Free Republic

YUCCA VALLEY – It was an eerie scene, one that could have been lifted straight from an old Western movie: Dozens of buildings in historic Pioneertown were reduced to piles of twisted rubble and ash by a wildfire that had roared through the desert town. But, amazingly enough, the buildings that made the town famous, old western-style saloons and storefronts that once were props for movie cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, were spared by the flames. When the smoke cleared Wednesday, authorities counted some 30 Pioneertown-area buildings destroyed by the blaze. Not among them, however, were local institutions...

Haines Index Map - Higher Haines means fire growth tends to be stronger: Fuel Dryness:  Tells you how likely things are to burn if a fire gets started: INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2006 – 0530 MDT NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL 3 CURRENT SITUATION: Initial attack activity was moderate nationally with 221 new fires reported.  Eight new large fires (*) were reported, four in the Eastern Great Basin Area and one each in the Southern California, Western Great Basin, Northern Rockies, and Southern Areas  Seven large fires were contained, two in Eastern Great Basin Area and one each...