More crews arriving as flames keep spreading, (Forest Fires in Oregon)

The Oregon ^ | 7/18/2002 | John Enders

[Grampa Dave]

More crews arriving as flames keep spreading

By JOHN ENDERS, The Associated Press, 7/18/02 4:08 AM

SISTERS, Ore. (AP) -- Firefighters from several states are on their way to Oregon.

And just in time: there are plenty of fires here for them to fight.

Ten Oregon crews that were fighting fires in other Western states will be returning home by the weekend. Joining them will be firefighters from Alaska, California, Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, fire officials said late Wednesday.

And, on July 29, a battalion from an Army base in Kansas will be arriving in Oregon.

Crews already on the ground continue to struggle against gusty winds and rugged terrain as they seek to control wildfires burning on more than 120,000 acres of brush and timber in vast stretches of Oregon.

New wildfires are flaring before others are contained.

The Geneva 2 fire, 10 miles northeast of this tourist town on the eastern flank of the Cascades, grew from 400 to 1,000 acres.

"The fire is very volatile and unpredictable. We're concerned about Sisters and residences along Highway 6," said fire spokesman Dan Wood.

As the fire burned up steep, rocky gullies and along ridgetops, with bitterbrush and juniper trees exploding into flames after being ignited by wind-driven embers, three helicopters dumped water onto the lines and the nearby spot fires.

Seven bulldozers, including one huge D-9 with a blade more than 12 feet wide, dug a fire lines into the rock and dirt.

"Even with those big dozers, the going is pretty slow," said Mike Carlson, a district supervisor on the Geneva 2 fire.

It might be slow, but it's also effective. By late Wednesday, the Geneva 2 fire was actually a bright spot, fire officials said.

In southern Oregon, the evacuation of 200 homes outside the town of Ruch was recommended as the Squire Peak fire neared, driven by freak winds. About a third of the residents chose to leave.

The fire burned an outbuilding and a garage but no homes. Residents were allowed to return when the winds calmed. But they remained on alert.

Three other towns in southern and eastern Oregon could become threatened by wildfires nearly at their doorsteps: Unity, Prairie City and Paisley.

Fire commanders say Oregon's wildfires could worsen because of higher temperatures that are expected over the next couple of days.

"It looks like the weather is going to turn on us," said David Widmark, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Fire Center in Portland.

Fire commanders on Wednesday drew up a new priority list as they juggled their resources.

First priority was given to the Winter complex, burning on about 25,000 acres outside Paisley. Roughly 30 homeowners have been advised to evacuate, officials said.

Next in priority was the Squire Peak fire, followed by the Toolbox complex, which is burning on nearly 30,000 acres north of the Winter complex.

So far, the only homes that have been destroyed are 18 residences that were consumed by the Eyerly fire last weekend. Firefighters have been making progress against that fire, which on Wednesday was 65 percent contained.

Other wildfires included:

--Monument fire, 18,700 acres, nine miles southwest of Unity, 5 percent contained.

--Grizzly complex, 4,105 acres, 15 miles west of Lakeview, 2 percent contained.

--Mahogany complex, 24,500 acres, 15 miles northwest of Jordan Valley, 30 percent contained.

[Grampa Dave]

Actually, we are on the beautiful end of the country. The enviralists have seized control of political power with their false claims of making this part of God's world better.

They just make it more dangerous and harder for working Americans to live and work where we want to.

[blackie]

Hey, clinton/algore, thanks for the forest fires your pandering to Club Sierra, Earth First, ELF, PETA, ALF, etc, has created !!

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

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[Grampa Dave]

Good Morning Blackie.

Here is the latest on the fires from KGW: (KGW update on Oregon wild fires)

Wonder how many of these fires happened after the enviro whackos went to Ashland to kick off their "Burn up America Trip!" or on their way to Ashland?

[nothingnew]

These fires are just another Rural Cleansing tool of the Enviral Nazis!

In great sadness, I believe you are right. The EN's would have us all rounded up and live in their evil cities...much easier to control than living in the Colorado Rockies with someone who would pull out all his armor and guns if they dared F*CK with me...

I'm getting really weary with these "I know better than thou" iceholes...I just want them to leave me alone...I don't think that is going to happen.

Gotta crack a beer now, and wonder when they will show up here....

FReegards,

FMCDH

[Grampa Dave]

Stay safe, and a whole lot of us are very "weary" with these enviral nazis!

They have worn out their welcome, and we just want them to leave us alone.

