Biscuit fire nearly surrounded

Oregonlive.com ^ | 08/24/02 | ALEX PULASKI

[madfly]

Biscuit fire nearly surrounded

08/24/02
ALEX PULASKI

Firefighters pushed control lines closer around the Biscuit fire Friday, and hope to have its 240-mile perimeter sewn up by this weekend.

		From Our Advertiser

Twenty-plus miles of line remained to be built around the Biscuit blaze, the biggest fire in the United States this year.

The most critical stretch remains along the fire's western edge, near the Pistol River. Randy Shepard, a fire spokesman, said 10 hand crews were pressing south in rough terrain.

Aided by bulldozers and three crews working toward the north to meet them, firefighters hope to tie the two ends by Sunday.

"All the attention here is focused on getting those lines together," Shepard said.

When completed, the 240-mile containment line will cover about the same distance as the drive from Portland to Grants Pass.

That event would mark a symbolic achievement in the six-week fight against the blaze, which has consumed 494,813 acres in the Siskiyou National Forest and Kalmiopsis Wilderness since a lightning strike began it July 13.

Another sign that the fire was being tamed came Friday when officials upgraded the blaze's estimated containment from 60 percent to 70 percent.

They also sent home at least 379 firefighters, leaving 5,069 assigned. Many of those remaining are engaged in mop-up and rehabilitation.

"We feel like the fire is in a situation where the perimeter can withstand anything but a very, very unusual weather event," Shepard said.

David Widmark, a spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, said if all goes well, the Biscuit fire may be contained by Aug. 31.

The cost of fighting the fire has exceeded $102 million, according to Elizabeth Villa, fire information officer at the Biscuit fire headquarters in Gold Beach.

The status of other Northwest wildfires Friday:

The Apple fire, 21 miles east of Glide, was declared 15 percent contained at 7,400 acres. Oregon 138 was opened to all traffic late Thursday after having been closed for several days.

Little progress was made on the Tiller Complex, east of Canyonville. It remained 65 percent contained, the same as Thursday, with 62,200 acres burned.

The Tiller Complex and Apple fire "are really stubborn fires," said Widmark of the coordination center. "They've been very hard to fight because of the terrain, rolling debris and just getting access to some of the areas."

Officials declared the 840-acre Siuslaw fire west of Eugene 100 percent contained. They also are investigating whether an arsonist started the blaze, which began Aug. 17.

Pete Norkeveck, chief of investigation for the Oregon Department of Forestry, said investigators were attempting to determine whether a number of suspicious fires in Lane County over the past three years might be linked.

Officials asked that anyone with information about the Siuslaw fire's origin call 877-888-7343.

Alex Pulaski: 503-221-8516; alexpulaski@news.oregonian.com %%head%%Biscuit: Tiller fires 'really stubborn' %%endhead%%%%bodybegins%% D1 was declared 15 percent contained at 7,400 acres. Oregon 138 was opened to all traffic late Thursday after having been closed for several days.

Little progress was made on the Tiller Complex, east of Canyonville. It remained 65 percent contained, the same as Thursday, with 62,200 acres burned.

The Tiller Complex and Apple fire "are really stubborn fires," said Widmark of the coordination center. "They've been very hard to fight because of the terrain, rolling debris and just getting access to some of the areas."

Officials declared the 840-acre Siuslaw fire west of Eugene 100 percent contained. They also are investigating whether an arsonist started the blaze, which began Aug. 17.

Pete Norkeveck, chief of investigation for the Oregon Department of Forestry, said investigators were attempting to determine whether a number of suspicious fires in Lane County over the past three years might be linked.

Officials asked that anyone with information about the Siuslaw fire's origin call 877-888-7343.

Alex Pulaski: 503-221-8516;
alexpulaski@news.oregonian.com

[madfly]

Saturdays Fire Thread ping!!

[madfly]

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=47133

Biscuit wildfire now
largest in nation for 2002

The Southern Oregon blaze
has burned nearly 500,000 acresThe Associated Press

August 24, 2002

PORTLAND — Crews on the western flank of the massive Biscuit fire have only eight more miles of fireline to prepare before they connect it with the containment line from the south section of the blaze, officials said Friday.

“We’re looking forward to that golden spike when we meet the fireline from Zone 3,” said Susan Mathison, a fire spokeswoman.

Burnouts, or planned fires meant to starve the main blaze of its fuel, went well Thursday and mop-up crews working overnight had little work to do, she said.

“Mop-up crews had a great night last night. We love it when they can’t find anything to mop up,” Mathison said.

The Biscuit fire in southern Oregon had burned 492,342 acres by Friday, surpassing the number of acres burned by a fire in Arizona to become the largest wildfire in the nation this year.

