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Flames force evacuations in The Dalles (East of Portland, Oregon) By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press SPRAGUE RIVER, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon's wildfire season took a turn to the north late Thursday when the Sheldon Ridge Fire grew to 3,000 acres and forced 200 homes near The Dalles to be evacuated. The fire was reportedly a few miles southwest of the city and threatening expensive homes in the nearby hills. City firefighters from Portland were sent to the area by mandate of the Conflagration Act, which allows the governor to ask for assistance of local firefighters when wildfire resources get...

Flames force evacuations in The Dalles By ANDREW KRAMER The Associated Press 7/27/02 3:27 AM THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) -- A contingent of 125 Oregon National Guard troops headed for the Columbia River Gorge Saturday to help fight a 6,000-acre wildfire threatening 270 homes. The Sheldon Ridge fire spewed smoke over The Dalles and burned to within a few feet of some homes perched on the hillsides, some with dramatic views of the river and Mount Hood. Firefighters parked their red and yellow engines in driveways with lights flashing and prepared to fight house to house if the fire picked...

Uncontrolled wildfires destroying tens of thousands of acres of pristine forestland in southern Oregon and threatening scores of homes, farms and ranches are now raging very close to WorldNetDaily's secluded corporate headquarters, forcing evacuation of all personnel and vital equipment. The so-called "Florence" fire, ignited by lightning almost two weeks ago, has already consumed over 18,000 acres of tinder-dry forest and remains totally uncontained despite the efforts of 500 firefighters. "Our primary concern right now is for the safety of our employees and their fight to save their own homes," said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily....

Florence, Sour Biscuit Fires Merge 08/08/2002 By KGW and AP Staff Shifting winds helped merge the Florence and Sour Biscuit Fires, creating a megafire that appeared to be heading back towards the southern Oregon hamlet of Agness. The Florence and Sour Biscuit fires have burned more than 285,000 acres on the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon and California since lightning struck July 13. Florence was 10 percent contained and Sour Biscuit 30 percent, authorities said. The threat to the 17,000 residents of the Illinois Valley diminished as crews burned out the last of a 40-mile containment line protecting O'Brien,...

Forest Service Chief Calls for Controlled Burns 08/09/2002 By JEFF BARNARD, Associated Press Writer U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth toured the Florence Fire Thursday and said it is imperative to thin national forests and restore the natural role of fire in the ecosystem. Bosworth said he wanted a firsthand look at the largest active wildfire in the nation, to see how well the national firefighting effort is dealing with what could become the worst wildfire season in history. "The most important thing we can do in a good part of the West is doing some thinning and reintroduce fire...

August 10, 2002 Florence fire jumps lines, makes tracks for Brookings By PAUL FATTIG Medford Florence fire jumps lines, makes tracks for Brookings Mail Tribune The dog days of August continue to hound firefighters battling the southern flank of the 331,375-acre Florence fire. As temperatures rise, residents in the hamlet of Wilderness Retreat along the Chetco River more than a half-dozen miles east of Brookings have been warned to evacuate on a moment’s notice if the fire flares up along its southwest flank. However, the fire is about three and a half miles from the scattered homes and as of...

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...

Fires burning across Oregon The Associated Press 8/15/02 1:45 AM Major wildfires are burning on about 479,000 acres in Oregon on Tuesday. About 9,400 firefighters are working in the state. The Northwest Interagency Communication Center is tracking five major fires in Oregon. Top priorities for fire officials Wednesday were the Biscuit fire, covering 390,276 acres, and the 44,880-acre Tiller Complex, and the 136-acre Hemlock fire. BISCUIT FIRE (formerly called Florence Fire; name changed on 8/11/02) Started: Florence fire started 26 miles west of Grant Pass, 07/13/02; Sour Biscuit started 17 miles southwest of Cave Junction. Size: 390,276 acres. Containment: 26...

More From The Oregonian Homes south of Agness get orders to evacuate 08/16/02 R. GREGORY NOKES The Curry County sheriff gave evacuation notices to residents of 30 homes three miles south of Agness late Thursday evening as the Biscuit fire continued its rapid spread north. The fire came within three-fourths of a mile of the Oak Flats and Spud Road areas near Agness, a community of 150 along the Rogue River, said Dick Fleishman, a fire information officer. Officials decided to give evacuation notices in the area while it was still light out. They did not include Agness, which remains...

Coastal air helps slow advance of western flank of Biscuit Fire, giving residents hope By JEFF BARNARD, The Associated Press, 8/14/02 3:44 AM BROOKINGS, Ore. -- Hot weather made life miserable for firefighters on the eastern flanks of the Biscuit fire, but moist marine air on the western side helped a small outback subdivision under an evacuation advisory. "I don't think it will get here," Incident Commander Kim Martin said Tuesday while briefing a dozen residents of the Wilderness Retreat subdivision, located about 12 miles east of Brookings on the Chetco River. They stood in the shade of some fir...

