HomeMy Public PortalAboutFires - Forest II (1994)The Idaho Statesman Circa 1994
Fire analysts
examine the
nature of
the beast
By David Foster
The, Associated Press
ENTIAT, Wash. — It crawls.
It walks. It lies down at night,
then awakens by day to run
through the woods. When Bob
Walker describes the biggest
wildfire in the West, there's a
reason it sounds like a living
thing.
"It IS a living thing," said
Walker, a fire behavior analyst
who takes the pulse of the beast
each day, seeking clues to a
question on the mind of every-
one here: Where will the fire go
next?
The answer is critical. Across
the West, heat and drought have
produced some of the most vola-
tile fire behavior ever observed
— from a wind - whipped blaze in
Colorado that killed 14 fire-
fighters to a cluster of fast -
spreading fires in Washington
that have charred more than
190,000 acres in two weeks.
What determines whether a
wildfire will creep along the for-
est floor or explode into the tree-
tops? Why does it spare one can-
yon, only to fill the next with a
firestorm of 200 -foot flames?
It is Walker's job to know. As
one of the 50 fire behavior ana-
lysts assigned to the West's
wildfires, he rises each day be-
fore dawn and falls back into his
tent around midnight, tracking
the weather and the fire to make
the dangerous work of firefight-
ing a little safer.
He uses sophisticated comput-
er models and detailed weather
forecasts. But this week, as
Walker drove up the smoke -
filled Entiat River valley on a
scouting mission, no high -tech
gadgetry was needed to see the
severity of the Tyee Fire, which
has burned more than 116,000
acres across the eastern slopes
of the Cascade Range. It is the
biggest of dozens of fires burn-
ing in the West.
Along one half -mile stretch,
200 -foot flames had roared down
from the ridge, turning trees
into charred poles, leveling
houses.
One witness saw a whole tree
sucked up into the clouds, twirl-
ing in a tornado of flame. Others
saw a flame tornado turned on
its side by the wind, performing
barrel rolls across the treetops.
Walker calls that a horizontal -
roll vortex. Those who saw it
called it terrifying.
"It was pandemonium here,"
Walker said. "This is some in-
credible fire behavior we're
seeing."
Farther up the road, on a
ridge the fire had not yet.
reached, Walker stared at a line
of flame creeping across the can-
yon wall. The wind was relative-
ly calm, the temperature was 92,
and smoke billowed high in a
brown column.
This kind of fire, known as a
Plume-dominated fire, worries
wildfire experts even more than
high winds. Wind, at least, fans
flames in a predictable direc-
tion. A plume - dominated fire fol-
lows the fuel, pulsing out any-
where it finds dry vegetation,
creating its own erratic winds.
Experts have just begun to
understand the phenomenon,
learning since 1989 that plume
development often can be pre-
dicted by low humidity, high
temperature and atmospheric in-
stability.
Long Valley Advocate 3/16/94
March 16, 1994
Payette Forest records first fire of season
MCCALL — The Payette National Forest record-
ed its first fire of the season last week with Wednesday's
Pine Hurst Fire, which was contained by Wednesday
evening and declared out Monday morning.
Jeff Luff, fire management officer for the New
Meadows Ranger District, said such an early season
fire is not unusual given the location, about 15 miles
north of New Meadows west of U.S. Highway 95
in terrain that is presently in transition.
He said the snow has melted and the dead vege-
tation from last year has dried, and new vegetation
has yet to green up. That makes for conditions in
which such a fire can get started, he said.
The fire burned on private property and was
sparked by an ember that escaped from a slash fire
when winds picked up, he said.
It isn't unusual for New Meadows to still have
snow on the ground and and things to be dry enough
for a fire down along the Little Salmon River at lower
elevations.
The fire was contained at about 3.5 acres by about
22 firefighters from the Forest Service and 9 fire-
men from the Salmon River Rural Fire Department.
He said a half -dozen of the Forest Service fire-
fighters were McCall -based smokejumpers, some
were from the Salmon River District office at Riggins
and the bulk were from the New Meadows Ranger
District. The rural firemen were on the scene to pro-
vide structure protection, he said.
Luff said that people doing yard cleanup need to
be cautious about what and how they're burning for
the time being. And they particularly need to pay
attention to what the winds are doing.
But it's too soon to tell what the early fire might
indicate for the coming summer in terms of forest
fire potential, he said.
With precipitation amounts that are running about
50 percent of normal, he said the potential exists for
a bad summer fire season.
"It's a little early to tell, but from the, eyjdence
we have now it seems like it could be a little worse
than normal," he said.
The Idaho Statesman 6/13/94 Page #1 of 2 Pages
Weather
hinders
the fire
battle
High temperatures expected
to make bad situation worse
By Martin S. Johncox
The Idaho Statesman,
and the Associated Press
Crews fighting more than 50,000 acres of wild-
fires in the Payette National Forest can't look
to the weather for any help in the next several
days.
"Temperature -wise, it's going to be hot, and
any precipitation in the fire area is probably
5 going to be very light," said Jim Shadwick with
the National Weather Service in Boise.
High temperatures in west - central Idaho are
expected to be 88 today and 90 Sunday, and stay
"`_
about there through at least Wednesday.
`
That's bad news for fire officials, who fear the
30,000 -acre Corral blaze could sweep through
the mountain resort communities of Burgdorf
Hot Springs and Secesh as early as this
weekend.
I
,
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,
a.. t
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y
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^2s
Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman
At left: Greg Bray, right, and Jeff Andrews, both
Prescott, Ariz., Hot Shots, watch as fire erupts
.
._ Friday near Yockwah Creek north of McCall.
Andrews and Bray intentionally set a fire to burn
away fuel between the main fire and the control
lines. Above: Kelly Mayfield of Bend, Ore.,
sprays foam on the control line as the burnout
fire rages behind him.
The Idaho Statesman 6/13/94 Page #2 of 2 Pages
The Corral Fire, started Aug.
2, didn't move any closer to
Burgdorf on Friday. But Payette
National Forest Supervisor
Dave Alexander told reporters
in Boise there's little fire-
fighters can do to stop its
advance.
Forest officials have kept
crews from the path of the fire
because of its unpredictability.
Efforts to protect the two com-
munities intensified Friday.
Crews went through both Burg -
dorf and Secesh, removing
woodpiles from near buildings,
cutting away overhanging tree
branches and clearing paths so
firefighters could get to build-
ings if necessary. Propane tanks
were removed. Crews also
sprayed fire- retarding foam and
water on the dozen or so old
buildings at Burgdorf.
Fire officials brought in high -
level fire prediction teams and
concluded that in the worst
case, the separate Corral and
Blackwell fires would burn to-
gether, covering 425,000 acres.
That would be more than 700
square miles, or more than half
the size of the state of Rhode
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Designated closure of Probable directions of
Payette rational Forest fires and the dates
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FIRE
II Payeile
Lake
Island. The Blackwell fire com-
plex is estimated at 21,300 acres,
and it is less than 4 percent
contained.
But some say it's good the
fires are burning, especially in
the sparsely inhabited French
Creek area.
"The result will be a flourish-
ing of fish and wildlife habitat.
Structures-
Lick Creek
Road
N
Krassel 5
struciurea
- - --- — -- — -..— Niles.
New meadows will appear,
which have been disappearing
since the 1950s," said Ron
Mitchell, executive director of
the Idaho Sporting Congress.
"We were scared to death they
were going to go into this area
with heavy equipment and fu-
tilely try to put out the fire,"
Mitchell said. "This fire will
Chronology of Payette forest fire events
Aug. 2: Lightning strikes start fires near Twin Lakes,
northwest of McCall. Two hours later, smokejumpers at-
tack one, dubbed the Corral Fire. The other, farther north,
is named the Warm Springs Fire.
Aug. 3: Another lightning storm starts the Blackwell
Fire, near Blackwell Lake, northeast of McCall; it spreads
to 30 acres within minutes. Corral Fire: 114 acre; Black-
well Fire: 30 acres
Aug. 4: Type 1 and 2 management teams are called to
the Blackwell and Corral fires, respectively. Corral Fire
crosses Goose Lake Road; Hazard Lake campground is
evacuated. Another blaze flares up, north of the Black-
well Fire. It is named the Brush Creek Fire.
Aug. 5: Meeting warns Camp Idaho Haven -area resi-
dents of danger, possible evacuation. Corral Fire crosses
Goose Lake Road again. Corral Complex: 1,200 acres;
Blackwell Complex: 4,200 acres
Aug. 6: Type 1 management team takes over Corral
Complex. Mountain Man Rendezvous evacuated from
Sater Meadows; Granite Lake Trail closed.
Aug. 7: Brush Creek Fire expands north of Blackwell
Fire; the two are considered one complex.
Aug. 9: Corral Complex grows from 12,000 to 32,000
acres, burns to within 6 miles of Salmon River. Corral
Complex: 32,000 acres; Blackwell Complex: 10,400 acrees
Aug. 10: Area along Warren Wagon Road considered
endangered. People in Burgdorf, Secesh, Warren and
along the Salmon River advised to leave. Corral Com-
plex: 29,000 acres; Blackwell Complex: 17,000 acres
The Idaho Statesman 6/19/94
Firefighters to
start learning
heli- rappelling
MCCALL — Payette National
Forest firefighters start training
Monday in a new technique:
heli- rappelling.
They will drop down a 250 -foot
rope from a hovering helicopter,
using a tensioning device called
a sky genie, to fight fires in very
dense forests or land with steep,
rocky terrain, where a helicop-
ter is unable to land. Once on
the ground, they will use tradi-
tional methods to fight fires.
The 26 firefighters start train-
ing Monday at the Krassel
Guard Station along the South
Fork Salmon River Road. Train-
ing will start from towers, then
progress to actual drops from
helicopters.
Merrill Saleen, forest fire offi-
cer, said all trainees have expe-
rience with helicopters and the
emphasis in training will be on
safety.
The Idaho Statesman 6/22/94
Smokejumpers battle fires
believed set by lightning
Eighteen smokejumpers are
fighting four small fires in the
Frank Church -River of No Re-
turn Wilderness, Payette Na-
tional Forest officials said
Tuesday.
June 14 lightning strikes are
the suspected cause of the fires, .
42 miles east of McCall, in the
Chicken Peak area. Fire look-
outs spotted the blaies, on
Monday.
The smokejumperS� were para-
chuted into the mountainous
area to battle the blazes, which
had burned a total of 3 to 5 acres
by late Tuesday.
Forest officials said fires at
this altitude, this early in the
season, are rare because the
area usually is still wet from
Statesman June 26, 1994
Hot fire burns 10 acres in
McCall wilderness area
Moisture already
down to August
levels, ranger says
The Associated Press
MCCALL — Twenty smoke
jumpers were sent Saturday to
battle a hot - burning 10 -acre fire
in the Frank Church -River of
No Return Wilderness Area.
Payette National Forest offi-
cials said another 20- person
crew was dispatched to the
blaze, 54 miles north - northeast
of McCall on McCalla Creek. It
apparently was started by light-
ning on Friday, but high winds
prevented smoke jumpers from
reaching the fire until Sat-
urday.
Krassel District Ranger Fred
Dauber flew over the blaze Sat-
urday and said it was burning in
a pocket of spruce and fir sur-
rounded by lodgepole pine. The
blaze was burning in the general
direction of Root Ranch six
miles away.
Dauber said the fire was un-
usually aggressive for June.
Normally, moisture keeps mate-
rial from burning rapidly, but
this year moisture is at mid- to
late- August levels.
Eight smoke jumpers also
were mopping up the Bar Creek
fire, started by lightning earlier
in the week. The firefighters
probably will be demobilized on
Monday.
In all, seven fires — but total-
ing only 13 acres — were report-
ed on the Payette National For-
est this week.
In a normal year, most of the
wilderness fires would be al-
lowed to burn naturally, Fire
Management Officer Rick Bel
nap said. Extreme fire condi-
tions this year require quick re-
sponse to fires.
If larger fires ignite this sum-
mer, priorities will change.
"But up until that point, we're
still going to try to corral
them," he said.
The Idaho Statesman 7/7/94
Firecrackers blamed for blaze
A human caused a fire that
burned 70 acres in the Hells
Canyon area of the Payette
Forest, 30 miles northwest of
McCall.
Susan Reinhard, public af-
fairs officer for the Payette
National Forest, said the fire
started Monday afternoon at
the bottom of the canyon and
continued uphill before it was
put out Tuesday night.
Four smokejumpers were
dropped, and an air tanker
dropped two loads of fire re-
tardant chemicals Monday. A
group of 20 firefighters put
the rest of the blaze out
Tuesday.
Officials are still investi-
gating the specific cause of
the fire, Reinhard said, but,
firecrackers are suspected. '
Wednesday morning show-
ers helped crews extinguish
three brush fires burning in
Southeast Idaho since Tues-
day. One fire, east of Fort
Hall Indian Reservation, was
about 7,000 acres. Two other
fires were in Hamer, one of
100 and the other of 500 acres.
Lightning set these two fires
Tuesday afternoon. The Fort
Hall fire is still being investi-
gated.
Statesman paage 1of4 July 9, 1994
Idaho firefighters say
friend died a hero
A smoke jumper from the McCall unit gets embraced by a co- worker after leaving a Forest Service plane
that brought him and 16 other smoke jumpers back to Idaho after fighting the Colorado wildfires. Two men
from their unit, Roger Roth of McCall and Jim Thrash of New Meadows, died in a Colorado fire.
Statesman page 2 of 4 July 9, 1994
by Karen Bossick
The Idaho Statesman
McCALL — A New Meadows
man who died in a Colorado
firestorm Wednesday probably
lost his life trying to help other
smoke jumpers escape.
Two firefighters at the site say
they believe Jim Thrash may
have been helping several fire-
fighters ascend a steep, rocky
hill when the fire suddenly
roared toward them. Fourteen
firefighters died.
"Thrash was an excellent hik-
er and could outrun me any
day," said Ken Meyers, 38, of
McCall. "My impression is he
was not going for himself. I real-
The Associarea rress
Montana firefighter Lonnie Stewart, battling the blaze near Glen-
wood Springs, Colo., takes a break from the fire line Friday.
91 1 q,-t
ly believe he was driving the
other people out. He was en-
couraging the others."
Thrash, 44, and Roger Roth,
another smoke jumper stationed
at the Payette National Forest
Smokejumper Base in McCall,
died in the Storm King Moun-
tain fire near Glenwood Springs,
Colo.
Seventeen of their colleagues
made a somber return to McCall
about 1 p.m. Friday after being
See Fire /8A
Fire still
out of control
The 2,430 -acre Storm King
Mountain fire burned out of
control Friday but was ex-
pected to be contained by to-
night, federal fire command
spokesman Tony Svatos
said.
A fire line had been built . �<
around about 40 percent of
the fire.
On 8A and 9A
McCall and Prineville, .°
Ore., mourn the firefighting �
deaths.
__ 1
What happened in the Storm King Mountain fire Winds shift, pushing R;
in Colorado, according to McCall smoke jumpers ., : fire over ridge and
Ken Meyers and Brad Sanders. downslope toward -,
Spur Ridge firefighters.
Eleven firefighters escape by
jumping over ridge and sliding
down a steep drainage crevice.
One man
found in V
fetal
position. /
.r
440
-1 -1
2 -foot V
trench
dug for
fire break.
Five firefighters ;
found, including
Roger Roth, Three
James Thrash, firefighters
and two women. j found.
J
Mike Cooper and
Mike Feliciano
climb inside their
fire shelters. They
survive.
Statesman page 3 of 4 July 9, 1994
Families of fire victims mourn
Thrash's interview
of five years ago
proved prophetic
By Karen Bossick
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — "Probably the
most important thing out there
is that you never want to come
down to your last option," New
Meadows smoke jumper Jim
Thrash told Playboy magazine
five years ago.
Thrash met up with his last
option Wednesday on a smoke -
choked mountainside near Glen-
wood Springs, Colo.
Fellow smoke jumpers and
their families silently mourned
his death and that of fellow
smoke jumper Roger Roth in a
somber reunion Friday on the
runway outside the Payette Na-
tional Forest Smokejumper
Base.
Seventeen of Thrash's surviv-
ing colleagues flew home from
Glenwood Springs, Colo., where
Thrash and Roth died fighting a
lightning- sparked fire. Other
base members flew in from fires
in Utah and Arizona.
A few dozen family members
and friends waited tensely and
quietly for the white Forest Ser-
vice planes trimmed in reddish -
orange and black. As the smoke
jumpers left the plane, welcom-
ers hesitated. Then one man
broke the ice by clasping the
hand of one of the firefighters.
One woman hugged her hus-
band for three minutes, as her
husband patted her reassuringly
on her back. A child sat wiping
his wet eyes in the shade of the
equipment room.
The smoke jumpers were
pulled off the
fires and
brought back
to the base
for one -on-
one and
group coun-
seling ses-
sions to help
them get over
the trauma.
Jack Seagraves
together
Smoke jumpers from around
the nation have started arriving
to express their condolences to
Thrash's widow and two school -
age children.
Jack Seagraves, a smoke
jumper who will turn 52 in a few
days, spent Thursday working
outside, where he could be alone
with his thoughts. He would
have been working on the fire
had he known how to work his
new cellular phone, he says.
By missing a call, he missed
the flight out. Instead, he spent
the day checking the base's op-
erations board. One by one, each
man was accounted for except
for Thrash and Roth.
"I'm almost embarrassed to
say that I felt relief when we
found there were only two, be-
cause at one time we felt there
could be a dozen," he said.
Seagraves considers both men
like family. Most smoke jumpers
share such feelings, he says, be-
cause they're an elite group, num-
bering only about 400 nationwide.
"I'm sure we will work this
out as a family," Seagraves said.
Smoke jumpers already had
started doing that on planes
back to McCall on Friday.
"We started joking about
Thrash, how he enjoyed riling
people up and baiting them into
arguments," smoke jumper Brad
Sanders said. "And we won-
dered: Who was going to fix our
cars back, as Roth had."
Thrash, a smoke jumper for 15
years, told a Playboy interview-
er that a common thread among
smoke jumpers is their love for
adventure. They're adrenaline
freaks, he said, who are willing
to risk their limbs landing in a
100 - foot -tall Ponderosa pine and
fight 200 mph cyclonic winds
and fire so hot it could burn
your skin from 100 feet away.
"Smoke jumpers are pretty
much expected to be tougher than
a two - dollar steak," Thrash said.
Despite the risk they take,
smoke jumpers prefer to think
death can't happen to them.
The average age of a smoke
jumper in McCall is 35, they
point out. Twenty of the 70 are
over 40.
Seagraves and others said
they'd never known another
smoke jumper to have to deploy
his fire shelter, before Wednes-
day's firestorm.
Troy Maben /The Idaho Statesman
A smoke jumper from McCall
weeps as he and other fellow
smoke jumpers arrive back at
the smoke jumper base from
Colorado on Friday after learn-
ing of the deaths.
Roger Roth
Statesman page 4of 4 July 9,1994
pulled off the Storm King Moun-
tain fire. They were joined by
other McCall firefighters who
had been fighting blazes else -
where to attend counseling ses-
sions to help them deal with the
trauma of losing their friends.
Meyers and
Brad Sanders,
also of Mc-
Call, arrived
on the Colora-
do site about 1
the time the M
blhze went on
its rampage.
Together,'
the two Ken Meyers
smoke
jumpers tried
to: piece to-
gather what
happened,
based on their
observations"
aiad others'
accounts.
As their bus
drove into a
subdivision Brad Sanders
near the fire, they could see that
several firefighters had wrapped
their silver aluminum fire shel-
ters around them for protection.
That group included Mike Coo-
per and Mike Feliciano, two
sriioke jumpers stationed in
McCall.
Eleven other firefighters were
diving over the ridge and scram -
bltng to Interstate 70 below.
;There was a lot of confusion,"
Sanders recalled. "We heard
some people were missing, and we
krtaew a few of our men were
among them."
dust before the disaster, Thrash
and Roth were building a fire line
orf a hillside covered with 8 -foot-
tall oak brush alongside a group
of* firefighters from Prineville,
Oise. The firefighters had dug a
fire line down the hill and then
oat to the side, following the con -
tottr of the land. At the time of
their death, they were widening it
to•better contain the fire.
The fire, which had been burn -
ing since lightning struck the
area on Monday, hadn't been par-
ticularly hot. In fact, Cooper and
Feaiciano had stopped for a half-
hour lunch break just a short
time before the tragedy.
But that was before a thunder-
cell — an isolated towering cu-
mrtlus cloud characterized by up-
drafts, downdrafts and strong,
erratic winds — fanned the
flames into an explosive fire -
storm.
Jim Thrash
Cooper told Meyers that he saw
Thrash and Roth working a few
hundred feet down the path from
the ridge he was sitting on. About
that time, Don Mackey, a fire-
fighter based in Missoula, Mont.,
pwnted to the top of the ridge and
told Cooper and Feliciano, "Get
out of here." Then Mackey head -
edt. toward where Thrash and
Rdth were, presumably to give
them the same warning.
Cooper and Feliciano scurried
up, a blackened escape route
akjng a rocky steep slope of pin -
iori juniper. They followed a trail
of ",chain saws and shovels other
firefighters had discarded as they
fle,H to safety.
But there wasn't time to reach
the top. Trapped by fire, the two
ripped out their three -pound alu-
mi�um fire shelters, designed to
resist temperatures as high as 810
degrees. Brushing burning em-
bers off the ground below them,
they pulled the pup tent -like shel-
ters around them and lay on the
ground.
Cooper estimates he lay in his
for 90 minutes, until the danger
had subsided enough to allow him
to climb to the top of the ridge. It
was there he learned of his two
friends' deaths.
"Cooper said he last saw
Thrash at the back of the pack,
following the fire line they had
built," Meyers said.
What is believed to be Thrash's
body wound up in a cluster of five
bodies less than 100 feet from the
top of the ridge — and safety.
Thrash had a fire shelter pulled
around him, which one smoke
jumper saw him unfolding as he
ran. A female firefighter lay un-
der one side of it.
The group of five, which includ-
ed Roth, had three shelters for
protection.
C�u � 4
Meyers and Sanders speculate
that Thrash and Roth made a
sprint for safety past six fire-
fighters who ended up further
down the hill as they realized the
severity of the fire.
The body of another firefighter
was found 20 feet from the top,
frozen into a fetal position. His
fire shelter was still folded.
"I think he thought he was
going to make it, and the blast
knocked him down," said Meyers
of the blowout which some ob-
servers said looked like the mush-
room cloud of an atomic bomb
explosion.
Mackey, who issued the warn-
ing, was found among the dead.
He died a day before his daugh-
ter's sixth birthday.
Meyers and Sanders question
whether the firefighters at the
site had an adequate safety route.
One of the first things smoke
jumpers do when they arrive on
the scene of a fire is look for such
a route.
It's just like baseball," Meyers
said. "You take a lead from the
base, but you don't go out so far
you can't get back."
The path Thrash and Roth tried
to escape along was a good 11/2
miles long over loose, rolling
rock. Part of it followed a slope so
steep you could raise your arm
straight out and touch it.
"But we can't say they didn't
have a safety route, either," Mey-
ers said. "If they had it to do
again, I'm sure they probably
would have done it almost the
same way. It was just a freak
condition of nature that hap-
pened so quickly it went nuclear.
Maybe they felt they could make
it, right up to the end."
Meyers and Sanders saw the
bodies after searching for two he-
licopter personnel who weren't
found until Friday.
The tragedy has made them
contemplate their own futures.
"I always had the sense I'd be
the one who survived, that I'd
make it," Meyers said. "But Jim
was so knowledgeable. To have
him die makes me realize: If he
can die, any of us can."
To help
Memorial funds have been
set up at West One Bank for
the families of the two Mc-
Call smoke jumpers who
were killed fighting fire in
western Colorado on
Wednesday.
Contributions may be
made to the family of Jim
/ 9 IFV
Thrash into account 11 000
219 6204. Contributions for
the family of Roger Roth may
be deposited in account 11
000 219 6190.
Donations may be deposit-
ed at any West One Bank in
Idaho.
For information, contact
West One Bank at 634 -2281.
The Idaho Statesman 7/24/1994
Device gives firefighters
quick tips on lightning
By Terrilyn McCormick
The Idaho Statesman
Arid conditions and dry
lightning make a dangerous
combination across Idaho.
But technology has given
the federal Bureau of Land
Management fast informa-
tion on lightning strikes.
The Automatic Lightning
Detection System knows
when lightning hits. That in-
formation helps officials lo-
cate prime areas where fires
are likely to have begun and
aids in the quick dispatch of
firefighting forces.
"The whole idea is initial at-
tack of the fire. It's much cheap-
er to have two guys go out to an
area that could go up and fight
it before it really starts," said
Greg Pearson, a BLM lightning
detection technician.
Here's how it works: There
are several antenna receiving
stations in the state. They
pick up the electromagnetic
energy given off by lightning.
Direction finders pinpoint
the site of the strike.
During a 30- minute period
Saturday afternoon, 464 light-
ning strikes were recorded in
Idaho. That is about an aver-
age number when thunder-
storms roll across the state like
that, Carl Gorski of the Nation-
al Weather Service said.
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F o r e s t f i r e s
r a g e , b u r n i n g
l i m i t s p l a c e d .
B Y S H A R I H A M B L E T O N
T h e S t a r - N e w s
F i r e f i g h t i n g f o r c e s w e r e b e i n g
s t r e t c h e d t h i n t h i s w e e k a s t h e y t r i e d
t o c o n t r o l n u m e r o u s f o r e s t a n d r a n g e
f i r e s i g n i t e d o v e r t h e p a s t w e e k b y
b o t h d r y l i g h t i n g a n d c a m p f i r e s l e f t
u n a t t e n d e d .
T u e s d a y m a r k e d t h e f i f t h a n n i v e r -
s a r y o f t h e " B i g B u s t o f ' 8 9 , " o n e o f
t h e b i g g e s t s i n g l e d a y o c c u r r e n c e s o f
l i g h t i n g i g n i t e d f i r e s o n t h e P a y e t t e
N a t i o n a l F o r e s t . O n J u l y 2 6 , 1 9 8 9 ,
c r e w s f o u g h t t o c o n t r o l 2 4 8 f i r e s s e t
t h r o u g h o u t t h e f o r e s t .
L i g h t n i n g s t o r m s h a v e b e e n p a s s -
i n g o v e r t h e f o r e s t f o r t h e p a s t w e e k
a n d l i g h t n i n g a c t i v i t y l e v e l s a r e e x -
p e c t e d t o r e m a i n h i g h , a c c o r d i n g t o
P a y e t t e o f f i c i a l s .
A s o f W e d n e s d a y m o r n i n g , 2 2 f i r e s
i n v o l v i n g a b o u t 3 3 5 a c r e s w e r e b u r n -
i n g o n t h e f o r e s t a n d w e r e b e i n g s t a f f e d
b y 2 4 5 f i r e f i g h t e r s .
P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t
T h e l a r g e s t u n c o n t a i n e d f i r e w a s
t h e 1 7 5 - a c r e R u b y F i r e , l o c a t e d e i g h t
m i l e s e a s t o f R i g g i n s o n t h e M a i n
S a l m o n R i v e r .
T h e f i r e w a s b u r n i n g i n a s t e e p
r u g g e d d r a i n a g e a n d w a s s t a f f e d b y
1 2 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s s u p p o r t e d b y t h r e e
h e l i c o p t e r s m a k i n g w a t e r d r o p s t o a i d
f i r e f i g h t i n g e f f o r t s .
A n e n g i n e w a s s t a t i o n e d a t a r e s i -
d e n c e a t t h e m o u t h o f L a k e C r e e k
n e a r t h e f i r e t o p r o v i d e p r o t e c t i o n , i f
n e e d e d .
T w o o t h e r f i r e s o f c o n c e r n , a c -
c o r d i n g t o f o r e s t s e r v i c e o f f i c i a l s , a r e
t h e B a s c o m F i r e , 1 8 m i l e s n o r t h w e s t
o f M c C a l l , a n d t h e S t a r C r e e k F i r e , 1 1
m i l e s n o r t h w e s t o f M c C a l l . B o t h f i r e s
a r e a p p r o x i m a t e l y f i v e a c r e s i n s i z e .
S i x h e l i c o p t e r s w e r e m a k i n g w a t e r
d r o p s a n d a n a i r t a n k e r w a s d r o p p i n g
r e t a r d a n t o n t h e b l a z e s T u e s d a y .
S i x f i r e s w e r e b u r n i n g i n t h e F r a n k
C h u r c h R i v e r o f N o R e t u r n W i l d e r -
n e s s . F i v e f i r e s r e m a i n e d u n s t a f f e d
w h i l e o n e f i r e h a d t w o h e l i - r a p p e l l e r s
w o r k i n g t o c o n t a i n i t T u e s d a y , f o r e s t
o f f i c i a l s s a i d .
S o u t h e r n l u a n o
T i m b e r P r o t e c t i v e A s s o c i a t i o n
T h r e e f i r e s r e s u l t i n g f r o m e s c a p e d
c a m p f i r e s k e p t f i r e f i g h t e r s b u s y o v e r
t h e p a s t w e e k o n S I T P A p r o t e c t e d
l a n d , a c c o r d i n g t o B i l l W i l l i a m s ,
S I T P A c h i e f f i r e w a r d e n .
A b l a z e n e a r F a l l C r e e k b u r n e d a
q u a r t e r o f a n a c r e , a n d a n o t h e r n e a r
S a m s o n T r a i l c o n s u m e d a n a c r e b e -
f o r e b e i n g e x t i n g u i s h e d , W i l l i a m s
s a i d .
A f i r e n e a r G o l d F o r k , w h i c h a l s o
b u r n e d a q u a r t e r o f a n a c r e , w a s d e -
t e c t e d b y p r i v a t e i n d i v i d u a l s p i c k i n g
b e r r i e s , W i l l i a m s s a i d . A f t e r c o n t a c t -
i n g o f f i c i a l s , t h e p e o p l e r e t u r n e d t o
t h e a r e a t o f i g h t t h e f i r e s .
F i r e R e s t r i c t i o n s
F i r e r e s t r i c t i o n s w e n t i n t o a f f e c t
l a s t n i g h t a t m i d n i g h t t h r o u g h o u t m o s t
o f s o u t h e r n I d a h o o n a l l p u b l i c l a n d s
s o u t h o f t h e m a i n S a l m o n R i v e r a c -
c o r d i n g t o a j o i n t r e l e a s e f r o m t h e
I d a h o D e p a r t m e n t o f L a n d s , F o r e s t
S e r v i c e a n d B u r e a u o f L a n d M a n a g e -
m e n t .
S t a g e I r e s t r i c t i o n s l i m i t c a m p f i r e s
t o d e v e l o p e d c a m p s i t e s a n d s m o k i n g
t o v e h i c l e s , b u i l d i n g s , w i t h i n a d e v e l -
o p e d r e c r e a t i o n a l s i t e o r w i t h i n a t h r e e -
f o o t d i a m e t e r a r e a c l e a r e d o f a l l f l a m -
m a b l e m a t e r i a l s . F i r e s f u e l e d b y l i q -
u i d p e t r o l e u m o r p r o p a n e a r e e x -
e m p t e d .
W i l l i a m s s a i d t h e s a m e f i r e r e s t r i c -
t i o n s a p p l y f o r a l l S I T P A p r o t e c t e d
l a n d . I n a d d i t i o n , n o b u r n i n g p e r m i t s
w i l l b e i s s u e d b y S I T P A u n t i l t h e
c u r r e n t f i r e d a n g e r d i m i n i s h e s , h e s a i d .
D u e t o h o t w e a t h e r a n d e x t r e m e l y
d r y c o n d i t i o n s , f i r e s w i l l b e p e r m i t t e d
o n l y i n d e s i g n a t e d g r i l l s a t t h e N o r t h
B e a c h U n i t o f P o n d e r o s a S t a t e P a r k
b e g i n n i n g t o d a y .
T h e s e r e s t r i c t i o n s a r e i n e f f e c t u n -
t i l f u r t h e r n o t i c e . T h e f i r e d a n g e r i s
e x t r e m e l y h i g h a n d c o o p e r a t i o n b y
c a m p e r s i s e s s e n t i a l .
-tn e Ala �'�a��1�ta�r 7128/'�'
Blaze by Salmon River
roars out of control
Statesman staff
and The Associated Press
Fire bosses poured more
manpower into the Salmon
River canyon 8 miles east of
Riggins on Wednesday as
heat and wind kept the Ruby
Fire burning out of control.
More wind and dry light-
ning were .predicted for to-
day. The fire had spread to
about 200 acres, despite ef-
forts of 126 firefighters.
Four more 20- person crews
were sent eight miles up-
stream to push the firefight-
ing corps to more than 200 on
the blaze that has charred 200
acres on the canyon's steep,
rugged south side.
Already, 22 fires burned in
the Payette National Forest,
marking the anniversary of
the Big Bust of '89. Lightning
ignited 248 fires in the forest
five years ago on July 26.
On Wednesday, three heli-
copters bombarded the hot-
test spots with water scooped
from the river, and a fire en-
gine was placed at the mouth
of Lake Creek to provide
some extra protection to a
residence there, should the
fire turn on it.
Land managers had no tar-
get for reining in the light-
ning- sparked fire.
But crews have contained
the other two major fires in
the river canyon in central
Idaho. The Lightning Creek
Fire complex three miles
north of Riggins was con-
tained earlier in the day at
less than 200 acres, and the
Walters Fire three miles east
of Riggins was controlled at
150 acres.
Hundreds of firefighters
were strung out through the
rest of the back country of
Western and Central Idaho,
attacking dozens of small,
lightning- ignited spot fires.
But none of those was posing
any serious threat.
Other Payette
blazes being
kept small
Shannon Paterson
I I -VA intern
MCCALL -- With [tie
Roby Fire controlled, Vonda Kirk,
a lire infiorniation specialist with
the Payette National Forest, Payette
firefighting crews are assisting
with another large fire in the
Wallowa- Whitnjan National Forest.
A crew of 20 firelighters and
12 smokejumpers are battling the
40 -acre Deep Creek Fire, which
is located in the Six Lakes Basin
of the Hells Canyon National
Recreation Area.
"We're waiting to hear if they're
going to use any fire retardant,"
said Kirk. "'Bey say it's difficult
to drop retardant into that area."
She also stated that firefight-
ers have a " goexl handle" on a one -
acre fire in the Marshall Mountain
Mining Area, south of the Salmon
River. Some retardant drops were
made and 21 people were deployed
on the fire.
Approximately 15 fires were
reported from July 30 to August
I, and most were caused by light-
ning strikes, Kirk said.
"There are about 40 people out
on all those fires. They've put out
a few, and several in the Frank
Church area are still being mon-
itored.-
The Payette National Forest
plans to enforce a Stage Two fire
restriction beginning tomorrow at
12:01 a.m. The restriction will
limit the use of chainsaws, off
roads and trails, blasting or weld-
ing equipment and any other activ-
ity that could generate flame or
flammable material. The Stage
One restriction will also remain
in effect, said Kirk.
y
Ruby Creek blaze controlled,
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
RIGGINS— Homeowner John
Reid experienced a real -life night-
mare last Tuesday night as he and
his family woke up to the sounds
of the Ruby Fire roaring towards
their home.77hey hurriedly packed
up their most important belong-
ings and escaped to Riggins for
safety.
"We've had fires near us before,
but this one is the worst," said
Reid. "It's never gotten quite so
close."
Fire crews put in three hours
of work clearing brush from Reid's
property, which lies at the mouth
of Lake Creek. Then they dug a
fire line around the perimeter and
lit a backfire which successfully
slowed the flames.
"The winds were just right,"
said Reid.
The Ruby Fire, located eight
miles east of Riggins in Box
Canyon above the Salmon River,
was classified as controlled by
Incident Commander Joe Carvelo
on Monday evening at 6 p.m. Most
of the 944 acres burned belong to
the Bureau of Land Management,
yet 225 acres were private land.
The flames also threatened Warn
Springs Resort, but no structures
were lost.
"Protection of structures and
private property is a high priori-
ty," said Pam Gardener, Public
Relations Coordinator.
Five air tankers carrying fire
retardant and seven helicopters
equipped with water buckets were
employed on the fire. Foam trucks
were also kept on standby in case
anything went wrong.
"Until the fire does something
that's not anticipated, we look like
lazy bums," said Dean Pihlstrom
of Odin Fire Service. The trucks
he and his crew use pump out a
dishsoap -type lather that chemi-
cally makes the water it is mixed
with wetter, effectively extin-
guishing a fire.
Of the 23 fire crews assigned
to the blaze, 17 were Type One
teams — the most expert and expe-
rienced of all firefighting crews.
"These teams are not just for-
est service people," said Forest
Supervisor Dave Alexander. "It's
the skills they carry that get them
on the learn." He added that Type
One teams handle a variety of jobs
including oil spill, hurricane, earth-
quake and flood cleanup.
firefighters earn brief respite
But in addition to extreme fire
behavior and tremendous heat, all
613 firefighters had to compete
with steep mountainside.
"It's what we call goat rock
country," said Carvelo. "And there*s
about a 3000 to 4000 foot eleva-
tion change which makes it about
90 degrees up there."
Although firefighters received
many twisted ankles due to the
terrain, Carvelo stated that the only
serious injury reported was a bro-
ken shoulderblade.
"We've been real lucky with
the crews that we have had," he
said.
With die fire in its closing stages,
a rehabilitation team was sent to
the area on Saturday to assess the
land, water quality and salmon and
steelhead habitat.
"We like to allow the land to
recover naturally," said Alexander.
"But if that's not possible they try
their best to prescribe what needs
to be done."
One 20- person crew and two
helicopters with medium lift capac-
ity will remain at the site to mon-
itor the fire and work on hot spots
for the next two to three days.
The beach area of Shorts Bar
is open to the public from 6 a.m.
to 8 p.m. but the rest of the area
is still needed for the fire crew
camp, said Fire Information Officer
Vonda Kirk. Long Bar, which
served as a helibase, will be open
as soon as all helicopters and equip-
ment are moved.
Carvelo said that cooperation
with national agencies has been
"outstanding" and the firefight-
ers' morale has been good.