Before this long and hot summer is over, a whole lot of Americans will be joining you and I in feeling that we don't need nor want these people to be around us anymore. It is time for them to slither back into their rat holes and to leave us alone!

[EBUCK]

Thanks for the update...I think KGW may be a little under-updated though..

NEW - Wall Creek (Southwest Oregon District, Oregon Department of Forestry):
700 acres at 5 percent contained. This fire is ten miles northeast of Medford. Steep and rocky terrain are hampering containment efforts.

This is where my brother is and he said that they've all but stomped this one out. Could be wrong though, he's not been answering his cell this morning.

EBUCK

[rockfish59]

Armpit eco-freaks lounge in own sweat and bodily fluids! Barf!

[rockfish59]

Only YOU can prevent forest fires!
(Let it load)

[Grampa Dave]

You are a sick puppy! :)

I can't remember if I stole the nude lay in picture from you or whom?

[nothingnew]

It is time for them to slither back into their rat holes and to leave us alone!

Amen GD, and I know how to deal with whistle pigs when they just poke their heads out of a hole.

FMCDH

[Grampa Dave]

During the fires last year, KGW was consistantly the best of the Portland stations. Of course that is no great point of honor.

However, when there are this many fires, they just didn't have the reporter and editor power to stay updated.

Cell phones don't work too well in the canyons in SW Oregon.

Hopefully, you good conservatives in Oregon will keep us posted on what is really happening.

[Grampa Dave]

Here is the data from one of Medford's tv station sites. I have no idea how old this data is: (ktvl 10 link)

[EBUCK]

That sounds quite a bit more realistic...

There is a new number for the Wall Creek Fire acres burned. It's a lot smaller than first estimated. After using infrared technology, it looks like it's only approximately 180 acres, which is down from the 1,000 acres previously estimated.

My bro said that it wasn't a big one. Wish those sites would date and time their information. Would make it a lot easier to tell which is when and who is where...

EBUCK

[EBUCK]

Oh, yah...Thank you for looking up that information for me...my momma taught me manners but sometimes I forget...

EBUCK

[dixiechick2000]

Thanks to you both for the pings.

My daughter, son-in-law and their kids are camping somewhere close to Sisters. Since the campground is in a State Park, I assume if they are threatened by the fire in that area the park will be evacuated.
That would normally be the case, unless Taxhaber has cut the budget for such things.
The money budgeted for fire fighting has already been spent.

Thanks for the link to the fire updates, Gramps.

[Grampa Dave]

I can tell that your Mother brought you up in the right manner. You are just a young man who does things. The thanks can come later, which is no problem.

Also, those tv channels in S. Oregone have a real problem with dating and timing their news postings on their web sites. A true problem exists in most of those channels re professionalism and experience.

[BOBTHENAILER]

FYI re wildfires out of control (what a surprise in spotted owl haven Oregon)!

Here we go again.

[Grampa Dave]

I hope that they are safe and on their way back home.

This is not the week to be camping in Oregon. The weather people are predicting a hotter than normal week the next 5 to 7 days.

A lot of these areas in danger or burning are high desert forests/wild lands. A few days of really high heat, and that dry North Wind or East Wind can make areas that were safe a week ago into tinder boxes.

This will be the year to camp on the Oregon coast and not to far inland.

[historian1944]

When the Los Alamos fires were going, we initially requested two of those, and then, as the planes were preparing to fly here, we cancelled the request, stating that the fires were under control.

Two weeks later, the fires were finally under control.
The excuse given was that the high volume of water would cause damage to the buildings that the water fell upon (and the fire won't????). They also said that the speed of the plane during the drop precluded upslope water drops, though if that was the case, one could simply fly in from another direction.

I have read that some of the planes we use for firefighting were made by North American (the P-51 people), and set records for fluid carrying in 1940. Since aircraft have not advanced at all since then, I suppose it is a good choice (/sarcasm).


The videos on that website are pretty impressive; it seems like water will never stop coming out of the plane!

[Grampa Dave]

This dreaded story will be repeated and repeated until the fall/winter rains come to the west.

Remember this is a month or two months ahead of the normal westward moving fire cycle that comes from the South East, to the East Coast, goes across the Midwest, then to the Northern Rockies to the Pacific Northwest, then down to S. Cali and back east across Arizona and New Mexico and West Texas and parts of Oklahoma.

We have the worst to come with the normal dry season/fire cycle. Then add the Druid tinder boxes (we used to call them forests), and we have a terrible summer facing a lot of America.