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...

Oregon's largest wildfire in more than a century threatened power lines feeding several Northern California towns yesterday as crews tried to stop a slow creep along its southeastern flank. Hand crews had created three or four fire lines in front of the advancing flames west of O'Brien, but said they would have to ask Pacific Power to shut down the power lines if the wildfire got too close. When carbon-rich smoke thickens around the cables, it can cause the electricity from the lines to arc, endangering firefighters. Turning off the power would put the California towns of Gasquet, Hiouchi and...

Hot, dry weather concerns Oregon firefighters The Associated Press 8/12/02 10:28 AM Firefighters battling the giant lightning-caused Biscuit fire in southern Oregon and northern California watched nervously Monday as hot, dry and windy conditions moved into the fire zone. A new fire, this one human caused, sprang up Sunday in eastern Oregon. "This one has potential. If we don't catch it today, it's going to be a biggie," said David Widmark, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland. The new fire, named the Bald Green Butte fire, was burning on 100 acres near a Ponderosa forest and rugged...

Grants Pass- U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth said thinning national forests and restoring the natural role of fire in the ecosystem should be made top priority after he toured the largest active wildfire in the nation.The Florence Fire was threatening to become the largest wildfire in state history after expanding to 308,000 acres on the Siskiyou National Forest and adjoining lands in southwestern Oregon and Northern California.The largest wildfire in Oregon was the Tillamook Fire in 1933 which burned 311,000 in the northwest corner of the state.The threat to 17,000 people of the Illinois Valley has eased, but the...

Agness residents receive evacuation warning By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press 8/7/02 2:01 AM GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- The Curry County sheriff on Tuesday warned residents of more than 220 homes around the white-water rafting community of Agness to be ready to evacuate in case the Florence Fire moves closer. Firefighters and deputies began going house to house through the settlements of Agness, Illahe, and Oak Flat, located at the confluence of the Rogue and Illinois rivers within three to six miles of the northern flank of the Florence Fire. "If we come talk to you a second time,...

Wildfire News/Oregon Cool weather is two-edged sword on Florence and Sour Biscuit Fires By JEFF BARNARD, The Associated Press, 8/6/02 3:17 AM CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) -- Cool and humid weather that has kept a lid on the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires prevented crews from fire-hardening the southern end of the 40-mile containment line protecting the Illinois Valley. "It's a two-edged sword," said Mike Lohrey, incident commander on the eastern front of the fires that have burned a combined 275,000 acres of the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon said Monday. A few drops of rain fell on the...

Introduction: Through an e-mail sent last December to HELM Harbor, HELM's e-mail list, I learned that the Bryant children had been placed into the custody of DSS. This news was totally unexpected, and I was stunned. What I learned about this situation has deepened my concern for the increasing forcible restraint of parental rights. Home educators have a responsibility to act in support for the Bryants and others waging battle in the front lines. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Bryant family continues a five-year-old court battle which, though located on the battleground of homeschooling, is part of the much...

Fire Fight Hampered by Cooler Weather 08/05/2002 By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Firefighters trying to get a line around the massive Florence Fire hoped for rain Monday, but said they were nevertheless making good progress on corralling the blaze with a 200-mile containment line starting at the California border. The 240,000-acre fire, located in the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon, increased Sunday by more than 40,000 acres from burnouts alone, said Tom Valluzzi, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. Burnouts are fires that are intentionally set behind dirt containment lines by crews hoping to rob the main blaze of...

NW Cable News August 5, 2002 Fire threat drops in southern Oregon 08/05/2002 CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. - Cooler, humid weather both helped and hampered fire crews Sunday as they worked round the clock to get an upper hand on the Florence fire. Low winds, temperatures in the 70s and high humidity meant the fire was not active and had not grown significantly. But the wet weather was also preventing crews from starting burnouts, or planned fires used to starve the main blaze of its fuel. "Even though this is slowing the fire, it's still hurting what we do," said Tom...

The following is a transcribed portion of an interview aired today on the Lars Larson radio program from Portland, Or., which is broadcast across the Northwest from noon to 4:00 P.M. pacific. There is little I can add to his exchange with the executive vice-president of a company that supplies helicopter service to the US Forest service to show the inept and dangerous policies of this bureaucracy. Please bring these disclosures to your congress people’s attention and demand the policy of silence and media blackout practiced by the Forest Service and environmental groups stop. Our homes, forests and lives are...