[Grampa Dave]

The next couple of days could be critical for those North of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Blaze and West of it.

The weather forecast for Curry County is warmer today and tomorrow.

[Grampa Dave]

This is the latest update.

It appears that they are entering a new phase of fighting this Green Agenda fire.

They should have a fair control on the East and ESE side of the fire.

The potential danger areas are North to the Agness Area, West to Gold Beach, and SW to the Chetco, Brookings area.

The weather for the next two days will be warm to hot in these areas. Hopefully the winds will continue to be from the North and NWN. That way the wind will push the fire towards the backfire and containment lines on the East and ESE side of the fire.

[Grampa Dave]

This is the latest update on the fire that is not important except to those living around it.

It appears that they are entering a new phase of fighting this Green Agenda fire.

They should have a fair control on the East and ESE side of the fire.

The potential danger areas are North to the Agness Area, West to Gold Beach, and SW to the Chetco, Brookings area.

The weather for the next two days will be warm to hot in these areas. Hopefully the winds will continue to be from the North and NWN. That way the wind will push the fire towards the backfire and containment lines on the East and ESE side of the fire.

Please ping this to your lists. Thanks!

[Grampa Dave]

This is to those not living in the West, but who are concerned about this non breaking news item affecting the innocent victims living around the massive SW Oregon Fire.

This is the latest update on the fire that is not important except to those living around it.

It appears that they are entering a new phase of fighting this Green Agenda fire.

They should have a fair control on the East and ESE side of the fire.

The potential danger areas are North to the Agness Area, West to Gold Beach, and SW to the Chetco, Brookings area.

The weather for the next two days will be warm to hot in these areas. Hopefully the winds will continue to be from the North and NWN. That way the wind will push the fire towards the backfire and containment lines on the East and ESE side of the fire.

Please ping this to your lists. Thanks!

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Mornin Grampa - I was just about to start the greenie thread again. Went to bed with smoke in the basin, but this morning its clear for the first time in awhile. Good thing because everyones starting to feel the effects of breathing smoke for a month. Hopefully the winds don't change.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Mt Shasta has returned from a month long hiatus as well.

[madfly]

ping

[madfly]

http://fire.ak.blm.gov/docs/news/newsrels.asp

More on Alaska fires NOT reported on the News.

AFS Fire News Release

                          NEWS RELEASE
             ALASKA INTERAGENCY COORDINATION CENTER
                    FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA
                                
Further information contact:    release number:            date:      
Fire Information Center         AICC02-76                  8/06/02
 Phone: (907) 356-5511                                     1000HRS
                                 
Structure protection continues on Alaska
wildfires
Firefighters reported continued success in protecting structures
and remote cabin sites from wildfires across Alaska's Interior
Monday. Cooler temperatures began to move into the fire areas,
but smoky skies continued to hamper aircraft operations.

Firefighters conducted a burnout near the old mining town of
Poorman 75 miles southeast of Galena. The 18,300-acre Long Creek
Fire is less than a mile to the north. The bridge and old
structures at Sulatna Crossing were protected. Smoky conditions
made mapping difficult, and an aircraft equipped with an infrared
camera was requested for the fire.

Smokejumpers were sent to three fires after they began to burn
toward protected sites. Four smokejumpers deployed on the
Milepost 85 Fire 65 miles northeast of Nome, which began Sunday
when a vehicle caught fire off the Nome-Boulder Highway. They
concentrated on protecting a weather station and planned to move
to two other sites near the fire today. The fire has burned 2,900
acres in tundra.

Four smokejumpers will be joined by an emergency firefighter crew
from Venetie today at the 13,400-acre Kocacho Fire about 35 miles
north of the village. Eight smokejumpers were sent to the
Reindeer Fire about 35 miles east of Holy Cross. They set up
pumps, hose and sprinkler systems around several houses and
outbuildings. The 92,800-acre fire is about 2.5 miles away from
the nearest allotments and about 5.5 miles from Reindeer Lake,
where a hunting lodge and other structures are located.

The Ketchem Creek Fire near Circle Hot Springs burned actively
Monday and was reported at 3,500 acres this morning. Three
emergency firefighter crews were shuttled to the fire line by
helicopter. They secured line and mopped up along the southwest
flank and plan a burnout today along the north end. Four engines
arrived from Fairbanks and began assessing structure protection
needs along the Steese Highway. A Type 2 Incident Management Team
is assigned to the fire, which was reported Saturday.

A Type 2 Incident Management Team is also deployed at the North
Fork Fire at Medfra, 25 miles northeast of McGrath. Poor
visibility limited flight operations around the 22,000-acre fire.
Six emergency firefighter crews are working primarily in Medfra
to protect structures.

Smoke lifted on the Geskakmina Lake Fire enough for firefighters
to move to three lakes where cabins are located. They activated
pumps and sprinkler systems at Kindanina, Tammy and Becky Lakes.
Smokejumpers are working at cabin protection on West Twin Lake
and fire specialists are working at sites along the Kantishna
River. The fire burning in the Tanana Flats south of Manley was
last mapped at 118,500 acres.

