July 2007
The West is ablaze with major fires
which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources, prompting
the National Interagency Fire Center today to declare its highest alert
level.
Level 5 preparedness is declared only when large fires occur in many areas
at once, requiring a heavy commitment of crews, aircraft, and equipment,
along with a forecast for continued hot, dry, windy conditions.
Initial fire attack was heavy across the nation with 412 new fires
yesterday. Since Monday, more than 1,000 new fires have been reported.
Currently, Idaho and Nevada have 43 large fires with more than 511,000
acres burned.
With hundreds of thousands of acres burning in Nevada, Governor Jim
Gibbons declared a state of emergency, mobilizing resources to battle the
blazes and facilitating financial assistance after they are out.
Twenty miles south of Winnemucca, Nevada, the pilot of a single-engine
tanker plane fighting the Barrel Springs Fire crashed Tuesday evening.
Firefighters pulled the pilot to safety just before the crash site was
consumed by flames.
The pilot was transported from the scene by ambulance to Humboldt General
Hospital in Winnemucca. Jamie Thompson, public information officer with
the Bureau of Land Management Winnemucca field office, said the pilot
suffered only cuts and abrasions and was covered with aviation fuel but
was treated and released late Tuesday.
Officials said the plane was under contract from Minuteman Aerial
Applications of Montana. A crash investigation is underway.
Calling the Hawken Fire in the foothills west of Reno extremely dangerous,
Governor Gibbons has called a halt to construction and recreation along
the Sierra Front in west Washoe County until it is out. Full containment
is forecast for July 24.
With 530 personnel on the job, the Hawken fire has consumed 2,495 acres of
grass, sagebrush, and mountain mahogany, and is moving into larger timber.
The cause is under investigation.
The Reno 9-1-1 emergency line has been so swamped with requests for fire
information that Police Chief Michael Poehlman has asked people to stop
calling to let overloaded operators handle other emergencies.
Instead, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has activated the Regional
Emergency Operations call center at 775-337-5800, and people are asked to
log onto: www.sierrafront.net.
Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley has activated search and rescue
volunteers and sheriff’s deputies to go door-to-door telling residents in
the remote areas of Arrowcreek and Lone Tree to start preparing for
possible evacuations.
Fire officials have closed the 30,000 acre wilderness area on Mount Rose.
The highest peak in the Carson Mountains, visible from Reno, serves as an
important watershed for residents of western Nevada.
Lack of resources to fight a complex of seven fires 20 miles north of
Carlin, Nevada, has resulted in today's spread of the lightning-sparked
blaze to 24,000 acres of grass and sage. Only 58 firefighters are doing
battle, while unpredictable wind and weather are forecast.
Fire broke out Wednesday night at the edge of the Department of Energy's
Idaho National Laboratory, INL, a 890 square mile nuclear energy research
site in southeastern Idaho.
The Materials and Fuels Complex, where most of the radioactive materials
are located, was closed today. Lab officials said, "No INL facilities are
threatened by the fire."
By late afternoon, the INL fire had burned more than 4,800 acres and was
50 percent contained, but it is still being pushed by winds gusting
between 16 and 25 miles per hour.
This fire is located four miles northeast of Atomic City, the site of a
decommissioned research reactor that on December 20, 1951 became the
world's first nuclear power plant to generate electricity.
Law enforcement officers have reopened U.S. Highway 20 to traffic, but
said the highway may be intermittently closed throughout the evening and
night, depending on the progression of the fire line.
Also in Idaho, the incident Commander for the East Zone Complex of six
fires has recommended a voluntary evacuation of the community of Secesh
Meadows with the fire just two miles away, a "high" potential for growth
and zero percent containment.
There are 282 firefighters on the scene of the blaze which has burned
11,400 acres of the Payette National Forest about 25 miles northeast of
McCall. Forty to 50 structures and about 100 part-time summer residents
are in the fire's path.
Idaho's Elk Mountain Fire 23 miles northwest of Jackpot in the BLM's Twin
Falls District has burned over 25,000 acres and is just 10 percent
contained. Extreme fire behavior was reported and the blaze is threatening
power lines and residences.
There are only four major fires in California today, and two are largely
contained, while a third was rained on yesterday.
Firefighters are battling the Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County, which has
charred 28,346 acres and is just 35 percent contained. This fast-moving
fire is burning in chaparral 15 miles northeast of Buellton. Residences
remain threatened and evacuations are in effect.
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire Tuesday proclaimed a state of emergency
for all 39 Washington counties due to concern for the availability of
resources to deal with a severe and escalating fire season. The
proclamation allows for mobilization of the Washington National Guard and
the Washington State Guard.
"I am taking this step as a precaution," said Governor Gregoire,
describing the situation as "extreme."
Rain brought relief to firefighters on several large fires in Oregon and
Montana today, while rain dampened northern Nevada Monday, dousing
numerous lightning strikes. Cooler weather with higher humidity is
forecast for the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
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