"Everyone has done a tremen-
dous job supporting our needs and
it's been a real tribute to the local
community."
As for Reid and his family,
they're settling back into normal
life at home although they make
sure their property is watered down
well. "1'm pretty comfortable with
it now," he said.
Boeing Vertrol helicoptor played a major roll in battling Ruby
fire.
��1 F l r l c c ! r a S - t ��r ����J s 1 - n 7 l 1 4 1 1 -
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l e t a
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s p e n t t h e d a y e s t a b l i s h i n g a f i r e " W e ' r e g e t t i n g s o m e t o u c h -
l i n e t o c o n t a i n w h a t ' s g r o w n i n t o u p s , " f i r e f i g h t e r E r n e s t S e k a -
l i n e
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S I
C a s c a d e
N a t i o n a l F o r e s t e a s t o f t h i s r e - b l o w i n g u p h i l l , a n d i t ' s c a u s i n g
R e s e r v o i r c a s c a d e
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n o m a j o r i n j u r i e s h a d b e e n r e - t h e a f t e r n o o n a s f i r e f i g h t e r s s p e n t
p o r t e d . m o s t o f t h e i r t i m e c u t t i n g d o w n
"
a s B o i s e
M e a n w h i l e , t h e C o r r a l F i r e , 1 4 s n a g s a n d c l e a r i n g b r u s h .
m i l e s n o r t h o f M c C a l l a n d e a s t o f A 3 , 0 0 0 - f o o t w a t e r h o s e w a s
e s i d e n t s
B r u n d a g e S k i A r e a , g r e w f r o m d r a g g e d u p t h e m o u n t a i n s i d e , f e d
4 0 0 t o 1 , 2 0 0 a c r e s , b u r n i n g a w i d e b y a c r e e k b e l o w . F i r e f i g h t e r s
a n d s t e a d y s w a t h i n a n o r t h e a s t - u s e d w a t e r t o d a m p e n t h e f l a m e s .
e r l y d i r e c t i o n . T h e f a s t - b u r n i n g T h e y a l s o s p r e a d d i r t o v e r d r y
e l a x
W a r m S p r i n g s f i r e , a b o u t 9 m i l e s f a l l e n t i m b e r t o r e d u c e i t s c h a n c e
n o r t h o f t h e C o r r a l b l a z e , t o r c h e d o f c a t c h i n g f i r e .
1 , 2 0 0 a c r e s . A b o u t 1 6 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s " I t ' s s o d r y h e r e , " f i r e f i g h t e r
h i f t
w e r e b a t t l i n g b o t h t h o s e b l a z e s . S t e p h e n S p a u l d i n g s a i d , " i f i t
p u s h e s
A n e s t i m a t e d 4 0 s e p a r a t e f i r e s s t a r t s t o b u r n , t h e r e ' s r e a l l y n o
a m e s a w a y f r o m
W e r e t o u c h e d o f f b y l i g h t e n i n g w a y w e c o u l d s t o p i t . "
s t r i k e s i n t h e P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l A n a d d i t i o n a l 1 0 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s
h r e a t e n e d h o m e s
F o r e s t l a t e W e d n e s d a y e v e n i n g . f r o m a s f a r a w a y a s N o r t h C a r o l i -
W h i l e s o m e o f t h e s p o t f i r e s h a v e n a a n d I n d i a n a a r r i v e d F r i d a y ,
y U r s u l a T h o m a s
b e e n p u t o u t , n e w o n e s h a v e b r i n g i n g t h e t o t a l f i r e f i g h t i n g
f l a m e d k e e p i n g t h e t o t a l n u m - f o r c e t o 7 0 5 a t B l a c k w e l l . I n a l l ,
h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
u p ,
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M C C A L L L a k e s i d e r e s i -
D r i e d , o r a n g e - c o l o r e d f l a m e r e - a t t h e t h r e e f i r e s n e a r M c C a l l .
e n t s b r e a t h e d a s i g h o f r e l i e f t a r d a n t c o v e r e d b r u s h a n d l i m b s
r i d a y a f t e r t h e w i n d s s h i f t e d ,
a b o u t 2 0 0 f e e t f r o m t h e s o u t h -
a r r y i n g t h e f l a m e s o f t h e B l a c k -
w e s t e r n e d g e o f t h e B l a c k w e l l
e l l C o m p l e x F i r e a w a y f r o m
F i r e . F i r e f i g h t e r s d e s c r i b e d t h e
h e i r s u m m e r c o t t a g e s a l o n g t h e
b l a z e a s a p a t c h w o r k o f s m a l l
. , a s t s i d e o f P a y e t t e L a k e .
f i r e s b u r n i n g m o d e r a t e l y t o
h e a v i l y , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e a r e a .
M c C a l l f i r e s
B i g H a z a r d L a k e
L a k e
P a y e t t e P
'
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H a z a r L a k e
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a r e a o f h o m e s
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M c C a l l 1 Q s s l L i t t l e P a y e t t e
r n o w s o y I F O Y M O U e n i I n n i a e n o a i a [ e b n i a n
T o m F i s h e r a n d h i s s p o t t e r , P a u l H i n t o n , l e f t , b o t h f r o m I n d i a n a , r u n u p t h e h i l l a s a s n a g t h e y j u s t c u t f a l l s t o w a r d t h e
c h a r r e d g r o u n d a b o u t a m i l e u p i n t o t h e f o r e s t a t t h e w e s t e d g e o f t h e B l a c k w e l l F i r e C o m p l e x a b o v e M c C a l l o n F r i d a y .
j
Look to past fire sites
to envision the future
of
McCall Idaho City
fire's damage, then _ work
from there
`If you realize that
fire is a normal
part of nature, it
won't look so bad to
The process to nurse the
blackened earth back to life
is a long one. Grass seed
must be sown. Logs and
straw must be placed careful-
ly to catch run -off and debris.
And millions of trees must be
you after a while' Recent fires
IBy Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
Drive by the slopes charred
by wildfires near Lowman
and the Foothills today and
stare at the future of the for-
est lands burning around Mc-
Call and Idaho City.
As wildfires continue to
ravage tens of thousands of
acres in the Payette and Boi-
se national forests, fire offi-
cials say the damage in the
Lowman and Foothills areas
exemplifies the long recovery
stage the burning areas face.
"Fires during a drought pe-
riod look fairly similar. Peo-
ple are going to see burned -
out trees, watersheds that
have been burned," said
Wayne Patton, staff officer
for the Boise National For-
est. "At first they'll see a
black and burned -out land-
scape: If you like seeing
things the way they were,
it'll be a massive change. If
you realize that fire is a nor-
mal part of nature, it won't
look so bad to you after a
while. It depends on what
viewpoint you're looking at
't from."
It's been five years since a
6,000 -acre fire raced
hrough the forested hillsides
round Lowman; two years
ave passed since the second -
argest fire in Idaho history
257,000 acres — scorched a
ix of forest and rangeland
n the Foothills.
And in that time, as agen-
ies work to restore the land,
he people who enjoy it at
imes have had to stay away:
o riding horses, motorcycles
r mountain bikes.
McCall residents asked for -
st officials last week how
he forest will be restored.
hey said in the coming
onths, they will assess the
III The Foothills Fire
burned from Aug.
19 -Sept. 23, 1992, and 21
covered 257,600 acres. rLo n
1 The Lowman Fire rL
burned 46,422 acres Lfire from July 25 Aug. 17, T
1989' Idaho ear River j
TO bannOCK
Creek
Boise at
�J
' 21
S j1QB
ee
a S 9 e :. ,Gf p Prairie
Location of
�ooth ills 257,600-acre
fire in 1992 N
plan ted.
Even today, the slopes around Low-
man look like the backs of giant por-
cupines.
Ponderosa pines and Douglas firs
hundreds of years old were reduced to
thin, blackened sticks, almost tapered
at the top where the 1989 blaze jumped
from crown to crown.
Singed stumps lay haphazardly, and
ash still coats spots deep enough to dig
a shoe into.
But there are signs of life in the
grasses that tuft the hillsides, and in the
foot -high Ponderosa pine seedlings
wrapped in white cloth to protect them
from hungry elk.
Days after the Lowman fire ended in
August 1989, Boise National Forest offi-
cials went to work on what they call
"emergency rehabilitation" — treating
the soil so that it's ready to nurture
vegetation. Some steps:
■ Contour - felled trees: logs placed hor-
izontally, at staggered locations, up a
slope to guide the flow of water down-
hill. This avoids landslides.
■ Straw bales: these square sections
of straw act like dams to keep sediment
and other debris from entering a
creekbed.
'116tgw ;f j yf z Pa yes
■ Grass seeding: sometimes dropped
by helicopter, seeds fall into the ash and
germinate the following spring, during
the snowmelt.
Thatspring — and for five consecu-
tive springs — workers planted trees.
Some 12 million seedlings — mostly
Ponderosa pine, with a mix of spruce
and lodgepole pine were nestled into
25,000 acres of the Lowman fire site.
Overall, that may have been too many
trees, conceded forestry cultivation ex-
pert Roy Wilson, but the number that
will grow hundreds of feet likely will be
just right.
"We overplanted a little, because we
don't expect a high survival rate," said
Wilson, who worked on much of the
area's restoration.
On the north - facing slopes, where
trees have the most difficult time com-
peting for water, light and nutrients, an
average of 250 trees per acre were plant-
ed; on the more tree - friendly southern
slopes, about 50 seedlings per acre were
cultivated.
After the first year, 68 — 92 percent
— of seedlings survived, depending on
their location.
Wilson couldn't estimate how many
trees blanketed the slopes before the
fire, nor could he predict how the ap-
pearance of the reforested areas will
measure up to pine - clothed hillsides
down the road.
But one thing's for sure: It will take a
decade for the seedlings to reach four or
five feet high; a respectable 100 to 300
feet high will take at least a century.
The price tag for the five -year restora-
tion effort: at least $12 million, paid by
Forest Service funds and sale of the
salvageable 100 million board feet of
timber, Wilson said.
Silvia Flores /The Idaho Statesman
A Pondersosa pine planted after the
Lowman fire is wrapped in cloth to keep
elk from eating it.
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w h o l e p a r c e l s t r e t c h e s 6 5 m i l e s l o n g a n d
3 5 m i l e s w i d e a t i t s w i d e s t p o i n t .
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w i t h o u t h u m a n - c u l t i v a t e d s e e d l i n g s .
" E v e n t u a l l y , t h e f o r e s t e d p o r t i o n w i l l
r e t u r n t o f o r e s t i n 2 0 0 y e a r s , " P a t t o n
s a i d . " W e d o n ' t s e e d t r e e s b a c k t h a t
a r e n ' t p a r t o f t h e c o m m e r c i a l b a s e . W e
p a y f o r r e f o r e s t a t i o n e f f o r t s b a s e d o n
t h e s a l e o f t i m b e r . "
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a d d e d .
T h e 1 4 , 6 4 0 a c r e s o f B L M - c o n t r o l l e d
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t h a t t h e s o u t h e r n s l o p e s t h e o n l y
p a r c e l s t h a t r e m a i n m o n i t o r e d l i k e l y
w i l l r e o p e n f o r g r a z i n g i n t h e n e x t
m o n t h . M o u n t a i n b i k e s a n d o f f - r o a d v e -
h i c l e s a l r e a d y a r e a l l o w e d o n t r a i l s , s a i d
D a n W o o d r u f f , a B L M r a n g e l a n d m a n -
a g e m e n t s p e c i a l i s t .
B e f o r e b u r n t l a n d c a n b e o p e n e d t o
a n y t h i n g o t h e r t h a n f o o t t r a f f i c , c e r t a i n
c o n d i t i o n s f o r p l a n t g r o w t h m u s t b e
m e t . I n s o m e a r e a s , f o r e x a m p l e , v e g e t a -
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i t c o v e r s o n s i m i l a r , u n b u r n t p a r c e l s .
" W e w e r e l u c k y e n o u g h w i t h t h e
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p e r e n n i a l g r a s s e s c a m e b a c k o n t h e i r
o w n , " W o o d r u f f s a i d .
R e g a r d l e s s o f t h e t y p e o f r e h a b i l i t a -
t i o n , a g e n c i e s w i l l w a t c h t h e p r o g r e s s o f
t h e i r w o r k o v e r t i m e .
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t r e e s f o r f i v e y e a r s , " W i l s o n s a i d . " A n d
I ' m s u r e t h i s w i l l b e m a n a g e d a c c o r d i n g
t o w h a t e v e r f o r e s t h e a l t h o b j e c t i v e s a r e
i n p l a c e . "
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_
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i n g t o n , a r e f i g h t i n g t h e b l a z e s ,
t h e l a r g e s t o f w h i c h i s t h e C o r -
r a l C r e e k F i r e i n t h e P a y e t t e
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M c C a l l .
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M o r e o n t h e f i r e s
P l a n e a c c i d e n t k i l l s t w o i n
C a l i f o r n i a , W a s h i n g t o n a n d
M o n t a n a s t i l l h a v e t h e i r
w o r k c u t o u t f o r t h e m .
3 0 , 3 0 0 a c r e s .
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r e s o r t c o m m u n i t y o f B u r g d o r f
H o t S p r i n g s , b u t F o r e s t S u p e r -
v i s o r D a v e A l e x a n d e r c o n c e d e
d
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u n l e s s c o l d a n d w e t w e a t h e r b a c k
e a c h e s t h t o w a r d s f i r e f i g h t e r s e a r
c o m e s .
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t h e P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t C l o s u r e s i n t h e I d a h o C i t y
h a s b u r n e d 2 1 , 6 0 0 a c r e s . a r e a i n c l u d e F o r e s t S e r v i c e
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b u r n e d 1 6 , 6 0 0 a c r e s i n t h e B o i - T h e 1 8 9 C o t t o n w o o d a n d 1 6 8
s e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t . N o r t h F o r k B o i s e R i v e r / B l a c k
T h e T h u n d e r b o l t F i r e h a s - R o c k / M e a d o w C r e e k t r a i l s ; a n d
g r o w n t o 8 7 0 a c r e s a n d i s w i t h - t h e f o l l o w i n g r e c r e a t i o n a r e a s :
i n a m i l e o f t h e S o u t h F o r k o f D e e r P a r k , b r i d g e , J o h n o n C r e e k , E S L e e , F o u r
t h e S a l m o n R i v e r .
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s p e c i a l i s t f o r t h e B o i s e N a t i o n - M o u n t a i n , G r a n i t e C r e e k a n d
a l F o r e s t , s a i d f i r e o f f i c i a l s a r e B l a c k R o c k .
T o m S h a n a h a n / T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
a t t h e C o r r a l F i r e .
7n 4,SMah
A coq 1, l 99 K
Ne J O-P a
McCall -area residents
told to be read y to flee
By Colleen LaMay forest. cloud of smoke rose ov
The Idaho statesman Campers were evacuated east side of the lake. T
MCCALL — Evacuation
guidelines were issued
Thursday for homeowners
along the east side of Pay-
ette Lake, after lightning
touched off more than 40
fires in the surrounding
Photos by Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
An air tanker finishes dumping fire retar-
dant on the Blackwell Complex Fire.
Forest fires
;. in the McCall
. area
Cascade
Reservoir
Ponderosa
State Park
(North Beach;
unit)
Little
Payette
Lake
from Hazard Lake Camp-
ground, after one of the fires
temporarily blocked the dirt
road leading to it. No one
was injured. Fire officials
said the campers were not in
danger.
In all, more than 3,000
acres of forest in the area
had burned by Thursday eve-
ning. About 600 firefighters
were on the lines, and more
were to arrive today.
Thursday, morning, law -en-
forcement officers went door
to door to about 100 houses
along the east side of Pay-
ette Lake. Homeowners were
told to be ready to clear out
if flames closed in.
The Blackwell Complex
Fire was burning within 1
mile of some of the homes.
The fire spread Thursday af-
ternoon, but because of wind
and terrain, it did not edge
closer to the upscale homes.
Flames also were close to
Camp Morrison, a Boy Scout
camp along the east side of
the lake. The boys went
home Thursday, two days
early, because of the fire.
They were in no immediate
danger, but Scouting offi-
cials decided it was for the
best.
The town was sunny and
free of smoke Thursday af-
ternoon. But a mushroom
er the
hurs-
day morning, a change in
the wind had caused ash to
rain onto the resort town 106
miles north of Boise.
Bob Hitchcock, 47, lives
directly across the road from
the Boy Scout camp. He
wasn't worried about the
fire. Unlike most of the
homeowners warned about
possible evacuation, he and
his wife live in their 10,400 -
square -foot house year -
round.
He pulled up to the eight -
bedroom house about 6 p.m.
on a riding lawn mower. He
took time off from work to
move his wife's horses, just
in case, and decided to mow
part of his lawn.
"Fire looks good, and I
was supposed to mow the
lawn last night," said Hitch-
cock, who owns Evergreen
Forest Products mill in near-
by Tamarack.
His wife was visiting rela-
tives in Washington when
the fire broke out. His house
is insured. If he had to leave
in a hurry, he said, "I'd take
my dog (Bud). The cats can
fend for themselves."
Ponderosa
State Park
(Main unit)
McCall
Cascade
akette
°
0
McCall
-
O
N
Z
55
Bois e
Z I
o CZ
cc
M
Little
Payette
Lake
from Hazard Lake Camp-
ground, after one of the fires
temporarily blocked the dirt
road leading to it. No one
was injured. Fire officials
said the campers were not in
danger.
In all, more than 3,000
acres of forest in the area
had burned by Thursday eve-
ning. About 600 firefighters
were on the lines, and more
were to arrive today.
Thursday, morning, law -en-
forcement officers went door
to door to about 100 houses
along the east side of Pay-
ette Lake. Homeowners were
told to be ready to clear out
if flames closed in.
The Blackwell Complex
Fire was burning within 1
mile of some of the homes.
The fire spread Thursday af-
ternoon, but because of wind
and terrain, it did not edge
closer to the upscale homes.
Flames also were close to
Camp Morrison, a Boy Scout
camp along the east side of
the lake. The boys went
home Thursday, two days
early, because of the fire.
They were in no immediate
danger, but Scouting offi-
cials decided it was for the
best.
The town was sunny and
free of smoke Thursday af-
ternoon. But a mushroom
er the
hurs-
day morning, a change in
the wind had caused ash to
rain onto the resort town 106
miles north of Boise.
Bob Hitchcock, 47, lives
directly across the road from
the Boy Scout camp. He
wasn't worried about the
fire. Unlike most of the
homeowners warned about
possible evacuation, he and
his wife live in their 10,400 -
square -foot house year -
round.
He pulled up to the eight -
bedroom house about 6 p.m.
on a riding lawn mower. He
took time off from work to
move his wife's horses, just
in case, and decided to mow
part of his lawn.
"Fire looks good, and I
was supposed to mow the
lawn last night," said Hitch-
cock, who owns Evergreen
Forest Products mill in near-
by Tamarack.
His wife was visiting rela-
tives in Washington when
the fire broke out. His house
is insured. If he had to leave
in a hurry, he said, "I'd take
my dog (Bud). The cats can
fend for themselves."
From Legacy Park in downtown McCall, swimmers watch the Blackwell
Complex Fire burn hot enough to form its own clouds. The fire, in the
Payette National Forest, was 7 miles east of McCall.
I ghtning sparks new Payette fires
Lightning storms this week sparked
numerous fires throughout the Pay-
ette Forest. On Tuesday, a lightning
storm started at least 25 new fires,
adding to the large number of fires
already burning in the forest.
"These fires are crowning and
spreading faster than any fires we had
last week," forest dispatcher Duke
Korfleet said.
Approximately 90 firefighters were
working on the Corral Fire, which is
located near Granite Mountain Look -
)ut and Goose Lake six miles
northwest of Payette Lake.
The fire had grown to 50 acres
Wednesday morning, and smoke from
:he Corral Fire was visible from
McCall. Another two -acre fire located
fear Granite Lake was also being
fought.
More lightni g is expected and
)attling the fire�has been a continu-
ng effort.
On Monday, after a five -day battle,
.'firefighters controlled the 1,000 -acre
Ruby Fire, which is located eight miles
;ast of Riggins. About 600 personnel,
;even helicopters and several fixed -
wing aircraft fought the blaze.
As fires raged throughout Idaho
and other western states, firefighting
;sews have been stretched thin and
U.S. Army personnel have been
brought in to help combat some Idaho
The Ruby Fire broke out Tuesday,
my 26, in steep, rugged terrain near
ke Creek along the Salmon River.
"The fire was in extremely diffi-
cult terrain, and I think it's a tribute to
the crews what they've been able to
accomplish. The commitment from
these firefighters and management
team is outstanding," said Dave
Alexander, Payette Forest supervi-
sor.
Of the 600 personnel, two were
injured in the effort. One firefighter
suffered a broken shoulder when he
Man watches as flames
come close to his home
Fires are not an uncommon sight
to Jim Reid, a homeowner who
lives on Lake Creek near the origin
of the Ruby Fire.
"Most every year, there's been
something pretty close," Reid said.
But in the 12 years that he has
lived there, the Ruby Fire came the
closest to Reid's home. "It's black
just about up to our property line,"
he said.
The fire started after lightning
struck the hillside above Reid's
property. Approximately 40
firefighters initially responded to
was hit by a falling snag. He was treated
in McCall and released after a one -day
stay in the hospital.
Another firefighter was taken to the
hospital after he slipped and injured his
tailbone. He was treated and released.
Fire safety officer Andy Finn said he
was impressed with the low number of
accidents reported on the fire, consider-
ing the difficult terrain and the extent of
the firefighting effort.
A total of 22 crews from Idaho,
Utah, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona
and Wyoming were called in to battle
the Ruby Fire.
By Tuesday, all but one crew had
been released. A rehabilitation team
was performing an assessment of the
fire's impact on water quality, espe-
cially in regard to salmon and steelhead
habitat.
Of the 1,000 acres burned, approxi-
mately 220 acres was private land. The
fire threatened two buildings, but they
both were protected by firefighters. The
the blaze, but they were unable to
control it.
Fire crews assisted Reid in pro-
tecting his home by establishing a
fire perimeter, and stationing fire
equipment and a fire truck on his
property.
Reid said he spent two nights "on
alert" when there was burning ashes
drifting on to his property .
He compared living in the midst
of the fire to being in a war zone. But
he added his family did not fear
their safety. "We felt pretty secure
the whole time," Reid said.
Under Stage 11 conditions, camp-
fires are allowed only in developed,
designated areas and campgrounds.
Smoking is allowed only in vehicles,
or an area cleared of debris in a three -
foot radius. Cooking fires using pres-
surized liquid or gas are permitted.
Chainsaw use on national forest,
state and Boise Cascade Corp. land
south of the Salmon River is prohib-
ited until further notice.
Chainsaws may be used on private
land between the hours of 1 a.m. and
1 p.m., however, a patrol is required
for two hours after the operation to
ensure sparks have not ignited a fire.
Anyone traveling by vehicle or
pack animals in the forest is required
to carry a shovel and water container
unless they are traveling on hard -
topped or gravel roads.
remaining land belongs to the federal The Stage II restrictions will con -
government and is managed by the tinue until further notice. For more
BLM. information on fire restrictions, con -
Last week, firefighters successfully tact local forest service offices or the
extinguished 32 other fires in the Payette Idaho Department of Lands.
forest.
The fires, not including the Ruby Fire,
burned a total of 225 acres. All of the
fires except one were caused by light-
ning.
As the fire danger remains high,
the Forest Service will increase, fire
restrictions to Stage II on Friday.
Photo by Elaine Marshall
Photo by Roger Phillips
air tanker drops retardant slurry on forest fire near Goose Lake. A helicopter drops a bucket of water on the Ruby fire near Riggins.
3r4- ,f s k�1,4 h
Scouts pack up as McCall fire nears
By Colleen LaMay
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — "It looks like a
nuclear explosion," said a 14-
year -old Boy Scout, staring
wide -eyed at the forested hill-
side above Camp Morrison on
Thursday afternoon.
A few minutes later, Scout
leaders announced the evacua-
tion of Camp Morrison, where
225 boys ages 10' /z to 18 were
spending the week swimming,
hiking and sleeping outdoors.
The boys were in no immedi-
ate danger, but Scout leaders
decided to clear the camp just in
case. The boys went home two
days early because a lightning -
sparked fire crept within a mile
of their camp, on the east side of
Payette Lake.
The night before, a lightning
storm sparked 40 fires in the Pay-
ette National Forest. The Boy
Scout camp, along with 90 to 100
upscale homes along the eastern
side of P tt L k t t' 11
1
B
acres by Thursday night. Three
hundred firefighters are there,
with 180 more on the way.
Law - enforcement officials is-
sued a list of evacuation guide-
lines to the homeowners but did
not order them to leave.
The 14- year -old Scout, Kelly
Sharpe, said the fire made him
"a tad nervous." He wasn't the
only one.
Before the decision was made
to evacuate, Assistant Camp Di-
rector Robert Bailey, sweating
in his office, picked up a ringing
telephone. "The fires are still
burning at this time," he said
into the receiver. "They haven't
gotten any closer to the camp."
He hung up the phone. "Wor-
ried parent," he commented.
The homes in the path of the
flames were along Eastside
Drive. Most were vacation
homes. Boisean Eula Eason, 82,
owns one of them. She drove up
from Boise with two friends
when she heard about the fire.
ay in the p path of the worst JV11 11 the The home is insured. "If it's
lackwell Complex Fire. going to happen, its going to
happen, she said. "I'm not go-
That fire had burned 2,000 ing to worry about it."
T
PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST FIRE REPORT
106 W. Park - PO Box 1026 August 7, 1994
McCall, ID 83638 9 as Edition
Fire Information Center (208) 634 -5725 634 -5872
Phone Hours: 6 an - 10 pa
McCALL- -The Corral, Warm Springs, and Blackwell Fires were all very active
today.
CORRAL AND WARM SPRINGS FIRES: The Corral Fire has moved 2 miles to east,
north east and reached Ellis Lake. The fire is estimated to be 3,600 acres.
Today, 120 firefighters, 7 engines and 3 helicopters will be applying heavy
efforts along the south end of the fire., but firefighters can be found around
the perimeter. There are 352 people assigned to work on these fires. Crews
will not be building line, but wetting inward from the edge up to 100, inside
so as to be light on the land.
An area closure has been put into effect. The closure begins about 1 mile
north of Brundage Mountain Ski Area, extends west to Goose Lake Road, and east
to the Payette River. The western boundary is Goose Lake Road, the eastern
boundary is Payette River through Upper Payette Lake.
.. u.:.t.c "z at vi5 %i.y.a a.r::c n_c .,..x�u .,. ie'sc�c - Caus CS .. ne rapiuly �.r a:2g atlg �
fire condition..
The Warm Springs Fire is around 2,000 acres. This fire is almost naturally
confined. Efforts today will be focused on the south to keep the activity off
forest road 339.
BLACKWELL COMPLEX: This fire burning on the east side of Payette Lake IB
now estimated at 5,400 acres. This fiza still poses a threat to homes along
Eastside Road. Interaction between the Corral Fire to the northwest of McCall
is affecting fire behavior on the Blackwell Fire. The fire was most active
along the western flank causing ash to fall on Tamarack Bay Condominiums.
Air tankers made most of their drops along the south east side of the fire
working to keep activity out of Jumbo EI'asin.
Today 872 people will be assigned to this fire. In addition, 4
helicopters, 4 airtankers, and 24 fire engines were working on the suppression
effort or were positioned for structure protection.
Travelers on Lick Creek Road north of Little Payette Lake may be stopped
when helicopters fly over the road. Eastside Road is open only to residents
ana offi ^=a1 traffic Lick Creek Road is op3n, but an area Closure is in
effect along the Payette Crest north to Pearl Lake.
If needed, helicopters may be using the north end of Main Payette Lake to
quickly drop water on active spots. Valley County Sherrifs department will
assist the efforts, both on the lake and northern end of Paradise Point.
DEEP CREEK: The people on this fiz-e have made good progess. Permission
was granted to use chainsaws to clear the trails of snags. The fire is 300
acres. The fire is in a high elevation rocky basin that is providing a natural
barrier for containment.
For more information on fire conditions, fire restrictions, and road and
area closures, call Fire Information at 634 -5725 or 634 -5872. 1
i0fif
,rliP la Gro sf :'/ 9.�/
Firefighting
crews learn
how to `hurry
up and wait'
Editor's note: Idaho Statesman reporter
Kim Eckart spent three days in the fire
camps in Idaho City last week.
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
Picture death - defying bravery, con-
fronting a wall of flame with hose and
shovel and running headlong into
danger.
That is the reality of fighting
wildfires.
But there's another side that's just as
true about life on a fire line: Waiting.
Waiting for food, assignments, direc-
tions. Waiting to use the portable toilet.
In between battling blazes, firefighters
sleep, roam around and go through the
motions of a normal, daily routine in a
sprawling camp set up in a forest clear-
ing, miles from the fires. With large,
open yellow tents for shelter and a corral
of trailers supplying food and showers,
fire crews, supervisors and other work-
ers — mostly planners and information
officers call the camp home while
they're assigned to a wildfire.
Those in- between periods represent
what firefighters say is the maxim
learned in training: hurry up and wait.
<+ax "We've theoretically been busy since i
we got here," said Steve Deutsch, a
�<<t° member of the Bridger -Teton crew, who
r u'' tackled the Bannock Creek blaze for
�
01 3 three days before they were placed on
ru . stand -by Monday. "Now we're pretty
much doing what they told us —hurry i
up and wait. If the fire's moving or
something, and it's too dangerous for us
to get out there, we just hang out here."
kr/ Hanging out for the Bridger -Teton
crew on Monday meant napping in a
shaded clearing near the helicopter
landing pad. Some played solitaire with
decks of cards purchased from the camp
commissary; Deutsch, his mop of scrag-
gly brown hair falling over his dark
John Lennon -style glasses, wrote post-
' $ cards (he didn't have any stamps) and
All" w '° '' sifted through his "gut bag," commonly
Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman known as a "Meal Ready to Eat" — or,
m Robertson, crew boss for the Bridger -Teton team, uses a bandana to catch some shuteyein the words of one Bridger -Teton mem-
onday afternoon as his crew waits to be deployed. ber, a "meal ready to excrete."
The day's lunch menu: dehydrated
lc-lallo
chicken a la king in a squeez- Carolina, found a bare spot on
able pouch; crispy freeze -dried the ground against a fence.
peaches, cardboard -like crack- Fresh from a much - needed show-
ers with small tubs of peanut er, her wavy brown hair clean
butter, a Mars candy bar and and dry, she cut into her steak
packets of coffee and cocoa. and contemplated her three days
1
Also tucked in the bag are tis- at the Idaho City fires — only
sue -sized squares of toilet paper her second wildfire since the
ieY�
wrapped in plastic and an after
PP P 1992 Foothills Fire.
lunch mint. "I can't say this is fun all the
"You can cook the chicken a time, but it sure is interesting,
la king on a shovel," suggests she said, a clear southern drawl
his "
crew member Chris Havener, stretching her words. But in
a ,g
k
long blond hair wrapped in a red my situation, I can do stuff like
bandanna, as he holds the shov- this. I can just pick up and leave
A over an imaginary flame. -- not like people who have big
'
The crew tosses around the families or commitments."
idea of splitting a pizza at Dia The only things she has to
mond Lil's in Idaho City, then worry about are her pets, she
launches into an uncoordinated said.
rendition of an original tune The danger of firefighting is
they dubbed "The Fire Song." always in the back of her mind;
= irefighters get off the bus as they make their way to the dining hall.
she just doesn't concentrate on
Breakfast comes early it, she said matter- of- factly be-
are 66 such crews in the west. ment, travel and people.
Whether bound for the line or twjeen bites. After a swig from
■ initial attack: The term almost Take John Pederson, a 22-
speaks for itself; a strategy for
for a relaxing day at the camp, her milk carton, she politely ex-
ear -old firefighter with the Hot
reaching the fire as soon as it y g
Shots dare -
firefighters rise early — instinc- cused herself to share her too-
tively, it seems — between 5 and big steak with a fellow crew
breaks out. Crews on initial attack — an elite crew of
often are transported by helicop- devil firefighters who tackle the
6 a.m. A steady stream of yellow- member.
ter to dig a line and try to extin- most dangerous wildfires. His
and- green -clad crews shows up
guish the blaze before it spreads. crew, based in Flagstaff, Ariz.,
expectantly for breakfast, A trip to the commissary
■ Mop up: Another phrase for worked a 16 -hour shift Tuesday,
served cafeteria -style from a Following dinner, a dozen or
clean up; crews traverse land re- arriving back to camp after 9
long trailer. Pile a plate with so crew members at a time line
cent) y damaged by fire —usually, P•m•
bacon and eggs or .healthy cere- up at the commissary, a private-
land that's still smoldering — to It's his fourth season as a Hot
shovel dirt over blackened areas Shot, a job he took for the $8.10
als and fruit, fill a paper cup ly run booth area dealing in toi-
with coffee and join dozens of letries, socks, underwear and
and chop and hose down h a and the experience
smoking tree an -our e stumps. Crews also pay ex p
others for a meal in the dark. By other items like Frisbees and
carry chain saws to slice through he'll get for the job he really
7 a.m., buses roll out to the fire, playing cards. One firefighter,
burnt or smoldering trees to keep wants: a city firefighter in his
or what's generally a 12- to 16- for example, returns nightly in
them from flaring up again. home state of Arizona. Reflect -
our shift. search of a Hackey -Sack, which
ing on the $13,000 he made one
A 95- degree day in heavy, reg- commissary workers assure him
summer, and with the 560 hours
mementoes, Commissary manag of overtime already earned this
lation fire resistant shirts and is on order.
ants draws hundreds to the The most popular item, of
er Jerry Sawyer said. Fire-
fighters buy them for
hower trailer — a long truck course, is the $12 fire shirt; a
usually the money to start paying off his
themselves, but also for their college debts. Since May, he's
ith 12 showers divided equally dark green shirt with a silk-
ccording to gender: blue show- screened logo of burning trees
"IDAHO
spouses or children. Eager buy spent a total of eight days in his
ers waited in line for hours the home Flagstaff, but he
r curtains for the men, flowered and the words CITY
nes for the women. A solid turn FIRE COMPLEX 1994" on the
city of
first night the shirts arrived, she shrugs it off. The work and the
f the hot knob brings a stream front. Fire shirts — reminiscent
added. are worth it.
Quiet descends over the camp people <<
Q I like the teamwork. And
f lukewarm water from the of T- shirts at a rock concert —
ho head. Small mirrors are sold at most major fires as
after 10 p.m., when gates close. fighting fire is an adrenalin
Fire fighters relax in their sleep-
corn
n the walls of the outer
rea, where paper towels are the Fire jargon
rush. You see a fire blow or have
ing bags. The large tents provide to haul line, and it's pretty ex-
nly item supplied (Bring your
plenty of room for firefighters of citing," he said.
both genders to drop a sleeping Many firefighters like the im-
wn cloth towel). Don't bother crews or bulldozers around the
rushing your teeth or washing perimeter of the fire. Firefighters
bag anywhere in their crews age of their job — cool, fearless
spot. After a hot and exhausting "No
our face here; a portable cut a trail by removing any fuel in
trees
and macho. balls, no glo-
day, voices and footsteps die r ," as firefighter Vern Nozie
rough of sinks and mirrors the path of the fire, such as
tands outside the or brush, by hand or with bulldoz-
down long before midnight,, and a
said.
shower
railer. ers. A fire is said to be contained
the only sound is the rumble of "Glory" means digging a line
Dinner is served from 5 to 11 if it stays inside the line.
■ Fire - resistant clothes: Regula-
the generator that keeps refrig- as flames race up a nearby
eration units running. The mountainside, felling trees to
.m., but lines for the meal are
ngest at the time: 7 to 9 tion attire for anyone on or near
smoke smell that pervaded the slow a fire's advance, or snuff -
peak
m. Caterers plan meals on a the fire line; yellow button -down
p shirt and olive green pants, made
firefighters' day on the moun- in the blaze altogether. A true
tain lingers over the camp at g g
,000- calorie per day /$35 per per- of heavy synthetic material that
hat is
mark of the experienced fire -
night, reminding them of the fighter is traces of pinkish red
n basis. Monday night, crews does not burn. A hard also
fined on all- you -can eat steak, a must.
t
ft le o
work be done. fire retardant on the clothes or
reen beans, mashed potatoes ■ Fire retardant: Pink powder,
Common motivations hat — a sign of tackling the
nd gravy, egg salad, green sal- containing chemical fertilizers
d, rolls and pudding. Mealtime and guar gum, mixed with water
Few firefighters argue that thick of the blaze.
life off the line can be frustrat On Tuesday, the Globe Hot
and sprayed from air tankers. A
nversations revolve around load of up to 2,700 gallons is
ing, uncomfortable and monoto- Shots felt a drop of a different
re: the last fire somebody was sprayed in front of the path of the
nous — hardly the adjectives kind — several hundred gallons
, the biggest fire someone re- fire to prevent further burning.
firefighters expected to describe of water splashed from a heli-
embers, the firefighting agen- ■ Hot Shots: A 20- member fire-
their summer jobs. copter. As the craft hovered
the whole table works for. fighting crew that battles the
For the most part, young men above the trees, whipping dirt
Alice Ross, a 31- year -old for- blaze over the long term; there
and women sign on to a crew for
try technician from South
simple reasons: money, excite-
Thy, %ICrizo f'u�' s n
Photos by Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman
Pam Lewis, a member of the Negrita Hot Shots from Reserve, N.M.,
steps into her tent.
and branches in a bluster of
wind, crew members yell "Get
down, get down!" to a newcomer
who's ready to run from the
bucket that looks as if it will
drop along with the water. The
water pressure, they explain,
can knock you off your feet —
you might as well already be on
the ground. While a couple men
get drenched farther down the
slope, those on the ridge feel a
brief rain shower.
Behind the front lines
But that kind of high- adrena-
lin adventure isn't everyday fare
for every crew. At least two oth-
er crews always stand by for
what's known as "initial at-
tack" in case another fire starts.
While some crews spend days
hiking and battling fires, others
mop up and patrol smoldering
fire lines. The Fort Apache crew
spent a whole day, for instance,
trekking across a long, black-
ened slope, their chain saws slic-
ing into smoking tree trunks.