The Milepost 78 Fire burning south of the Elliott Highway between
Livengood and Minto remained about one mile from the road at
Milepost 95. The fire may still burn to the road. Motorists are
urged to observe the road sign at Fox warning of fire conditions,
to use extreme caution when driving in the fire area, and to
avoid driving the highway between Livengood and Minto today if
possible. The fire was human caused on May 23 and has burned
111,000 acres.

Poor visibility continued to restrict helicopter work on fires
near Lake Minchumina. A crew continued structure protection at
the lake. The 52,000-acre Sischu Fire is several miles northwest
of the lake. The 65,000-acre Moose Lake Fire is southwest of the
lake and the 26,000-acre John Hansen Creek Fire and the 5,200-
acre John Hansen Lake Fire are burning to the northeast. 

Meanwhile, two crews continued work at the 3,400-acre Goblet
Creek Fire near Grayling. A retardant aircraft and helicopter
were used to secure hot spots and wet the line where firefighters
were working.

Two new fires were reported to the Alaska Interagency
Coordination Center Monday. Human caused fires of an acre or less
were contained and put out in the Delta Area and the Fairbanks
Area.

FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS: Temporary Flight Restrictions are in effect
over the North Fork Fire northeast of McGrath and the Ketchem
Creek Fire near Circle Hot Springs. Pilots are required to stay
clear of these areas.

Currently 53 fires are burning in Alaska. So far this year the
Alaska Interagency Coordination Center reports 521 fires
statewide have burned 1,360,000 acres. The AICC coordinates fire
management resources for the Department of Interior agencies, the
Alaska Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service.
                               ##

[cake_crumb]

Darn...I thought they were making more progress than that!!

Oh, I caught the new greenie agenda for management...it's the old agenda : "thinning, cutting dead/diseased trees = BAD; burning = GOOD"

We've still got a long way to go.

[Salvation]

From yesterday on KATU

August 6, 2002

Officials lift evacuation notice for residents of Westfir

HEMLOCK - Oregon's newest wildfire, the Hemlock fire southeast of Eugene, has grown to about 40 acres.

But Carol Tocco of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center says the Hemlock Fire is no longer threatening homes in Westfir, near Oakridge.

Yesterday, Lane County Sheriff's Department and Oregon State Police had gone door-to-door notifying residents in the area that they may need to evacuate their homes, depending on wildfire behavior in the area.

Two hundred people were working on the fire overnight.

About 3,500 people live in the community of Hemlock and the town of Westfir.

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

[Salvation]

fom kgw.com

Calif. Wildfire Forces Evacuations

08/07/2002

Associated Press

JULIAN, Calif. -- Dozens of residents were evacuated because of a 47,000-acre wildfire that had jumped a containment line in the mountains east of San Diego.

The town of Warner Springs, population 1,200, was partly evacuated and 70 people were told to leave the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation. In Borrego Springs, elderly residents who might suffer from smoky air were urged to leave.

Firefighters retreat from flames as a wildfire edges closer to homes in Ranchita, Calif., a community in the northeastern part of San Diego County. (AP Photo)

The blaze had been about 80 percent contained before it crossed the fire line on Monday, but afterward it was only 48 percent contained. Full containment was expected by Sunday evening, officials said.

The blaze started July 29 when a National Guard helicopter clipped a power line during a search for marijuana plants in the rugged, isolated area. The fire has destroyed 19 homes.

Elsewhere, drier weather and shifting wind heightened concern that two wildfires could threaten 220 homes along the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon. One of the fires was only 10 percent contained and the other was 15 percent contained. Firefighters and Curry County sheriff's deputies went door-to-door advising people to be ready to leave.

"If we come talk to you a second time, it's time to go," said fire spokeswoman Susan Mathison. "We don't want you to decide then what to take. We'd like you to be doing that now."

The fires have burned across 284,000 acres combined in southwestern Oregon and northeastern California. On its eastern side, the threat had diminished enough that evacuation warnings were eased for 17,000 residents of the Illinois River valley.

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

[Grampa Dave]

This is the latest from the Eureka Times Standard:

Article Last Updated:
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 7:10:27 AM MST


Gasquet residents on one-hour notice to flee fire

The Eureka Times-Standard

GASQUET -- Residents of this town were told Monday night to be ready to leave their homes within an hour, as winds expected Wednesday could blow the fire into town.

Firefighting crews camped out near the Sour Biscuit Fire's southern edge, about 4 miles north of Gasquet, have made a lot of progress building fire line overnight, said U.S. Forest Service information officer Terry Knupp.

"They're pleased with how that's going," Knupp said.

Still, Knupp said it is difficult to predict the rate of spread of the fire under the right wind conditions.

About 1,500 people live in Gasquet.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The advisory did not affect whitewater rafting along the wild and scenic section of the Rogue River, or jetboat tours from Gold Beach, said Mathison.

Why not?

