrange interviews.

A new incident management team is setting up today to take control of the west side of the Florence Fire. This team is based in Gold Beach.

Fire danger remains extreme, and area residents are asked to be extra careful with fire.

There will be a second public meeting Saturday, 7:00 p.m., at the Illinois Valley High School in Cave Junction.

The entire Illinois River Valley remains under a 30-minute evacuation notice. The communities of Agness, Gold Beach, and Brookings are not currently at imminent risk.

The American Red Cross shelter is located in Grants Pass at the South Middle School (541-890-0612). Residents who have voluntarily left their homes are asked to call or check in at the shelter; this will help shelter staff locate these people if necessary.

Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 2
Mike Lohrey, Incident Commander

[Grampa Dave]

I just got a heads up on this great thread/oped:(Daschle's Green Lobby and WorldCom Executives Belong in the Same Jail Cell )

So I had to link it before I went out to soak ugly hand tied fishing flies. This very timely and dynamite: :(Daschle's Green Lobby and WorldCom Executives Belong in the Same Jail Cell )

[hattend]

BTTT