The work, crew member Adolph
Cosen said, is more dangerous
than it looks.
"It's real erratic. A slight
breeze can change the whole fire
area," Cosen said, wiping sweat
from his forehead with the back
of his hand. "It can be like a
whirlwind."
Then Cosen stood back and
waited, watching for other flare -
ups.
Waiting is part of the job —
along with confusion, delays
and missing supplies or people.
Radio conversations among
'crews and supervisors frequent-
ly convey fervent pleas for sup-
ply trucks to hurry up, for un-
clear directions to be clarified,
for helicopters to bring water.
Delays and foul -ups are going
to happen when you've got more
than a thousand people fighting
a fire, said Incident Commander
Dave Liebersbach.
"You don't want to get in a
big rush. These are people from
all over the country; what
means one thing to me doesn't
necessarily mean the same thing
to someone else," he said. "Some
things are going to get missed.
It's just the nature of mobilizing
to an emergency situation in a
short period of time."
For the most part, crews ac-
cept that as the down side to an
otherwise challenging few
months.
"Sometimes we just sit here,
sleep, look at each other, get
bored," said firefighter Melissa
Joseph. "But it's interesting. It's
fun."
More firefighters
on way to McCall
By Terrilyn McCormick
The Idaho Statesman
Progress to contain the Ida-
ho City Fire Complex fires will
free up more personnel to com-
bat the growing fires in the
Payette National Forest north
of McCall.
The additional firefighters
are needed. The largest of the
Payette National Forest fires
— the Blackwell Complex Fire
— grew from 4,200 acres Fri-
day to 5,100 acres Saturday
night. It is still posing a threat
to homes along the east side of
Payette Lake. Ash from the
fire fell on Tamarack Bay Con-
dominiums toward the north
end of the lake.
"The fire line on the west
above the houses is holding,
but several residents are con-
cerned because of the smoke
plumes they are seeing. All of
those are inside the perimeter
of the fire. It isn't gaining to-
ward the lake," said Linda
Wagoner, fire information offi-
cer for the Payette National
Forest.
Two other fires in the area
are burning away from houses,
but have grown from 2,400
I'
Q';
C
acres to 4,000 acres from Fri-
day to Saturday night.
Pam Gardner, a fire informa-
tion officer, said officials have
an outstanding order for six
helicopters with the National
Interagency Fire Center in
Boise to aid in the Blackwell
fires. She said the helicopters
are needed for water drops and
to transport crews to the fire
scene.
Fire officials said the large
numbers of fires burning in
the West have strained
resources.
More than 600 soldiers from
Fort Hood, Texas, are the only
crews managing the 2,010 -acre
Bannock Creek fire in the Boi-
se National Forest.
The fire was contained
Wednesday.
The work by the soldiers
will allow the release of 10 fire
crews to the McCall fires,
probably on Monday, said Don
Kass, a fire information officer
for the Boise National Forest.
"We're making very good
progress on getting the fires
contained and we're at the
point of releasing some of our
crews to some of the other
critical fires," Kass said.
Idaho's fires at a glance
.............................................................................._............................... ...............................
Seven fires have burned more than 13,500
acres as of 6 p.m. Saturday
Location_
1. Pass Creek
2, St. Joe
3. Elk River Complex
4. Blackwell
5. Corral Creek
6. Idaho City Complex
7. Thorne Springs
No. of
firefighters
No. of
acres
burned
186
99
288
unknown
480
160
705
5,100
325
2,662
1,899
4,900
10
600
Total: 3,893 Est 13,521
Containment of the Idaho City
Fire Complex is expected by
Wednesday. A projected
containment date for the
Blackwell fire is Aug. 18.
Source: National interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
L. Brennan- SnitienlThe Idaho Statesman
`There's no stopping
Two McCall fires
burning out of
control, close in
on condominiums
By Kim Eckart
and Marianne Flagg
The Idaho Str.',esman
Fires in the Payette National
Forest continued to rage out of
control Monday, forcing the
evacuation of a firefighters'
camp and edging toward a con-
dominium development on the
east side of Payette Lake.
And in the Boise National
Forest, a new 100 -acre fire
north of Cascade is burning un-
Idaho City Fire
Complex blazes
Five fires have charred an estimated
6,250 acres southeast of Idaho City.
The newest blaze is the Bear River
Fire, at the confluence of the Bear River
and the North Fork of the Boise River.
A Campsites
ear River
Idaho N
North Fork
City B
Boise River
annock ! "
TO Creek
Boise
Location of A
257,600 -acre N fire in ,992 •n `
Fire figures and information as of 8 p.m. Monday
these fires'
Questions
Anyone with questions
about the fires or camping
in the area should call the
Payette National Forest Fire
Information Center at 634-
5725 or 634 -5872.
hampered.
in the Payette National Forest:
Fire officials believe the Cor-
ral Fire may have doubled its
size to 14,000 acres; the next
largest fire, the Blackwell
Complex, burned 7,000 acres
and the Warm Springs, the oth-
er major fire, burned an esti-
mated 2,230 acres Monday.
Fire officials called the Aug.
18 containment date for the
McCall -area fires, which was
tentatively set last week,
"questionable." Fire behavior
experts, who arrived Monday,
have begun projecting fire
movement into next month.
"There's no stopping these
fires, as long as the weather
continues as it is — hot and
dry," said Pam Gardner, fire
information officer for the Pay-
ette National Forest. "They're
talking about the fire reaching
the Salmon River: '
The Blackwell and Corral
fires are expected to continue
north, burning mostly forest
fuel; the next town is Burgdorf,
estimated to be a few days
away.
Winds pushed the blazes
steadily north, often brushing
See Fires /3A
lel_z
Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesmar
Although the Blackwell Complex fire was burning within a mile of Tamarack Bay Condominiums, .
most boats were in dock. Twelve of the 48 units in the condominium complex were still occupied.
Forest fires in the McCall area
Fire figures and information as of 9 p.m. Monday Payette
-:'A '
Warm
Springs Fire
Acres burned:
2,230
Resources: 25
firefighters, one
v
engine
Conditions: Fire
=
is threatening a
logging camp
Corral Fire
Acres burned
Nearly 14,000
Resources:
315
firefighters;
four
helicopters,
seven fire
engines
Conditions:
Very active
Brundage`
Mountain
Big Hazard
Lake
Little
Hazard
Lake
sdage
ervoir
3
- Lake McCall
NCascade ss
Reservoir Cascade
55
N'
Boise
Ponderosa Roadblocks
State Park - Lafce
North Beadsy �Drive
,55 ayette .
Lake
1
Ponderosa Little
State Park Payette Lake
�. McCall
Blackwell Complex
Acres burned: 7,000
Resources: 821
firefighters, five
helicopters, 24 fire
engines
Conditions: Very
active; gusty winds
push the fire north;
dead spruce igniting
from radiant heat
On Thursday, 225
boys left Boy Scout
Camp because of fire.
Tamarack Bay: 48
units (12 occupied);
51 people are still
there
the tops of the mixture of Doug- Officials could not estimate
las firs and Ponderosa pines in how many people have left their
the area. Officials say the rug- cabins and condos on the east
.ged, rocky slopes make the fire side of the lake; a forced evacua-
inaccessible in spots, while the ;tion would make counting heads
abundance of dry, dead trees and homes easier, they said.
make an attractive feast for the ; Evacuation isn't residents'
hungry flames. only concern, either; fire insur-
Some 300 firefighters based at 'ante is foremost in many minds.
the northwest tip of the Corral , "I'll be expanding my cover -
Fire were evacuated early Mon- ;age when this is over," said
day when the blaze drew close to .Marilee Robertson, who owns
the camp; the camp relocated to ;an $80,000 policy on her home
Sater Meadows by evening. with an extra $40,000 coverage
About 1,200 firefighters have ;on her belongings. "This is my
been assigned to the McCall- full -time home. There's a lot of
area fires, and though more ;things I haven't been able to get
crews are needed, none are out yet. This is it for me, I'm not
available, fire officer Ted Dailey just up here on the weekends,
said. that's a little different."
Because northeasterly winds ; State Farm Insurance agent
blew the blaze away from homes, Harrison McArthur said most
evacuation procedures remain permanent McCall residents in-
voluntary for the residents east sure their homes for fire, but
of Payette Lake. However, 'seasonal residents are another
should winds whip around to the
west at Monday's gusts of up to
40 miles per hour, those plans
could change.
The Blackwell Complex,
spread within a mile of the 48-
unit Tamarack Bay Condomini-
ums, where a 29- person fire crew
was camped, hosing down the
complex's cedar shingle roof.
Complex manager Bob Thacker -
ay said 51 people still are living
'n 12 units, some of whom ap-
ear cautious but not alarmed.
"I'm not panicky. I feel they're
oing to give us adequate warn -
'ng," said Boisean Carmen Lit -
le, who already removed some
aluables last week and will
ove furniture out when she re-
urns home today. Little said
he spent the day playing tennis
nd hanging out on a boat.
Boyd Jackson, left, and Shawna Sowerby with the Eagle Strike team
make sure no flames start up in burned stumps in the wake of the
Corral Fire in the Payette National Forest.
"I thought I'd get a lot of calls Firefighters have contained
this week about insurance, but I the 2,010 -acre Bannock Creek
haven't," McArthur said. "That fire. Half of the overall Idaho
could mean they're comfortable City Complex has been
with what they have or they're contained.
not thinking about it at all." Soldiers from the list Cavalry
In the Boise National Division, 20th Engineer Battal-
Forest: ion, from Ft. Hood, Texas, are
The 100 -acre Thunderbolt Forking to improve fire lines on
Mountain blaze ignited Monday the Bannock Creek fire, mop -
afternoon, 30 miles northeast of ping up and suppressing flare -
Cascade. The cause isn't known. ups.
"It escaped initial attack. It's The Meadow Creek (560 acres)
going pretty crazy," said Nadra and Rabbit Creek (1,650 acres)
Angerman Kellogg, fire informa- blazes have burned together and
tion officer. are being managed as one fire.
Crews weren't fighting the Rabbit Creek is expanding south
fire early in the day because it toward the North Fork of the
burned erratically, pushed by Boise River and has caused spot
winds up to 40 miles an hour. fires across the river. They are
Air tankers were dropping re- burning in an area inaccessible
tardant by early evening. by ground.
The fire is in the Boise Na- The North Fork fire, now
tional Forest, about a mile from 1,030 acres, is still growing in
the Payette National Forest. No steep terrain. Crews have put a
structures are threatened. line around a spot fire across
Resources have been request- the river, but they are con-
ed to fight the fire, but crews are cerned about the possibility of
more spotting across the river.
matter.
"Most locals will insure their
cabins and homes regardless of
how valuable it is, but seasonal
dwellings may or may not be,
because they don't think it's in-
surable or it's not important,"
McArthur said.
Insurance varies according to
the cost, construction and size
of the homes as well as the ame-
nities inside. On a $100,000
home, for example, the policy
might match the cost of the
house with an additional 10 per -
cent (or $10,000) for a garage or
other building and another 50 to
70 percent ($50,000 to $70,000)
for personal belongings.
stretched thin around the West.
Firefighters outside Idaho
City struggled Monday with 30-
mph winds while battling four
major fires, including the new
Bear River blaze that sparked
Sunday.
"Everything is really cooking.
Mother Nature is not on our
side right now," Kellogg said.
The Bear River and Rabbit
Creek blazes kicked up Monday.
Bear River — at the conflu-
ence of the Bear River and the
north fork of the Boise River —
has grown to 1,000 acres. Offi-
cials aren't sure of the cause. No
lightning had been reported.
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Area Fire Chronology
August 2:
Corral Fire: The 1,462 acre fire
The Corral Fire is spotted seven
burned across the Goose Lake Road
miles north of the Brundage Mountain
for the second time, closing it to fire
Ski Area; threatens a grazing associa-
personnel for several hours. About 25
tion cabin. Three engines are stationed
recreationists are evacuated.
near the cabin for protection. The blaze
August 6:
covers 40 acres.
Blackwell Fire: Interaction with
the Corral Fire begins to affect fire
August 3:
behavior; 5,100 acres are burned.
The Corral Fire grows to more
Corral Fire: Flames move into
than 300 acres and a Type 11 Fire
Fisher Creek and about 4,000 acres are
Mangagement team arrives to direct
consumed.
operations, Heavy smoke can be seen
in New Meadows and McCall. Later
August 7:
that evening, a lightning storm sparks
Blackwell Fire: Heavy smoke
the Blackwell Fire Complex about 1.5
on the fire overnight preheats the fuels
miles from the east shore of Payette
and causes them to ignite early in the
Lake.
morning. Flames consume about 6,000
August 4:
acres.
Corral Fire: Major runs to the
Huge plumes of smoke from the
north and south overnight bring the
Blackwell and Corral fires billow above
total of acres burned to 6,840.
McCall. Numerous fires throughout
the Payette National Forest are moni-
August S:
tored, but are unstaffed.
Blackwell Fire: Gusty winds
Blackwell Fire: A Type I Fire
cause the fire to make major runs to
Management Team arrives and is briefed
the north overnight. Approximately
on the 400 -plus acre fire. The Valley
7,000 acres are destroyed. The fire is
County Sheriffs Office begins to warn
very active in the afternoon and dead
residents along the east side of Payette
spruce ignites spontaneously from the
Lake about a possible evacuation.
radiant heat.
Corral Firer More than 400 acres
Corral Fire: Firefighter and log -
are consumed and all campers are escort-
ger camps are evacuated due to fire
ed out of the area.
activity and a sheepherder is also res-
cued. About 7,000 acres are burned.
August 5:
Blackwell Fire: The flames remain
August 9:
active and burn in a northward direc-
Blackwell Fire: Only the west
tion with crowning activity near the
flank of the fire is staffed and the fire
southern end. Although homes are not <
grew to 10,400 acres overnight.
in immediate danger, 13 fire engines'
Corral Fire: Activity explodes
are stationed near homes for protec-
during the night and the fire triples in
tion. More than 4,200 acres are con -
size. Destruction covers about 32,000
sumed by fire.
acres.
Cron V& Ile y A d yo 0- a
Thunderbolt blaze forces evacuation of lookout
CASCADE — A forest fire — probably caused
by a lightning holdover — discovered at about 2
p.m. Monday below the Thunderbolt Lookout about
five miles north of Warm Lake quickly grew to near-
ly 300 acres and forced the evacuation of the look-
out.
"By 6 p.m. we had a fire that was larger than 100
acres," Cascade District Ranger Ronn Julian said.
He described the situation as explosive, with fuels
that are extremely dry, a prevailing stiff breeze and
a hot sun shining on the slope.
"We had all the ingredients for a major run of
fire," he said.
He said it was evident early on that lookout Glen
McLaughlin would have to be evacuated, not so
much due to the fire danger as the heavy smoke that
was building, which could have obscured the tower
and made evacuation impossible later.
"The lookout got inundated with smoke," he said.
"The fire did get perilously close to the lookout itself,
there was fire on all sides of it."
But he said the Tuesday morning reconnaissance
flight of the fire showed the lookout to be intact,
"not burned or scorched or anything."
He said fire is burning in extremely rugged, very
steep terrain with remote, rocky, sub - alpine fir types
of fuels available.
Because of the burning conditions and a lack of
helicopters to deliver a sufficient number of fire-
fighters to the fire to have any kind of impact, he
said the fire wasn't staffed until Tuesday morning.
A small crew was flown into the area to clear a
heli -spot near the fire Monday afternoon. But the
blustery, swirling winds made it dangerous to be
near the fire, Julian said.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, he said efforts
were being made to get the overhead team and the
150 or so firefighters now assigned to the fire into
it.
There are no structures threatened by the fire at
this point, he said, although there is some concern
about an Idaho Power Co. powerline in the area that
serves Yellow Pine. Julian said some emphasis was
being placed on protecting that power line.
The Incident Command Post for the fire was being
set up Tuesday afternoon on Rice Creek, just off of
Stolle Meadows. Julian said that may mean some
heavy fire traffic in the area and warns everyone
who might visit the area to be aware of that.
With the weather forecast calling for more of the
same — extended periods of hot, dry weather, and
associated winds, all factors that influence fire behav-
ior and the rate of spread — it's not going to be an
easy next few months for firefighters, he said.
He also urged those visiting the woods to use
extreme caution and to abide by the Stage II restric-
tions that are in place. Those restrictions limit camp-
fires to only the fire rings in developed campgrounds,
prohibit smoking unless in a closed vehicle or in an
area cleared of burnable debris for three feet, pro-
hibits private wood cutting, and has limited com-
mercial wood - cutting to only between the hours of
1 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"We don't need any more fires than what light-
ning gives us," he said.
It's been a long, hot
summer for firefighters
MCCALL— Although the Blackwell Fire's rapid movement is
alarming, Indiana firefighters Paul Hinton and Tim Fisher said
they will remember the blaze near Glenwood Springs, Colorado
as the worst fire of the season.
The tree fallers and their crew were some of the first to see the
14 firefighters who were killed by the Storm King Fire on July 6.
"We could see the bodies along the hill with their fire shelters
out. They were right across the ridge from us" said Fisher.
"The wind can change so fast and totally confuse everyone,"
said Hinton. "It makes you think a lot more. It makes you think it
could happen to us."
In addition to their recent trauma, they must deal with difficult
conditions. When they battle blazes outside their home state, for
example, Indiana firefighters receive no hazard pay. But they enjoy
their job and that's what keeps them going, said Fisher.
"Most of us in Indiana come out here for nothing," he stated.
In addition, the higher altitude of the area has required some
adjustment for the firefighters.
"In Colorado it wasn't near this height," said Hinton. "When
you first get out here you're not really used to it."
After long days of "snag felling" the three men get what little
sleep they can in a field "with the buffalo," said Fisher.
Blackwell fire threatens eastside Payette Lake
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
MCCALL —The Blackwell Fire
Complex, now classified as third
most important in the Great Basin
area, probably won't be contained
until August 18, according to Payette
Forest Service officials.
Gusty winds, lack of resources,
high temperatures and extremely
dry conditions are making the blaze
very difficult to fight.
The fire, which was started by
a lightning strike last Wednesday
night, grew to more than 10,400
acres as of Tuesday morning.
Ted Dailey, an incident team
member from Tennessee, said that
fuel moisture levels have sunk to
only six percent, giving the fire plen-
ty of dry fuel.
"The fuel moisture is unprece-
dented ... 60 percent would be low
where I come from," he stated.
"The trees are drier than kiln-
dried timber in a lumber yard c,
there," said Pam Gardner, Public
Relations Coordinator.
Gardner also said that all trained
fire crews in the nation have been
deployed on fires, creating a high
demand for more firefighters.
"There's a complete lack of
resources out there," Dailey added.
Five helicopters, 25 engines and
893 firefighters worked on the fire
yesterday, but only the west side
was flanked. Firefighters conduct-
ed a burnout on Monday along the
west flank to strengthen the fire line.
According to Fire Information Officer
Steve Till, firefighters will attempt
to pinch off the flames if they jump
the line.
Winds continue to blow the fire
in a northeasterly direction away
from structures, yet temperatures
are so high that trees immediately
ignite from the heat alone.
Ivan Ersine, Fire Behavior
Analysist, stated that the greater the
difference in temperatures at dif-
ferent elevations, the more unstable
the atmosphere.
"All you can say is, it can't get
much drier than it is," he told resi-
dents of the east side of Payette Lake
at a meeting on Monday.
Incident meteorologist Chris
Cuoco said that the winds and hot,
dry conditions led to a "red -flag
warning" issued Monday, and he
said the weather is expected to con-
tinue.
"I never let my guard down on
these kind of fires because you just
never know," said Division
Supervisor Curtis McChesney.
Personnel from all Western states
as well as Kentucky, North Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania
and Oklahoma have arrived in McCall
to assist at all levels of fire man-
agement.
"Everybody knows their job and
you have a very functional organi-
zation that gets the job done," said
Dailey. "This is purely an intera-
gency incident."
Agencies such as the Bureau of
Land Management, Idaho National
Guard, Idaho State Police, Parks
and Recreation Department, Valley
County Sheriff's Office, and the
McCall Police and Fire Departments
have joined the effort to control.
Blackwell. Fire trucks from Kuna,
Meridian, North Ada County, Indian',
Valley, and other jurisdictions in
the region are also on the scene pro-
viding structure protection.
In addition, an army battallion
from Texas will arrive between
August 13 and 15 to help fight the
blaze.
The cost of fighting the Blackwell
fire is estimated at $465,000 a day
and the supply warehouse has been
flooded with orders for everything
from shovels to food for the fire-
fighters.
"If there's about 1,000 firefighters
out there, then you have 500 shov-
els and 500 Pulaskis," said Tom
French of the Payette National Forest
Service's warehouse.
residences
There may a hot sale going on at Shaver's, but not this hot.
Thursday afternoon's weather conditions generated a column
of smoke from the Blackwell Complex that towered 5 miles high.
weed 1/a�GL f �Lc� vv cc� &gc 02 0,r 7_ u�-� �v /994/
Evacuation plans set for eastside residents
Shannon Paterson
fLVA intern
MCCALL — Residents along the east side of Payette
Lake nervously watched the forest explode into a smoky
inferno last week just miles behind their homes.
"We're concerned, that's why we're here," said
Harris Cove resident Dale Nagy at a homeowners'
meeting on Monday. "It's hard to gauge the fire's dis-
tance from where we're at."
Forest Service officials requested that residents leave
the area if possible, but the Nagys decided not to evac-
uate their summer home until it is absolutely neces-
sary. Instead they thinned the trees on their property,
turned on the sprinklers and packed their vehicles with
valuable belongings to be ready for mandatory evacu-
ation at a moment's notice.
Seattle residents Forrest Peebles and Nancy Roberts
heard that their property might be threatened through
the "family grapevine," according to Peebles.
"We were concerned about what we could do," he
said. "But we do keep our place pretty well cleaned
up." They arrived in McCall shortly after learning of
the blaze and immediately made a mental inventory of
things in the house they would want to save.
Officials said that they would not be able to deter-
mine whether a mandatory evacuation is necessary until
about two hours before it would sweep the area, and
they advised residents to be prepared.
August 2:
The Corral Fire is spotted seven
miles north of the Brundage Mountain
Ski Area; threatens a grazing associa-
tion cabin. Three engines are stationed
near the cabin for protection. The blaze
covers 40 acres.
August 3:
The Corral Fire grows to more
than 300 acres and a Type 11 Fire
Mangagement team arrives to direct
operations. Heavy smoke can be seen
in New Meadows and McCall. Later
that evening, a lightning storm sparks
the Blackwell Fire Complex about 1.5
miles from the east shore of Payette
Lake.
August 4:
Huge plumes of smoke from the
Blackwell and Coral foes billow above
McCall. Numerous fires throughout
the Payette National Forest are moni-
tored, but are unstaffed.
Blackwell Fire: A Type I Fire
Management Team arrives and is briefed
on the 400 -plus acre fire. The Valley
County Sheriff s Office begins to warn
residents along the east side of Payette
Lake about a possible evacuation.
Corral Fire: More than 400 acres
are consumed and all campers are escort-
ed out of the area.
They also recommended that homeowners remove
fire hazards such as brush, log piles and pine needles
from their roofs and from around their property.
"That makes the difference whether this thing moves
rapidly or creeps," said Fire Chief Dale Points.
"One ember in a wood pile and you're going to lose
your home," added Fire Behavior Analysist Ivan Erskine.
Points estimated that approximately 125 to 150
homes lie on the east side of the lake and 24 structure
protection engines, some with foam spraying abilities,
are standing by at every available water source. He also
said that foam containing an experimental protein which
remains on foliage for up to two weeks was ordered,
but he wasn't sure when or if it will be received.
"We are using just about every source available to
us," Points stated.
Compressed air foam was sprayed on foliage near
the Tamarack Bay Condominium complex, which is
less than a mile from the blaze. The fire department
also erected a sprinkler system on the shaker roof of
the complex. "The wooden roof out there was extreme-
ly dry," said Mark Larson of the McCall Fire Department.
"I think we've done everything we could, it just depends
on the wind."
In the meantime, residents such as Tom and Dot
Thompson, who have owned their summer home for
20 years, watch and wait until the fire's wrath comes
to an end. "There's really no other precaution we can
take, other than to do what they say," said Dot.
Area Fire Chronoloy
August 5:
Blackwell Fire: The flames remain
active and burn in a northward direc-
tion with crowning activity near the
southern end. Although homes are not
in immediate danger, 13 fire engines -
are stationed near homes for protec-
tion. More than 4,200 acres are con-
sumed by fire.
Corral Fire: The 1,462 acre fire
burned across the Goose Lake Road
for the second time, closing it to fire
personnel for several hours. About 25
recreationists are evacuated.
August 6:
Blackwell Fire: Interaction with
the Corral Fire begins to affect fire
behavior; 5,100 acres are burned.
Corral Fire: Flames move into
Fisher Creek and about 4,000 acres are
consumed.
August 7:
Blackwell Fire: Heavy smoke
on the fire overnight preheats the fuels
and causes them to ignite early in the
morning. Flames consume about 6,000
acres.
Corral Fire: Major runs to the
north and south overnight bring the
total of acres burned to 6,840.
itugust 8:
13lackwell Fire: Gusty winds
cause the fire to make major runs to
the ngrth overnight. Approximately
7,000 acres are destroyed. The fire is
very `a ctive in the afternoon and dead
spruce; ignites spontaneously from the
radian t heat.
('orral Fire: Firefighter and log-
ger camps are evacuated due to fire
activity and a sheepherder is also res-
cued. )lbout 7,000 acres are burned.
August 9:
Blackwell Fire: Only the west
flank of the fire is staffed and the fire
grew tc' 10,400 acres overnight.
C,,jrral Fire: Activity explodes
during the night and the fire triples in
size. De structon covers about 32,000
acres. I
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M c C a l l - a r e a r e s i d e n t s
t o l d t o b e r e a d y t o f l e e
B y C o l l e e n L a M a y
T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
M C C A L L E v a c u a t i o n
g u i d e l i n e s w e r e i s s u e d
T h u r s d a y f o r h o m e o w n e r s
a l o n g t h e e a s t s i d e o f P a y -
e t t e L a k e , a f t e r l i g h t n i n g
t o u c h e d o f f m o r e t h a n 4 0
f i r e s i n t h e s u r r o u n d i n g
f o r e s t .
C a m p e r s w e r e e v a c u a t e d
f r o m H a z a r d L a k e C a m p -
g r o u n d , a f t e r o n e o f t h e f i r e s
t e m p o r a r i l y b l o c k e d t h e d i r t
r o a d l e a d i n g t o i t . N o o n e
w a s i n j u r e d . F i r e o f f i c i a l s
s a i d t h e c a m p e r s w e r e n o t i n
d a n g e r .
I n a l l , m o r e t h a n 3 , 0 0 0
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h a d b u r n e d b y T h u r s d a y e v e -
n i n g . A b o u t 6 0 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s
w e r e o n t h e l i n e s , a n d m o r e
w e r e t o a r r i v e t o d a y .
T h u r s d a y m o r n i n g , l a w - e n -
f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r s w e n t d o o r
t o d o o r t o a b o u t 1 0 0 h o u s e s
a l o n g t h e e a s t s i d e o f P a y -
e t t e L a k e . H o m e o w n e r s w e r e
t o l d t o b e r e a d y t o c l e a r o u t
i f f l a m e s c l o s e d i n .
T h e B l a c k w e l l C o m p l e x
F i r e w a s b u r n i n g w i t h i n 1
m i l e o f s o m e o f t h e h o m e s .
T h e f i r e s p r e a d T h u r s d a y a f -
t e r n o o n , b u t b e c a u s e o f w i n d
a n d t e r r a i n , i t d i d n o t e d g e
c l o s e r t o t h e u p s c a l e h o m e s .
F l a m e s a l s o w e r e c l o s e t o
C a m p M o r r i s o n , a B o y S c o u t
c a m p a l o n g t h e e a s t s i d e o f
t h e l a k e . T h e b o y s w e n t
h o m e T h u r s d a y , t w o d a y s
e a r l y , b e c a u s e o f t h e f i r e .
T h e y w e r e i n n o i m m e d i a t e
d a n g e r , b u t S c o u t i n g o f f i -
c i a l s d e c i d e d i t w a s f o r t h e
b e s t .
T h e t o w n w a s s u n n y a n d
f r e e o f s m o k e T h u r s d a y a f -
t e r n o o n . B u t a m u s h r o o m
c l o u d o f s m o k e r o s e o v e r t h e
e a s t s i d e o f t h e l a k e . T h u r s -
d a y m o r n i n g , a c h a n g e i n
t h e w i n d h a d c a u s e d a s h t o
r a i n o n t o t h e r e s o r t t o w n 1 0 6
m i l e s n o r t h o f B o i s e .
B o b H i t c h c o c k , 4 7 , l i v e s
d i r e c t l y a c r o s s t h e r o a d f r o m
t h e B o y S c o u t c a m p . H e
w a s n ' t w o r r i e d a b o u t t h e
f i r e . U n l i k e m o s t o f t h e
h o m e o w n e r s w a r n e d a b o u t
p o s s i b l e e v a c u a t i o n , h e a n d
h i s w i f e l i v e i n t h e i r 1 0 , 4 0 0 -
s q u a r e - f o o t h o u s e y e a r -
r o u n d .
H e p u l l e d u p t o t h e e i g h t -
b e d r o o m h o u s e a b o u t 6 p . m .
o n a r i d i n g l a w n m o w e r . H e
t o o k t i m e o f f f r o m w o r k t o
m o v e h i s w i f e ' s h o r s e s , j u s t
i n c a s e , a n d d e c i d e d t o m o w
p a r t o f h i s l a w n .
" F i r e l o o k s g o o d , a n d I
w a s s u p p o s e d t o m o w t h e
l a w n l a s t n i g h t , " s a i d H i t c h -
c o c k , w h o o w n s E v e r g r e e n
F o r e s t P r o d u c t s m i l l i n n e a r -
b y T a m a r a c k .
H i s w i f e w a s v i s i t i n g r e l a -
t i v e s i n W a s h i n g t o n w h e n
t h e f i r e b r o k e o u t . H i s h o u s e
i s i n s u r e d . I f h e h a d t o l e a v e
i n a h u r r y , h e s a i d , " I ' d t a k e
m y d o g ( B u d ) . T h e c a t s c a n
f e n d f o r t h e m s e l v e s . "
E " a
P h o t o s b y K e v i n C l a r k / T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
A n a i r t a n k e r f i n i s h e s d u m p i n g f i r e r e t a r -
d a n t o n t h e B l a c k w e l l C o m p l e x F i r e .
Stdie ondln
Forest fires
in the McCall
area /ll
Ponderosa
State Park
(North Beach
/ unit) �.
Ponderosa
State Park
(Main unit)
Little
le Payette ,a Payette
Lake
W
O
McCall
0 ro X55'
From Legacy Park in downtown McCall, swimmers watch the Blackwell
Complex Fire burn hot enough to form its own clouds. The fire, in the
Payette National Forest, was 7 miles east of McCall.
fire
.,,N_1CCa1ft nears
2nd - largest blaze Salmon
in U.S. expected to
merge with another
By Kim Eckart
and Marianne Flagg
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL -- The largest fire
in the Payette National Forest
stubbornly pushed north on
Tuesday, racing toward the nat-
ural boundary that might hold it
back: the Salmon River.
The 32,000 -acre Corral Fire is
expected to join the smaller
Warm Springs Fire within days.
The fire could reach the river —
now six miles away — in a cou-
ple of days.
About 500 U.S. Army person-
nel are scheduled to arrive to
fight the Corral Fire by the end
of the week, said Deputy Inci-
dent Commander Joe Carvelho.
Those troops would bring the
total number of firefighters bat-
tling the blaze to more than 800.
It is the second - largest of the
36 fires in the West. The largest
— the 121,400 -acre Tyee Com-
plex Fire in Washington state —
x;
The fire isbuming rnostly spruce
trees. Their long branches hang
close to the ground, making it
easy for flames to climb from the
ground to the tops of the trees.
When a fire "crowns" like that, it
produces extreme heat and
winds, often igniting other trees.
The winds then can carry
embers as far as half a mile,
where they set new fires.
is being fought by 2,600 people.
The McCall -area fires have
burned more than 50,000 acres.
The Blackwell Complex Fire
River
i
Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
A DC -4 air tanker drops fire retardant onto the Corral Fire about seven miles north of Brundage Ski
Area near McCall. The Corral Fire has grown to 32,000 acres.
grew to more than 15,000 provide an estimated loss
acres Tuesday; almost 900 fire- Tuesday.
fighters are assigned to the area. A soldier fighting the Idaho
Flying crews have dropped City complex was injured about
fire retardant ahead of the Cor- 11 a.m. Tuesday when he struck
ral Fire, while some ground his foot with an axe -like tool
crews have dug fire lines and set While chopping snags.
up hoses along the southern pe- He was flown by Life Flight to
rimeter, where the fire endan- St. Alphonsus Regional Medical
gers a second firefighters' camp Center, where Forest Service of-
at Sater Meadows. ficials said he was resting com-
fortably Tuesday night after
Farther southeast, on the surgery.
Blackwell Fire, crews have con-
centrated on the west side of the
blaze, protecting cabins and Complex blazes
condominiums on the east side
of Payette Lake. Fire fires have dw-ed an estimated
Spruce, Douglas fir and pon- 11,040 acres new Idaho City. The
derosa pine stand in the path of newest blaze is the Bear River Fire, at
the fires as they continue to the Confluence of the Bear River and
burn north on primarily Payette the North Fork of the Boise River
National Forest land. Much of A, campsites `
the area, particularly along ear Rive
French Creek, is devoted to rec- Idaho No,m Fork
reational use, with a network of City ise River
hiking trails and a patchwork of To Bannock
lakes. Boise Gam`
No developed campgrounds 1 21 ee90
are in jeopardy. Some timber ottonwood eF0%*
has been salvaged, and, farther Mme`
northwest, near the Warm
Springs Fire, lies land suited for Tiger
grazing. �o q� c eelr
But dead trees and layers of tea. Prairie
needles and brush on the ground A
urnish ost of the fuel that N
eeds themire.
Many of the area's —1 � ^^ Fire figures and information as of 7 P.M. Tuesday
rees have suffered "bug
slow, ducry death cause
ects. Sh trees whet
ppetite, Carvelho said.
Normally, he said, a fi
,000 to 4,000 acres a t
ause of the heat and
uel, the Corral Fire
0,000 acres in one day.
Meanwhile, the Rabbi
[ nd Bear River fires in
o City Complex ran ne
hecked Tuesday, charri
A total of 11,040 ac
yen burned by the fou
,ea blazes. In all, at let
ajor fires are burning i
"We are not even ab
uch but herd them," sa
Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
Judy Shields takes time to fix her hair after showering at the Corral
Fire camp Tuesday. Shields said it felt good to have her first shower
in two days. Shields works in the finance wing of the Forest Service,
tracking personnel time spent on the Corral Fire.
paanded travel advisory line updated daily McCall fires mirror
Idaho's toll -free travel adviso-
ry line has been expanded to in-
clude up -to -date information on
travel conditions in Washington,
Oregon, Montana and Wyoming
The number is 1- 800 -70-
IDAHO (1- 800 - 704 - 3246). The list
ing is updated daily and is ac-
cessible 24 hours a day. Callers
will receive information on road
closures and where the major
fires affecting travel are located
in all five states.
The hot line will also provide
recreational warnings and
campfire restrictions.
McCall area
N forest fires
Fire figures and information
as of 9 p.m. Tuesday
Rigg
a�
0
e
N
W
S
Sd/ Eikhorn
L
Upper
Corral Payette ;;
Twin fire Lake
Lakes c`'
f 4 Granite
Gooses ! Lake
Lake
Brundag�V'
Res. Blackwell
fire
Box
Lake
Little
Payette
" .. Lake
Yellowstone in '88
by Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — Fires sweeping
through the Payette National
Forest could resemble the blazes
that burned half a million acres
of Yellowstone National Park
six years ago.
A fire behavior assessment
team on Tuesday used the same
tactics to analyze the McCall
area fires — now estimated at
nearly 50,000 acres — that were
used to evaluate the conflagra-
tion in Wyoming and Montana
that raged out of control for
three months, egged on by high
winds, dry heat and abundant
forest fuels.
"For a team to be called out
like this for long -range planning
is only done under the most
severe circumstances," said Bob
Mutch, a Missoula, Mont. -based
fire behavior analyst with the
five - person team. "The last time
was for Yellowstone in 1988."
Then, as now, analysts studied
computer - generated maps, aerial
surveys, fire reports and weath-
er forecasts to predict fire move-
ment 30 to 45 days ahead.
The group works with two
scenarios; one in which hot, dry,
windy conditions continue for
the next month, and one in
which the season begins to cool
down normally near the end of
August, with slight precipi-
tation.
Using models developed dur-
ing and after the Yellowstone
fires, analysts examine how
wind and dry fuel can spread the
fire over the crowns of trees,
carrying it to spots many feet
away.
The two biggest fires in the
McCall area — the Corral, esti-
mated at 32,000 acres, and the
Blackwell, at more than 15,000
acres — already have shown
such restless behavior.
"These fires are doing what
you'd expect them to do until we
get a weather break," Mutch
said. Wind gusts from the south-
west hit 25 miles per hour
Tuesday.
The team's recommendations
for fire planning will be submit-
ted to fire officials today. Fol-
low-up teams will update the
plan as needed.
Although a fire behavior ana-
lyst or two will arrive on the
scene of most major fires, rarely
does a team form to project sev-
eral weeks in advance.
About 250 fire behavior ana-
lysts — who must do time on a
fireline and in a series of fire
classes before they get the job —
work around the country.
Fire jargon
■ Contained: A fire is con-
tained if its spread has been
stopped and a loose line of
control is in place.
■ Controlled: A fire is
controlled when there aren't
any hot spots on the perim-
eter.
■ Fire line: A line cleared
by crews or bulldozers
around the perimeter of the
fire. Firefighters cut a trail by
removing any fuel in the path
of the fire, such as trees or
brush, by hand or with bull-
dozers. A fire is said to be
contained if it stays inside
the line.