“That’s a powerful fire,” declared President Bush, who flew over the blaze Thursday morning during his visit in Oregon.

Officials said the Biscuit fire was 65 percent contained and they were confident it would not jump its northern, eastern or southern boundaries. This week, they have dispatched firefighters and equipment from those areas to the blaze’s untamed western flank, where helicopters continued dropping flammable pingpong balls Thursday to burn out forest as a barrier against the wildfire’s advance.

Officials had estimated on Wednesday that they needed to build 33 more miles of fire line to complete the 206-mile perimeter of the Biscuit fire. But they determined on Thursday that the number remained closer to 39 miles, said Miera Crawford, a fire information officer stationed near Brookings.

Firefighters have made such progress on the Biscuit fire and other serious wildfires in Oregon and Washington in recent days that officials canceled plans to call up about 700 soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., to help control them, said Doug Huntington, an information officer at the Pacific Northwest Multi-Agency Coordinating Group in Portland.

“In the last couple of days, the weather has really cooperated on the fires,” Huntington said. “Several of the fires now are

100 percent contained, and several are over 50 percent contained … . So we no longer felt the need to have the military contribute to the firefighting effort.”

The weather was expected to turn drier and hotter over the weekend, however, said Mathison.

The Biscuit fire started with a lightning strike July 13. Since then, the fire has roared through vast portions of the Siskiyou National Forest and almost all of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area in southwestern Oregon.

The Biscuit fire, which is expected to burn into autumn, heads the list of eight serious blazes now burning on public lands in Oregon and Washington, said Joe Walsh at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting what appears to be good news.

I have a little time before we start preparing for the invasion of the Grand Kids and their parents. We are having a birthday party for our oldest son, their dad.

That means child proofing the house and yard from a very active 3 year old grand daughter and her 18 month old brother, I have nick named Bam Bam. Bam Bam is built like his dad, no neck just muscles from the base of his head to his toes. His grip is like a vice grip, and he has zero fear of anything.

Thanks to EBuck we have a great opportunity to take these fires caused by these Watermelon Green Jehadists and take a PR 2 X 4 and whack them 24/7 in Oregon hopefully until at least the election.

If you are tired of just posting and b$tching about the Watermelons burning up Oregon and American with their insane agendas, please go to this link and join us: (Using a billboard to whack the Watermelon Green Jihadists 24/7 in Oregon). Thanks for your help!

[Grampa Dave]

Here is the latest combo map (satellite and topo). The fire fighters appear to have done a great job of containing this monster on the east side, south side, most of the north side. The only hot spots appear to be on the west side in the Pistol River Area. Hopefully this weekend and by Wednesday of next weekend, their containment line will be around this monster Green Agenda fire. Kudos to all the brave men and women fire fighters! One of them is worth a million root sucking Watermelon Green Jihadists!

[AAABEST]

Bump for Grampa's grand kids.

If you are tired of just posting and b$tching about the Watermelons burning up Oregon and American with their insane agendas

Don't let the greens hear you say that as the left is scared crapless of us activating on them. They know we have the money, power and influence put a huge foot in thier ass.

[Grampa Dave]

Two interesting paragraphs from the article post by MadFly, (thanks MadFly for all of your help re spreading the word of the Watermelon Greens burning up a large % of Oregon due to their burn baby Fire Agendas:

The most critical stretch remains along the fire's western edge, near the Pistol River. Randy Shepard, a fire spokesman, said 10 hand crews were pressing south in rough terrain.

You can see on the combo satellite/topo map that I posted that fires are still burning in that area on the western side of the Green Disaster Fire. The rest of the burn area in yellow looks the best it has in over a month.

Aided by bulldozers and three crews working toward the north to meet them, firefighters hope to tie the two ends by Sunday.

The Watermelon Greens hate bulldozers and according to justshe have been fighting the use of bulldozers in the fires in the Umpquah River area.

Their hatred of bulldozers is a prime example of their criminally insane view of forests, their love of fire and their hatred of Americans living around the tinder boxes created by their forest agendas.

[madfly]

You are most welcome Dave.

Have a great day, and hey, didn't you leave out something...I believe you told us it was your birthday today! If so, a big

Happy Birthday to You!

[SW6906]

Rural Cleansing marches on bump.....

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the bump for my grandkids.

You posted the following that is the reality that we need to learn as conservatives:

I posted, If you are tired of just posting and b$tching about the Watermelons burning up Oregon and American with their insane agendas

You posted your reply about the reality that all conservatives need to learn today, Don't let the greens hear you say that as the left is scared crapless of us activating on them. They know we have the money, power and influence put a huge foot in their a$$.

The day that enough conservatives say "We have had enough of the criminally insane behavior of the Watermelon Greens. We will use our money, power and influence to put a very huge foot up their a$$es. Is the day we start to take back America from these anti America Watermelons Green Jihadists.