[AuntB]

Hey Gramps. I was doing some research and ran across this, did you see it??

Kfalls http://www.sierratimes.com/02/08/05/arjj080502.htm

Oregon: Time to Fight Fire With Fire

By J.J. Johnson

Published 08. 4. 02 at 20:26 Sierra Time

We have received numerous postings from readers of the transcripted interview with an Helicopter Wildfire Fighter on the Lars Larson Show back on August 1. There have also been requests that The Sierra Times review and expand on aprevious challenge we made to all local communities concerning firefighting out west. With the recent legislative action by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Sierra Times believes that pointing fingers and calling congressmen is unproductive. More direct measures should be taken to fire the Timber Rock and other fires in the West.

In the interview, it was reported that the Carson Helicopter has a contract with the United States Forestry Service (USFS) to carry water via 9 aircraft flying on the Toolbox fire, Timbered Rock, and the Southbisquit Fire. With the cooperation of the Oregon State Department of Forestry, a dry pond was found within striking distance of the fires, and water was being supply by an armada of water trucks. ". We were just on the other side of the US Forest Service line and we were within their boundaries", said Mark Lindamood of Carson Helicopter. "So they came up [August 1] and shut the pond down and they gated it and prohibited trucks from coming in", he said. The apparent reason was lack of a permission request and the fact that what is called a "Dip Site Manager" was not on site.

This and other bureaucratic regulations and red tape from the USFS have damaged the ability to fight the fires effectively, threatening property, communities and even lives. As a result, Oregonians are being asked to contact their congressmen and complaint. Instead, we submit the following actions take place:

1) The Carson Helicopter company should immediately suspend any and all service for the United States Forestry Service. They should make it known their services will be available to any state or local agency dedicated to fire fighting.

2) All counties affected by the fires should declare a state of emergency, if they have not done so already. The emergency should include the power of the local authorities to use all means at its disposal to protect life and property in the area, and for the county's district attorneys to enforce such measures.

3) Oregon State Police, the State Department of Forestry and the Local county officers should immediately remove the fence installed by the USFS and provide protection for water trucks to the pond.

4) Helicopter transportation of water should resume, but under the jurisdiction of the Oregon State Department of Forestry. Any attempts to prevent the lawful duty of country officials should result in those people being taken into custody. Suspects can be held for at least 48 hours - while firefighting continues.

5) In the event of USFS not allowing flights, pilots should adhere to the FAA pilot regulations and file an injunction against the USFS to complain that their policies are placing lives in danger. County District Attorneys should be compelled to file injunctions against any attempt to prevent fighting wildfires by any other entity during a fire emergency. This would at least slow down the USFS long enough to let you get a hand on the fire.

6) Media should work covertly in order to review the work of federal fire-fighters. Sierra Times readers should volunteer their help, and water to the firefighters if and when needed in order to gain access and to ensure adequate fire fighting is in effect.

It seems the problem lies in the public 'giving' authority to federal folks to put out the forest fires under a myth this is actually the priority of the Forestry Service. Their goal is to maintain the bureaucracy. In both Arizona and Colorado it has been shown that local authorities taking matters into their own hands is the best solution to fighting wildfires. County and state governments must take this matter seriously. When lives and property are at stake, there is not only a duty, but a responsibility to take action - against federal authority if necessary.

Nor should anti-logging or the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibit local residents, county governments, or state governments from taken action when needed. The South Dakota exemption proves that these types of regulations are hazardous to forests, wildlife and property. Quoting a letter from the Sierra Club and the Wilderness society on the matter of the Daschle amendment, ".The amendment would help to reduce hazardous fuel loads in a manner that protects communities and the benefits of recreation, clean water and fish and wildlife habitat on the Black Hills National Forest.". Needless to say this would work for other areas as well. So why wait for federal permission?

There will be some that will call these proposals extreme and even illegal. We are dealing with dangerous situations that demand immediate attention. Simply calling on Congressmen to take action requires a host of calls just to get attention (they're on summer break as well). The actions listed above are immediate and would put immediate attention on the situation. We are at a point where we believe federal forest agents do not want to push the envelope with local authorities. In this fire season alone, they have already been roundly criticized by governors and congressmen, there are two USFS employees currently in custody for being responsible for much of the burn acreage this year. Most important, we feel that no federal agency wants a standoff with others for wanting to fight a forest fire - not in this political season.

In closing, we would like to thank Lars Larson of KXL News Radio 750 AM in Portland and Carson Helicopter for bringing light to a grave situation. But the solution requires action be taken on the ground immediately. Simply complaining will not work. The western fires have reached a point where areas not ablaze are suffering from the impact of this fire season with increased ash and smoke in the atmosphere, and loss of revenue.

We cannot make this statement more clear: We are well beyond the time where we can depend on the federal government to battle the disasters out west. There are people, homes, and communities in peril. The time for action is now. If we allow federal regulations to prevent firefighting causing destruction of live and property, we will only have ourselves, and not the federal government to blame.

© 2002 SierraTimes.com (unless otherwise noted)