■ Mop up: Another phrase
for clean up; crews traverse
land recently damaged by
fire — usually, land that's
still smoldering — to shovel
dirt over blackened areas
and chop up and hose down
smoking tree stumps.
Crews also carry chain
saws to slice through burnt
or smoldering trees to keep
them from flaring up again.
Partridge
fire
Area of air tanker
retardant drops
Edge of fire as of
Hershey
-- 8 p.m. Tuesday
Point +
Lava
'Warm
Buttes ''
Springs
fire
Lakes
The 32,000 acre
Big
Corral Fire is
Hazard
expected to join the
Lake
smaller Warm
Springs Fire.
Little -
--- {: ;'
Approximately 300
Hazard
firefighters are
Lake
battling the blaze.
Upper
Corral Payette ;;
Twin fire Lake
Lakes c`'
f 4 Granite
Gooses ! Lake
Lake
Brundag�V'
Res. Blackwell
fire
Box
Lake
Little
Payette
" .. Lake
Yellowstone in '88
by Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL — Fires sweeping
through the Payette National
Forest could resemble the blazes
that burned half a million acres
of Yellowstone National Park
six years ago.
A fire behavior assessment
team on Tuesday used the same
tactics to analyze the McCall
area fires — now estimated at
nearly 50,000 acres — that were
used to evaluate the conflagra-
tion in Wyoming and Montana
that raged out of control for
three months, egged on by high
winds, dry heat and abundant
forest fuels.
"For a team to be called out
like this for long -range planning
is only done under the most
severe circumstances," said Bob
Mutch, a Missoula, Mont. -based
fire behavior analyst with the
five - person team. "The last time
was for Yellowstone in 1988."
Then, as now, analysts studied
computer - generated maps, aerial
surveys, fire reports and weath-
er forecasts to predict fire move-
ment 30 to 45 days ahead.
The group works with two
scenarios; one in which hot, dry,
windy conditions continue for
the next month, and one in
which the season begins to cool
down normally near the end of
August, with slight precipi-
tation.
Using models developed dur-
ing and after the Yellowstone
fires, analysts examine how
wind and dry fuel can spread the
fire over the crowns of trees,
carrying it to spots many feet
away.
The two biggest fires in the
McCall area — the Corral, esti-
mated at 32,000 acres, and the
Blackwell, at more than 15,000
acres — already have shown
such restless behavior.
"These fires are doing what
you'd expect them to do until we
get a weather break," Mutch
said. Wind gusts from the south-
west hit 25 miles per hour
Tuesday.
The team's recommendations
for fire planning will be submit-
ted to fire officials today. Fol-
low-up teams will update the
plan as needed.
Although a fire behavior ana-
lyst or two will arrive on the
scene of most major fires, rarely
does a team form to project sev-
eral weeks in advance.
About 250 fire behavior ana-
lysts — who must do time on a
fireline and in a series of fire
classes before they get the job —
work around the country.
Fire jargon
■ Contained: A fire is con-
tained if its spread has been
stopped and a loose line of
control is in place.
■ Controlled: A fire is
controlled when there aren't
any hot spots on the perim-
eter.
■ Fire line: A line cleared
by crews or bulldozers
around the perimeter of the
fire. Firefighters cut a trail by
removing any fuel in the path
of the fire, such as trees or
brush, by hand or with bull-
dozers. A fire is said to be
contained if it stays inside
the line.
■ Mop up: Another phrase
for clean up; crews traverse
land recently damaged by
fire — usually, land that's
still smoldering — to shovel
dirt over blackened areas
and chop up and hose down
smoking tree stumps.
Crews also carry chain
saws to slice through burnt
or smoldering trees to keep
them from flaring up again.
J ty �e a J'njLi 141,Ag� /d, i 9JVy
Salmon River a short leap
for fixes
Firefighters prepare
The Salmon
to douse blazes on !
other side of canyon
MCCALL — The mighty
Salmon River may prove no
match for Idaho's largest fires,
expected to merge to more than
76,000 acres and reach the river
by the end of the week.
Fire officials for two National
Forests — the Payette, where
the blazes now rage, and the Nez
Perce, where the complex will
end up if it jumps the river —
already are working together to
plan for wind that could blow
the fire in or over the river
canyon.
"We are preparing for the
worst case, so we're behaving
like it will jump the river," said
Nez Perce National Forest su-
pervisor Mike King.
One 20- person crew worked
along the Salmon River, hosing
down some fifteen structures,
shaving tree limbs and providing
other forms of preliminary pro-
tection from the Riggins Hot
Springs area to Mackay Bar.
The Corral Fire, the larger of
the two blazes, spread to 48,600
acres on Monday, still about five
miles south of the river. Farther
south, the Blackwell fire grew to
28,250 acres. The fires were fed
by winds gusting up to 35 mph. A
thick, white smoke hovered over
the resort town of McCall, situ-
ated a mile southwest of the
Blackwell blaze.
Crews are focusing on three
areas: the structures at the com-
munities of Secesh, Burgdorf and
Warren which lie in the paths of
the fires; the southern edge of
the Corral fire which is about six
miles north of the Brundage
Mountain Ski Area; and the
southern and western sides of
the Blackwell fire, which are
closest to McCall.
The blazes are about four
miles apart. As the blazes grow
closer, crews will dig a trench
that will become the southern
boundary of the combined fire.
That will allow firefighters to
concentrate on closing in on the
blaze from its outer edges, said
Payette National Forest supervi-
Photo an
But fire officials can't help but
to look ahead to the Salmon
River canyon, a rugged, often
rocky, brush- and tree - covered
slope that drops 2,000 -4,000 feet
to the river. If the fire jumps the
river and burns up the north
slope, it will roll into the Nez
Perce National Forest.
Crews from the Payette forest
fires will continue to fight the
blazes, though the Nez Perce Na-
tional Forest may request more
firefighters and equipment.
Jumping the Salmon, however,
bodes an additional challenge:
the Gospel Hump National Wil-
derness, which stretches along
the river from Wind River Pack
Bridge to just east of Crooked
Creek.
Fighting fires in a designated
wilderness area requires differ-
ent methods than those used on
other lands. Roads don't criss-
cross the wilderness and even
noise is restricted. Without
roads, crews hike or flv in with
Fires expected to
merge and travel in
direction of arrows
d graphit;s/The Idaho Statesman I
equipment, and helicopters–drop
biodegradable fire retardant and
water. Few, if any, trees are cut,
and generally crews don't dig
and cut a fire line.
This "light on land" approach
bars mechanized equipment (like
bulldozers and chainsaws) ex-
cept in the most severe circum-
stances, when lives or structures
are threatened. In other words,
crews try to confine the fire
without attacking the land
around it.
"We use natural barriers for
confinement," said Ed Allen, an
assistant to the district fire offi-
cer for the Payette National For-
est. "We back off on wilderness
unless there are threats to peo-
ple or private holdings."
Fire officials say they can't
determine yet whether the fire
will reach the wilderness, or
even whether it will jump the
river. Time — and the weather
— will tell.
Designated closure of Payette 9 �.
National Forest j
any 1/0) ry - AUQust
Payette, Boise forests ablaze
Indiana firefighter, Tim Fisher, takes a break from battling
Blackwell Complex.
being used for structure protection, and five helicopters.
The east side road continues to be closed to traffic
except for residents and others performing official
duties.
Valley County Sheriff Lewis Pratt said Monday that
the county's Civil Defense plans, which were invoked
with Gov. Cecil Andrus' declaration of the county as
a disaster area, are working well.
It also made it possible for National Guard troops
to be deployed to help maintain security in the east side
area.
On the Corral and Warm Springs Fires, which start-
ed as two separate fires but are now being battled as
Several lightning storms that blew through Valley County last week
have sparked forest fires that have consumed nearly 50,000 acres of
forest, and forced the evacuation of church and scout camps.
So far, no structures have been lost to the blazes which got their start
under almost ideal conditions last Wednesday evening.
As of Tuesday, the Corral Fire, which is burning on Payette National
Forest Land several miles north of Brundage Mountain Ski Area, had
grown to more than 32,000 acres, tripling in size in the previous 24 hours.
That fire had burned north to within six miles of the Salmon River and
was threatening the Elkhorn Lodge, where fire engines have been locat-
ed to provide structure protection.
At times during the preceding
24 hours, that fire burned northward
at a rate of one mile per hour.
Also burning and growing is the
Blackwell Complex, a fire that has,
for the past week, threatened homes
along the east side of Payette Lake.
That fire had grown to nearly 11,000
acres by'ruesday morning and was
generally burning in a northeasterly direction.
That fire burned to within one mile of the Tamarack Bay Condos, but
a backfire set Monday night provided some margin of safety for the east
side residents, many of whom have stayed on to do what they can to pro-
tect their property despite having been requested to leave voluntarily.
Last Thursday and Friday, church and scout camps on the east side of
the lake were evacuated and youths attending those functions were sent
home, and officials have been meeting regularly with residents of the east
side to discuss the latest news about the fire, the progress being made, and
the risk to their property and what property owners can do to ease that
risk.
Nearly 900 firefighters have been assigned to the Blackwell Fire, along
with 25 engines from a variety of fire jurisdictions, most of which are
one fire, the Corral Fire, about 350 firefighters, 4 heli-
copters, 1 bulldozer and 8 engines were battling the
blaze Tuesday.
Additional manpower in form of military troops is
in the pipeline and expected to help bolster weary fire-
fighters within the next couple of days.
Added to those two fires is a third fire that also has
all the potential of being a runaway. That fire, the
Thunderbolt Fire on the Boise National Forest, had
reached about 300 acres in size early Tuesday.
Unpredictable weather including high wirids made early
containment of that blaze a longshot.
t.unq 1/41 `l�� �? �vo eaT2 uq(4sT fog /gl`r'74- �'i YPS_�e
Blackwell fire threatens eastside Payette
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
MCCALL —The Blackwell Fire
Complex, now classified as third
most important in the Great Basin
area, probably won't be contained
until August 18, according to Payette
Forest Service officials.
Gusty winds, lack of resources,
high temperatures and extremely
dry conditions are making the blaze
very difficult to fight.
The fire, which was started by
a lightning strike last Wednesday
night, grew to more than 10,400
acres as of Tuesday morning.
Ted Dailey, an incident team
member from Tennessee, said that
fuel moisture levels have sunk to
only six percent, giving the fire plen-
ty of dry fuel.
"The fuel moisture is unprece-
dented ... 60 percent would be low
where I come from," he stated.
"The trees are drier than kiln -
dried timber in a lumber yard out
there," said Pam Gardner, Public
Relations Coordinator.
Gardner also said that all trained
fire crews in the nation have been
deployed on fires, creating a high
demand for more firefighters.
"There's a complete lack of
resources out there," Dailey added.
Five helicopters, 25 engines and
893 firefighters worked on the fire
yesterday, but only the west side
was flanked. Firefighters conduct-
ed a burnout on Monday along the
west flank to strengthen the fire line.
According to Fie Information Officer
Steve Till, firefighters will attempt
to pinch off the flames if they jump
the line.
Winds continue to blow the fire
in a northeasterly direction away
from structures, yet temperatures
are so high that trees immediately
ignite from the heat alone.
Ivan Ersine, Fire Behavior
Analysist, stated that the greater the
difference in temperatures at dif-
ferent elevations, the more unstable
the atmosphere.
"All you can say is, it can't get
much drier than it is," he told resi-
dents of the east side of Payette Lake
at a meeting on Monday.
Incident meteorologist Chris
Cuoco said that the winds and hot,
dry conditions led to a "red -flag
warning" issued Monday, and he
said the weather is expected to con-
tinue.
"I never let my guard down on
these kind of fires because you just
never know," said Division
Supervisor Curtis McChesney.
Pprmn 1 from A Western states
Lake residences
as well as Kentucky, North Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania
and Oklahoma have arrived in McCall
to assist at all levels of fire man-
agement.
"Everybody knows their job and
you have a very functional organi-
zation that gets the job done," said
Dailey. "This is purely an intera-
gency incident."
Agencies such as the Bureau of
Land Management, Idaho National
Guard, Idaho State Police, Parks
and Recreation Department, Valley
County Sheriff's Office, and the
McCall Police and Fire Departments
have joined the effort to control
Blackwell. Fire trucks from Kuna,
Meridian, North Ada County, Indian
Valley, and other jurisdictions in
the region are also on the scene pro-
viding structure protection.
In addition, an army battallion
from Texas will arrive between
August 13 and 15 to help fight the
blaze.
The cost of fighting the Blackwell
fire is estimated at $465,000 a day
and the supply warehouse has been
flooded with orders for everything
from shovels to food for the fire-
fighters.
"If there's about 1,000 firefighters
out there, then you have 500 shov-
els and 500 Pulaskis," said Tom
French of the Payette National Forest
Service's warehouse.
There may a hot sale going on at Shaver's, but not this hot.
Thursday afternoon's weather conditions generated a column
of smoke from the Blackwell Complex that towered 5 miles high.
L onq li�IiP� , � 11a�a1'e -, L4 K5r-/6rl�rq� - -�►
evacuation plans set for eastside residents
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
MCCALL — Residents along the east side of Payette
Lake nervously watched the forest explode into a smoky
inferno last week just miles behind their homes.
"We're concerned, that's why we're here," said
Harris Cove resident Dale Nagy at a homeowners'
meeting on Monday. "It's hard to gauge the fire's dis-
tance from where we're at."
Forest Service officials requested that residents leave
the area if possible, but the Nagys decided not to evac-
uate their summer home until it is absolutely neces-
sary. Instead they thinned the trees on their property,
turned on the sprinklers and packed their vehicles with
valuable belongings to be ready for mandatory evacu-
ation at a moment's notice.
Seattle residents Forrest Peebles and Nancy Roberts
heard that their property might be threatened through
the "family grapevine," according to Peebles.
"We were concerned about what we could do," he
said. "But we do keep our place pretty well cleaned
up." They arrived in McCall shortly after learning of
the blaze and immediately made a mental inventory of
things in the house they would want to save.
Officials said that they would not be able to deter-
mine whether a mandatory evacuation is necessary until
about two hours before it would sweep the area, and
they advised reside
They also recommended that homeowners remove
fire hazards such as brush, log piles and pine needles
from their roofs and from around their property.
"That makes the difference whether this thing moves
rapidly or creeps," said Fire Chief Dale Points.
"One ember in a wood pile and you're going to lose
your home," added Fire Behavior Analysist Ivan Erskine.
Points estimated that approximately 125 to 150
homes lie on the east side of the lake and 24 structure
protection engines, some with foam spraying abilities,
are standing by at every available water source. He also
said that foam containing an experimental protein which
remains on foliage for up to two weeks was ordered,
but he wasn't sure when or if it will be received.
"We are using just about every source available to
us," Points stated.
Compressed air foam was sprayed on foliage near
the Tamarack Bay Condominium complex, which is
less than a mile from the blaze. The fire department
also erected a sprinkler system on the shaker roof of
the complex. "The wooden roof out there was extreme-
ly dry," said Mark Larson of the McCall Fire Department.
"I think we've done everything we could, it just depends
on the wind."
In the meantime, residents such as Tom and Dot
Thompson, who have owned their summer home for
20 years, watch and wait until the fire's wrath comes
to an end. "There's really no other precaution we can
nis to oe prepareu. take other than to do what they say,"
° n
90
gdorf Hot Springs
Copeal Fire - 32,000+ acres.
0
M rged w/ Warm Springs Fire
95 upper
`3T ... P tte Lake
' Blackwell Complex
Brundage o e�P�a 0,400+ acres
Mountain
Ski Area Yell
Jew �� >!; Payette ....
Pin
/lea ows y' Lake
Little Hill
Ski -it-
Area CCall
a Lakefork
z;
Thunderbolt Fire
Donnelly 285+ acres
Gold Fork Creek
Cascade wit
Reserv&
Warm
Lake
— — Horsethief Reservoir
scale
AU information as of noon 8/9/94
said Dot
said Dot
Experts present ominous
worst -case fire scenario
Colleen LaMay
The Idaho Statesman
McCALL — Within a few
weeks, two fires burning near
here could grow to 425,000
acres, 10 times their present
5tdIe SYhd kq Au9 1 r, t9q''
size.
.
It
" That's a huge fire for this
country," Fire Staff Officer
Gene Benedict said during a
press conference Wednesday
in McCall. "We've looked at
some of our records, and we
don't see near this kind of
fire."
The problem fires are the
Corral, which so far has
scorched 32,000 acres; and the
18,000 -acre Blackwell
Katherine Joness /The Idaho Statesmar
Don Clark folds up a quilt made by his mother
Complex.
wife prepare to leave their trailer
-in -law as he and his
in Secesh Meadows.
Fire officials fear the two
In addition, about two dozen
cipitation
fires could burn together and
trails for backpacking and
— 50 inches short of
normal over the
scorch 425,000 acres by early
September.
horseback riding into high
vast 10 years
— and the hot weather.
The estimate is based on a
mountain lakes are closed.
Forest officials Wednesday
There are about 640 fire -
fighters on the two fires
worst -case scenario develop --d
also told residents of two tiny
now,
but because drought has left
by a team of experts on fire
towns — Warren and Secesh
the forest kiln -dry and because
behavior after 10 years of
— to get valuables out of their
of the potential for high winds,
drought and a hot spell. It's
homes while they have the
Payette Forest Supervisor Da-
the scenario fire officials are
chance.
"We're
vid Alexander said he
using to develop a firefighting
hopeful they'll vol-
wouldn't put firefighters
strategy that means closure of
untarily evacuate the area un-
out
in front of the flames. The fires
about 450,000 acres of the Pay-
til this. fire emergency is
are just too unpredictable.
ette National Forest to the
over," Benedict said.
public.
The number of people still in
The closure happened
those two towns, both north -
Wednesday. It takes in Burg-
east of McCall, was uncertain
dorf Hot Springs and Hazard
Wednesday night.
Lake Campground, both popu-
U.S. Forest Service officials
lar summer vacation destina-
took a pessimistic view of the
tions for Boiseans.
fire's potential because of pre-
Answers to your fire
(Note: Here are answers to Their use on the fire is deter- tion for many days afte
some common questions regard-
ing the forest fires near McCall.
Answers were provided by the
Payette National Forest.)
Q: What is happening when we
see a sudden explosion of flame
coming from the fire?
A: A rapid column of flame is
produced from extremely light, vola-
tile, green fuels attached to indi-
vidual trees, or groups of trees. Green
foliage can be preheated by adja-
cent fire, high temperatures and low
relative humidity.
Snags, or standing, dead trees
which have been produced from
beetle kill over the last five years
can also produce bursts of flame.
These fuels are composed of lateral
branches, foliage such as needles
and mosses that when ignited pro-
duce black smoke.
Fire behavior is the result of the
character of the fuel, its fuel mois-
ture content and weather. Some rapid
explosions of flame are produced
by wind which feeds ignited fuels
with oxygen.
Q: What causes the different col-
ors of smoke - white, black grey?
A: Light fuels with extremely
low moisture content produce black
smoke and indicate rapid combus-
tion processes. As the fire reaches
the trunk or bole of the tree, it re-
turns to a glowing stage that emits
white smoke. Blue to grey smoke is
produced by various types of non -
cellulose
fuels. Occasionally smoke
I grey as it dissipates in the
upper atmosphere from ignition
sources on the ground.
Q: Why haven't air tankers and
water- bucket helicopters been fly-
ing dawn to dusk to control the fire?
A: Resources such as medium
and heavy helicopters and air tank-
ers are shared resources among the
ire complexes present at any one
ime near a reloading point or water
ource. Mandatory rest periods are
equired for both types of ships.
Retardant is mixed and prepared,
nd loaded onto air tankers in Boise
nd McCall. Turn - around time for:
it tankers can vary with break -
owns, diversion of ships to other
ssignments and the complexity of
he rest of the air attack.
Helicopters serve two -fold re-
,nsibilities: They carry people and
plies into and out of fires (such
he spike camp at the frog pond at
ckwell) and they carry buckets
various capacities for dippl-
er and delivering it to hot spc L
mined by the support needs of fire
fighters on the ground and is coordi-
nated by air attack managers in the
air. Helicopters also have manda-
tory rest periods.
Dawn -to -dusk fighting methods
are influenced by suppression pri-
orities, smoke, micro weather pat-
terns above the fire itself and other
safety concerns.
Q. What is the difference be-
tween afire being "contained" and
"controlled"?
A: Containment means .a secure
fire line has been produced around
the entire outer boundary of the
burned area and there is little chance
of any further spread of the fire
beyond the boundary.
Control means the fire line is
completely secure and there is no
likelihood that it will be breached. It
does not mean all hot spots are dead
out, but that mop -up within a certain
perimeter is complete and suppres-
sion teams may now safely walk
away from the fire.
Q: How long after a fire is con-
tained is it usually controlled?
A: This is dependent on many
factors, including the amount of un-
burned fuels within the boundary,
the type of fuels (heat may be car
ried in the roots of burned vegeta-
questions
r the fire has Fire removes neeates, lateral
passed), and the area that requires branches, and moss from the conif-
mopping up. erous tree species (mixed conifers,
Q: Do you try to put out every bit Douglas fir, Grand fir, Ponderosa
of fire within the fire line? pine, Western Larch) at the lower
A: No, not always. In cases where elevations and Spruce fir at the
unburned, preheated fuels may re- higher elevations (over 8,000 feet)
ignite and re- threaten human life or producing blackened snags. It also
structures, the fire must be sup- removes vegetation from the ground
pressed. In other areas, it may and understory of the trees.
"smoke until it snows." Following a wild fire, tree and
When a confinement strategy is shrub seedlings will sprout and re-
used rather than containment, every grow. They will in turn provide
bit of fire is not put out. Confine- shade for other fire - dependent plants
ment involves using natural barriers to sprout in the next few years.
such as rock outcrops, a river, trails Expect to see ponderosa pine fol-
or roads, or widely- spaced vegeta- lowed by Douglas fir seedlings in
tion to slow, or even stop the fire. the lower elevations and lodgepole
Water drops and disappearing, pine seedlings in the mid to higher
uncolored retardant is also used to elevations over the next few years.
slow the fire within selected or pre- There are also a host of wildflowers,
selected boundaries. This often oc- shrubs, and grasses that are fire -
curs in wilderness areas, or in areas dependent (such as fireweed) that
where human life, structures and will colonize the soils after winter
other managed resources are not snow melt and spring moisture in
threaded. March or April.
Q: Will theBlackwell fire leave a Q: What is a project fire and
scar on the landscape as seen from when did the Blackwell complex
McCall? When will it get green lualify2
again? A: A "project" fire requires that
A: The McCall landscape will resources be allocated for logistics,
change from patches of grey, spruce Manning, safety, operations, infor-
beetle- killed timber and live green oration and command management
timber to blackened timber with little Aafire.
undererowth. ! A fire doesn't qualify until it
from an Arizona crew douses hot
becomes complex enough in these
separate functions to deem an inci-
dent management team assignment.
Q: What is a "Type I overhead
team" and where did the Blackwell
W
Team come from?
A: A Type 1 overhead team is
composed of a core of eight mem-
bers. Such teams are called out when
t
the complexity of the incident ex-
pands or presents itself.
For fires threaten
example, that
human life, or include fatalities,
threaten private land and structures,
or involve special issues (wilder-
m
ness values, threatened and endan-
gered species and their habitats,
major communication and transpor-
tation links or utilities) require the
F„
management of a Type 1 team.
The Blackwell "long" team, made
up of 35 members, comes from the
Great Basin, which includes four
states (southern Idaho, Utah, Ne-
vada, and portions of Wyoming).
It is an Interagency team with
members from the Bureau of Land
Management, Forest Service, Ne-
vada Division of Forestry and State
of Idaho. "Short" teams are assigned
to incidents such as natural disas-
Photo by Roger Phillip
ters.
,t on Blackwell Fire.
/ q giy
I Payette dispatch office tries to order the chaos
"We've got to
maximize our
resources to
get the best
bang out of
the buck. "
– Duke Norfleet,
Payette Fire
Coordinator
BY SHARI HAMBLETON
The Star -News
Forest fires are raging across the Payette
National Forest and legions of firefighters
being ferried via truck, bus, helicopter and
airplane to combat them. But a deeper
rumbling is barely audible.
The ranks of the Payette's normally
sparsely- staffed dispatch office at the
McCall Smokejumper Base have swelled
to a sizeable army. They comprise the
support staff responsible for ordering ev-
erything from toilet paper to battalions of
firefighters and everything in between.
When large fires or multiple fires break
out, the forest moves into "expanded dis-
patch," an operation which allows the main
dispatch office to focus on initial attack of
new fires and to monitor aircraft working
throughout the forest, Payette Fire Coor-
dinator Duke Norfleet said.
With 25 percent of the region's aircraft
activity on the Payette alone, that's no
small task.
With the increased aircraft activity as-
sociated with the forest's numerous fires,
a temporary flight control tower staffed by
Federal Aviation Administration control-
lers has been brought in. The tower makes
it possible for both forest service and pri-
vate air traffic to continue to use the McCall
Airport safely.
An emergency crash truck provided by
the Idaho Air National Guard has also
been brought in as an added precaution.
As coordinator, it is Norfleet's respon-
sibility to assure communications run
smoothly. "I try to keep things from hitting
the floor," he said.
"During a regular ... low -key opera-
tion, normal business (for the main dispatch
office) is to support all fires," Norfleet
said. "If they need meals delivered or more
support, we take care of that."
"But when we get multiple fires, it
requires more support and ... we're still
doing regular initial attack and aircraft
communications," he said.
"When we get larger fires ... we clear
our table off of all support activities and
hand that off to expanded operations and
allow the front office to go back to initial
attack responsibilities," Norfleet said.
The atmosphere in the "front office" is
deceptively calm. A Jerry Lee Lewis tune
plays low on a radio in the comer. The
boiling smoke plumes from both the
Blackwell Complex and Corral Complex
fires are clearly visible from the dis-
patch office vantage point on the up-
per level of the smokejumper base.
Dispatchers at three different con-
soles track air tankers, lead planes
and helicopters, relay and clarify ra-
dio messages and monitor the forest's
fire activities. Others in the office
answer phones and fill out paper-
work.
Photo by Roger Phillips
Stacie Lynch checks dispatch board, where each pin designates a fire.
Dispatch
one person has the responsibility
of monitoring the mind- boggling
number of frequencies being used by
aircraft criss- crossing the forest's air
space.
The dispatch office is extended
into the sky by air attack planes cir-
cling fires. From above they direct
lead planes which in turn attempt to
guide air tankers laden with fire retar-
dant on the correct path for their drops.
Clear, efficient communication is
a crucial ingredient to the safety of
everyone concerned.
Next door to the main dispatch
office, another room buzzes with ac-
tivity — people order meals, crews,
support staff, supplies and equipment
for the fires. They direct where the
resources go and when they will ar-
rive.
Norfleet said deciding when to
move into an expanded mode of op-
eration isn't clearly defined and de-
pends a great deal on the circum-
91ances.
"Through experience we usually
know when it's coming ... and what
we're going to be faced with and
when we're going to need more help,"
he said. "We can see when we're
going to be rockin' and rollin' and we
try to get on top of it early."
Much of the planning for large fire
operations takes place in the slow off-
season period. Fire teams are identi-
fied in advance to handle responsi-
bilities and a master plan is developed
to address logistical issues.
When a large fire erupts, the
Payette's fire managers are ready. Had
the preplanning not been done before
this season's rash of fire activity,
Norfleet said the forest would have
been in trouble.
"These folks know how to work
together and they know their posi-
tions," he said. "They've done it many
times before."
Part of the challenge faced by the
dispatch department is getting the
supplies they order. The requests must
go through a hierarchical process,
passing through a maze of regional
and national routes.
If fires burning in other parts of the
country pose a greater threat to lives,
structures or other valuable resources,
the Payette must wait their turn in
terms of priority.
Because so many fires are ablaze
across the western states, fire fighting
resources have been hard to come by,
Norfleet said.
"We've got to maximize our re-
sources here to get the best bang out
of the buck," he said.
r� �//- - iY�Ws
ast side residents help firefighters keep eye on fir(
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Property owners along the east side
of Payette Lake anxiously watched
the Blackwell Fire last week, hoping
for the best, but preparing to escape if
the flames closed in.
Immediately after the fires broke
out the night of Aug. 3, the Valley
County Sheriff's Department prepared
evacuation plans. At that time, it was
not known which direction the fires
would travel, and church camps and
the Camp Morrison Boy Scout Camp
were full of campers.
According to Robert Bailey, assis-
tant director for Camp Morrison, there
were approximately 250 scouts in the
camp the evening the fires broke out.
A camp -wide alert went out, and all
the scouts were brought down to main
mess hall for a head count.
"We had 95 percent of our people
'n camp in about 15 minutes," Bailey
aid. "It was kind of exciting for a
hile." The scout leaders canceled
he camp -out two days early and can -
eled upcoming events.
According to Darla Roe, camp
anagerforCamp Ida - Haven, all their
vents were canceled after last Thurs-
ay, and only a skeleton crew of the
taff stayed behind to maintain the
camp operations and answer the flood
of telephone calls.
A week -long Girl Scout camp that
as to have begun last Friday at Camp
lice Pittenger, located across the
ast arm of the lake, also was can-
Silver Sage Girl Scout Council
ecutive Director Luanne Crump
d the 65 girls were told to stay
me in order to reduce congestion
J to avoid possible problems from
1 or smoke.
Last 1,riday, a meeting between
fire managers, local officials and
)perty owners was held to discuss
fire situation and evacuation plans.
Residents were asked to voluntar-
evacuate the area until the fire was
ntained. But according to John
ive, incident commander for the
ackwell fire, only about 10 to 20
rcent of the property owners left.
"They are concerned about their
aperty and they want to see what
ppens," Shive said.
Many residents offered to help in
y way they could, but the firefighters
plained the best thing they could do
move out until the fire danger de-
Shive said the fires had crept to
hin a mile of Tamarack Bay Con -
niniums, and a wind shift could
iily create spot fires in the habitated
Photo by Roger Phillip
McCall Fire Department Chief Dale Points speaks to East Side residents last week at Camp Ida - Haven.
In the event approaching flames,
Shive said the firefighters could not
effectively combat the blazes and
evacuate people, so the evacuation
would take priority and hamper
firefighting efforts.
McCall Fire Chief Dale Points was
put in charge of coordinating the 23
fire trucks and 121 firefighters that
were brought in from throughout Idaho
to guard the east side homes.
Points said the strategy was to en-
sure firefighters and equipment can
get in and out safely, and do some
good while they were there.
"We have to look at it from a
defensibility position," Points told
property owners at a meeting last
week.
Since most of the driveways along
East Side Road are steep and narrow,
fire engines are not able to safely get
to the property, he said.
"We cannot get down to your
houses. That's the very honest fact of
life," Points said.
The fire trucks were staged at four
different locations between
Brightwater Subdivision and Tama-
rack Bay Condominiums.
A sprinkler system was installed
on the roof of the condos to keep the
wood shake roof wet. Also, a 30 -foot-
wide line of fire retardant and foam
was placed between the fire and build-
ings at Camp Morrison, and
firefighters stood ready to apply foam
to buildings as needed, Points said.
Pumps were placed at several
points along the lake shore to pump
water from Payette Lake if needed.
The pumps were connected to hoses
laid up to East Side Road for'easy
connection to pumper trucks, he said.
Also, the McCall Rural Fire
District's fire boat, which is equipped
with a water cannon, is being kept
moored in the area.
Fire trucks have been loaned from
such places as Eagle, Meridian,
Hailey, Sun Valley, Homedale and
Melba, with four privately owned fire
trucks also on the scene.
According to Faith Duncan, a fire
information officer who met with
many property owners, most residents
of the threatened area wanted to do
whatever they could to protect their
property. "They were expressing need
to do something," Duncan said.
The Idaho Humane Society in
Boise will provide up to two weeks
free shelter for dogs and cats whose
owners decide to relocate during the
crisis, executive Roger Schmitt said.
Schmitt said pets should not be
released to fend for themselves, as
they would have little chance for sur-
vival. For information, call 368 -0191,
ext. 26.
. t
r
Corral fire
heads for
Salmon R. '
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
The Corral Fire raged out of control
Monday, tripling in size to 29,000 acres
and burning almost to the Warm
Springs fire to the north, dwarfing the
Blackwell Fire burning to the east.
"We are seeing three times the nor-
mal burning for a 24 -hour period. These
fires are making major runs during
times fires are normally quiet," said
Merrill Saleen, air officer for the
Payette National Forest.
The Corral Fire has steadily burned
in a northerly direction. The lightning -
caused fire originated last week 14
miles north of McCall, and it could
easily join the Warm Springs Fire,
which is threatening to spread into the
Salmon River drainage.
By Wednesday, firefighters laid
5,000 feet of fire hose starting five
miles east of Riggins Hot Springs.
This hose will be used for structure
protection at Howard Ranch and other
structures located to the east. Two
crews will also build a fire line and
four engines will wet down structures
in the area.
Helicopters were also set to make
bucket drops on the eastern edge of the
fire and attempt to douse hotspots.
There is a mile -long bulldozer line on
the south end of the fire which will
help secure that end.
According to Steve Raddatz, act-
ing incident commander for the Corral
Fire, the fire swept uninterrupted
through stands of dry forests after it
was ignited on Aug. 1.
"We were relatively exposed to the
wind, and we got a whole day of strong,
gusty winds. There were no natural
barriers. It was set to run with the wind
and that's what it did," Raddatz said.
"The forecast is for more of the
same and this is the middle of the
summer. We still have the rest of the
summer to look forward to, and this
isn't the only fire, either. The whole
Northwest is under the same kind of
siege," he said.
"I think we've seen the start of the
worst case scenario in the last couple
days," Raddatz said.
The fire is now threatening struc-
tures along the Salmon River. The fire
has a lower priority than the Blackwell
Fire, although a Type II management
team was replaced by a more experi-
enced Type I team on Saturday.
(See "Corral," Back Page)
5�,-i r , ,` 1 o r✓ s
Corral
(Continued from Page 1)
About 350 personnel, four heli-
copters, a bulldozer and eight en-
gines were assigned to the fire,
roughly half of what is assigned to
the Blackwell fire.
The chances of the crews con-
taining the fire was essentially none,
according to Raddatz, so the
firefighters were concentrating their
efforts on selected areas.
More teams of firefighters have
been ordered, but with the shortage
of personnel, there is no assurance
when they will arrive.
The top priority for fire crews
was to protect structures.
"Right now, were defending stra-
tegic locations. We don't have a
forecast for containment on this
and we're doing what we can with
the resources on hand," Raddatz
said.
"The problem is, along with the
big fires we're trying to manage
now we're getting new starts ev-
eryday and a large number of those
are escaping initial attack and be-
coming large fires," he said.
The Corral Fire caused several
disruptions throughout its path. One
firefighting camp had to be relo-
cated after the fire continued to
advance in its direction.
A base camp for the Corral Fire
was established at Sater Meadows
about three miles northwest of
Brundage Mountain.
The meadow was the planned
site of an old -time rendezvous for
black powder rifle shooters, but
that event was moved due to the
fires.
A group of eight loggers went
into the area on Monday to check
on their logging equipment, and six
chose to stay behind against the
wishes of the forest service person-
nel. The loggers spent the night in
the area, and were flown out the
following day.
Another incident involved a
shepherd whose flock was endan-
gered by the fire. After evading the
fire, the sheep were later relocated
to a meadow that was skipped over
by the fire but surrounded by
burned -over areas, making it a safe
spot to hold them.
ki / 5�y Pq', A _2 et -I?- R7;Pr
Lake homes
(still I*n danger
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Two lightning- caused forest fires
sparked last week have grown into the
largest fires in the recent history of the
Payette National Forest.
The Blackwell Fire north and east
of McCall had grown to 17,000 acres
by Wednesday and the Corral Fire
north of Brundage Mountain was
burning 29,000 acres.
The area of the fires has been closed
to public access. The closure goes
from the Payette forest boundary east
of U.S. 95, to the South Fork of the
Salmon River to the east, and from
north of Payette Lake to the Salmon
River.
There will be a town hall meeting
tonight at 7 p.m. at the McCall -Don-
nelly High School gym to give the
latest fire information to the public.
The Forest Service is also collect-
ing books, magazines, cards and board
games for the firefighters. Donations
should be dropped off at the
supervisor's office on Park Street or
the Fire Information Center on Mis-
sion Street across from the high school.
Firefighters this week watched the
blazes grow rapidly, often doubling
in size every other day. The hope for
containment is slim anytime soon
unless there is a weather change, ac-
cording to fire officials.
"If this kind of weather pattern
continues with this hot and dry with
wind and no rain, it could conceiv-
ably just keep burning those kind of
acreage increases every day until
the fuel runs out or the weather
changes," said Keith Birch, incident
commander for the Blackwell Fire.
The fuel in the forests was de-
scribed as being "drier than
kiln -dried lumber"
"All the right combinations are
here for burning," Birch said. "Were
going to have to have some pretty
major precipitation to change this."
The Blackwell fire was ignited
by several lightning strikes the night
of Aug. 3. The blazes erupted into a
flaming light show that could be
seen for miles around Payette Lake.
"It's a very tough fire to
fight. We're just going to
have to keep plucking
away at it and jump on
those spots. "
— Ivan Erskine, fire behavior
analyst
As the fire progressed late last
week, it spewed a five -mile high plume
of smoke and ash into the sky, dump-
ing a light coating of ash onto the
McCall area. The east side of Payette
Lake, particularly the Tamarack Bay
condos, took heavier ash fallout.
Fortunately, there were no corre-
sponding burning embers from the
fire since prevailing winds kept the
flames headed north, away from build-
ings along the east shore of Payette
Lake.
But the fire continued to creep
westward toward the buildings on the
east side of the lake, particularly at
night when cooler temperatures al-
low the fire to burn downhill. The fire
approached to within two - thirds of a
mile of structures, the danger less-
ened as the week wore on.
(See "Blackwell." Back Pa-2e)
Map shows the
massive areas in
flames as of
Wednesday in
the Payette Lake
area.
River
i
9
ale: 5 miles
e Nat..