I know that that day is past with you, some others and me! This Bill board that Ebuck has proposed, the financing the first month by our generous mystery freeper, and the $'s and the work of more volunteers is a step forward.

Please re post your links to the SawGrass Rebellion that you are working on. This is as important as the fires in Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, Kali and other states. Fires which are a direct result of the Fire is Great Agendas of the Green Ba$tards!

[Grampa Dave]

No it is our oldest son's birthday!

Thanks anyway. When you are my age, everyday is a Happy Birthday that God has given us.

[Grampa Dave]

It is time to stop the Rural Cleansing and start cleansing the Green Jihadists who hate America from the tree huggers, to the root suckers, to the green eco terrorists, to the 3 suited Club Sierrians who set up these Fires via their no roads, no logging of even dead trees and no brush removal.

They all are insane and some are criminally insane. Time to remove them from power and replace them with Common Sense forestry management as President Bush said on Thursday in Medford.

Common Sense brings fear and terror into the mentally ill minds of the Watermelons and their left wing liberal Rat maggot buddies. Common Sense is the end of their regime of terror over America!

[madfly]

bttt

[Granof8]

70% containment this morning. Burnouts almost completed. More than 494,000 acres burned. Three new large fires, no mention of where.

Late Breaking News - 6 p.m.
New Siskiyou National Forest emergency fire closure to go into effect immediately
Friday August 23

GRANTS PASS, August 23, 2002 - The Siskiyou National Forest is imposing a “PUBLIC ACCESS CLOSURE” on all or portions of the Chetco and Gold Beach Ranger Districts. This closure went into effect 8:00 a.m. Friday, August 23, announced Tom Reilly, Acting Forest Supervisor for the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests.

“The continuing fire and rehabilitation activities, along with associated hazards, has made an unsafe situation for our visiting publics” explained Reilly. “Hazards making this closure necessary include active fire, movement of large equipment, and the potential for falling snags, rocks and other debris.”

The entire Chetco Ranger District is closed to the public with the following exceptions:

Road 1107 Winchuck (Junction County Road to Winchuck Campground)
· Road 1108 Divide (Junction Road 1107 to Milepost 1.5)

· Road 1376 North Bank Chetco (Junction County Road to Redwood Nature Trail Milepost 0.2)

· Redwood Nature Trail (#1111)

The portion of the Gold Beach Ranger District south of the Road #33 (Agness Road) is closed to the public with the following exceptions:

Road 3300090 Kimball Creek (Junction Road 33 to Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail (Milepost 2.0)
Road 3730 Illahe (Junction County Road to terminus at Road 33)
Lower Rogue River Trail (#1171)
Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail (#1172)
Myrtle Tree Trail (#1163)
The entire Galice Ranger District and the portion of the Illinois Valley Ranger District west of State Highway 199 remain closed to the public.

Road closure notices will be posted on main roads leading into closed areas.

If conditions change the Forest Supervisor will reevaluate the need for the closures.

The following areas on the Siskiyou National Forest will remain open: the entire Powers Ranger District, the portion of the Gold Beach Ranger District north of the Road #33 (Agness Road), and the portion of the Illinois Valley Ranger District east of State Highway 199.

Fire restrictions remain in effect for all of the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests. Campfires and charcoal fires are prohibited, and smoking must be confined to vehicles and cigarettes must be discarded in metal receptacles.

There are closure orders in effect for the Umpqua National Forest and the Six Rivers National Forest in California. The Douglas and Coos Forest Protective Associations in Douglas, Coos, and Curry counties have imposed an ‘ENTRY BY PERMIT ONLY’ closure as well.

[B4Ranch]

"The cost of fighting the fire has exceeded $102 million" and lots of sweat from the thousands of firefighters who know what a hard days work is.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, that is really interesting about the closures.

Here is the last NOAA satellite image from 22 August. As of about 7pmish on 22 Aug, Friday, there were still a lot of blazes going on in and on the perimeters of Biscuit.

The new Biscuit disaster could be happening up in the Umpquah Valley areas with the Tiller and Apple fires. When justshe returns after a weekend to cleanse the smoke out of her lungs, she can give us a first hand report of what is happening there.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Archery season starts soon. The task of the security details will be to ensure hunters don't venture into the former wilderness area, even if the fire appears out.

[LibWhacker]

Don't know if this link has been posted before on these fire threads, but just in case . . . was surfing around this morning and found this: http://www.biscuitfire.com. Has the latest news on the fire's status (updated daily at noon), maps, photos, etc.

[madfly]

Thanks. I forgot about that link.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks I have posted the map, but now MadFly can go to the rest of it as I leave for the day!