Perhaps "Culling the herd" would suit them better...
Eco-Caption.."Psychopathic Youth!"
EBUCK
Posted on 07/30/2002 6:48:28 AM PDT by Grampa Dave
30-mile fire front menaces southwest Oregon towns
07/30/02
BETH QUINN
CAVE JUNCTION -- Wildland firefighters battled to keep a 30-mile-long wall of fire from reaching the Illinois Valley on Monday where 17,000 people were warned to get ready to flee.
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As the 70,000 acre Florence fire roared south toward the 20,000-acre Sour Biscuit blaze, firefighters dug a last-ditch fire line stretching along the western edge of the valley and southwestern Oregon communities.
Sixteen bulldozers worked the line on the steep ridges west of Woodrat, Tennessee and Eight Dollar mountains while 14 more wait along U.S. 199 in Selma, awaiting orders to join the fire fight.
Firefighters are preparing to set a 34,000-acre backfire that would be larger than most of the other fires being fought in Oregon.
"We are running dozers 24 hours a day," said Rick Hartigan of the Arizona Central West Zone Incident Management Team overseeing the firefighting.
If the fire hits the bulldozed line, they'll bombard it with fire retardant and water, but even with all that, fire officials told residents Sunday night, they weren't confident they could stop it.
"There is a very good chance that this fire is going to reach the valley floor," said Greg Gilpin, an incident commander for Oregon Department of Forestry. "It is so big and so awesome there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop this fire."
Fire officials warned area residents that the fire could reach the floor of the Illinois Valley today in a third straight day of extreme fire behavior.
Throughout the weekend and into Monday, the head of the Florence fire advanced a mile an hour with 150-foot flames and wind gusts up to 40 mph that threw spot fires up to two miles ahead. Three times the fire built plumes 30,000 feet tall and three times those plumes collapsed back into the fire with explosive force, further spreading the blaze.
"We have veteran firefighters who have never seen such fire behavior," said Hartigan.
"The forestry people all have their eyes rolled back," said Tim Birr of the Oregon Fire Marshal's overhead team. "This fire is kind of like the proverbial 5,000-pound gorilla that goes wherever it wants to go."
On the floor of the mountain-ringed Illinois Valley, firefighters went door-to-door on U.S. 199 from Selma to Kerby. At each spot the firefighters took a location fix with a global positioning system to add each building to the maps used for fire planning.
In addition, the structure firefighters assessed the defensibility of each house, noting which had fireproof roofs and brush-free zones that could be defended against fire and which were overgrown with trees and shrubbery and might be impossible to save.
"In cases where a home can be made more defensible, if they can take some simple steps, they will do it," said Birr.
But even homes that are well-prepared can fall victims to the flames, as two homeowners in Oak Flat learned Sunday. All 12 homes along the Illinois River had been singed on Thursday but survived, yet when the fire moved back through the area Sunday, two homes burned. Another home was lost at McCaleb Ranch along with eight outbuildings.
"There's higher percentage of nondefensible homes," said Kyle Kirchner, chief of the Illinois Valley Fire District and Josephine County Fire Defense Board. Homeowners are "interested now in getting defensible space, and it's too late."
Fire officials began making contingency plans for safety zones where firefighters and residents could find shelter should evacuation routes be cut.
Two of the four routes out of the valley to the south have already been cut off by other fires in Northern California. The only exits are north on U.S.199 to Grants Pass and by a remote forest road from Upper Deer Creek near Selma over the 5,000-foot crest of the Siskiyou Mountains to Williams.
"If it comes across through Selma and compromises that artery, we are preparing to shelter in place," said Kirchner. "We can now see the fire from Selma. As far as I'm concerned, it's imminent."
Fire shelters were being set up at the closed Selma School in Selma and the Illinois Valley High School in Cave Junction, both buildings made of materials designed to withstand fires that sit amidst several acres of cleared, defensible space. A third fire shelter planned for O'Brien had not been designated by early Monday evening.