Boundary
8
i p
b
N
Fire
Box
Lk.
o plex
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v
.a
Payette
Star -News graphic by Tomi Grote
9.`,A... Tamarack
Bay Condos
Beach
Cdugar g
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as
r
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" w
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Pilgrim
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dove
Litth P. Lake
Map shows the
massive areas in
flames as of
Wednesday in
the Payette Lake
area.
River
i
9
ale: 5 miles
e Nat..
Boundary
8
i p
b
N
Fire
Box
Lk.
o plex
` V
v
.a
Payette
Star -News graphic by Tomi Grote
The Valley County Sheriff's De-
partment prepared for an evacua-
tion of the east side immediately
after the Blackwell Fire broke out.
After firefighting teams monitored
the fire's progress, they asked prop-
erty owners to voluntarily evacuate
and relocate as a precautionary mea-
sure, but most property owners
stayed.
According to John Shive, the
deputy incident commander, only
10 to 20 percent of the property
owners left the area as of Monday,
three days after they were asked to
evacuate.
"We'd like to have 100 percent,
but 80 percent would be good,"
Shive said.
At a meeting with property own-
ers on Monday, firefighters ex-
plained that although the fire was
not moving toward the houses on
the east side of the lake, the fire was
still out of control and any change in
weather could put the buildings in
jeopardy.
Forest service personnel and lo-
cal officials again urged property
owners to leave, explaining that
firefighting teams would not be able
to simultaneously evacuate residents
and fight an oncoming fire.
The team's top priority would be
the people, so the likelihood of prop-
erty damage is a greater danger with
the owners remaining at their homes,
fire officials said.
The Blackwell fire was difficult
for firefighters to contain because it
originated from numerous lightning
strikes that set individual fires, rather
than one fire with a contiguous front.
According to Steve Till, fire in-
formation officer for the special team
brought in to manage the Blackwell
Fire, the strategy was to secure and
maintain a fire line on the south and
west sides of the fire, then move
ahead of it and try to cut it off.
"It's a classic fire action; anchor
and flank it off, then work your way
around it," Till said.
But firefighters were unable to
contain the numerous blazes. The
primary problem was "spotting,"
where the fires leap from one area to
another driven by winds and the
availability of fuel.
"It's a very tough fire to fight,"
said Ivan Erskine, a forest service
fire behavior analyst. "We're just
going to have to keep plucking away
at it and jump on those spots."
While the hot, dry weather com-
plicated containment efforts,
firefighters faced a stacked deck
because as the fires grew, the re- t
sources necessary to fight them did t
not increase proportionately. s
As of Wednesday, 900
firefighters from several states, five
helicopters and 25 engines were
assigned to the Blackwell Fire.
Fire managers had ordered an-
other 26 crews and 600 military
personnel, as well as 10 military
Blackhawk helicopters.
The cost of the two fires so far is
estimated at more than $3 million.
The projected eventual cost for the
Blackwell Fire alone is $8.8 mil-
lion, and there is not yet a prediction
as to how much the Corral Fire will
eventually cost.
But resources are becoming
scarce as fires continue to break out
and grow throughout the west. This
week, all trained forest firefighters
in the nation were working, accord-
ing to fire officials.
This created problems for the
firefighters themselves, many who
have already fought several fires
this season and are reaching the
inevitable point of fatigue.
According to Dave Alexander,
Supervisor of the Payette National
Forest, "We're coming to a point
where our people are burning out.
It's getting to be a serious problem
for our initial attack (personnel)."
The firefighting community is
especially conscious of the welfare
of the firefighters this year consid-
ering the inordinate number of
firefighting deaths that have already
occurred, including the deaths of
two McCall smokejumpers.
"It heightens our sensitivity to
the nature of our work. We're all
cognizant of how powerful fires
area," fire information officer Faith
Duncan said.
No serious injuries had been re-
ported by Wednesday from the fires.
The emergency room at McCall Me-
morial Hospital has been treating
about 10 firefighters a day for a
variety of injuries and illnesses, with
foot problems being the most com-
mon complaint, Nursing Supervi-
sor Linda Mind said.
One firefighter fractured a verte-
brae in his back in a fall, Klind said.
A brace was applied and the fire-
fighter was discharged on Wednes-
day.
On the Payette forest, the inci-
dent commanders for both the ma-
jor fires said the availability of re-
sources has already reached the criti-
cal stage, especially for trained
firefighters and aircraft.
"We're understaffed for what we
need," Birch said. "Everybody has
fires and all want resources. There's
pretty severe competition for troops
and helicopters."
But at this point, the Payette fires
are also so large that additional per-
sonnel and equipment will not nec-
essarily solve all problems.
"I don't think there are enough
roops in the system to surround
hese two fires right now," Birch
aid.
J lz? n
S-// / / ,a �4-
residents won't
vacuate without a fight
ry Colleen Lamay
he Idaho Statesman
SECESH — Hell no, Andy
pith won't go, even if flames
seep into the sprawling string
homes known as Secesh.
"The dog, cat and I will get in
e water or we'll be roasted,"
: said matter -of- factly Wednes-
"This is my home," he said. "I
have too much stuff to walk off
and leave."
Smith, who describes himself
as a caretaker and watchman
for area homes, was among an
estimated 15 people in Secesh on
Wednesday.
All were notified they ought
to evacuate, or at least get their
valuables out of their houses.
No official evacuation order was
issued, but residents could find
themselves in the path of flames
if the Blackwell Fire Complex
explodes.
Locals estimate there are
about 200 private lots and 73
homes, mostly summer homes, in
the area. Secesh is about 30
miles northeast of McCall,
along Warren Wagon Road. On
Wednesday the area was smoke
free, but spiraling grey clouds
Payette fires `average'
So far this year, 178 fires have
burned almost 50,000 acres in the
Payette National Forest — about
average for this time of year, said
Gene Benedict, the forest's fire
management officer.
The largest number of fires re-
corded in one fire season was 385.
In 1989, those blazes burned
39,000 acres. In one day that sum-
mer, 248 fires started.
Some other fire facts:
■ In 1992 — an active fire year
for the Boise National Forest,
when 250,000 acres burned in the
Foothills Fire, about 34,000 acres
burned in the Payette National
Forest. This year's total so far
already has topped that.
■ The summer of 1993 was a
"non- season," Benedict said. Six-
ty blazes scorched 50 acres.
■ Except for 1993, more than
100 fires have burned each year
since a drought -like period began
in 1985.
P�V(�, A41 o,' z pap >j
billowed on the horizon. He has no telephone to get the Smith isn't the only local who
Smith, dressed in dirty jeans official word on evacuation, but plans to stay in town, despite
and a Harley- Davidson T- shirt, he figures it will be obvious the fire warnings.
was getting water pumps set up when it's time to use the pumps. "We're going to try to tough it
to wet down property if the fire Down the gravel road, a half- out," said Sherry Hinkley, who
closed in. dozen locals nursed beers at the was at the bar with her husband,
Secesh Stage Stop. They said "Dutch."
4
page � Z �' Z Pal f1l
Phil McCaffray, a Sun Valley firefighter working for the Odin Corp., sprays foam over the buildings at Burgdorf Hot
Springs, giving the old structures a better chance of surviving a fire. Firefighters are concentrating on protecting lives
and private property, instead of putting major efforts into trying to extinguish the blaze.
F irefi try
to save lives,
not sto p flames
by Colleen LaMay
The Idaho Statesman
MCCALL -- Mother Nature will decide when
to rein in two large fires burning out of control
near the resort town of McCall.
"What do you do to stop a volcano ?" asked
Keith Birch, incident commander for the Black-
well Complex Fire. "What do you do to stop the
wind ?"
Birch, who is in charge of fighting the Black-
well Complex, plots his strategy in a canvas tent
at a fire camp about 4/2 miles fr6m''McCall.
Normally, he'd be figuring out how to contain
the "ire, which has devoured about 19,000 acres
and is threatening Burgdorf Hot Springs and
two tiny towns — Secesh and the historic min-
ing town of Warren.
But this fire, touched off by lightning Aug. 3,
isn't normal. Drought has seen to that. So,
instead of trying to stop the fire in its tracks,
Birch has two priorities: protect human lives --
the public's and firefighters', and private prop-
erty, mostly summer homes and the rural homes
of year -round residents.
That is the decision that makes the most sense
said David Alexander, Payette National Forest
supervisor. "It's about picking your fight, put-
Here's the latest on the fires burning in Idaho
■ The two largest fires in the state are burning in the
Payette National Forest — the 32,000 -acre Corral Creek
blaze and the 19,000 -acre Blackwell Complex. There is
no estimate of a containment date.
A Wednesday morning lightning storm set 15 new fires
in the forest.
■ There are two major blazes in the Boise National
Forest— the 15,290 -acre Idaho City Copmplex and the
6530 -acre Thunderbolt blaze. More than 1,600 people are
fighting the larger fire.
No containment dates have been set.
■ Four other major fires are reported by the National
Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The largest is the 500 -
acre Powerline blaze in the Salmon National Forest.
About 4,900 firefighters are battling blazes in the state.
1r;
f , tt / o-F Z 7°a j" s
term damage from fwes
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Before the flames are snuffed and the last
firefighters have left the forest, teams are al-
ready removing the signs humans left on the
landscape and ensuring that nature has the
opportunity to heal itself.
A Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation
(BAER) team has been monitoring the
Blackwell Fire near McCall to ensure there
was no damage that could pose immediate
dangers after the fire is out.
"We look at potential effects to life and
property that may come about because of the
fire," said Randy Zuniga, a hydrologist for the
Payette National Forest.
The team is also concerned with the soils
and watersheds and their ability to recover in
the aftermath of the fire.
The team flies over and surveys the severity
of the burned areas.
"If we decide there is a hazard,
we have to decide if there is
something we can do before the
first snow. "
— Randy Zuniga, Payette National Forest
In cases where there is light burning, the
fire may only burn the underbrush and some of
the dead matter on the forest floor. In those
cases, the forest is likely to quickly recover.
In areas of moderate burning, 50 to 100
percent of the forest canopy is scorched, but
the ground remains covered with matter and
the soil retains most of its nutrients, allowing
the regrowth of plants and young trees.
In areas of intense burning, the ground is
burned of all matter, the soil is scorched down
several inches, and it loses its ability to retain
water.
This situation presents a serious erosion
and water quality hazard, and teams will often
take measures to lessen the likelihood of its
effects.
"If we decide there is a hazard, we have to
decide if there is something we can do before
the first snow," Zuniga said.
On the Blackwell Fire, the BAER team has
found no large areas of severe burning. The
forest floor is becoming covered with downed
tree trunks, dead pine needles and new plant
growth.
The dead matter and new plants will help
stabilize the soils, retain water and provide
nutrients for further plant growth.
But the large amounts of ash on the fores
floor will still wash down during spring run
off, or if heavy rains hit prior to the snow.
"All that ash is going to come off in the firs
rain. You can't do anything about that," sai
77 , .1YaA1- News- f 116/9y � _0�t q c J�4 Z cht z Palos
River
ray
o�
Greg Lesch, a forest service hydrologist from
Council.
The forest stands a good chance of recover-
ing without suffering from the most adverse
effects of fire.
However, the scientists pointed out that it
will not immediately return to its former self.
Much of the subalpine fir and spruce died.
Since it took up to 300 years for those trees to
attain maturity, the forest will be a young,
regenerating ecosystem rather than the "cli-
max forest," which is composed largely of
mature trees.
After an extensive survey of the Blackwell
Fire, from the ground as well as from the air,
the team is optimistic about the chances of the
forest bouncing back naturally.
"The group thought is it will recover very
well on its own without help from the foresf
service," Zuniga said.
And in other areas of the forest, teams that
sweated and strained to dig firelines to contain
the fires are returning to obliterate their earlier
work.
The hand lines dug by crews and
the larger firelines dug by heavy equip-
ment also poses an erosion hazard, as
well as a disruption of the natural
forest.
Once a line is dug, teams place
water bars along them to reduce the
chances of erosion in case there is rain
runoff.
After the fire has completely
burned through the area and the lines
Yellow Pine
are no longer needed, the crews work
to rehabilitate the areas so they can
grow back naturally.
"It's pretty important to put things
back close to natural," said Jim
Fitzgerald, a resource advisor from
the McCall and New Meadows dis-
tricts of the Payette.
The crews go back in and replace
the "duff," the natural carpet of veg-
etation on the forest floor, and place
slash over most of the fire line.
The duff acts as a natural mulch
and retains the native plant seeds that
will grow on the turned soil. The slash
covering holds the duff to the trail and
helps retain the natural appearance of
the forest.
The rehabilitation efforts are not
limited to the fire lines.
Teams also go in to main and spike
camp areas, helipads, and streams to
ensure there has been no damage to
them.
The rehabilitation work on the
Blackwell and Corral fires are essen-
tially completed in all the areas where
it was safe for the teams to return and
work.
"Things are coming along pretty
quickly," Fitzgerald said. He credited
the military units called in to help
with the effort for the speedy job
rehabilitating the firelines.
"The Army really helped us kick
Frank
Church
Wilderness
Chamberlain
Guard Station
■
SCALE
N S miles
Original fire lines early August
M Firelines 9/13/94
Areas of Payette Forest closed to public
Payette Forest boundary
butt on rehab efforts, so we're in good
shape now," Fitzgerald said.
If the teams do not complete all the
rehabilitation work before it snows,
they could return in the spring if it is
necessary, but Fitzgerald did not think
that is likely to occur.
"One of our biggest concerns is to
get back up there while we can," he
said.
While it may seem economically
foolish to send people in to undo the
work completed just weeks previ-
ously, Fitzgerald said that the reha-
bilitation work is in relation to the
total cost of the fire suppression activ-
ity.
"Comparative to everything else .
it's pretty small potatoes. It's in the
one to two percent range of the total
suppression costs," he said.
Part of the reason for that is the fire
command teams are conscious of en-
vironmental impacts from the very
start of the fires.
"I think there's been a real shift in
the mentality of fighting fires,"
Fitzgerald said.
Resource managers are on hand to
lend their expertise and ensure the
suppression is done in a way that
minimizes effects on the environment
and protects critical resources, such
as endangered species habitat.
Corral, Blackwell fires �
to merge
Secesh residents
evacuate homes
By David Woolsey
The Idaho Statesman
A handful of Secesh Meadows
residents left their rural homes
Sunday, heeding warnings that
they are in the path of forest fires
that have blackened 53,000 acres
north of McCall.
U.S. Forest Service fire manag-
ers said the Corral and Blackwell
fires in the Payette National For-
est are expected to burn together
and move northward, endangering
the small communities of Secesh
and Burgdorf.
Spokeswoman Heidi Bigler Cole
said as many as a dozen Secesh
residents left Sunday and about 22
remained. Burgdorf residents had
already chosen to leave.
The evacuation came because
fire officials determined that the
blazes could reach Burgdorf in
four to six hours if they were fed
by high winds in that direction.
"If things get hot, the people
who are staying plan to head into
Warren," Bigler -Cole said. War-
ren is about 10 miles northeast.
Fire officials expect the forest
fires to cut off Warren Wagon
Road, which connects the area
with McCall. In that case, resi-
dents can leave the area through
an alternate route from Warren to
the South Fork of the Salmon
River.
Nearly 1,500 firefighters worked
on crews battling the two fires
Sunday. Both fires continued to
spread toward each other, drawn
by heat - generated winds. At one
point at the north end of Payette
Lake, the two blazes had closed to
within four miles of each other.
A shelter for evacuated resi
dents is being set up at McCall -
Donnelly High School. Residents
who left Sunday were staying else-
where, Bigler -Cole said.
The Corral- Blackwell fires are
two of the eight fire complexes
burning in Idaho. So far, the
blazes have consumed nearly
75,000 acres.
Near Idaho City, more than
1,600 firefighters continued to
work on four fires. Two blazes
totaling about 3,100 acres had
been contained. But the Rabbit
Creek and Bear River fires contin-
ued to burn out of control.
A controlled burn is planned for
tonight and Tuesday morning in
the effort to battle the Rabbit
Creek fire. Containment of that
fire isn't expected until Aug. 28.
Fire expected to
merge and travel in
i direction of arrows
Designated closure of Payette °
National Forest
Salmon
River
?ntctk�res
°r1S Structures,
Burgdorf
structures structures Warren
ct ur
CORRAL �
FIRE
y�- Wagon MA
Road SVWur
BLACKWELL
a FIRE
AL
' P �yene
`McCall
i. a .
Payette, Boise fires
blacken more'
land
Firefighters keep
digging, burning
to stop blazes
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
Fires in the Boise and Payette
national , forests continued to
spread Wednesday, bringing the
total acreage burned to more
than 117,0000.
The Payette National Forest
fires near McCall have singed
87,992 acres, while the fires near
Idaho City reached 29,100.
The Rabbit Creek fire in the
Boise National Forest grew to,
;22,100, the largest_ of the four
fires in the Idaho City Fire Como
plex. The Thunderbolt Fire, out-
side the Idaho City complex on
Boise National Forest land,
burned 2,000 acres on Wednes-
day. The fire had slopped over
onto Payette National Forest
land, but Payette fire informa
tion officers did not have an
estimate on acreage burned
there Wednesday.
.Firefighters worked for a sec -
oDd day on building a fire line
between the Corral and Black-
v, ell fires in the Payette Nation-
at Forest. Crews on the eastern
slue of the Corral Fire plugged
away at digging a two -mile line
tQ- ,Upper Payette Lake, while
esews on the western edge of the
Blackwell burned out a line
from the fire to the lake.
The blackened regions will
serve as a barrier to prevent the
btaze from reversing its direc-
t to the west.
he hand line from the Corral
lore and the burnout from the
Blackwell, then, will make up
tle southern boundary of the
tivo fires.
And, as the blazes swept
across the forest Wednesday, en-
vironmental activists chanted,
!.�et it burn!" outside Payette
Salmon River 10 miles
National Forest headquarters in
McCall.
S' ci to 13 kvt d h Atj6 16,1941
1-149 e 10-f ;
Members of Earth First!
staged a mock fire in a trash can
outside forest offices, complete
with an impromptu skit involv-
ing "Slurry Bomber" and the
"Salvage Beast." Decked out in
a bear costume and a monster
mask, "Salvage Beast" waved
his chainsaw in the air, threat-
ening to collect and sell all the
timber left after the fire. Mean-
while, "Slurry Bomber" ran in
circles, pretending to extinguish
every sign of flame.
People think that Earth
First!ers are just tree - huggers,
but there's a lot more to the
forest than just trees," said
James Barnes, a Missoula,
Mont., man who acted as
spokesman for the 15 or so dem-
onstrators. "We support all nat-
ural processes, and fire suppres-
', sion just makes the forest sick.
There's only one way to help the
forest, and that's to leave it
alone."
McCall police issued Barnes
two misdemeanor citations: one
for burning without a permit;
the other for unlawful starting
of fires.
- Corral
\Tl \
Blackwell
complex
fire
National Forest headquarters in
McCall.
S' ci to 13 kvt d h Atj6 16,1941
1-149 e 10-f ;
Members of Earth First!
staged a mock fire in a trash can
outside forest offices, complete
with an impromptu skit involv-
ing "Slurry Bomber" and the
"Salvage Beast." Decked out in
a bear costume and a monster
mask, "Salvage Beast" waved
his chainsaw in the air, threat-
ening to collect and sell all the
timber left after the fire. Mean-
while, "Slurry Bomber" ran in
circles, pretending to extinguish
every sign of flame.
People think that Earth
First!ers are just tree - huggers,
but there's a lot more to the
forest than just trees," said
James Barnes, a Missoula,
Mont., man who acted as
spokesman for the 15 or so dem-
onstrators. "We support all nat-
ural processes, and fire suppres-
', sion just makes the forest sick.
There's only one way to help the
forest, and that's to leave it
alone."
McCall police issued Barnes
two misdemeanor citations: one
for burning without a permit;
the other for unlawful starting
of fires.
g sh -ran ALAI ib, 14Yy
Ne9 04j
Katherine Jones /The Idaho Statesmar
FIRE PROTEST: Saying that fire is part of the ecosystem, members of Earth First! mock the efforts to
e2tinguish fires in the Payette National Forest, chanting, "Let it burn!" outside the U.S. Forest Service
headquarters in McCall. Darryl Echt, of Dixie, played the part of a slurry bomber in their impromptu skit.
Ile
Fighters contain
wildfire after
evacuations
CASCADE — A wildfire south
of Cascade forced the evacuation
of a few homes Thursday evening
and drew crews from throughout
Valley County.
But firefighting crews from the
Forest Service, McCall and Cas-
cade, and the Southern Idaho
Timber Protection Association
succeeded in reining it in at about
20 acres, a Payette National For-
est dispatcher said.
The fire burned through grass
and scattered timber, mostly on
private land south of the Cascade
airport in the Cabarton area, the
sheriffs dispatcher said.
Thp Lo- i,q gar
No end in sight for Corral, Blackwell blazes
Mike Stewart
Staff Writer
MCCALL — Wildfires that
are confounding fire behavior spe-
cialists and fire suppression per-
sonnel are also creating a lot of
concern amongst those who man-
age water quality and anadromous
fish in the area.
In the meantime, fire suppres-
sion personnel with the U.S. Forest
Service have pretty much rele-
gated themselves to doing battle
with the Corral and Blackwell fire
complexes for the long haul.
That long haul probably won't
end until the snows come.
With a team of fire behavior
analysts on board, it's become
clear that the fires that started ear-
lier this month are not your aver-
age forest fires.
Bone -dry fuels, gusty winds
and a national shortage of man-
power to battle wildfires, are all
contributing to what those fire
behavior specialists believe are
some fires that could end up, in
the worst case scenario present-
ed at the news conference, scorch-
ing the better part of 425,000 acres
on the Payette National Forest
alone.
Benedict said much of the blame
for what is shaping up to be one
of the worst fire years on record
has to do with the continuing
drought.
With this year's continued hot
and dry weather, he said the Payette
Forest has ended up missing two
complete water years out of the
last ten.
"These fires are up and run-
ning because of the drought and
the weather," he said.
Though fire officials eased their
restrictions on the east side of
Payette Lake last Wednesday, their
attention has been shifted and re-
focused on more immediate con-
cerns — protecting the people and
structures in Burgdorf, Secesh
Meadows and Warren.
Burgdorf was ordered evacu-
ated earlier this week, as was the
Secesh area. But as of Tuesday,
about 22 people remained in the
Secesh area. To provide a back
door out of the Warren area, Forest
Service crews have cleared the
road over Elk Creek Summit, which
had been closed by a landslide.
With the fires burning so hot
and large, Benedict and Alexander
said the strategy is to protect peo-
ple and structures and hope for a
Environmental concerns over fish habitat
and forest health begin to surface
Burgdorf got the water treatment this past weekend. Kevin Ohls of North Carolina mans the hose.
Inset: Firefighter works on hot spot.
change in the weather that might
aid fire suppression efforts.
As it is, Benedict said last week
that he fully expects Nez Perce
National Forest firefighters to have
to do initial attack on the south -
facing north bank of the Salmon
River when the fire burns close enough to cause spot-
ting over the river.
Alexander reminded everyone that the Payette
Forest's fire season normally begins about Aug. 12,
and that we're far ahead of the curve when it comes
to fire session.
And the comparisons to the Yellowstone fires of
1988 continue to be drawn. Those comparisons are
based on the speed, intensity and size of the Payette
fires.
Asked about management of the forest leading
up to the fire, and whether if some logging in that
area would have made a difference, both Alexander
and Benedict said no.
"We're burning intensely in areas that have been
roaded and logged," Alexander said.
"We've got a team working on an eco- system
basis to determine what we need to do here," he said.
Asked if there will be some opportunity for sal-
vage logging in the wake of the blaze, he said it was
too early to tell, but that they were going to work
through that possibility.
Summer 194 Fire Chronolo
August 10 and 11: Fires remain calm due to low winds. "The first real wind we
get will make those fires move again," said Gene Benedict, Staff Fire Officer for the
Payette National Forest, at town hall meeting on August 11 at McCall - Donnelly High
School.
August 12: 1
About 500 soldiers and 100 support managers arrive in McCall. The soldiers have
had eight hours of classroom instruction but still need 16 hours of field training.
Corral Fire, 30,000 acres: Fire behavior is active and flames move into Little
French Creek, Elkhorn Creek and Black Tip Creek. Low humidities contribute to late
afternoon runs on the south, north and east sides of the fire. Soldiers from the 555th
Enginner Group train on the fireline and learn about crown fires.
Blackwell Complex, 21,400 acres`. Torching and spotting occurs primarily on
the north end of the fire. Crews concentrate on reinforcing fireline and conduct a suc-
cessful burnout near the line above the north end of Payette Lake.
August 13:
Wilderness fires in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness Area which
cover more than 1,215 acres do not pose a threat to life, property or high value resources.
Field observers monitor the fires using a confinement suppression strategy.
Corral Fire, 30,300 acres: The fire was active inside its perimeter today, work-
ing down into Fisher Creek toward the east.
Blackwell Complex, 21,600 acres: Fire behavior was active and also spotted
between the Blackwell and Brush Lake Fires.
Thunderbolt Mountain Fire: The fire continues to spread by spotting, sometimes
up to three miles ahead, but is not making any major rums. Thunderbolt Lookout Tower
is no longer threatened.
August 14:
Corral Fire, 30,700 acres: The blaze is within four miles of the Blackwell fire at
a point just north of Upper Payette Lake. A yellow alert is issued, giving residents of
the Burgdorf, Secesh and Warren areas four to twelve hours to evacuate the area, Forest
officials escort 19 people from the area to a Red Cross shelter at the McCall - Donnelly
High School
Blackwell Complex, 22,300 acres; The west and south flanks are secure but the
fire is extremely active on the east side and it spotted near Slick Rock along Lick Creek
Road. This portion of the fire is very hot.
August 15:
Corral Fire, 32,340 acres: The fire was very active in the French Creek drainage.
Crews continued to work to anchor the south end of the fire and to work the western
flank. The Salmon River Road is closed at Spring Bar.
Blackwell Complex, 24, 715 acres: That fire was also very active, mostly at the
heads of Box and Brush creek drainages. The fire backed down Twentymile Creek
toward Warren Wagon Road, burning through previously logged units.
The fire was also active on the east side and is within one - eighth of a mile of Lick
Creek Road. Crews concentrated on securing the west and south flanks. McCall Ranger
District is not issuing permits to enter the area north of Payette Lake.
August 16
Corral Fire, 48,600 acres: Most of the increase in acreage was the result of burn-
ing that took place late Sunday. The fire continued to burn to the north and east.
Firefighters on both Corral and Blackwell fires are cooperating to build fireline across
the north end of Payette Lake. Cooler temperatures are expected to slow fire, but it is
expected to continue burning to the north and northeast. 1,313 total personnel com-
mitted to the fire.
Blackwell Fire, 28,200 acres: The fire burned hot, and crossed Lick Creek Road.
It is now to the north and east of Lick Creek Summit and moved into the head of Victor
Creek. It is spreading by torching and spotting and some crowning was seen on south
facing aspects. Gusty winds and low humidity was expected to aid the fire's spread
Tuesday.
The Lick Creek Road is closed and the only access to the Yellow Pine from Long
Valley is via the Warm Lake- Landmark- Johnson Creek route.
Also, as of Monday, the Payette National Forest has dumped more than 750.0(1)
gallons of fire retardant from tankers based out of the McCall airport. Fire officials
expect to easily reach the one million gallon mark before the fire season ends.
Firefighters losing track
of days on blaze
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
BURGDORF —The sun cast pink shadows through
a smoky haze on Saturday as a Type One incident
team from Globe, Ariz., prepared to advance to the
fire lines of the Tollar Ditch Fire, located five miles
northwest of Burgdorf Hot Springs.
As hotshot Shawn Henson loaded up his gear, he
said he couldn't even remember how many fires he
has worked on this season.
"There's been a buncn or tnem. Lays are turning
into weeks and it all kind of blends together."
According to Fire Information Officer Pete Walker,
80 firefighters are battling the fire, which has charred
more than 40 acres.
"They're hammering it pretty hard," he said. "It's
staying small so they will probably get a handle on
it." He added that the Corral Fire could consume the
Tollar Ditch blaze in the near future.
"That's a real possibility," he said.
Thunderbolt fire continues to
threaten Salmon River
CASCADE — Though fire crews are getting an
upper hand on the Thunderbolt Fire, which is burn-
ing in mountainous terrain about five miles north of
Warm Lake, which is about 20 miles east of here, it
is still causing some problems.
Nearly 500 personnel have been committed to
the blaze, which on its first day led to the evacua-
tion of the Thunderbolt Lookout.
Though the 1,000 -acre blaze is estimated to be
about 65 percent contained, fire bosses are keeping
an eye to the sky and being on what for "red flag
warning" winds of up to 35 miles per hour that could
change things in a hurry.
On Monday the fire made several small runs into
the Roaring Creek drainage. But firecrews, aided by
helicopter water drops and airtankers, kept the fire
from crossing the creek. The fire has continued to
back'towards the South Fork of the Salmon River.
Crews made good progress on primary contain-
ment lines over the past couple of days, and a bull-
dozer is busy constructing secondary fire lines.
There is no estimated date for containment or
control for the fire. In addition to the manpower
assigned to the fire, 7 helicopters are working the
blaze.
7/f 4 A,3
Firefighters focus efforts on saving
historic Burgdorf, Secesh areas
Shannon Paterson
TLVA intern
BURGDORF — Fire
crews from Caldwell, Indian
Valley and the Whitney Fire
District in Boise turned their
hoses on the historic build-
ings of Burgdorf in an effort
to raise moisture content in
the wood last week.
Strike Team Leader
Harlan Dilley and his crews
found that the buildings'
moisture level was only about
6 percent when they started
testing last Wednesday. But
due to foam trucks and the
nearby hot springs pool which
served as a water source, the
moisture now ranges between
12 and 30 percent.
"The properties of the
foam will act as a wetting
agent and allow the water to
soak in deeper," said Dilley.
"We foam these buildings
quite extensively, at least
two to three times a day."
Connie and Scott Harris,
owners of Burdorf Hot
Springs, were concerned
about the fate of their prop-
erty, which layed only six
Idaho County Commissioner George Enneking was
among the officials investigating the fire situation
around Burgdorf Sunday.
miles away from the flames
during the weekend. Scott's
grandfather bought the 160
acres from the original home-
steader, Fred Burgdorf, in
1921.
"We just feel heartsick,"
said Connie.
"We were aware of the
dangers, so ink's not a total
surprise," said Scott. "But
we're thankful for the efforts
the Forest Service has made.
We certainly don't want any
lives lost."
Firefighters battle fatigue
with breaks, physical fitness
`People realize their
physical state directly
affects their safety,'
supervisor says
By Terrilyn McCormick
The Idaho Statesman
McCALL — Firefighters at
the two McCall -area fires wage
two wars to stop the flames —
one with spot fires and another
with their aching bodies.
"It gets really tough hiking up
these steep inclines carrying all
this weight on your back," said
Jennifer Saldeen of Young, Ariz.
"After days on the job, it can get
real tough. Your body just starts
breaking down."
Many firefighters at the Mc-
Call complexes came here from
other fires in the Northwest
without a day of rest. Several
units had gone 21 straight days
fighting blazes.
And it's hot on the line. The fire
can add at least 20 degrees to the
already scorching temperatures.
To battle the fatigue, the U.S.
Forest Service has changed its
firefighting methods over the
last 10 years as more informa-
tion on health and fitness was
available.
"I think people began to real-
ize that their physical state di-
rectly affects their safety. It just
wasn't ever an issue before,"
said Curtis McChesney, division
supervisor for the National For-
est Service.
McChesney said firefighters
once worked 15- to 18 -hour shifts
a day, and there were no re-
quired breaks after weeks of
continuous days fighting fires.
Now, firefighters receive at
least one day off after 14
straight fire days. And they
work 12 -hour shifts.
Crew bosses also closely moni
for the status of their crew
members.
"I tell them to take breaks
when they need to. And I watch
them pretty closely. If they're
looking bad, I pull them off,"
said Jake Beasley, crew boss
from Fort Hall.
Fitness is another tool some
supervisors use to help fire-
fighters withstand the heat and
hours of digging lines, hauling
hoses and chopping trees.
"When a crew is in good shape
they can fight a fire much more
effectively and efficiently. You
can really see when a crew isn't in
shape; they just can't keep up at a
good speed," McChesney said.
McChesney requires fire-
fighters in his district in Weiser
to run every day if they aren't
fighting a fire. He said he thinks
the Forest Service should
strengthen its requirements for
physical fitness.
To become a Category II fire-
fighter — everyone but Hot
Shots and Smoke Jumpers — an
applicant must pass a five -min-
ute step fitness test scaled by
weight and age.
"°I've known lots of guys that
have passed that test, that
weren't anywhere near being
able to fight fires," said Ken
Kiser, fire information officer
and former smoke jumper.
Beasley doesn't require his
crew members to stay in shape,
but he offers another incentive.
"I just bump them if they can't
handle it," he said. "If they want
the job, they know they have to
be in shape. That system works
for me."
The Associated Press
Fire behavior analyst Bob Walker looks up the hillside around
Leavenworth, Wash., where wildfires have burned for more than a
week. As one of 50 fire behavior analysts assigned to the West's
wildfires, he tracks the weather and the fire in an attempt to make
the dangerous work of firefighting a little safer.
,Breathing smoke is not limited to firefight-
MCCALL — As might be expected, our recently degraded air
quality, due to the tens of thousands of acres of forest that are going
up in smoke, many people are asking about the health effects of
breathing the foul air.
Dr. Daniel Ostermiller, of the Payette Lakes Medical Clinic, said
Tuesday that his advise is to treat the symptoms. If you have a
headache, for example, take aspirin or other remedy that works to
ease headaches.
For the more serious problems, those associated with lungs and
the irritation that can result from days of breathing smoke, he said
the only real remedy is to leave the area for someplace with clean
air.
"There just isn't any fresh air," he said.
He said his clinic has already been visited by many suffering from
asthma and allergies, who are particularly susceptible to the smoke.
And the solution for them, in many cases, is to take a long drive to
where the air is clear.
But with the western United States ablaze as it is, it may be a long
drive indeed.
P 57 ,-4 y - IpIP yyS
Fires look at lot like
the summer of 1989
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
The great forest fires of 1994
have taken on a startling resem-
blance to 1989, the last time major
fires swept the Payette National
Forest. Fire officials hope this sum-
mer will have the same happy end-
ing as five years ago.
In the summer of 1989, light-
ning- causes fires threatened the
town of Warren, not far from the
Burgdorf - Secesh area being pro-
tected this week.
The 1989 fires also involved
thousands of firefighters from
around the nation and also saw the
use of U.S. Army troops and the
Army's Blackhawk helicopters, the
same as this summer.
On the evening of July 26,1989,
a large dry- lightning storm sparked
246 individual fires. That total beat
the previous high of more than 100
"starts" on one day in the Payette.
Those fires, combined with 71
fires started by a lightning storm a
week earlier, threatened to create a
holocaust. Fires seemed to burn
everywhere and several fires com-
bined to form "complexes" similar
to, but not as large as, the Blackwell
and Corral complexes.
The most threatening fires were
in the Steamboat Complex, which
raged south of the historic mining
town of Warren about 45 miles
north of McCall.
The 7,700 -acre Whangdoodle
Fire,'part of the Steamboat Com-
plex, creeped to within three -quar-
ters of a mile of Warren. Buildings
there were hosed down with foam
and water, similar to the protection
being used at Burgdorf - Secesh this
week, and fire hoses were laid up
and down the dirt streets.
Back at the McCall
Smokejumper Base, a total of 157
smokejumpers were assigned, or
double the usual contingent, to fight
the outbreak. The base set a new
record of 840 fire jumps that year.
At its busiest, 272 jumps were made
in just one seven -day period.
At the fires' peak in mid -Au-
gust, 6,500 people were assigned
to the fight, including nearly 1,000
U.S. Army troops from Kansas and
16 Blackhawk helicopters from
Kentucky.
Up to five of the huge air tankers
that drop fire retardant on the blazes
were lined up at one time at the
McCall Airport, waiting their turn
to load up and take off again.
The 1989 fires were finally
stopped, but with a tool that this
summer's firefighters do not have
available - rain. At the end of Au-
gust, a wet weather front brought
drenching rains and cooler tem-
peratures to the region.
The town of Warren was spared,
firefighters were pulled off the front
line by the hundreds, and the great
fire season of 1989 . turned almost
instantly from crisis to calm.
Whether the same result will occur
in 1994 remains to be seen.
Slid r- /UeW 5 .4 u$ 1$ 19'9'/
million. i'd�se I 0
a e e iresat "That 15 percent probability comes a horrendous cost," he said. "These
fires are up and running because of
the drought and weather. If we had
more people, we still wouldn't put
rage wthem in front these fires because not the right thing to do."
Alexander also reminded the audi-
ence that fires are a natural part of the
mcontrolled
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
About the only good news on con-
taining the Blackwell and Corral fires
is that things could still be worse than
they are, according to Payette Na-
tional Forest officials.
Two weeks after lightning ignited
the two fires, they are still blazing
healthy and out of control, having
burned a combined 85,000 acres. The
fires were threatening Burgdorf and
Secesh Meadows this week and are
burning toward the Salmon River.
Since last week, the Corral Fire
has increased from 29,000 acres to
more than 52,000 acres. The Blackwell
Fire has almost doubled in that same
time from 17,000 acres to 33,500
acres. Firefighters estimate both blazes
are 10 percent contained.
There are approximately 2,500 fire-
fighters, 68 fire engines, 13 helicopters
and 10 airplanes assigned to the two
fires.
On the positive side, there has been
no loss of structures or serious inju-
ries to firefighters. On Tuesday, a
water tanker truck rolled over near
Brundage Reservoir. The two occu-
pants of the truck were taken to a
Boise hospital where they were treated
and released the following day.
The firefighters have essentially
been pulled away from the front of the
fires because weather conditions have
favored the fires, allowing them to
make strong but erratic runs that cre-
ate spot fires up to two miles ahead of
he front.
