Oregon Firefighters get no help from the weather

Oregon Firefighters get no help from the weather By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press 8/13/02 3:25 AM

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- Dry east winds, low humidity and temperatures topping 100 degrees are giving firefighters all they can handle as the massive Biscuit Fire creeps toward several small towns.

The fire, Oregon's largest in more than a century, stood at 376,800 acres on the Siskiyou National Forest and adjoining lands in southwestern Oregon and northern California. It started July 13 from lightning that struck in the remote Kalmiopsis Wilderness.

"This week is an important week for the fire," said Susan Mathison, a Forest Service spokeswoman. "High temperatures, single-digit humidities, strong east winds -- all those contribute to an expectation of increased fire activity."

Said David Widmark, a spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center: "The next 24 to 36 hours will be a big test for the Biscuit and the Tiller fires."

Widmark said the Biscuit Fire was moving slowly toward the small communities of Agness and Wilderness Retreat.

Firefighters on Monday did manage to get a line around a spot fire that threatened a major power line serving northern California.

"I don't think we'll have any reason to turn the power off and cause any problems down in Crescent City (Calif.)," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Mike Ferris.

The spot fire had slopped over the main containment line on the southeastern flank, coming within a half-mile of two transmission lines serving 14,800 customers in Del Norte County, Calif., said Monte Mendenhall, regional community manager of Pacific Power.

Meanwhile, on the northeast flank of the fire, strong dry winds forced crews to withdraw from trying to light off a burnout operation to strengthen containment lines between Bear Camp Road and Indigo Prairie, Ferris said.

The Biscuit Fire has prevented a search for a Grants Pass man who was last seen a month ago as he hiked into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.

Two days after 32-year-old Michael Woods set out on a three-week backpacking trip, lightning sparked the 376,492-acre Biscuit Fire. The blaze has been burning since July 13 and covers an area nearly half the size of Rhode Island.

"With the fire activity, hopefully he was able to find some shelter -- a creek, river drainage, an abandoned mine," said Lt. Brian Anderson of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office.

Boy Scout officials say they consider the damage done by the fire as an opportunity to make improvements at McCaleb Ranch, a historic camp damaged two weeks ago.

The wildfire reached the ranch on July 26 and destroyed most of the camp's buildings. The fire, however, didn't touch a footbridge and low-water bridge that cross the Illinois River, so the scouts still have access to the site.

"I think we'll use this as a means to improve the facility," said Pat Fahey, Troop 23 Scoutmaster. "We've been wanting to do stuff for years. This might spur us to get something done."

Full containment for the southern flank in California was expected by Thursday. The whole fire was 25 percent contained.

"The fire isn't spreading that much," said Ferris. "It's creeping against the wind along the ridges and down the slopes, then running up the other side."

Meanwhile, a new fire erupted Sunday in eastern Oregon, about 17 miles northwest of Burns. Officials said the fire was caused by human activity.

"This one has potential. If we don't catch it today, it's going to be a biggie," Widmark said.

The new fire, named the Bald Green Butte fire, was burning near a Ponderosa pine forest and rugged terrain.

You should post a personal vanity under this title: It's the Pseudosemineoconservatives that really get under my skin! Then just have "Your comments please!" Then set back and laugh as the battles commence!:)

LMAO!

I bet that's all I'd have to say too. I'd be on the end of a pitchfork in no time and the 700 post thread would hardly be readable with all the "## comment removed by moderator" lines.

Check out this reply from Marsh2 from another thread.

One of my fire chief friends was telling me this evening that he is forbidden from fighting wildland fires that start in the New Cascade Siskiyou Monument. He is not permitted to use any mechanized equipment, so the fire grows to 300 feet high by the time it crosses the monument border so he can start to fight it and protect local homes and property. He said that last year a tree was struck by lightning. It burned like a Roman candle. They called the BLM Medford for permission to take a chain saw in and knock it down. The BLM said they had to wait until their expert came out and inspected it. It took two days for the guy to come out and by that time, 7 fires had been started.

Just returned from Crater Lake; truley one of the natural wonders of the world. Although I didn't treat it as a "Druid Cathedral (Thanks Gramps)" like many granola crunchers, I was impressed once again. The rim drive is open & the panoramas cannot be touched.

Amazingly the basin and the crater are incredibly clear today - first time in awhile. From the west rim drive at seven thousand feet, looking east, you can see huge plumes of smoke from the Tiller complex fire. 40 thousand acres of beautiful forests in the Rogue/South Umpqua divide are raging. You can see the smoke layer forming a thousand feet above the fire and hang there.

Aunt B - Medford looked pretty clear today also - hot as blazes though. 95 in Klamath/ 10? in Medford??

Same date and time but different information: Information Collected @ 08/13/02 @ 6 a.m. PST Location: 26 miles southwest of Grants Pass Lat: 42° 24' 46" Long: 123° 52' 14" Date of Origin: 7/13/02, reported at 12 AM Size: 378,865 acres Cause: Lightning Contained: 26% Containment Date: None Estimated Structures Threatened: Residences: 4,019 Structures Lost: Residences: 4 Commercial: 250 Outbuildings: 8 Resources Threatened: Towns of Cave Junction, Kerby, Selmac, Agness, Gardner Ranch, Brookings and adjacent areas; private inholdings east of McCaleb Ranch; powerline serving Gasquet, Hiouchi, Crescent City, and Klamath; industrial timberlands; Late Successional Reserves; T&E fish, plants and animals; Illinois, Rogue, Smith National Wild and Scenic River, Timberlands, North Fork Smith Botanical Area, Port Orford Cedars Personnel Assigned: 6,383 personnel Injuries: 2 broken ankles, 1 bee sting reaction Equipment Assigned: Crews - Type II: 130; Crews - Type I: 49; Camp Crews: 22 Helicopters: Type I: 15; Type II: 12; Type III:13 Engines: 202 Dozers: 120 Cost to Date: $52,450,000 Fire Behavior: Zone I: The fire continues to advance up Indigo Creek at the north end. It is predicted to reach the Bear Camp Road no earlier than Sunday, August18, 2002. Interior islands burning actively. Heat leaves the brush fuels quickly. Slop-over in Division K cooling quickly. Zone 2: The fire activity was low along the fire perimeter, due to containment lines keeping the fire from getting into new fuel sources. Fire observed today was smoldering with moderate activity, torching within the unburned interior. Zone 3: The fire continued to back down-slope on the west with some torching and short runs. Smoke is hampering visibility along the fireline. Zone 4: Extreme fire behavior throughout the day, Low humidities and winds cause significant spotting Current Weather Conditions: Tuesday Wind Speed: 5-12MPH Wind Direction: Variable Temperature: 88-99° Relative Humidity: 14-20% Biscuit Fire Public Meetings The Incident management teams from Zones 3 of the Biscuit Fire will hold a public meeting Tuesday evening, August 13 at 7 p.m. in Pistol River for area citizens. The meeting will feature fire status updates, general fire information and maps of the fire . Zone 3 (Southwest) - Great Basin National Incident Management Team (Martin) Tuesday, August 13, 2002 Pistol River Area Fellowship Hall Pistol River, Oregon 7 p.m.

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