With bulldozers working feverishly on smoke-shrouded ridges to build the last-ditch line to protect the communities under his care, Kirchner's thoughts turn to a new set of nightmare scenarios should the last-ditch line fail to hold the Florence fire.
"If it goes, now we're worried about the caves," he said, referring to the Oregon Caves National Monument 16 miles east of Cave Junction. "There's enough volatile dry fuel that we're going to have problems."
The fire is also moving northwest. Fire officials projected the blaze could reach homes outside Agness by Wednesday. It would have to jump the Rogue River to burn the town itself, but the fire, fueled by strong winds, has jumped the Illinois River several times, said Pam Leschak, Florence fire information officer.
A structure protection team was already assessing homes and removing brush and trees from around structures south of the Rogue River near Agness on Monday.
An 80-acre blaze closed a section of U.S. 199 near the Oregon/California border Monday. The Shelly Creek fire, burning up the steep canyon walls, was causing boulders and logs to fall onto the road, said Carol McCall, spokeswoman, Redwood National State Parks.
The fire also forced the evacuation of Patrick Creek Lodge, Patrick Campground, Bar-O-Boys Ranch, and a few houses near Gasquet, 20 miles northeast of Crescent City, Calif., in the Smith River Canyon. You can reach Beth Quinn at 541-474-5926 or by e-mail at bquinn@terragon.com.
ROFLOL...no, I don't think I have. I'da remembered it.
Management being the operative word here.
EBUCK
EBUCK
As far as I know, most fire access roads in the West are in disrepair, due to the antics of organizations like Wildfire.org Please to not take their version of the "facts" at face value. Not only are the facts wrong, because most of those burnt out areas hadn't seen a chainsaw in a couple of decades, their access roads were in disrepair. They have a link to the NIFC, I guess to make them sound legit...of course, they cite Clintonista Forestry Department statistics as "proof". Also, please note the EMAIL addy at the bottom of the page.
Good point. Not a one.
I think that the fed ownes a majority of Oregon. At least judging by the colors they seem to. That the rest is owned by local authorities sets better with me than the acrage owned by the distant IFG.
EBUCK
"I suppose you're going to try to tell me that removal of accumulated ground fuel will do nothing to lessen the severity or range of wildfires..."
I ranted a bit, raved a bit then offered to sell them a sticker.
We'll see what happens..
EBUCK
LOL...GEEEZ...they grow 'em weird in Portland, don't they?
Yes, management IS the operative word. That is what we hope to bring back, but it's a real uphill battle. Speaking of management, that Wildfireinfo.org website got a "Fah - Que" (sp?) gram from me...mentioning the need for timber management. Tree farming, we call it, but the environazis REALLY go ballistic when you say THAT.
ROFLOL (in appreciation) that is PRICELESS!
EBUCK
Perhaps "Culling the herd" would suit them better...
Eco-Caption.."Psychopathic Youth!"
EBUCK
Great pic, bad caption. It'll make the environazis want to ban axes and hatches (if they haven't tried already)
I had not heard this. Although it is completely expected. Of course, the result of this is that homes in these areas will be sold at a huge loss, if at all. Why? Without insurance, who will be able to get mortgage financing.
Congrats greens, you have burned 'em out, just like you intended.
EBUCK
DON RYAN/AP PhotoFirefighter Felix Hernando approaches smoking embers as he works to mop up a section of the Cache Mountain Fire near Sisters, Ore., Monday, July 29, 2002. The fire destroyed two homes at nearby Black Butte Ranch on Monday, but was much calmer Monday.
LOL...yes, I can.
How about this for a caption: High school senior breaks under the stress when told he must write a report, worth 9/10 of his grade, called : '9,000 Things We Need to Do In Order to Save Our Forests' "
One would think. But some whose homes are burning are greenies and sierra club members....see my post #79. I'm sure they're thrilled to sacrifice their homes, livestock, lands to cleansing fires.
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