While firefighters have not con -'
fronted the fires head on, they are not
sitting idle and letting the fires go
At a town hall meeting in McCall
last Thursday, Payette forest Supervi-
sor Dave Alexander made it clear that
the Payette Forest does not have a "let
it bum" policy, but he conceded that
the Corral and Blackwell fires are not
manageable at this point.
"These fires were out of control
and they are going to be out of control
no matter how many people, planes
and bulldozers we have," Alexander
said.
Some of the best news of the week
came for residents of the east side of
Payette Lake, where the Blackwell
blaze burned to within a mile of their
homes, camps and condominiums.
Another town hall meeting is
scheduled to start at 7 p.m Saturday at
the McCall - Donnelly High School
gym. The meeting will update resi-
dents on changes in the fires and
review strategies for firefighting,
structure protection and forest reha-
bilitation.
Last Thursday, the area was de-
clared safe, for the time being, McCall
Fire Chief Dale Points said. Road-
blocks on East Side Road were lifted,'
fire trucks stationed in the area were
released and fire hose and pumps
placed near the lake were removed,
Point said.
The greatest concern to firefighters
during the threat to the east side was
the number of buildings with wood -
shingled roofs on which layers of pine
needles had accumulated, he said.
"It was just like gasoline; all it
would have taken was one small spark
on the roof and we would have been in
business," Points said.
The fires have earned the respect
of seasoned firefighters, who look
upon the infernos in much the same
way a small -town fighter looks at the
heavyweight champ.
Incident commander Joe
Carahvelo called the Corral Fire "the
most spectacular fire behavior I've
seen in my 30 years of firefighting."
Payette Fire Management Officer
Gene Benedict concurred with
Caravehlo's assessment. "It doesn't
behave by the rules we expect fires to
act," Benedict said.
Rather than shovel sand against a
hot, cruel tide, Alexander set a list of
priorities for the fires. His first is to
protect the firefighters and the public.
"There's nothing out there that's
as important as the safety of these
firefighters," Alexander said.
The second priority is to protect
houses, structures and other private
property, and in this regard, Alexander
had high praise for the efforts of the
firefighters.
"We couldn't get better help than
what we're getting here," he said.
Third is to contain the blaze where it
is feasible and fight the fire where the
chances of success are favorable.
Alexander said that launching a
full assault on the fires would have an
estimated 15 percent chance of suc-
cess and could cost upwards of $25
forest, and the fires will not result in
the absolute destruction of the forest.
"It isn't at though this area is get-
ting laid to waste and it will never be
green again," he said. "I doubt you
can find an acre of the Payette Na-
tional Forest that we could not find
burn evidence."
The projections for the fires is that
under a worst -case scenario, they
could burn up to 425,000 acres, which
means they would probably jump the
Salmon River and burn into the Nez
Perce forest and possibly the neigh-
boring wilderness areas.
"There really is no terrain that is
Photo by Roger Phil!
A firefighter hoses down building at Burgdorf, in fire's path.
If there is a storm with a lot of
precipitation, it could allow firefight-
ers to directly attack the fires and
possibly contain them.
However, if a cold front without
precipitation moves in, it could hurl
high winds into the fires, further com-
plicating firefighting efforts and in-
creasing the acreage the fires will
bum.
Although it was a tense week of
full frenzied activity at the forest ser-
vice, it was not without its off -beat
moments.
On Wednesday, a band from Earth
First!, the radical environmental
group, provided some street theater in
front the Payette Supervisor's Office
on Park Street in McCall.
The group performed skits, sang
and protested the forest service's wild-
fire policies and timber sales. The
demonstration took place without in-
cident.
"My intention is in a dramatic way
to get you folks' attention," Earth
First! spokesman Bill Rogers said to
forest planner Randy Swick.
Rogers said the point of the dem-
onstration was to advocate letting the
forest bum, and protest against both
planned timber sales and possible fu-
ture timber salvage sales that may
occur after the fires.
'-14. r IVe- W-0 A (4� r8,1 ? q'(
fd t e � of 2
Fires look at lot like
the summer of 1989
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
The great forest fires of 1994
have taken on a startling resem-
blance to 1989, the last time major
fires swept the Payette National
Forest. Fire officials hope this sum-
mer will have the same happy end-
ing as five years ago.
In the summer of 1989, light-
ning- causes fires threatened the
town of Warren, not far from the
Burgdorf - Secesh area being pro-
tected this week.
The 1989 fires also involved
thousands of firefighters from
around the nation and also saw the
use of U.S. Army troops and the
Army's Blackhawk helicopters, the
same as this summer.
On the evening of July 26,1989,
a large dry- lightning storm sparked
246 individual fires. That total beat
the previous high of more than 100
"starts" on one day in the Payette.
Those fires, combined with 71
fires started by a lightning storm a
week earlier, threatened to create a
holocaust. Fires seemed to burn
everywhere and several fires com-
bined to form "complexes" similar
to, but not as large as, the Blackwell
and °Corral complexes.
The most threatening fires were
in the Steamboat Complex, which
raged south of the historic mining
town of Warren about 45 miles
north of McCall.
The 7,700 -acre Whangdoodle
Fire, part of the Steamboat Com-
plex, creeped to within three -quar-
ters of a mile of Warren. Buildings
there were hosed down with foam
and water, similar to the protection
being used at Burgdorf - Secesh this
week, and fire hoses were laid up
and down the dirt streets.
Back at the McCall
Smokejumper Base, a total of 157
smokejumpers were assigned, or
double the usual contingent, to fight
the outbreak. The base set a new
record of 840 fire jumps that year.
At its busiest, 272 jumps were made
in just one seven -day period.
At the fires' peak in mid -Au-
gust, 6,500 people were assigned
to the fight, including nearly 1,000
U.S. Army troops from Kansas and
16 Blackhawk helicopters from
Kentucky.
Up to five of the huge air tankers
that drop fire retardant on the blazes
were lined up at one time at the
McCall Airport, waiting their turn
to load up and take off again.
The 1989 fires were finally
stopped, but with a tool that this
summer's firefighters do not have
available - rain. At the end of Au-
gust, a wet weather front brought
drenching rains and cooler tem-
peratures to the region.
The town of Warren was spared,
firefighters were pulled off the front
line by the hundreds, and the great
fire season of 1989 turned almost
instantly from crisis to calm.
Whether the same result will occur
in 1994 remains to be seen.
7" /i(1
FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIAE
Statesman staff
While smoke from the wild-
fires burning north of Boise has
made its way into the Treasure
Valley, the chance that ash
could is extremely remote, a
local meteorologist said.
Jack Sams of the National
Weather Service said strong
winds are needed to move the
ash from the Idaho City blazes.
Winds speeds have been less
than 15 mph. Because Idaho
City is only 36 miles from Boise,
smoke can be seen in the valley
depending on weather patterns.
Wednesday's winds from the
northwest pushed smoke away
from Boise, Sams said. Visibili-
ty was normal. The Division of
Environmental Quality has re-
ported air quality levels in the
good category.
Katherine Jones /The Idaho Statesmai
)warfed by crowning trees and smoke, smoke jumper Nate Gogna, of the Silver City Hot Shots
rom Carson City, Nev., lights a backburn in an effort to strengthen the Blackwell Fire's western
ine south of 20 -Mile Creek near Upper Payette Lake.
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Star -News illustration by Tomi Grote /Original Photo by Earl Brockman
Most McCall residents are now oblivious to the roar of tankers landing at the smokejumper base.
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■ ■ ■ Fire lines 8/10/94
Fire lines 8/17/94
Areas of Payette Forest closed to public
Payette Forest boundary
Star -News graphic by Tomi Grote
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Fires bring in crews, supplies,
equipment and everything else
Here are some facts and figures
about the effort to fight the Corral and
Blackwell forest fire complexes. The
information was compiled by the Pay-
ette National Forest Fire Information
Office.
Crews
(20 members each)
Corral Fire: North Carolina (6
crews), New Mexico (4), Oregon (3),
Maine (2). One crew each from Ari-
zona, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jer-
sey and South Carolina.
The Corral fire has had a total of 55
crews assigned to it, not all at one
time. Twenty crews have been reas-
signed.
Blackwell Fire: New Mexico (5
crews), Oklahoma (4), Nevada (4),
Pennsylvania (3), Arizona (2), Utah
(2), New Jersey (2). One crew each
from Idaho, Massachusetts, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Indi-
ana.
The Blackwell fire has had a total
of 57 crews on the fire, of which 18
have been reassigned.
In addition, 493 supervisory, or
"overhead," personnel are on duty
from 27 states, and 80 smokejumpers
from around the country are on duty at
the McCall Smokejumper Base.
Also, a 20- member security team
has been assembled using law -en-
forcement officers from the forest
service, the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, the U.S. Fish and Wild-
life Service and the National Park
Service.
Equipment
Fire Engines: 52 wildland engines,
with 16 more ordered. Thirty -five
structural engines from as far away as
San Diego County.
Feet of Fire Hose Deployed:
275,600.
Fire Retardant Dropped: More than
750,000 gallons, a new record; ex-
pected to top one million gallons by
the end of the fire season.
Buses: 50 school buses, nine
coaches.
Water Trucks: 24, including eight
trucks with 4,000- gallon capacity and
three trucks with 5,000- gallon capac-
ity.
Bulldozers: Nine dozers, three
graders.
Portable Toilets: 255.
Portable Generators: 13.
Aircraft
Helicopters: 55 private helicop-
ters used to date, including helicop-
ters that can carry up to 1,000 gallons
of water at one time.
Air Tankers: 5.
Air Attack Planes: 4.
Miscellaneous
Showers Taken: 29,460.
Tons of Trash Hauled Away: 994.
Recycling: 7,000 pounds of card-
board.
Food Eaten: 18,000 pounds of
steak, 17,200 pounds of potatoes,
5,600 dozen eggs, 3,000 gallons of
milk, 3,000 gallons of orange juice
and lemonade. ,
W0,4,d PJ T:ai tk, 5tale5wl dfa Sarum"
On fire: When Idaho's
Catholic Bishop Tod Brown
went to McCall to say Mass
for firefighters last Sunday,
he didn't expect to become
the object of their
professional attention.
The bishop was saying Mass
in a tent when a gas heater
caught his sleeve on fire.
"I thought maybe I should
throw the bishop down and
stomp him out," said Fr. Len
McMillan of McCall's
Catholic church. "Then I
decided maybe that wouldn't
be a good career decision."
Brown downplays the
incident, saying the fire was
minor.
And, as McMillan put it,
"what better place than in
the middle of a thousand
firefighters ?"
09
Army troops, copters
support firefighters
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
When the going gets tough, and
the tough get shorthanded, it's time to
call in the military.
Four separate military units from
two branches of the service were on
duty this week in the Payette National
Forest to help fight the Corral and
Blackwell fire complexes.
Last week, two battalions of regu-
lar Army soldiers from Fort Hood,
Texas, and Fort Lewis, Wash., and a
detachment of 10 Army Blackhawk
helicopters from the First Cavalry,
also from Fort Hood, joined forces
with the U.S. Forest Service and an
Idaho Air National Guard security
team.
There are now more than 600 mili-
firefighting efforts. Most are on the
fire lines working alongside civilian
firefighters.
The 864th Engineer Battalion from
Fort Hood and the 555th Engineer
Battalion from Fort Lewis arrived last
Thursday and underwent two days of
on- the -job training before joining the
civilian troops on the fire lines.
The Blackhawk helicopters are
augmenting the civilian aircraft by
shuttling firefighters to the lines, trans-
porting equipment and providing
water drops on the fires.
"They are combat soldiers whose'
specialty is military construction in
combat zones," said Charlie Peterson,
a forest service firefighter who serves
as an advisor to the Army troops.
But for the next month, their job
Photo by Roger Phillips
Army troops arrived in McCall last week to assist in firefighting effort
New�3 ALA 19, Y9"'
will be a little different. "They're go-
ing to be scratching lines," Peterson
said.
"These are pretty gung -ho folks.
They're proud to be here," he said. "I
have no problem taking them out there.
They are hardened, highly motivated
and very attentive to what we're do-
ing."
The Army troops are split into 20-
person teams, just like their civilian
counterparts. A civilian firefighter is
assigned to each crew.
"I don't mind being here because
we're going to help save the forest,"
Pvt. Lawrence White of the 555th
said.
White said there are a lot of simi-
larities between their jobs as Army
engineers and firefighting, but he was
also well aware of the unique dangers
of firefighting.
"The fire seems a lot more danger-
ous because it can get you at any time
if you're not on your toes," White
said.
Sgt. Anthony Winters of the 864th
said the physical labor involved in
firefighting was familiar to the sol-
diers, and he is looking forward to the
rigors of firefighting.
"It will be fun for a while," Win-
ters said. "I personally would like to
go to the head of the fires and get my
adrenaline going. Doing mop -up
doesn't sound like much fun."
According to Vern Schmidt, Army
information officer, the soldiers will
be here for 30 days, if needed. After
that time, they could be extended, or
other soldiers might be rotated in to
take their place.
Schmidt said all the soldiers have
seen time on the fire lines, even those
normally assigned to support details
like cooking and supply.
He noted the soldiers were most
impressed with the food they are
served.
Y/ a)Ie,941-Y�-JcC, -r-
8- j/0 f
It's been a long, hot
summer for firefighters
MCCALL— Although the Blackwell Fire's rapid movement is
alarming, Indiana firefighters Paul Hinton and Tim Fisher said
they will remember the blaze near Glenwood Springs, Colorado
as the worst fire of the season.
The tree fallers and their crew were some of the first to see the
14 firefighters who were killed by the Storm King Fire on July 6.
"We could see the bodies along the hill with their fire shelters
out. They were right across the ridge from us," said Fisher.
"The wind can change so fast and totally confuse everyone,"
said Hinton. "It makes you think a lot more. It makes you think it
could happen to us."
In addition to their recent trauma, they must deal with difficult
conditions. When they battle blazes outside their home state, for
example, Indiana firefighters receive no hazard pay. But they enjoy
their job and that's what keeps them going, said Fisher.
"Most of us in Indiana come out here for nothing," he stated.
In addition, the higher altitude of the area has required some
adjustment for the firefighters.
"In Colorado it wasn't near this height," said Hinton. "When
you first get out here you're not really used to it."
After long days of "snag felling" the three men get what little
sleep they can in a field "with the buffalo," said Fier.
e
Corral, Blackwell fires
Secesh residents
evacuate homes
By David Woolsey
The Idaho Statesman
A handful of Secesh Meadows
residents left their rural homes
Sunday, heeding warnings that
they are in the path of forest fires
that have blackened 53,000 acres
north of McCall.
U.S. Forest Service fire manag-
ers said the Corral and Blackwell
fires in the Payette National For-
est are expected to burn together
and move northward, endangering
the small communities of Secesh
and Burgdorf.
Spokeswoman Heidi Bigler Cole
said as many as a dozen Secesh
residents left Sunday and about 22
remained. Burgdorf residents had
already chosen to leave.
The evacuation came because
fire officials determined that the
blazes could reach Burgdorf in
four to six hours if they were fed
by high winds in that direction.
"If things get hot, the people
who are staying plan to head into
Warren," Bigler -Cole said. War-
ren is about 10 miles northeast.
Fire officials expect the forest
fires to cut off Warren Wagon
Road, which connects the area
with McCall. In that case, resi-
dents can leave the area through
an alternate route from Warren to
the South Fork of the Salmon
River.
Nearly 1,500 firefighters worked
on crews battling the two fires
Sunday. Both fires continued to
spread toward each other, drawn
by heat - generated winds. At one
point at the north end of Payette
Lake, the two blazes had closed to
within four miles of each other.
A shelter for evacuated resi-
dents is being set up at McCall -
Donnelly High School. Residents
who left Sunday were staying else-
where, Bigler -Cole said.
The Corral- Blackwell fires are
two of the eight fire complexes
burning in Idaho. So far, the
blazes have consumed nearly
75,000 acres.
Near Idaho City, more than
1,600 firefighters continued to
work on four fires. Two blazes
totaling about 3,100 acres had
been contained. But the Rabbit
Creek and Bear River fires contin-
ued to burn out of control.
A controlled burn is planned for
tonight and Tuesday morning in
the effort to battle the Rabbit
Creek fire. Containment of that
fire isn't expected until Aug. 28.
to merge
,*ire expected to - —
merge and travel in
direction of arrows
Designated rlosure of,Pa} ettc,
National Forest
Salmon
River ,
Riggins
Il
�li
structures
Fa.rgciorf Secesh
s ructureess structures Warren
tructui
CORRAL
FIRE
ss
amen
Wagon /.
Road svid
r BLACKWELL
FffiE
Pa
H ,r
A firefighter hoses down building at Burgdorf, in fire's path.
S t'a 1^ fVe w .7 A µ¢ j 8, i 9 9 `,(
Page ) o-P .1
Residents of Secesh
Meadows play
Cruel
waiting
game
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
As fires continue to rage through
the Payette National Forest, the resi-
dents of the small communities of
Secesh Meadows and Burgdorf have
become involuntary participants in a
cruel waiting game.
The Blackwell and Corral fires
appear to be gradually heading in
their direction, but no one knows if, or
when, the flames will touch down in
the two secluded hamlets located ap-
proximately 25 miles north of Payette
Lake.
"It feels like a dream. You
don't believe it's coming,
but all these people say
it's coming. "
— Secesh resident Brenda
LaPaglia
Both areas have been on "yellow
alert" since last Sunday, which means
the residents have four to 12 hours to
evacuate the area due to threats of
fire. Burgdorf was evacuated, but
many residents of Secesh Meadows
have remained.
"It feels like a dream," Secesh resi-
dent Brenda LaPaglia said. "You don't
believe it's coming, but all these
people say it's coming. We used to go
fishing and four - wheeling, but now
we just sit around and wait."
Firefighters have spent the last
week preparing the two areas for the
worst.
Crews have been working with
property owners to remove fuel from
their property and make their houses
and buildings more fire resistant, ac-
cording to Buz Vanskike, operations
section chief.
"Most of the residents have been
very helpful doing work around their
houses," Vanskike said. "They haven't
been in our way, and most are very
cooperative."
Vanskike has been monitoring the
two fires, but he would not predict
what the fires are likely to do.
"There's too many factors to de-
termine that," he said. "It may never
get here."
Regardless of when, or if, the fires
arrive, he was optimistic about the
chances of protecting Secesh. "We
feel really confident that there's a
good chance," he said. "We're mak-
ing progress; essentially, we're
ready."
On Tuesday, there were eight en-
gines with full crews and two crews of
front -line firefighters, roughly 100
people in all, stationed in the area.
Vanskike said the initial plan is to
prepare the structures for fire, but
before fires actually arrive, the en-
gines would have to evacuate to ensure
the safety of the crews. He noted
specialized wildfire engines are now
on hand, rather than urban firefighting
engines, and with them came crews
that are more knowledgeable in fight-
ing wildlands fires.
The firefighters were considering
establishing "safe zones" in gravel pits
and meadows and staying put if the fires
arrive. That way, crews will rema;
close by to fight any structure fires.
By that time, the remaining resi-
dents of Secesh will probably be
nervously waiting out the melee in
safer locations, but several residents
plan to stick it out.
"Some say they want to stay to the
very end," Vanskike said. "When it
gets to that point, they may change
their minds_"
According to Wayne Cooper, pro-
prietor of the Secesh Stage Stop, there
are about 19 people remaining in the
area, and they are making the best of-
a difficult situation. "Everybody's
keeping their spirits up," he said.
Several of the remaining residents
have been temporarily hired by the
Forest Service, others don't want to
leave their homes.
Cooper has been feeding fire crews
in his restaurant, and the community
gathers there nightly to check on one
another, exchange information and
socialize.
"The last few nights have been a
lot of fun," Cooper said Tuesday.
But if the forest service issues a
"code red," which means that a fire is
imminent, Cooper said he and most of
the others will head down the road to
Warren.
"At that time, there will be no
reason for me to be here," Cooper
S-fa � Ne UV 5 Aug Is, l ygLl
Page a 04 __7
said.
Two of Cooper's neighbors, Ron
Sanders and Ken Nealy, the owner of
Secesh Mercantile, were around dur-
ing the last rounds of fires in 1988 and
1989.
Both said the forest service is tak-
ing many more precautions with these
fires.
"They're taking this much more
serious than the Steamboat Fire. They
weren't this shook up in 1989," Nealy
said.
"A lot of people have already
loaded up their furniture and gotten
out of here," he said. But he noted a
few won't evacuate unless they "ab-
solutely have to."
"That's the only way some us are
going to be leaving," Nealy said. And
he expects the firefighters will keep
them informed if the fires are heading
their way.
"If it gets heavy, I'm sure they'll
let us know in a big hurry," he said.
Ne vUS u u5 9 -- Pay,e 1 U�
Payette plans `holistic' approach to
rebuilding
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Even before the flames have been
quelled and the smoke dissipates, a
question lingers on a lot of minds:
What will the forest be like after the
fires?
An ecosystem management team
on the Payette National Forest is pre-
paring to answer that question.
"Our responsibility is to make an
assessment of the fire's aftermath,"
said forest planner Randy Swick, head
of the ecosystem management team
that will be studying the fires' affects
on the forest. "Once we assess that,
our next step is to do a determination
of desired future conditions."
After the team decides what the
"desired conditions" of the forest will
be, they will manage the forest in a
"holistic" approach, which is a new
undertaking for the team.
Under the direction of Payette For -
est Supervisor Dave Alexander, the
burned areas will be managed consid-
ering all aspects of the forest, including
natural habitat, wildlife and water
quality, as well as wood production
and social factors.
"We're really excited to have this
opportunity to try a more holistic ap-
proach," Swick said. "It will be the
first full -scale effort to apply ecologi-
cal principals to the management of
this forest."
The approach will mesh the knowl-
edge of wildlife and fisheries
biologists with the knowledge of for-
esters and ecologists to produce a
more comprehensive management of
the Payette Forest.
A team of scientists, consisting of
Swick, forest ecologist Susan
Boudreau, fisheries biologist Dave
Burns and wildlife biologist Floyd
Gordon, shared their assessments of
the fire and predictions for the forest's
future.
They all agreed that fire is part of
the forest's natural cycle, and that the
Blackwell and Corral fires are not
disasters or a catastrophic occurrences.
"People need to realize that bugs,
fire and disease are all part of the
natural process," Boudreau said.
A fire is classified as a "distur-
bance," something that modifies a
forest, but does not destroy it. The
number of acres burned is also not
necessarily the gauge of the severity
of a fire, from a scientific standpoint.
The team is looking forward to
studying the effects of the fire on the
ecosystem and helping to shape the
forest as it returns.
One thing the team is considering
is whether the fires are within the
norm of the long -term history of the
Payette forest.
Major fires like what we're get-
ting here are not unnatural," Swick
said.
When the fires are out, neither the
Blackwell or Corral fire will have
burned the entire forest. Rather they
will bum patches of land and leave
others areas relatively untouched.
"What we are seeing is a mosaic,"
Swick said. "In many ways that's
good. It's nature's way of cleaning up
the dead and dying timber."
Fires allow the forest to regenerate
itself and in the "mosaic" pattern They
change the forest from a mass of even -
aged trees to a patchwork of mixed -
age trees and diverse plant life, which
will return the forest to a more natural
state.
Fires that burn all the trees in an
area is referred to as "stand- replacing
fires," and some of that is likely to
occur, but not on a grand scale, con-
sidering the overall size of the Payette
Forest, and the adjacent forests.
Exactly what the burned over ar-
eas will look like in the future is
anyone's guess. The scientists are tak-
ing a wait- and -see approach.
I &� lv�e ws _Au yt4s112,1 gN -- PayoM7 /P/O
"What the vegetation is going to
do, I have no idea," Boudreau said.
"In some areas, Mother Nature has
decided that for us."
But Boudreau expects that regard-
less of what plants take root, the re-
growth on the land will happen at a
fairly rapid rate.
"A year from now, people are go-
ing to walk in their favorite areas, and
they're going to be very surprised,"
she said.
As for the immediate impacts on
fish, wildlife and water quality,
changes will occur, and it won't all be
good, especially in the short-term.
According to Burns, there prob-
ably won't be detrimental effects on
fish populations, but there may be
some sedimentation problems.
"I don't want to lead anybody
astray by saying there won't be any
changes," Burns said.
"From what I see, the fires are
burning similar to the 1988 -89 fires,
and there was nothing catastrophic on
fish habitat," he said. "Probably the
most important effect from a fisheries
standpoint is sustained nutrient re-
lease."
While increased nutrients may ben-
efit nutrient -poor streams, it. could
pose a problem downstream in the
lakes.
Burns also noted the fires may
create problems for fish in the high
mountain lakes.
"With fires burning around them,
it will increase the likelihood of some
winter kill," he said.
As for wildlife, Gordon said the
fires effect individual animals, but
not overall populations. The animals
have adapted to fires as part of their
life cycles, and there will be winners
and losers as the forest evolves.
"It's exciting to see this. The ef-
fects will be more natural in the long
run," Gordon said. "It's a unique ex-
perience we're having a chance to
look at."
"We probably won't see these
changes again in our lifetimes," added
Bums.
While the scientists are also look-
ing at other fires to give them some
clues as to what will happen next,
they point out that each forest is unique
and fires affect them all differently.
"People shouldn't extrapolate their
experiences from the Boise front fires
to this one," Burns said.
According to the scientists, since
fires are an intricate part of the forest's
history, they will continue to be a
management tool, and once these fires
are concluded, utilizing fire, and sup-
pressing fires, will both be part of the
forest in the future. "In some ways
this is so ironic: We need fire suppres-
sion, but we also need fires," he said.
Wildfires will continue to burn for-
ests, and controlling fires will con-
tinue to challenge firefighters and sci-
entists alike.
"There will always be fires,"
Boudreau said. "We live in a fire
ecosystem, but how will we keep this
from blowing up in our faces ?"
5ra -7Te,5 m&n. ALi 1 467 19, 19y11-
McCall firefighters go
By Jim Bowers
The Idaho Statesman
Support teams for firefighters
struggling with the stubborn
blazes northeast, of McCall are
dialing up some high -tech as-
sistance.
For the first time, cellular tele-
phones — the ubiquitous wireless
communications devices toted by
everyone from real estate agents
to Greenbelt joggers — are in use
in the fire wars in Payette Na-
tional Forest.
It took an around - the -clock ef-
fort earlier this week by US
West Cellular to boost the cellu-
lar signal into the backcountry
high -tech
near Burgdorf, Secesh Meadows
and Warren.
The 100 cellular phones are
providing better communica-
tions in the mountainous ter-
rain, Barry Mathias, Payette in-
formation systems manager,
said Thursday.
The phones are used mainly
for logistics — ordering and pro-
viding a myriad of supplies such
as food and equipment to fire
bases near the front line, Mathi-
as said in an interview from the
smoke jumper base at the air
port near McCall.
"Reports from the communica-
tions leader on the Blackwell
Complex Fire yesterday suggest-
ed that he had very, very ,good
coverage ... along the road cor-
ridor between Burgdorf and
Warren," Mathias said.
Because cellular doesn't
broadcast on the frequencies
used by firefighters' workhorse
two -way radios, it is good for
behind - the - scenes communica-
tions that won't interfere with
critical operations.
Cellular isn't used by fire sup-
pression teams.
"Two -way radio is still king of
the fire lines, and I don't expect
that to change," Mathias said.
Two -way radios broadcast in-
stantly to all people listening on
the same frequency, an impor-
tant factor when lives are risk
in the face of unpredictable for-
est fires.
Just this spring, U S West Cel-
lular began service in the Mc-
Call area with a transmission
base on nearby Brundage
Mountain.
But its signal didn't extend
into most of the fire- stricken
area just east of Upper Payette
Lake.
A team of seven experts drove
all night Sunday from cellular
company headquarters near Se-
attle to rush a 970 -pound piece
of signal- boosting equipment to
McCall.
By Monday afternoon, the so-
called repeater was providing
temporary cellular phone ser-
vice from War Eagle Lookout,
about 24 air miles north of Mc-
Call, to remote fire bases and
other command centers.
The emergency effort cost a
couple hundred thousand dol-
lars, said US West Cellular
spokeswoman Lisa Bowersock.
With an annual growth rate of
45 percent, cellular use has ex-
ploded nationwide.
The subsidiary of US West
Communications and other com-
munications giants such as Cellu-
lar One have signed up some 16
million customers and are adding
14,000 a day, Bowersock said.
Waiting for the call
The bombers have been flying a lot of sorties out of the McCall Airport in recent weeks, the Forest Service retardant nom4ers
that is. With the fires burning in Hells Canyon, last week saw three of the big air tankers, including the converted military
C -130 in the center, making steady use of the airport and the retardant loading facilities at the tanker base on Mis�!'�-�
Street.
Wind helps
clear air
but makes
fires worse
By The Associated Press
and Statesman staff
Wind blew a smoky inversion
out of Idaho on Sunday and
fanned forest fires near Boise and
in the west - central mountains.
The Star Gulch Fire, which
had destroyed one home in the
Boise National Forest, jumped
from about 7,000 acres Saturday
to 10,960 acres in the heavy fuel,
fire information officer Linda
Jackson said. The blaze, about
18 miles northeast of Boise,
spewed a cumulous- looking
cloud above the Boise Foothills.
About 25 homes at Thorn
Creek Butte,
about 7 miles
south of Ida-
ho City, still
were threat-
ened by the
fire Sunday
evening. Res-
idents, evacu-
ated Friday,
were not al-
Sd%e_ 5 �ndh
lowed to return over the week-
end. About 570 firefighters were
on the scene, trying to scrape a
line around the blaze.
Other Boise National Forest
fires:
■ The Idaho City Complex
had reached 43,700 acres by Sun-
day night, with about 1,130 peo-
ple working the lines.
■ The Rabbit Creek Fire in
the complex had scorched 36,000
acres.
■ The Thunderbolt Fire, 5
miles north of Warm Lake, grew
,Sunday from about 5,850 acres
to 6,200 in rugged terrain. It was
damaging chinook salmon habi-
tat in the South Fork of the
Salmon River and Johnson
Creek.
The power line to Yellow Pine
was shut off through most of
Sunday because of the nearby,
Thunderbolt blaze. About 490
firefighters were on the lines.
Payette National Forest:
Fires continued to head
northeast.
"They appear to be making
some runs," said Mark Van Ev-
ery, forest spokesman. "The
wind has definitely picked up,
and we have a larger advance
than the last several days."
■ The Corral Fire, northwest
of McCall, grew from 54,200
acres Saturday to 56,120. It was
moving toward the northeast,
but still had not made a run at
Burgdorf Hot Springs, about 4
miles away.
■ Firefighters had contained
40 percent of the Blackwell
Complex, which grew to 39,000
acres after earlier threatening
-to merge with the Corral Fire.
AtA 1 2_�?; /y4/-t.
d 1.1 Au
Fire threatens ranches
on Salmon's South Fork
Statesman staff
Two ranches near the South
Fork of the Salmon River were
threatened by wildfire early to-
day as crews scrambled to pro-
vide structural protection.
The Chicken Complex fire
blew up early Tuesday, doubling
in size to more than 20,000 acres.
A fire information officer said
the blaze also has jumped the
river and is threatening the Het-
tinger and Badley ranches.
Firefighters did a small burn-
out at the Hettinger Ranch air
strip Monday, and a fire man-
agement team will take over
firefighting efforts today.
In all, the three fires in the
forest have covered more than
115,000 acres. The Corral Com-
plex, which was started by light-
ning Aug. 2, has burned more
than 56,200 acres and is advanc-
ing north toward the Salmon
River. It is 31 percent contained.
The Blackwell Complex has
burned 39,450 acres and is about
half contained.
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FCC investigates attempts to jam
Forest Service radio frequencies
MCCALL — U.S. Forest Service and Federal
Communications Commission authorities are inves-
tigating some radio interference that has been dis-
rupting communications on the Corral and Blackwell
fires.
Chuck Hawkins, chief law enforcement officer
for the Payette National Forest, said Tuesday that
fire crews began experiencing difficulty communi-
cating on some of the command frequencies short-
ly after the fires exploded and were taken over by
large management teams.
Fire officials trying to transmit information to
fire crews were blocked out by strong signals on the
same frequencies, he said.
At that point, he said the assistance of the FCC
was requested and investigators arrived with spe-
cialized equipment to try to determine where the sig-
nals were emanating from and who might be behind
them.
Hawkins said the investigation is continuing and
he wouldn't say whether the interference is contin-
uing.
"It was exactly on our frequencies," he said. "It
was a very strong signal and when we'd transmit,
they'd transmit, locking everything up."
"When this was happening, the fire was burning
very hot," he said. He said there are major safety
concerns involved with something like that, and the
penalties for interfering with such communications
are federal and very severe.
"It appears to be willful and intentional," he said.
While he said he didn't know the penalties for
the acts that have taken place, if they can be proven
to be intentional, he said that he talked with an FCC
investigator who told him that simply operating an
FCC - licensed radio that isn't properly tuned can sub-
ject one to a fine of up to $8,000.
Hawkins said only that the investigation is con-
tinuing when he was asked by a reporter if officials
were investigating members of the Earth First! move-
ment in relation to the radio interference.
Some members of that organization were in McCall
last week to protest the Forest Service attempts to
suppress the wildfires now burning on the forest.
One individual, James Barnes, of Missoula, Mont.,
was charged with two misdemeanor counts, one for
burning without a permit, and one for burning dur-
ing a state - ordered closure of open burning, accord-
ing to Lt. Carla Donica of the McCall Police
Department.
Barnes allegedly started a fire in a barrel in front
of the Payette Forest Supervisor's Office as part of
the protest.
Donica said the protestors, about a dozen strong,
displayed a banner in front of the Payette Forest
Supervisor's Office that read "Let it Burn," and said
that the protest pretty much dissolved after Barnes
was issued citations for the two alleged violations.
The whole incident was over with in about 10
minutes, she said.
Anyone with any information about the radio
interference is asked to contact Hawkins at the Payette
Forest office. His telephone number is 634 -0734.
Fires continue
Firefighters
hope for break
in weather,
resources are
tapped
Wild fires continue to rage on
both the Payette and Boise National
Forests this week, with more than
270,000 acres on the two forests
having burned.
Several days of cooler weath-
er have slowed the growth of the
fires at the upper elevations of the
Payette Forest north of McCall.
However, earlier this week the
Chicken Peak Complex of fires
along the South Fork of the Salmon
River east of Warren exploded
and as of Tuesday was nearly
22,000 acres in size.
That fire is threatening sever-
al historic ranches along the lower
reaches of the South Fork. Crews
have been put in place to provide
structure protection to the Hettinger
and Badley ranches, which lie
along the river's lower few miles.
A Type I Fire Management
Team was scheduled to take over
management of that fire Tuesday
evening.
According to reports, that fire
made spectacular runs Sunday as
it exploded from a few thousand
acres to nearly 20,000. The fire
behavior was extreme and unpre-
dictable, according to those reports.
Meanwhile, the Corral Fire
remained fairly stagnant in size
at just over 56,000 acres. A total
of 1,211 personnel are still bat-
tling that fire, which was report-
ed to be 31 percent contained as
of Tuesday.
The Blackwell Complex had
also slowed over the past couple
of days and was at nearly 42,000
acres as of Tuesday. The number
of personnel assigned to that blaze
has been reduced as fire fighters
return to school and take manda-
tory rest breaks, and as of Tuesday,
838 personnel were battling that
fire, which is estimated to be 50
percent contained.
Several other fires continue to
burn in the Frank Church - River
of Np return Wilderness, and are
being monitored.
On the Boise forest, the
Thunderbolt Fire has continued
to grow, although at a slower rate
�a 94 off- Z pa,�us
to rage on Payette, Boise forests
A helicopter makes water drops on the Corral fire near Lloyd Lake. (Photo courtesy of Payette
National Forest)
over the past few days. 1 he fire
of the Johnson Creek Road later
Again, cooler temperatures,
is continuing to move in a norther-
this week to facilitate some back-
higher humidities and lighter winds,
ly direction, and fire fighters have
burning. When that actually takes
slowed the advance of that fire,
been working the past few days
place will depend on the weather
which increased mostly on the east
under the Idaho Power powerline
and how soon preparations for that
flank. That fire is burning about
into Yellow Pine clearing brush
operation can be completed.
8 miles southwest of Idaho City.
and trees that pose a hazard to the
As of Tuesday that fire stood
More than 670 personnel are
power line.
at about 7,700 acres with 472 per-
assigned to that fire and it was
To facilitate that, the power;
sonnel assigned. It was also esti-
estimated to be about 60 percent
has been shut off each day from;
mated to be 23 percent contained.
contained as of Tuesday.
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and then turned
The Star Gulch Fire, which
On both forests, fire manage -
on for the evening.
destroyed one home while mak-
ment officials are concerned about
Fire information officials on
ing some spectacular runs late last
that fire also said this week that
week had grown to more than
there may be a temporary closure
22,000 acres as of Tuesday.
the lack of personnel available all
over the west.
One example of the wide geo-
graphy from which fire fighters
are being drafted to battle fires
across a western United States that
can only be described as "ablaze,"
is provided by the list of cooper-
ating agencies involved in the
Thunderbolt Fire.
Besides the Forest Service, the
Bureau of Land Management,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, National
Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, the Department of Defense,
the North Carolina State Forest
Service, the Department of Energy,
and the state forestry departments
from Minnesota, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, New
Mexico, Texas, New Hampshire,
Utah and Michigan, are involved.
Payette Forest Supervisor Dave
Alexander said Monday that the
Lucile
situation with resources around
the entire west has reached the
"extremely critical" point.
"We're actually going back-
wards in the number of crews,"
he said. That attrition is due to sev-
eral factors including the start -up
of college, and the fact that many
seasonal fire fighters are college
students, the required days off fire
fighters take, and the fact that there
are so many fires burning across
the west.
"If we're taking (crews), they're
coming from some place," he said.
As with everyone else managing
fires this summer, he said the
Payette continues to work through
the priority system set up for dis-
persing fire crews throughout the
west.
He said the situation on the
Payette this summer is heading
towards being one of the worst, if
not the worst, fire season on record.
Chicken Complex
21,850+ acres
Secesh WA,rwn
Corral Fire
56,200+ acres
k Blackwell Con
41,645+
Brundage o
Mountain
Ski Area
red Payette
sue° Lake
Little Hill
Si Area ' � cCaii
Lakefork Thunderbolt
7,711+ acres
z ,
Donnelly
It Gold Fork Creek
Cascade I,
C
Horsethief Reservoir
All information as of noon 8/23/94
New blazes
move near
S.F. ranches
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
A flare -up of a complex of fires
that started in the Frank Church River
of No Return Wilderness Area east of
McCall has firefighters facing another
major fire.
A series of six fires broke out on
Aug 11 when lightning touched down
in the wilderness area. The fires had
been monitored since they started, but
they were posing no threat to life or
property, so a small number of
firefighters were assigned to them.
Firefighters monitored the fires,
and were trying to prevent them from
crossing the South Fork of the Salmon
River, but the fires blew up over the
weekend, and had since grown to about
30,000 acres by mid -week.
About 70 percent of fire, call the
Chicken Fire, is in the wilderness, but
its western edge is now threatening
structures in the South Fork of the
Salmon River drainage.
Fire crews this week were concen-
trating their efforts on the south and
west sides of the fire.
Twenty -one crews were ordered
to fight the blaze. Crews are already
in place to provide structure protec-
tion for the Hettinger and Badley
ranches along the South Fork. The
fire came to within one - quarter mile
of Hettinger, but fire crews had estab-
lished fire lines, and were able to hold
it back.
There are four primary areas of
concern to firefighters: the South Fork
Guard Station, the Hettinger and
Badley Ranches, and the Mackey Bar
resort located on the main Salmon
River.
A base camp has been established
at Warren and a Type I team from
Atlanta, Ga., has taken over control of
the Chicken Fire. Logistics could
prove difficult since the area is re-
mote and there are few roads into it.
Crews and supplies will have to rely
on aircraft to get to the area, which is
in high demand and short supply, fire
officials said.
Some resources have been shifted
away from the Blackwell Fire and
sent to the Chicken Fire.
Fire crews will use a two -prong
strategy in fighting the fire since it is
in both wilderness and national forest
land, said Faith Duncan, a Payette fire
information officer.
Fire crews will take suppression
actions outside the wilderness area in
an attempt to check the fire's spread.
They will dig fire lines, fall trees, and
use bulldozers and retardant drops as
needed
However, those methods are not
allowed across the wilderness bound-
ary, and are "a much more intrusive
approach and inappropriate for a wil-
derness area," Duncan said.
Within the wilderness area, fire-
fighters will use a containment
strategy to restrict the fire within natu-
ral boundaries such as rivers and
streams, areas of sparse vegetation, or
ridge lines to naturally limit the fire's
spread.
South of the Chicken Fire, the
Thunderbolt Mountain Fire had
burned 8,868 acres five miles north of
Warm Lake.
The fire forced the closure of the
Johnson Creek Road, one of the main
roads into Yellow Pine, for two or
three days, forest officials said.
The road will be closed while crews
set back burns in order to protect the
power line serving the Yellow Pine
area. Electrical power to the Warm
Lake and Yellow Pine area will be
turned off while the road is closed.
By Wednesday, 473 personnel
were manning the Thunderbolt Moun-
tain Fire assisted by five helicopters,
three air tankers and seven fire en-
gines. The fire was 23 percent
contained by Wednesday, but no date
for total containment was set.
S fa_ News Iq U 6 _25, 19qy
Photo by Roger Phillips
Payette National Forest technician Sherry Summerfield traces image of a fire line into a computer.
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
In the firefighting trade, the
Pulaski and chain saw are still the
implements of choice, but the high -
tech world is creeping into the
firefighter's tool box.
The new technology reads like
an alphabet soup of acronyms.
Things like GIS (geographic infor-
mation systems), GPS (global
positioning systems) and IR (infra-
red) have all become a part of the
firefighting lingo.
Even the symbol of yuppiedom,
the cellular telephone, is now found
on many firefighter's belts along-
side stout knives and leathermen's
tools.
According to Keith Birch, inci-
dent commander of the Blackwell
fire, high -tech equipment really isn't
new in firefighting, it has just been
vastly improved in the last 30 years.
"We had the same stuff back then.
It's just improved in quality," Birch
said. "I guess the bottom line is it
was much more primitive back then."
The two main areas of improve-
ment have been in communications
and mapping, said Jim Lewis, a com-
munications technician assigned to
the Corral Fire.
"We've got one of the most so-
phisticated systems set up on this
fire," he said. The system includes
space -borne satellites, cellular
phones and radio repeaters strategi-
cally placed in the nearby mountains.
Firefighters
aren't
always
human
"A local call to McCall
makes a 46,000-mile
round trip. "
- Jim Lewis, communications
specialist
Lewis noted that one of the new-
est entries into the their equipment
list, the cellular telephones, have
been a real asset in their efforts.
"We're.finding on this fire that
cellular phones are invaluable. It
gives us better coverage and we can
do more things," he said.
Lewis also has a network of
phones dispersed through out the
camp that provide both inter -camp
communications and satellite link-
ups with the outside.
"A local call to McCall makes a
46,000 mile round trip," Lewis said.
With the exception of a few mi-
nor problems, such as generators
running out of gas, the communica-
tions network is quite reliable.
"It actually works as well as a
small town telephone service," he
said.
Aside from telephones, Lewis
also coordinates the use of 300 to
400 two -way radios, which are the
workhorses for firefighters.
Lewis said there are 21 different
frequencies and 14 channels for the
Corral Fire alone, and the military
and civilian radios have to find com-
mon frequencies so they can
communicate.
Powering all that equipment adds
another challenge. Lewis supplies
an average of 1,500 AA batteries per
day to the firefighters.
In another form of communica-
tion, teams in McCall work day and
night to provide updated maps to the
firefighters.
One group utilizes global posi-
tioning systems (GPS), and the other
uses infrared (IR) imagery. Both
sources of information are then re-
layed to the geographic information
systems (GIS) teams, and detailed
maps are produced.
"I think it helps in the planning
mode to look at the big picture," said
Sherry Summerfield, the GIS man-
ager.
Summerfield said that GPS and
IR complement each other in pro-
viding information for the fire
planners.
,*dge ; o -f a
std r Nc ti's A y0 �;5, l Y 9',
A GPS receiver picks up signals
from four satellites of 26 that are
currently in orbit. The receiver dis-
plays its exact location in relation to
the satellites. With GPS mounted on a
helicopter, a pilot can fly the perim-
eter of a fire and record its exact
location.
"We just do a lap around it," said
Leigh Bailey, a hydrologist working
with the GPS team. "This allows us to
get a good handle on the perimeter of
the fire."
One disadvantage GPS has is that
it relies on the pilot's ability to see the
perimeter of the fire, which is some-
times difficult to do when visibility is
obscured by smoke, dust or clouds.
But used in conjunction with infra-
red imagery, that problem can be over-
come.
The infrared equipment essentially
records variations in heat to define an
area rather than recording a visual
reproduction, as a photograph would.
Since water, fire and roads all
give off different temperatures, they
are discernible on an infrared image.
A technician can then use lakes and
rivers as reference points.
"We're able to interpret images to
identify where heat sources would be
on a map," said Norman Nass, an
infrared interpreter.
Planes carrying infrared equipment
fly at 8,000 to 10,000 feet and infrared
can see through smoke, giving it an
advantage over GPS. However, infra-
red cannot identify an area that has
been burned off and has since cooled
down.
An operations planner can then
use infrared images and GPS coordi-
nates to detect hot spots and see the
spread of the fire. All this information
can be coupled with GIS maps, which
can show information like pumping
stations, landing strips, facilities and
other things pertinent to firefighting.
While the information is a valu-
able tool in fighting wildfires, inci-
dent commander Birch keeps it all in
perspective and never forgets that the
battles are won and lost on the fire
lines.
"It's still the same kind of job,"
Birch said. "It all boils down to the
person on the Pulaski and chainsaw."
Sfiai Ale W AU�USr 251 /tigLt
A forest fire camp is
scenic, but no picnic
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Sater Meadows is usually a quiet
and picturesque lowland set beneath
looming granite mountains, but now
it is one of the biggest towns in Valley
County.
The meadows serve as the base
camp for the Corral Fire crews. The
camp awakes in the early morning as
the fire crews prepare for another day
on the lines, and once the crews are
gone, the support teams stay behind
and attend to the duties that keep the
camp running efficiently.
Accc Aing to fire crew boss Luterio
Nieto of the Santa Domingo, N.M.,
crew, he and his crew start the day at
4:15 a.m. The crew hits breakfast
while he attends the morning brief-
ing, then they load onto a bus for an
hour drive to the work area.
They hike up to 2 -1/2 miles to the
fire line, where they will spend the
next 10 to 12 hours before hi king back
off the hill and riding the bus back to
camp.
They have been following that rou-
tine for more than two weeks, and
they have another week to go before
they reach 21 days, the maximum
number of days allowed on the fire
lines.
"We're shooting for no days break.
We want to get it over with," Nieto
said.
Approximately 14 hours after the
Santa Domingo crew left, they re-
turned to camp, tired, dirty and hungry.
But before they hit the mess trailer
or showers, there were tools to sharpen
for the next day, which was by then
only seven or eight precious hours
away.
Eating and showering aren't a
simple matter of walking to the mess
trailer or the portable showers, be-
cause hundreds of other firefighters
have come off the lines. No matter
how much they deserve a hot meal,
shower and sleep, the facilities just
aren't big enough to serve everyone at
once.
The lines grow long, patience is
tested, and time the firefighters could
spend doing other things, like resting
or making a quick call to families, is
sacrificed while waiting in line.
According to Mike Gonzalez, a
firefighter from Nyssa, Ore., it can
get frustrating coming back to camp
and having to wait. "You're beat and
then you still have to stand in line for
showers," Gonzalez said.
It's not a glamorous life, regard-
less of how idyllic the scenery might
be. The crews know they are there to
work and comforts are someplace else
for some other time. They watch the
calendar closely and count down until
21 days are up. Then they will either
be released., or they will get a couple
days of rest and recuperation before
starting all over again.
"We're here to fight fires `till
they're down, pull hard and earn the
dollars," Gonzalez said.
And what does he look forward to
most everyday? "Having a safe day,
trying to get out of there safe — that's
the main thing," he said.
While the firefighters wear a hard
look from soil and toil, those who stay
behind to run the camp are tested as
well.
Becky Dwello of McCall runs the
check -in tent from morning until
evening, 12 hours a day, seven days a
week.
"We probably have the best hours
in camp," she said, noting that others
work sporadic hours that rarely allow
for large blocks of time off.
And while she might €ifidthe hours
manageable, she is hardly in the lap of
luxury. When she gets up in the early
morning, the temperature has usually
sunk to sub - freezing. She uses that
time to take a shower, since the fire
crews use the showers in the eve-
nings. She half -jokes that she hopes
her hair doesn't freeze by the time she
gets to the check -in tent.
"You sweat during the days and
freeze at night," she said. But Dwello
remains stoic about the hardships and
says she wants to last the entire 21
days.
"I'm doing fine because I like be-
ing outdoors," she said. "It would be
nice to see my kids more."
A U.S. Air Force firefighter and a
U.S. Forest Service security officer
watch over a forest service Twin Otter
smokejumper airplane that veered off
the runway at McCall Airport about
11:50 a.m. Monday while making a
routine landing. The plane suffered
damage to its right wing and right
engine before settling in a marshy area
just west of the runway. The pilot,
Terry A. Small, 47, of Ogden, Utah, was
treated and released from McCall
Memorial Hospital with a sprained
wrist. No other passengers were on
board. The plane was returning from
Chamberlain Basin after delivering
cargo to smokejumping crews righting
the Chicken Complex fire. The cause of
the crash was being investigated this
week. A replacement plane was flown in
r' from Grand Junction Colo.
-- '` Photo by Tom Grote
flu- i ap
Progress mn
Payette Tres
"We've pretty much met
our objectives on the
Blackwell fire. "
- Keith Birch,
departing incident commander
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
As the Blackwell and Corral fires
continue, firefighters are gradually
gaining a foothold against them and
containment reports show definite
Progress, fire officials reported.
As of Wednesday, the Corral Fire,
still the largest of the three major fires
on the Payette National Forest, was
listed at 57,500 acres and 38 percent
contained. The Blackwell Fire was
listed at 42,300 acres, and 50 percent
contained. It is not currently threaten-
ing structures, according to fire
officials.
It is now unlikely the two fires will
join together unless weather condi-
tions allow the fires to dramatically
expand. Firefighters are hopeful, but
guarded, that weather will continue to
work in their favor.
With air temperatures cooling and
humidity increasing, the fires have
shown less activity in the last week.
The two fires have still grown a
combined 15,000 acres, but consider-
ing they frequently doubled in size for
the first two weeks, the growth is
considered modest. Last week, the
two fires increased approximately
40,000 acres.
The break in weather allowed
crews to set several back burns and
establish more fire lines. The crews
are securing the rear flanks of the fires
and working their way up the sides.
There are approximately 1,200
people assigned to the Corral Fire,
including 25 military crews.
The number of people assigned to
the Blackwell fire peaked at 1,213
people, but has since decreased to 767
people. Some of the firefighters were
shifted over to the Chicken Complex fires.
As the third week of activity on the
Blackwell fire wound down, the Type
I fire management team headed by
Keith Birch returned to their home
posts, having served their maximum
21 -day stint.
Their place was taken by a team
led by Tom Harbour of southern Cali-
fornia which will take over command
of both the Blackwell and Corral fires.
"We've pretty much met our ob-
jectives on the Blackwell fire," said
Birch, who is from the Salmon Na-
tional Forest in Idaho.
Those objectives were to secure
the south and west flanks of the fire,
get fire lines into the Upper Payette
Lake area and secure Lick Creek Road.
Birch said Blackwell is a "high -
profile fire politically because it was
so close to McCall." The combination
of tight resources and the affects of
the fire on the community made it a
challenge for firefighters.
"The fire itself was the easiest thing
to deal with," Birch said. But he added
that while the firefighting activity was
disruptive to the community, the local
support "has just been super."
"It's been a pleasant experience
here, granted it's been long, but the
local folks have been good to us," he
said.
Birch said both the Blackwell and
the Corral fires are too large to control
considering the amount of resources
they have available to fight them, but
his prognosis for them was guardedly
optimistic.
"If the weather doesn't get crazy, it
will continue to spread in higher el-
evations, but the lower country is
pretty secure," Birch said. "There will
be a lot of smoke showing for a long
time."
The Corral fire now stretches 17
miles across the forest, and the
Blackwell fire extends 15 miles, about
100 people attending the latest public
meeting on the forest fires on Satur-
day were told.
During the meeting, held at the
McCall - Donnelly High School gym,
fire officials said they would like to
have another 400 to 600 firefighters
on the line, but it was unlikely their
request would be granted.
Other fires in the West that pose
greater threats to homes or other struc-
tures have taken priority over the
Blackwell and Corral fires, Payette
Fire Management Officer Gene
Benedict said.
More crews likely would be freed
up if high winds from a cold front
moved through and fanned the fires,
but it now appears only the onset of
fall will finally halt their spread,
Benedict said.
Even then, a warm "Indian sum-
mer" this fall could lead to the fires
gaining strength again, he said.
Payette forest Supervisor Dave
Alexander said the burned areas of
the forest likely would be reopened
this fall, but the public should be wary
of the danger from falling dead trees,
called snags.
Bow hunting seasons are sched-
uled to get underway next week, but
hunters will not be allowed to enter
the one million -acre area of the forest
closed due to the fires, Alexander
said.
Forest officials do not want to be
spending their time looking for hunt-
ers if the fires make a new run, he said.
Payette planners will be making
some quick decisions on whether to
allow logging of the fire - killed trees
once the blazes are quenched,
Alexander said.
Decisions likely will be made by
Jan. 1 on whether to allow salvage
logging next year, he said. The public
will be consulted in advance, he said.
As of last weekend, the Corral fire
had cost $6.2 million and the
Blackwell fire has cost $8 million,
with costs growing by about $500,000
per day, officials told the audience.
River
(Yews ,� � � 5, / 9 Cf
Pd r
■ ■ ■ Fire lines 8/10/94
— — Fire lines 8/17/94
Fire lines 8/24/94
Areas of Payette Forest closed to public
Payette Forest boundary
�MM
Photo by Rgger Phillips
Nate Gagna of the Silver State Hot Shots in Nevada lights a back fire
on the Blackwell Fire near McCall last week.
J ra figs -7na�n - A f gt45, ��, '19 1�- Pd�{ °S
IV
Forest fires force closure of
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
If you're sharpening your broad -
heads to go bow hunting north
and east of McCall next week,
you'd better scout another area
quickly.
Payette National Forest offi-
cials on Thursday warned hunters
that a large chunk of prime deer -
and elk- hunting terrain is closed
because of forest fires.
On Thursday they expanded the
closure area to include the north-
west portion of the Frank Church
River of No Return Wilderness.
The announcement comes right
on the heels of one by the Boise
National Forest earlier in the
week warning hunters about clo-
sures near Idaho City.
In the Payette National Forest,
the closures basically go from an
area near U.S. 95 on the west to
well within the wilderness on the
east, and from McCall on the
south to the Salmon River on the
north.
It takes in all or part of Big
Game Management Units (hunt-
ing areas) 19A, 20A, 23, 24 and 25.
The closure is expected to re-
main in effect when bow - hunting
seasons for deer and elk open next
Tuesday and possibly, to Sept. 15
when some backcountry big game
rifle hunts open.
The general rifle hunting sea-
sons open Oct. 5 for deer and Oct.
more hunting areas
"The way the closure works, no
one is allowed, in," Bigler Cole
said. "It's closed for the duration."
She, however, fears that hunters
traveling cross - country on foot or
horseback, may accidentally enter
the closure area.
Hunters who frequent the areas
affected by the fires should make
other plans, said Mike Schlegel,
regional wildlife manager in the
McCall area for Idaho Fish and
Game.
Hunting seasons will not be
closed by Fish and Game, but ac-
cess to hunting areas is being re-
stricted by the U.S. Forest
Service.
"The best thing they (hunters)
can do is to stay aware of closure -
area changes," Schlegel said.
In the meantime, he said, hunt-
ers have the choice of more than
40 other areas throughout the
state.
15 for elk.
Even though hunters may not
see flames, some of the blackened
areas near McCall still harbor
other dangers.
"We had a (fire) crew out there
and they saw one snag a minute
falling," said Heidi Bigler Cole, an
information officer with the Pay-
ette National Forest.
Forest fires creep underground
and burn the roots of trees.
"A perfectly- looking snag can
topple over at any minute," Bigler
Cole said. Basically, trees in a
burned area can be like loose
teeth.
5T' ,U_S Mdin - Au,l U5 T., a6i 1 4 -
l 4 A
Bow- hunting season opens next Tuesday but hunters won't be able to get into
prime deer and elk areas north and east of McCall. The Payette National
Forest is closed to hunting because of the fire danger. Here are the game
management units affected by the fires:
/ n Florence Dixie
V� 19A Bar
i
Warren
Burgdorf
LOSE
Big C
RS
Yellow P °�
McCall Stit
Area
Council
of
Cascade Labdmark Ej detail
Mesa Reservoir
Cascadert
`§ Deadwood ape Horn
Reservoir
` To Stanley
Ola Bois All wman
Notes about hunting -area closures
You can check out which areas the confluence of the South Fork
are closed to hunters and other Salmon River and Secesh River,
recreationists near McCall as a and along the South Fork Salmon
result of the fires by digging out River, Elk Creek Road, Beaver
your Payette National Forest
map.
Follow this description: the
western boundary of the New
Meadows Ranger District and
Forest Roads No. 257 and 273 on
the west; the Payette National
Forest boundary above Payette
Lake on around to Lake Fork
Guard Station on the south; a line
from Lake Fork Guard Station to
Creek /Chamberlain Trail, and
the Chamberlain Trail all the way
to the Main Salmon River on the
north.
Chamberlain Trail is used as a
boundary but is still open to rec-
reationists.
The Chamberlain Airstrip in the
wilderness area remains open.
For more information, call the
Krassel Ranger District at 634 -0600.
�� s r a r R s i n 4 i v - A u ? u s l ��g o -
F i r e c r e w s b a c k i n
W e e k e n d w i l l b r i n g
m o r e h o t w e a t h e r ,
m o r e s m o k e t o c i t y
B y T h e A s s o c i a t e d P r e s s
a n d S t a t e s m a n s t a f f
F i r e b o s s e s o n F r i d a y s e n t
c r e w s b a c k i n t o c o m b a t a b l a z e
t h a t d i s i n t e g r a t e d 7 , 0 0 0 a c r e s o f
t h e B o i s e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t i n a
d a y .
T h e R a b b i t C r e e k b l a z e , a b o u t
3 0 m i l e s n o r t h e a s t o f B o i s e ,
j u m p e d i t s c o n t a i n m e n t l i n e s
a n d g r e w t o 7 1 , 3 8 0 a c r e s b y F r i -
d a y . T h e e n t i r e I d a h o C i t y C o m -
p l e x e x p a n d e d t o 7 9 , 0 0 0 .
F i r e f i g h t e r s w o r k i n g o n t h e
g r o u n d w e r e p u l l e d o f f a s b u r n -
i n g e m b e r s w e r e s p o t t e d u p t o a
h a l f - m i l e a h e a d o f t h e n o r t h e r n
f r o n t .
" I t g o t s o b a d , w e j u s t m o v e d
t h e f i r e f i g h t e r s o u t t o p r o t e c t
b u s i n e s s n e a r
I d a h o C i t - _
t h e m . I t j u s t w a s n ' t w o r t h i t t o
s t a y a r o u n d , " f o r e s t s p o k e s m a n
R a y T a t e s a i d .
M e a n w h i l e , c h o k i n g h a z e c o n -
t i n u e d t o h a n g o v e r B o i s e e a r l y
F r i d a y , r e d u c i n g v i s i b i l i t y t o 1 -
1 / 4 m i l e s a t 8 a . m . B u t n o r t h
w i n d s b l e w t h e s m o k e o u t b y
n o o n , b r o a d e n i n g v i s i b i l i t y t o 1 5
m i l e s .
T h e s m o k e g e n e r a t e d f r o m t h e
I d a h o C i t y f i r e s t e n d s t o b l o w i n
o v e r n i g h t w i t h s o u t h e a s t e r l y
w i n d s . N o r t h w i n d s s l o w l y p u s h
i t o u t i n t h e m o r n i n g .
T h i s w e e k e n d w i l l s e e m o r e o f
t h e s a m e . H i g h t e m p e r a t u r e s
w i l l r e a c h i n t o t h e 8 0 s ; t o d a y ' s
h i g h i s e x p e c t e d t o b e 8 8 . L o w
t e m p e r a t u r e s w i l l b e i n t h e 5 0 s .
O n F r i d a y , t h e R a b b i t C r e e k
b l a z e w a s t h e m o s t a c t i v e o f t h e
1 1 f i r e s b u r n i n g t h r o u g h o u t I d a -
h o t h a t h a v e b l a c k e n e d m o r e
t h a n a q u a r t e r - m i l l i o n a c r e s . A l -
m o s t 6 , 8 0 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s w e r e d e -
p l o y e d i n I d a h o , a n d a b o u t
2 3 , 0 0 0 i n a l l w e r e w o r k i n g i n s i x
u r e
e a i s c l o s e d
t r a l a n d
h e P a y e t t e
p i c t u r e s b o u t r e s W a r r e n
W a g o n
R o a d
� M
s t a t e s o n 2 9 w i l d f i r e s . A b o u t a
h a l f m i l l i o n a c r e s a r e b u r n i n g .
F i r e f i g h t e r s s t a r t e d t o b u r n
o u t l a n d o n t h e e a s t e r n a n d
w e s t e r n f l a n k s o f t h e 9 , 7 0 0 - a c r e
T h u n d e r b o l t M o u n t a i n F i r e , 2 0
m i l e s n o r t h e a s t o f C a s c a d e . T h e
J o h n s o n C r e e k r o a d b e t w e e n
W a r m L a k e a n d Y e l l o w P i n e t o
t h e n o r t h w a s n o t e x p e c t e d t o b e
c l o s e d u n t i l S u n d a y o r M o n d a y ,
T a t e s a i d .
" I f w e g e t w i n d s , t h a t p l a n
w i l l b e s c r a p p e d , t h o u g h , " h e
s a i d .
T o t h e n o r t h i n t h e P a y e t t e
N a t i o n a l F o r e s t , f i r e f i g h t e r s r e -
m a i n e d o n h a n d i n c a s e t h e
3 1 , 7 6 0 - a c r e C h i c k e n C o m p l e x
c h a r g e d t o w a r d r a n c h e s a l o n g
t h e S o u t h F o r k o f t h e S a l m o n
R i v e r . T h e b l a z e m a d e a l o n g
r u n t o t h e s o u t h T h u r s d a y , f o r c -
i n g c r e w s o f f o f B u r g d o r f R i d g e .
T h e 6 3 , 9 1 0 - a c r e C o r r a l F i r e
a n d t h e 4 3 , 4 0 0 - a c r e B l a c k w e l l
C o m p l e x n o r t h o f M c C a l l m a d e
s m a l l r u n s t o t h e n o r t h e a s t F r i -
d a y . C o r r a l s t i l l r e m a i n e d a b o u t
f o u r m i l e s f r o m t h e C i v i l W a r -
e r a B u r g d o r f H o t S p r i n g s .
5 7"a -� N(2- W5 - A to � 1-15 1 , ; , !994
Fire burns
Nokes land
A human - caused fire last Thurs-
day evening on the Herold Nokes
property east of McCall burned six -
tenths of an acre of grass and small
trees before firefighters extinguished
the blaze.
The fire was started when a camp-
fire escaped, according to Tom Binder
of the Southern Idaho Timber Protec-
tive Association. The area where the
fire occurred is not designated for
camping.
Binder said approximately 20
firefighters and seven engines from
SITPA, the U.S. Forest Service, and
the McCall Rural Fire Department
searched the area until the blaze was
located between Spring Mountain
Ranch and The Woodlands subdivi-
sions.
The firefighters quickly had the
blaze under control and had the site
cleaned up later that evening. Binder
said there are no leads on who started
the fire.
_J �JI�Js 01Iar
Flames and the future
File photos by Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman
Susan Boudreau, Payette National Forest ecologist, holds new sprouts of grass where the Corral Fire passed two weeks ago. A four -
person Ecosystem Analysis Team will examine burnout areas as a starting point for studying the forest.
Plenty of fuel, hot weather
make it difficult to tell
when fire season will end
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
This summer, everything came together.
The air was hot, the land was dry, the
trees were dead and the flames were
hungry for the forest.
And in Idaho, as in the rest of the
Western states, the fires feasted.
During the past month, more than
235,000 acres has burned in two southern
Idaho forests — but that's just a fraction
of the almost 3 million acres devoured in
wildfires throughout the West this year. It
may not end up as Idaho's worst fire
season — or even the nation's — but
experts say it will go down in the books as
one of the longest and most active.
"At this point, it's shaping up to be one
of the worst in a decade," said Tom Pat-
ton, fire use specialist for the U.S. Forest
Service's Intermountain Region in Ogden,
Utah. "We're sitting here in August, and
for the fires in Idaho, there isn't much
relief in the way of weather. There's a
possibility that we could see this continue
into September and see a significant
amount of acreage burn in Central
Idaho."
And, whether directly or indirectly,
both humans and nature are responsible.
Idaho remains parched from an eight -
year drought that baked the trees and
invited the wildfires. And, in an uninten-
tional way, people invited the fires, too.
Forest experts say an accumulation of
fuel is due in part to the active fire
suppression efforts of the past century.
Instead of allowing fires to play their
natural role — burning out old, sick and
dead trees — Forest Service officials be-
gan launching intensive attacks to extin-
guish them. And in doing so, the fuels that
helped feed the fires ultimately settled in
— for the next blaze.
Phis year's major fires are within two
hours' drive of Boise — the largest were
caused by lightning. Since July 28, the
Idaho City Complex has burned more than
81,100 acres in the Boise National Forest,
where 90 -plus- degree temperatures and
slopes blanketed with 6 -fitly packed
Douglas firs, needles and brush keep
blazes busy and satisfied.
Abundant fuel and temperatures into
the 90s also help feed the fires in the
Payette National Forest near McCall,
where two fires burning more than 115,000
acres still threaten to merge and sweep up
to the Salmon River, where, if they cross
the river, they will spread into the Nez
Perce National Forest and possibly the
Gospel Hump Wilderness Area, where ef-
forts to extinguish the blazes
must be severely curtailed.
Containment dates for the Mc-
Call fires — once set at Aug. 18
Corral Fire
Unsuitable (19,909)��
Nonforest (4,305)
Lakes (400)
Mixed conifer H (259)
+M
Mixed conifer M (446)
Mixed conifer L (63)kt
Alpine fir (2,528)
Engelmann spruce (7,104)
Lodgepole pine (225) 00 _
These are
examples of the
kind of maps the
Payette National
Forest's
Ecosystem
Analysis Team will
look at to study
landscapes.
These maps
show the tree
species found in
the areas burned.
Unsuitable (19,987)
Nonforest (5,738)
Lakes (400) fa
Mixed conifer high (2,132)
Mixed conifer moderate (3,258)
Mixed conifer low (7)
Alpine fir (4,068)
Engelmann spruce (13,587)
Lodgepole pine (3,436) 00
Blackwell
Fire
— were forgotten lolig ago, and ture's end. Since 1986, annual the forest floor, create a fire-
only the Idaho City Complex alle precipitation below the consistently 12.1 trees theilr branches brown rand
shows any signs of slowing inches; so far this year, only 5 brittle, cluster amid the healthy,
down. inches has fallen, compared looks - just -like- Christmas
Meanwhile, smoke from the 'with the 8.5 inches that usually spruce, with their stiff, dark
aho City fires blankets Boise falls by this time of year. green needles and pointed tops.
ies in the morning hours, A lack of moisture isn't the "When the forest isn't healthy
riding joggers out with air fil- only factor contributing to and bugs come in, fire is pa-
rs and many Treasure Valley drought -like conditions: The ture's way of cleaning it out,"
"esidents to work with head- mercury in Boise pushed past 90 said Roy Johnson, incident com-
ches. In McCall, the haze is degrees for a record 44 consecu- mander at the Corral Fire, one
'even worse; ash sometimes 'falls tive days. Temperatures have of the two McCall blazes that
'ke light, peaceful snow after reached the century mark — now has burned about 71,000
awn, and a distinct odor of and beyond — for a total of two acres. "As this fire consumes
burning trees hangs in the air' weeks this summer. acres that aren't healthy, it will,
throughout the day. The result: dry and brittle for- in the long run, bring healthier
Eventually; either the fires est fuels. Fire officials in both (tree) stands."
will run out of fuel or fire- the Boise and Payette national
fighters will extinguish them, forests describe the trees as "dri- Fire's natural role
leaving the smoke to clear and er than kiln -dried timber." The "natural role" of fire, as
revealing the blackened earth In the Payette forest, for ex- forest and fire experts call it,
that will be the souvenir of one ample, bugs have eaten their helps explain why some forest
of the driest, hottest and busiest way through spruce trees, kill - fires are allowed to burn — and
fire seasons in state history. ing many of them before they why environmental activists,
Drought had a chance to die from such as Earth First!, argue to
drought. Dry — and in many "let it burn" rather than put it
Fire officials point to the mid- cases, dead — trees, combined out.
1980s as the beginning of mois- with needles and other fuels on Different species of trees expe-
rience different cycles of fires,
said Payette National Forest
Fire Management Officer Gene
Benedict. Spruce and subalpine
fir, often found in elevations of
6,000 to 9,000 feet like the Pay-
ette forest, where the climate
tends to be moist and cool —
experience major fires that re-
place entire stands of trees ev-
ery 300 to 400 years. Ponderosa
pine stands, like those on the
Boise, where the elevation is
lower and the climate warmer
and drier, experience fires a few
times a century.
Often, the Forest Service al-
lows entire fires — or parts of
fires — to burn themselves out.
If natural barriers like rocks,
dirt or water are in the fire's
path — and if the blaze doesn't
threaten people or buildings —
then firefighters may operate
under a "confinement" strategy.
That's what firefighters are
doing on the east side of the
Blackwell Fire, now up to more
File photo by Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesmai
Indy Swick, planner for the Payette National Forest, stands among a group of trees burned in the Corral Fire. Before the ecosystem tean
nks of timber harvest opportunities, "We think of how this fire interacts with this landscape," he said.
tan 44,000 acres near McCall. crews can contain the fires called a "mosaic pattern "; in
sidered by many to be a landmark
s the blaze burns steadily where natural barriers won't. other words, the fire skipped
in the world of firefighting.
orth, crews have worked to "It's not a panic situation," over natural barriers like rocks
"It may be a difficult fire to
)ntain the fire's south and west Johnson said. "We've experi- and dirt and — in the cases of
fight because it's big," Birch said
des — those closest to people enced this kind of thing in the crowning — even trees, creating
two weeks ago of the Blackwell.
ad structures. The only thing past.... Our job is to just make a sometimes spotty pattern. Un-
"But here we are at 30,000 acres,
3st of the Blackwell, though, is sure i t isn't threatening like the images many have of
and it's been two weeks now. I
yore and more forest — no anything." wildfires, these were not one
saw the fires in Yellowstone go
continuous wall of flame.
uildings, no people. Crews will 'Mosaic
more than that in one day."
pattern'
eep a general eye on the fires Instead, they were persistent
Birch's teams burned out a
ist flank, but otherwise, there The fires aren't the out -of -con- and often in tough -to -reach ar-
line to Upper Payette Lake, de-
ill be no fire line, no fire- trol monsters they appear to be, eas. Flames sometimes torched
voted several crews to structure
ghters on the perimeter, and fire bosses emphasize. What can high in the trees or raced steadi-
protection and battled the
D water or fire retardant drops. make them tough to fight is the ly along hillsides. As the blazes
southern and western flanks. To
"°If left alone, the fires will go Feather and the excessive, flam- grew to tens of thousands of
the man that spearheaded those
at on their own," said Keith mable fuels along the way. acres, and as fire analysts began
efforts, the Blackwell is con -
irch, incident commander for Both blazes, in fact, moved in to forecast suppression efforts
tainable.
ie Blackwell Fire. "It doesn't an expected pattern. They ate until "the snow flies," experi-
lake sense to throw a lot of up the bug - killed spruce and enced firefighters started draw-
Costly endeavor
Loney and people at a fire that's other kiln -dry timber and fo- ing comparisons to Yellowstone
Fires aren't contained — or
Ding to burn itself out." liage in their paths. When high National Park, where more than
for that matter, controlled —
And overall, the fires have of. Finds whipped through the for- half a million acres burned over
without costs. Not only does the
gyred only occasional surprises est, the flames were carried from three months in 1988.
U.S. Forest Service budget -
- flame lengths of up to 150 feet treetop to treetop — sometimes But with each comparison
and hence, the taxpayers' wal-
n the Corral Fire, or the over- a mile away. Crews worked came an "if." If more acres are
lets — suffer; so does the land,
ight blowout that broadened around them where they could, burned ... if crews are still here
and so do the people.
ie Blackwell Fire by 4,000 and water and retaPdant in the fall ...
Injuries often befall fire -
cres. dropped from the air helped In other words, the fires — with
fighters, like Lawrence Conde,
Still, in a hot and dry fire douse and impede hot spots in all their big acreage numbers and
an Arizona man assigned to the
Cason, that kind of fire behav- front of them. month -long endurance — don't
Idaho City Complex who slid
or isn't unusual. Both Johnson The fires burned in what's yet measure up to the blaze con_-
down a 100 -foot slope, suffering
ad Birch are confident their
��:
��f + , F �
* ��r f E ��` ��
A N A T O N I Y
D a y
D a y i 1 3 1 D a y D a y D a y ' n n
1 0 1 5 1 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 3 5 4 0 4 5 5 0 5 5
A c r e s b u r n e d i n t h o u s a n d s
-J�1P
Here's how the
Blackwell and
Corral fires
started and grew:
ay 1, Aug. 2: Lightning ignites
ree fires within nine miles of
ich other — one at Twin
ekes, one at Corral Lake and
ie at Warm Springs.
Day 2, Aug. 3: As Twin Lakes
and Corral Lake fires merge to
325 acres, lightning starts a fire
east of Payette Lake, burning
about 1,000 acres. The initial fire
report estimates containment
Aug. 18.
Day 3, Aug. 4: Corral Fire
spreads to almost three times its
size in one day, to 1,200 acres.
Fire escapes lines on its eastern
side, devouring bug - killed
spruce. Blackwell Fire already a'
4,200 acres.
Day 5, Aug. 6: Blackwell Fire at
5,400 acres, due to erratic wind:
and fire behavior blamed on the
Corral Fire. Homes along east
side of Payette Lake evacuated
voluntarily. Officials still expect
to contain the fire by Aug. 18,
McCall area forest fires
Designated closure of Lightning strikes
Payette National Forest
Structures Sa�rnon River
CORRAL
DAY 18 ------- - -. FIRE
Bur dorf Secesh
DAY 8 — structures structures
DAY 15
Warm Springs Fire a
a
Upper
Payette
DAY 7 - - DAY 15 Lake : DAY 22
DAY 5 Corral Fire' -DAY 18
DAY 2
0 A Y 1 Twin Lakes Fire BLACKWELL
FIRE Lick Creek'
Road
Payette
— Lake ?
55\ t
Homes
' McCall
Blackwell
Day Day Day Day Day
31 17 131 Day 18 22
N
0 5
Miles
burn out a line west of
Blackwell to the lake.
Gusts up to 35 mph
cause Corral to spread tc
48,600 acres; Blackwell
burns to 31,340.
Day 18, Aug. 19: Erratic
fire behavior prompts fire
bosses to keep crews
away from the blazes;
water and retardant drops
are only suppression
efforts. Corral Fire, now
at 52,400 acres, burns to
within 3 112 miles of
Salmon River; farther
southeast, Blackwell con- i
tinues to simmer at
36,400 acres.
Day 22, Aug. 23: As the
standard three -week rota-
tion period draws to a
close, many battle -weary
crews begin to leave the
fires, where new ones are
scheduled to arrive. At
56,500 acres, Corral Fire
31 percent contained;
Blackwell 50 percent con-
tained, at 42,300 acres. A
new headache emerges:
the Chicken Complex, a
24,150 -acre fire that
began in the Frank
Church -River of No
Return Wilderness about
a week before. The fire
now threatens the
and to control It (or extinguish It) I I I I I I I Salmon River.
by Aug. 19. Corral Complex
0 1 5 10 15 20
25 30 35 40
45 50 55
jumps to 4,000 acres; flames
I Acres
burned in thousands
;pot as tar as a mile away,
Fire now within six miles of
near Upper Payette
spray moisture - retaining foam
apidly spreading the blaze.
Salmon River and moving north
Lake. All roads enter-
on buildings, and crews hose
east. As Blackwell continues
ing Burgdorf/Secesh
down grass and shaved -off tree
Jay 7, Aug. 8: Corral firefight-
running north at 19,000 acres,
closed; voluntary
limbs. Crews dig a line east of
ars relocate camp to Sater
residents along east side of
evacuation urged for
the Corral to Upper Payette
Vleadows, after fire raced to
Payette Lake allowed to return
residents in the area.
Lake, while other firefighters
within 1,500 feet of the camp the
home. Plans begin for structure
Corral Fire at 32,340
previous day. Blackwell Fire
protection of Burgdorf and
acres; Blackwell at
reaches 10,000 acres, after
Secesh, still about 10 miles
24,715.
overnight blowout broadened
north of the fire. Fire behavior
the blaze by more than 4,000
assessment team predicts fires
Day 15, Aug. 16: As
acres. Estimated containment
could end up burning 425,000
they anticipate the
and control dates now listed as
acres by September.
merger of the
f
"unknown."
Blackwell and Corral
Day 9, Aug. 10: Corral and
Warm Springs fires join, bringing
the total acreage burned in the
complex to 30,000. About 600
U.S. Armv tr000s are expected
to arrive within 24 hours. Corral
Day 13, Aug. 14: 90- degree
3 temperatures and gusty winds
cause spotting and crowning o
both fires. Officials begin pre-
dicting that Corral and
Blackwell will merge
fires, crews begin con-
structing a line that will
serve as the southern
n boundary of the com-
bined fire. Structure
protection continues in
Secesh, where trucks
`This has been
'I one of my most exciting assignments'
That wasn't my only "hot spot"
during my coverage stint. After
persuading a fire information offi-
cer (someone who takes the media
where they want to go, or, in this
case, where we were allowed to
go) to take photographer Kather-
ine Jones and me to a burning
slope, we got caught under a heli-
copter swinging a thousand- gallon
bucket of water. Wind sent dirt,
ash and branches flying through
the air, and I had to hang on to
my hard hat to keep it from flying
off. The copter hovered overhead,
and, for a minute, looked like it
was going to drop the bucket —
the whole thing, not just the wa-
ter — on me. I looked around for a
safe hiding spot, but a firefighter
yelled above the loud rotor noise,
"Get down! Get down!" Or the
water pressure would knock me
down, he said later. The bucket
wasn't going to fall.
I got splashed, but not as much
as I thought I would.
It was a crash course in tree
species, fire behavior and fire-
fighter jargon. It also was a test
of my patience.
Getting information on fires
isn't easy. And though it's the
FIO's (that's reporter lingo for fire
information officer) job to get
things for reporters, like acreage
estimates or an interview with a
fire boss, those kinds of requests
aren't always feasible. Acreage
updates, for instance, aren't avail-
able sometimes until after 10 p.m.
Some FIOs are better than oth-
ers, and they're usually the ones
who work in the forest where the
fire is. Fire crews aren't the only
ones assigned from other parts of
the country; fire information offi-
cers hail from forests as far away
as the East Coast and Alaska. I
ran into only one FIO in Idaho
City, for example, who knew the
area. I spent hours with an FIO
from Michigan as he tried to ma-
neuver his way around the Boise
National Forest. He, like a few
other FIOs, often promised infor-
mation and interviews he
couldn't deliver, either because
he didn't clear it at the proper
level or because he just didn't
know the best way to get it. That
frustrated a lot of attempts at
stories and photos, and just plain
caused others to fall through.
And some were just difficult to
deal with. A forest fire, unlike
some other news events, is not
something that I as a journalist
can just walk into and start ask-
ing questions. They'll stop my car
at the border.
So imagine my anger when a
clerk in the McCall fire informa-
tion office physically kicked me
out of a meeting — because I'd
walked in the room to look at a
map. Minutes later, another clerk
slammed a door in my face.
I'd wanted acreage updates.
Eventually, I got them — and
no one's removed me from the
office since.
Statesman staff
Kim Eckart, dressed in her
Nomex, surveys the fire scene.
Getting information late and
dictating stories over the phone
usually meant 12 -hour days. I'd
go to dinner about 9 p.m, and
crash after the last phone call to
the newsroom at 10:30.
In a strange way, I don't want to
see the fire season end. In my two
years of full -time, real job report-
ing, this has been one of my big-
gest, most exciting assignments.
If only I could wear something
other than Nomex.
Flames and the future
File photos by Chris Butler/The Idaho Statesman
Susan Boudreau, Payette National Forest ecologist, holds new sprouts of grass where the Corral Fire passed two weeks ago. A four -
person Ecosystem Analysis Team will examine burnout areas as a starting point for studying the forest.
Plenty of fuel hot weather " At this point, it's shaping up to be one guish them. And in doing so, the fuels that
of the worst in a decade," said Tom Pat- helped feed the fires ultimately settled in
ton fire use specialist for the U S Forest — for the next blaze.
make it difficult to tell
when fire season will end
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
This summer, everything came together.
The air was hot, the land was dry, the
trees were dead and the flames were
hungry for the forest.
And in Idaho, as in the rest of the
Western states, the fires feasted.
During the past month, more than
235,000 acres has burned in two southern
Idaho forests — but that's just a fraction
of the almost 3 million acres devoured in
wildfires throughout the West this year. It
may not end up as Idaho's worst fire
season — or even the nation's but
experts say it will go down in the books as
one of the longest and most active.
Service's Intermountain Region in Ogden,
Utah. "We're sitting here in August, and
for the fires in Idaho, there isn't much
relief in the way of wgxher. There's a
possibility that we could'§ee this continue
into September and see a significant
amount of acreage burn in Central
Idaho."
And, whether directly or indirectly,
both humans and nature are responsible.
Idaho remains parched from an eight -
year drought that baked the trees and
invited the wildfires. And, in an uni�ten-
tional way, people invited the fires too.
Forest experts say an accumulation of
fuel is due in part to the active fire
suppression efforts of the past century.
Instead of allowing fires to play their
natural role — burning out old, sick and
dead trees — Forest Service officials be-
gan launching intensive attacks to extin-
This year's major fires are within two
hours' drive of Boise — the largest were
caused by lightning. Since July 28, the
Idaho City Complex has burned more than
81,100 acres in the Boise National Forest,
where 90- plus - degree temperatures and
slopes blanketed with tightly packed
Douglas firs, needles and brush keep
blazes busy and satisfied.
Abundant fuel and temperatures into
the 90s also help feed the fires in the
Payette National Forest near McCall,
where two fires burning more than 115,000
acres still threaten to merge and sweep up
to the Salmon River, where, if they cross
the river, they will spread into the Nez
Perce National Forest and possibly the
Gospel Hump Wilderness Area, where ef-
See Fire /4A
Statesmah S 1z9 /94j
A firefighter participates in a burnout at
the Blackwell Fire about two weeks ago.
Fire/ From 1A
forts to extinguish the blazes
must be severely curtailed.
Containment dates for the Mc-
Call fires — once set at Aug. 18
— were forgotten long ago, and
only the Idaho City Complex
shows any signs of slowing
Epdown.
Meanwhile, smoke from the
aho City fires blankets Boise
ies in the morning hours,
riding joggers out with air fil-
rs and many Treasure Valley
tsidents to work with head -
hes. In McCall, the haze is
en worse; ash sometimes falls
ke light, peaceful snow after
awn, and a distinct odor of
'burning trees hangs in the air
i throughout the day.
Eventually, either the fires
will run out of fuel or fire-
'fighters will extinguish them,
leaving the smoke to clear and
revealing the blackened earth
that will be the souvenir of one
of the driest, hottest and busiest
fire seasons in state history.
Drought
Fire officials point to the mid -
1980s as the beginning of mois-
ture's end. Since 1986, annual
precipitation consistently has
fallen below the normal 12.1
inches; so far this year, only 5
inches has fallen, compared
with the 8.5 inches that usually
falls by this time of year.
A lack of moisture isn't the
only factor contributing to
drought -like conditions: The
mercury in Boise pushed past 90
degrees for a record 44 consecu-
tive days. Temperatures have
reached the century mark —
and beyond — for a total of two
weeks this summer.
The result: dry and brittle for-
est fuels. Fire officials in both
the Boise and Payette national
forests describe the trees as "dri-
er than kiln -dried timber."
In the Payette forest, for ex-
ample, bugs have. eaten their
way through spruce trees, kill-
ing many of them before they
had a chance to die from
drought. Dry — and in many
cases, dead — trees, combined
with needles and other fuels on
the forest floor, create a fire-
ready zone. Bug - killed spruce
trees, their branches brown and
brittle, cluster amid the healthy,
looks - just -like- Christmas
spruce, with their stiff, dark
green needles and pointed tops.
"When the forest isn't healthy
and bugs come in, fire is na-
ture's way of cleaning it out,"
said Roy Johnson, incident com-
mander at the Corral Fire, one
of the two McCall blazes that
now has burned about 71,000
acres. "As this fire consumes
acres that aren't healthy, it will,
in the long run, bring healthier
(tree) stands."
Fire's natural role
The "natural role" of fire, as
forest and fire experts call it,
helps explain why some forest
fires are allowed to burn — and
kvhy environmental activists,
such as Earth First!, argue to
"let it burn" rather than put it
~out.
Different species of trees expe-
rience different cycles of fires,
said Payette National Forest
Fire Management Officer Gene
Benedict. Spruce and subalpine
fir, often found in elevations of
6,000 to 9,000 feet like the Pay-
ette forest, where the climate
tends to be moist and cool —
experience major fires that re-
place entire stands of trees ev-
ery 300 to 400 years. Ponderosa
pine stands, ,like those on the
Boise, where the elevation is
lower and the climate warmer
and drier, experience fires a few
times a century.
Often, the Forest Service al-
lows entire fires — or parts of
fires — to burn themselves out.
If natural barriers like rocks,
dirt or water are in the fire's
path — and if the blaze doesn't
threaten people or buildings —
then firefighters may operate
under a "confinement" strategy.
That's what firefighters are
doing on the east side of the
Blackwell Fire, now up to more
than 44,000 acres near McCall.
As the blaze burns steadily
north, crews have worked to
contain the fire's south and west
sides — those closest to people
and structures. The only thing
east of the Blackwell, though, is
more and more forest — no
buildings, no people. Crews will
keep a general eye on the fire's
east flank, but otherwise, there
will be no fire line, no fire-
fighters on the perimeter, and
no water or fire retardant drops.
"If left alone, the fires will go
out on their own," said Keith
Birch, incident commander for
the Blackwell Fire. "It doesn't
make sense to throw a lot of
money and people at a fire that's
going to burn itself out."
And overall, the fires have of-
fered only occasional surprises
— flame lengths of up to 150 feet
on the Corral Fire, or the over-
night blowout that broadened
the Blackwell Fire by 4,000
acres.
Still, in a hot and dry fire
season, that kind of fire behav-
ior isn't unusual. Both Johnson
and Birch are confident their
5ta,te J hr all 81,2 4I91f Palx- 3 0-6 �
File photo by Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
Smoke rises over Payette Lake near McCall.
crews can contain the fires
where natural barriers won't.
"It's not a panic situation,"
Johnson said. "We've experi-
enced this kind of thing in the
past.... Our job is to just make
sure it isn't threatening
anything."
'Mosaic pattern'
The fires aren't the out- of -con-
trol monsters they appear to be,
fire bosses emphasize. What can
make them tough to fight is the
weather and the excessive, flam-
mable fuels along the way.
Both blazes, in fact, moved in
an expected pattern. They ate
up the bug - killed spruce and
other kiln -dry timber and fo-
liage in their paths. When high
winds whipped through the for-
est, the flames were carried from
treetop to treetop — sometimes
a mile away. Crews worked
around them where they could,
and water and retardant
dropped from the air helped
douse and impede hot spots in
front of them.
The fires burned in what's
called a "mosaic pattern "; in
other words, the fire skipped
over natural barriers like rocks
and dirt and — in the cases of
crowning — even trees, creating
a sometimes spotty pattern. Un-
like the images many have of
wildfires, these were not one
continuous wall of flame.
Instead, they were persistent
and often in tough -to -reach ar-
eas. Flames sometimes torched
high in the trees or raced steadi-
ly along hillsides. As the blazes
grew to tens of thousands of
acres, and as fire analysts began
to forecast suppression efforts
until "the snow flies," experi-
enced firefighters started draw-
ing comparisons to Yellowstone
National Park, where more than
half a million acres burned over
three months in 1988.
But with each comparison
came an "if." If more acres are
burned ... if crews are still here
in the fall ...
In other words, the fires — with
all their big acreage numbers and
month -long endurance — don't
yet measure up to the blaze con-
sidered by many to be a landmark
in the world of firefighting.
"It may be a difficult fire to
fight because it's big," Birch said
two weeks ago of the Blackwell.
"But here we are at 30,000 acres,
and it's been two weeks now. I
saw the fires in Yellowstone go
more than that in one day."
Birch's teams burned out a
line to Upper Payette Lake, de-
voted several crews to structure
protection and battled the
southern and western flanks. To
the man that spearheaded those
efforts, the Blackwell is con-
tainable.
Costly endeavor
Fires aren't contained — or
for that matter, controlled —
without costs. Not only does the
U.S. Forest Service budget —
and hence, the taxpayers' wal-
lets — suffer; so does the land,
and so do the people.
Injuries often befall fire-
fighters, like Lawrence Conde,
an Arizona man assigned to the
Idaho City Complex who slid
down a 100 -foot slope, suffering
a concussion and minor cuts and
bruises. Officials for both the
Payette and Boise forests also
cite cases of strep throat, colds
and sprains.
Illness and injury aren't un-
common for firefighters, who
See Fire /5A
Fire/ From 4A
work 12- to 16 -hour days, hike
miles with heavy equipment
through the forest and confront
the fire from the line. One day, a
crew might clean up a fire's af-
termath; the next they might
jockey with a fire along its pe-
rimeter, digging a boundary,
cutting down trees or occasion-
ally, attacking it with a hose.
Environmentalists and forest-
ers alike acknowledge the dam-
age done to the land by heavy fire
suppression efforts. Bulldozers
that plow fire lines — or even
roads — through the forest mow
right over trees and other plants.
Firefighters often must use chain
saws to slice through trees, elimi-
nating fuel in a fire's path.
Finally, suppression costs mon-
ey — up to half a million dollars a
day on the most active days of the
Blackwell and Corral fires. As of
last week, the Blackwell Fire cost
$9 million in aircraft, crews,
equipment and supplies.
It's money that comes out of
the Forest Service budget, a
budget that expands through
congressional appropriations
every time a major wildfire hits,
Benedict said.
But it's not like any of it — the
money, the weather, the effects
on the land, the very fires them-
selves — weren't anticipated.
"None of us ever wondered
whether this would happen,"
Benedict said. "It was just a
matter of how much would burn
and when."
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Day I 5
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wa
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Day Day Day
151 181 122
,4,-,
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1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Acres burned in thousands T - -T --
Blackwell Fire
Day Da Day Day Day
3 �y 13 Day 18 22
IDAY 151 It . I L,
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0 1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Acres burned in thousands -- - - --
5t. ta.Je s m a,n
9 -z Q- qy
McCall area forest fires
Designated closure of Lightning strikes
Payette National Forest
salmon Riva,
J Structures
Riggins
CORRAL
FIRE
Burgdorf Secesh
structures structures
Warm Springs Fire a
a
t t1'a�ron P°
Upper Wagol
Payette
Lake
Corral Fire
Twin Lakes Fire BLACKWELL
FIRE Lick Creek'
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r95 %V
Payette
Lake
's 55
Homes 0 5
-
McCall Miles
Here's how the
Blackwell and
Corral fires
started and grew:
Day 1, Aug. 2: Lightning ignites
three fires within nine miles of
each other — one at Twin
Lakes, one at Corral Lake and
one at Warm Springs.
Day 2, Aug. 3: As Twin Lakes
and Corral Lake fires merge to
325 acres, lightning starts a fire
east of Payette Lake, burning
;about 1,000 acres. The initial fire
Ireport estimates containment
!Aug. 18.
Day 3, Aug. 4: Corral Fire
,spreads to almost three times its
,size in one day, to 1,200 acres.
Fire escapes lines on its eastern
side, devouring bug - killed
spruce. Blackwell Fire already at
4,200 acres.
;Day 5, Aug. 6: Blackwell Fire at
:5,400 acres, due to erratic winds
land fire behavior blamed on the
,Corral Fire. Homes along east
side of Payette Lake evacuated
voluntarily. Officials still expect
to contain the fire by Aug. 18,
and to control it (or extinguish it)
by Aug. 19. Corral Complex
jumps to 4,000 acres; flames
spot as far as a mile away,
rapidly spreading the blaze.
Day 7, Aug. 8: Corral firefight-
ers relocate camp to Sater
Meadows, after fire raced to
within 1,500 feet of the camp the
previous day. Blackwell Fire
reaches 10,000 acres, after
overnight blowout broadened
the blaze by more than 4,000
acres. Estimated. containment
and control dates now listed as
"unknown."
ore
Day 9, Aug. 10: Corral and
Warm Springs fires join, bringing
the total acreage burned in the
complex to 30,000. About 600
U.S. army troops are expected
to arrive within 24 hours. Corral
Fire now within six miles of
Salmon River and moving north-
east. As Blackwell continues
running north at 19,000 acres,
residents along east side of
Payette Lake allowed to return
home. Plans begin for structure
protection of Burgdorf and
Secesh, still about 10 miles
north of the fire. Fire behavior
assessment team predicts fires
could end up burning 425,000
acres by September.
Day 13, Aug. 14: 90- degree
temperatures and gusty winds
cause spotting and crowning on
both fires. Officials begin pre-
9 -,2 F - 4Y
dicting that Corral and
Blackwell will merge
near Upper Payette
Lake. All roads enter-
ing Burgdorf / Secesh
closed; voluntary
evacuation urged for
residents in the area.
Corral Fire at 32,340
acres; Blackwell at
24,715.
Day 15, Aug. 16: As
they anticipate the
merger of the
Blackwell and Corral
fires, crews begin con-
structing a line that will
serve as the southern
boundary of the com-
bined fire. Structure
protection continues in
Secesh, where trucks
spray moisture - retaining foam
on buildings, and crews hose
down grass and shaved -off tree
limbs. Crews dig a line east of
the Corral to Upper Payette
Lake, while other firefighters
burn out a line west of
Blackwell to the lake.
Gusts up to 35 mph
cause Corral to spread to
48,600 acres; Blackwell
burns to 31,340.
Day 18, Aug. 19: Erratic
fire behavior prompts fire
bosses to keep crews
away from the blazes;
water and retardant drops
are only suppression
efforts. Corral Fire, now
at 52,400 acres, burns to
within 3 112 miles of
Salmon River; farther
southeast, Blackwell con-
tinues to simmer at
36,400 acres.
Day 22, Aug. 23: As the
standard three -week rota-
tion period draws to a
close, many battle -weary
crews begin to leave the
fires, where new ones are
scheduled to arrive. At
56,500 acres, Corral Fire
31 percent contained;
Blackwell 50 percent con-
tained, at 42,300 acres. A
new headache emerges:
the Chicken Complex, a
24,150 -acre fire that
began in the Frank
Church -River of No
Return Wilderness about
a week before. The fire
now threatens the
Salmon River.
%.ht Idaho rian-
Fires give forests
a place to start
management plans
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
Southwest Idaho's two national forests
suffered major wildfires this summer, but
scorched trees and blackened earth might
be all they have left in common once the
fire season is over.
Even before fires swept through about
235,000 acres of forestland, leaders of both
the Payette and Boise national forests —
and of other forests around the country,
under new federal chief Jack Ward Thom-
as — had begun thinking of ways to
revamp their management policies. And
once the fires are out, they can begin
looking at ways to implement them.
On the Boise, the theory is "forest
health." On the Payette, it's "ecosystem
management." Both recognize how the
large numbers of dead and diseased trees
make their forests easy targets for flame.
But the similarities stop there. Under
ecosystem management, a team will study
all 2.6 million acres of the Payette forest,
deciding what should live where, and
what should be taken out.
The forest health plan, devised for the
Boise forest earlier this year by former
Supervisor Steve Mealey and other forest-
ry scientists and managers, boils down to
this: Remove fuels by burning or logging,
and replant trees in some areas. This, they
argue, would bring the forest toward a
_snare "sustainable" condition. That can
mean planting more fire- resistant ponder-
] osa pine and creating more space between
trees, allowing them to thrive without
competing for nutrients, water and light.
Over the next 10 to 30 years, early
recommendations call for logging or burn-
ing about 50,000 acres a year in the
2.6 million -acre Boise forest. Elimi-
nate the 1.5 million acres that ei-
ther aren't forested or already
have been burned by major wild-
fires in recent years, and that plan
can be accomplished in 22 years.
But the recommended 50,000
acres per year is just that — a
recommendation, Mealey stressed.
Forest officials still are evaluating
just how much — and where — to
log or burn.
The fires of the past month near
Idaho City — now up to more than
92,000 acres — certainly will affect
those plans.
Mealey, who heads a regional
effort to study ecosystems in Idaho
and parts of Montana, Utah, Neva-
da and Wyoming, denies that the
Boise forest plan focuses only on
trees, the harvesting of which
brings the forest millions of
dollars.
A firefighter participates in a burnout at
the Blackwell Fire about two weeks ago.
"Boards through the mill aren't
the objective. They're a way to the
objective," he said. "The intent is
to restore the ecosystem. The meth-
od is prescribed burning and tim-
ber harvesting."
That won't be the strategy on
the Payette, a different forest, with
different tree species, soil consis-
tencies and fire histories. A differ-
ent forest commands a different
plan, both Mealey and Payette Su-
pervisor Dave Alexander say.
"We now have a need to assess a
120,000 -acre piece of ground," Alex-
ander said this week. "It won't be
about excluding things, but includ-
ing things — not letting any one
use be the dominant, driving force.
It's a shift to a' point of looking at
what we want to have rather than
what we want to take or do."
The term "ecosystem manage-
ment" rang around Payette forest
offices months before the fires
spread north and east of McCall,
though an actual forest plan
wasn't expected to be completed
much before next year. Where to
begin landscape studies also was
up in the air.
The fires accelerated the process.
All of a sudden, there was a place
to study and a time to start.
"It's definitely put things in fifth
gear for us," said Susan Boudreau,
Payette National Forest ecologist.
Now, the four - person Ecosystem
Analysis Team will look to the
burned areas as a starting point for
studying the forest. Here's how it
will work:
■ Planners will divide the forest
into 56 "landscapes" — 50,000- to
100,000 -acre regions supplied by a
watershed. Team members will
start by looking at those land-
scapes nearest the fires.
■ They then will examine the
areas, asking three basic questions:
What did the landscape look like
before, and what lived there? How
did the ecosystem evolve that way?
What's left there now?
■ The team won't focus on just
two landscapes at a time, such as
the Corral and Blackwell areas. In
order to find out how a particular
ecosystem developed, it has to look
at other landscapes with similar
ecosystems — tree species, wildlife
and soil moistures. Thus, it be-
comes a kind of domino -like
branching out process that ends up
studying all the landscapes.
Much of the evaluation should
be complete by spring, Alexander
said. Allowing for a two - to three -
year transition process, the plan
should be in effect by 1998.
Alexander wants the program to
stay within the forest's $20 million
to $24 million annual budget.
Out in the field, Boudreau and
Forest Planner Randy Swick view
the forest from the bird's -eye view
of the Brundage Mountain look-
out, 7,500 feet up in subalpine fir
country. From this elevation, the
smell of spruce blows along a cool
wind, and the Blackwell Fire is a
concentrated stream of white
smoke in a patch of trees below.
"We'll look at that and say,
`How does this burning area fit
into a landscape -- and the sur-
rounding landscapes?' " Swick
said. "Does this leave islands of
trees out there? What role do these
areas need to play ?"
After previous wildfires, forest
officials would do a quick analysis
of those lands that suffered high -
intensity burns and calculate how
much of that land needed emergen-
cy rehabilitation and how much
would be salvaged for the timber
industry.
`Now, before we even think of
whether there are timber harvest-
ing opportunities, we think of how
this fire interacts with this land-
scape. If one landscape burned,
that may make other landscapes
with similar ecosystems that much
more important."
The team will use a combination
Of infrared photographs and com-
puter- generated maps to determine
landscape characteristics like tree
species and wildlife habitats. One
map, for instance, can track all the
spruce in a given area.
Once all the maps and surveys
are done, team members and other
forest officials will determine
which areas are suited to timber
salvage, to elk habitat, to tree -
planting. No one landscape will be
%-1Gl,a 51'crr -- ///io% `l l
Program to
review
forest fires
The Payette National Forest will
host a free program on Wednesday
about the space -age, scientific tools
being used to evaluate the effects of
the 1994 forest fires.
The program, "New Tools to
Understand Fire," is slated for 7
p.m. Wednesday at the McCall
Smokejumper Base.
The program will feature slides
of the 1994 fires on the Payette.
The forest's natural renewal pro-
cess will also be highlighted.
After the slide show, participants
may tour the geographical infor-
mation computer center at the Pay-
ette supervisor's office on Park
Street.
The Payette has undertaken a
massive analysis following the
record - breaking fire season that
burned about 290,000 acres.
New tools and technology, such
as computers, color infrared pho-
tography, and satellite imagery, are
helping answer questions about
what the fires mean to the land and
its inhabitants, a Payette news re-
lease said.
Forest resource specialists will
discuss their progress and what they
have learned so far. Photos, maps,
and satellite images will be on dis-
play.
or more information on this
program, call Pam Gardner in
McCall at 634 -0700.
71P ld dr D '? 9 /
devoted to any one use.
The plan is different from Mea-
ley's forest health. But both Mea-
ley and Alexander are quick to
point out that each program is
good — for the forest it applies to.
"I don't know that one's right or
one's wrong," Alexander said. "It
would not be appropriate for these
two forests to be doing things ex-
actly the same."
Mealey agreed. "They don1 hA
th.- COM- prnhh -mg we do. Our fires
have been in Douglas fir /pondero-
sa pine. Theirs aren't. I think what
they're doing is appropriate."
Environmentalists are watching
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
About a month ago, my editor
called while I was in the middle
of my cereal.
"We need you to go to Idaho.
City," she said.
That was when the Idaho City
fires (they weren't named the "Ida-
ho City Complex" yet) were just a
few hours old, having burned little
more than a thousand acres.
I didn't know then that that
day would be only the first of
many that I would grab the fire
clothes, promise my editor a mid -
afterroon phone call and forget
about coming home before dark
— if at all.
Since that Friday morning
weeks ago, I've spent several days
each week in Idaho City and Mc-
Call, sleeping on the ground as
well as in hotels, eating firefighter
sack lunches, wearing the same
clothes for two days because no
one told me I'd be staying longer.
My car has this thin film of ash
on it that turns it a greyish red.
I've become familiar with every
curve, every bump on Idaho 21
and Idaho 55; I know my radio
will lose signals from all five pro-
grammed stations about 3 miles
outside of Banks, and I anticipate
traffic slowing to a crawl through
the construction in Cascade.
I've begun to count "slow vehi-
cle turnouts." And, since my car
got a flat tire on the way out of
fire camp in Idaho City, I've
thought seriously about buying a
real four -wheel drive pseudo -mon-
ster Jeep. My career -woman Nis-
san Sentra clearly isn't practical.
It's been uncomfortable, inter-
minable and exhausting. It's also
been unpredictable. And an ad-
venture.
I lived in two fire camps over
three days. Having camped
enough times to count on one
both plans closely.
Craig Gehrke, director of the
Idaho chapter of the Wilderness
Society, said plans for forest man-
agement, whether cloaked under
terms like "ecosystem manage-
ment" or "forest health," must be
viewed with caution. Forest man-
agement, he said, usually means
"intensive treatment," like logging
or unnatural restoration.
"I'm less encouraged by the
(plans for the) Boise, because 'thin
an d salvage' seems to be the blan-
ket answer for everything,"
Gehrke said. "And we can't fault
hand (I'm from big -city Texas), I
had to adjust to no showers,
sleeping outside in the rain and
hefty, sometimes fat - filled meals
(I'm a vegetarian).
Every day I went out on the fire
line (or at least thought that's
where I'd end up), I had to wear
these regulation fire- resistant
clothes called Nomex. The shirt is
neon yellow; the pants are olive
green. They're heavy, they're hot,
and they're uncomfortable. I hate
them.
I learned about fire. On one of
the first days, I wandered off from
a crew digging line and toward
the last place I saw flames before
they raced up the hillside. Before
long, brown and grey smoke
blocked my path, stinging my eyes
and scratching my throat. Flames
devoured some brush to the side of
me, and a few trees ahead were
still burning. An oven -like heat
enveloped me; I was disoriented
for a moment, until I realized
what a stupid thing I was doing
and turned back.
the Payette for saying they're go-
ing to step back and look at things.
I'm glad they're doing something
different. They need to.
"I just know how this works.
The bottom line for them is, 'We
can manage things better by inten-
sive treatment.' We're watching
how things go, and we're going to
be involved."
/ It p
ICfailJ
gl .IF /5,-/
File photo by Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman
These trees were burned by the Corral Fire during its first few days.
File photo by Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
Smoke rises over Payette Lake near McCall.
a concussion and minor cuts and
nating fuel in a fire's path.
bruises. Officials for both the
Finally, suppression costs mon-
Payette and Boise forests also
ey — up to half a million dollars a
cite cases of strep throat, colds
day on the most active days of the
and sprains.
Blackwell and Corral fires. As of
Illness and injury aren't un-
last week, the Blackwell Fire cost
common for firefighters, who
$g million in aircraft, crews,
work 12- to 16 -hour days, hike
equipment and supplies.
miles with heavy equipment
It's money that comes out of
through the forest and confront
the Forest Service budget, a
the fire from the line. One day, a
budget that expands through
crew might clean up a fire's af-
congressional appropriations
termath; the next they might;
every time a major wildfire hits,
jockey with a fire along its pe -'
Benedict said.
oundary,
rimeter, digging a boundary,,'
' But it's not like any of it — the
cutting down trees or occasion-
money, the weather, the effects
ally, attacking it with a hose.
on the land, the very fires them -
Environmentalists and forest-
selves — weren't anticipated.
ers alike acknowledge the dam-
"None of us ever wondered
age done to the land by heavy fire
whether this would happen,"
suppression efforts. Bulldozers
Benedict said. "It was just a
that plow fire lines — or even
. matter of how much would burn
roads — through the forest mow
and when."
right over trees and other plants.
Firefighters often must use chain
saws to slice through trees, elimi-
47 j
jV 0 L.
scare Tactic Is
Public Forest R1*13
a
yy0
a�
a
ae
a
a
0
Z
ff
Fires like this prompted widespread panic reports in 1988 that Yellowstone was
"destroyed" by wildfires. Now, researchers report a vigorous growth of new trees,
and even heavily burned areas are making a terrific comeback.
Where there's smoke, there's liars...,
It's not as bad as the timber beasts say...
"...dozens of researchers' findings have shown that the fire did not seriously
damage water quality, fisheries, the long -term health of vegetation, bird species
richness, elk winter range or much of anything else in the long - term."
-- article by Jim Day on the Yellowstone Fires,
Livingston Enterprise August 17, 1994
...insects and disease are not at epidemic levels as the Forest Service claims.
A statement like that is wild. There's nothing epidemic about them."
- -Dr. Arthur Partridge, forest pathology professor, T?- -, ;w,,. ,,
1
_ f 4
e'SYT7 v rJ
J �
Public officials in the Forest Service, Congress, and timber industry are
using the threat of wildfires to scare the public into allowing massive new
logging operations on public forestlands. This new boondoggle will lead
to higher taxes, and will damage habitat for salmon, steelhead, bull trout,
and elk.
Led by Boise National Forest Supervisor Steve Mealey, these officials are
proposing massive logging operations disguised as "thinning of the forest
to promote forest health and prevent catastrophic wildfires." What it
really represents is yet another taxpayer subsidy to guarantee timber
industry profits.
Here's what professional experts in forest management
have said about this sneak attack on the forests of the
inland northwest:
"They make it sound like the entire forest is falling apart. They are distorting the
figures. I find they are using a dramatic event (big fires) to accomplish objectives
not in keeping with good forest management. It doesn't mean trees have to be
logged to save the forest."
- -Dr. Arthur Partridge, forest pathology professor, University of Idaho
Idaho Statesman April 12, 1993.
"I think Idaho is definitely in danger. The raiders from the West are
looking at Idaho. I think it's clear that east side forests will be sacrificed.
- -Roy Keene, Public Forestry Foundation,
Idaho Statesman April 12,1993
/_/'w�' ya Flo y 9d.
liy
Chicken Complex burns structures
Acreage mounts on
Payette, Boise forest fires.
Forest fires raging on the Payette National Forest claimed
their first structures over the weekend with the loss Sunday of
three cabins and other buildings in the Trails End Subdivision
near Warren.
In addition, fires sparked by a lightning storm that passed
through the area Saturday evening stretched already thin fire
fighting crews even thinner.
On Sunday, forest officials said part of the 46,150 -acre Chicken
Complex fire that was burning in the Pony Creek drainage, a
tributary on the westside of the South Fork Salmon River, blew
up and spotted into the Trails End Subdivision resulting in the
loss of four cabins, one trailer, and five outbuildings.
Fire crews had been making preparations for the fire's arrival
for several days. Pumps and sprinklers were operating to keep
the ground wet around the structures, however, the location of
some buildings made their defense difficult, according to a Payette
news release.
According to forest officials, 200 -foot flames at the head of
what was described as a "fire storm" were powerful enough to
pull 60 -foot spruce trees out of the ground 300 feet ahead of the
fire front.
The Forest Service attributed heavy fuels in the Pony Creek
drainage to the extreme fire behavior.
"This was fire behavior similar to what was experienced on
the 1988 Yellowstone fires," Payette Fire Management Staff
Officer Gene Benedict said. "Few people experience this kind
of fire behavior in their careers."
Two other structures were lost Sunday when the 81,510 -acre
Corral Fire burned down Elkhorn Creek, a tributary on the south-
' side of the Salmon River. An old log cabin and a newer cedar
home southeast of Howard Ranch were lost when fire burned
over the property.
On Sunday, a thunderstorm started a string of new fires across
northeast Oregon and west- central Idaho. The Payette picked up
eight new fires, stressing the Forest Service's already limited
resources. It is reported that firefighters are on top of the new
fire activity.
As of Tuesday, the Chicken Complex Fire continued to spread
Il fronts althou h much slow-
Mop up on the Blackwell fire continued last week with some often spec-
tacular views.
V.. I el
er than Sunday's fire storm. Some
er
torching and intense burning con-
have been intensified.
Cooler temperatures and higher
tinued in Pony Creek, but no big
humidities, coupled with smoke
runs occurred.
cover, have kept the Blackwell Fire
The fireline around the town of
spread to minor advances. As of
Warren is being completed and roads
Tuesday morning, that fire had burned
to Hettinger Ranch and Trails End
nearly 44,500 acres. The Victor
remained closed due to the poten-
Creek area has been the most active.
tial danger of falling trees and rolling
A spot fire north of Victor Creek
rocks.
burned 75 -80 acres. The spot could
Warren Wagon Road was open
take off again if the inversion lifts.
to people holding permits and offi-
Meanwhile, the fire has been lined
cial fire traffic on Tuesday.
and mop-up is underway in the Jumbo
The Corral Fire continues to be
Basin.
very active, forest officials said.
The inversion has also helped to
However, fire behavior has been
keep the fire spread and intensity
subdued because of slightly lower
down in the 12,700 -acre Thunderbolt
temperatures and less wind.
Fire, allowing crews to make good
The fire has moved into the main
progress in lining the 100+ acre
Salmon River, threatening struc-
slopover east of Johnson Canyon.
tures along the river and in the French
The fire is generally moving in a
Creek area. According to the Forest
northeasterly direction.
Service, structure protection efforts
Fire near the powerline is creat-
ing serious safety concerns for the
crews working in that area. In order
to provide safe working conditions,
electrical power from Warm Lake
to Yellow Pine will be shut off from
8 a.m. to 9 p.m. until further notice.
The Johnson Creek Road is now
limited to Forest Service escorts dur-
ing daylight hours. Escort times are
as follows:
Leaving Landmark- 7 a.m., 10
a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Leaving Yellowpine -8:30 a.m.,
11:30 a.m.., 2:30 p.m., and 5:30
p.m. Johnson Creek Road will remain
completely closed after the escort
times.
I
You won't just see the fish
You can see
wildlife, or, maybe
even the wildfires,
as you fish
GRANITE LAKE — As it
turned out, I had a ringside seat
for the thunderstorm that
started a fire that may end up
one of Idaho's largest ever.
The rain was falling gently
when I turned on the Brundage
Mountain road between McCall
and New Meadows. When I
reached the Goose Creek
overlook the rain was heavier
and I could make out almost
continuous lightening strikes in
the Brundage Reservoir and
Goose Lake areas. \,
When I arrived at Granite the
wind was blowing stiffly and I
saw a bolt of lightening hit the
ground just north of the lake. I
waited until it was apparent the
storm had passed through and
launched my float tube.
I worked the shoreline along
the western edge of the lake,
picking up half a dozen small
rainbows by the time I reached
the upper end of the 165 -acre
lake. As I sat and admired the
scenery, I noticed a very faint
puff of smoke two- thirds of the
way up the north ridge — about
where I had earlier observed the
lightening strike.
Unexpected guests
The first spotter was a single -
engine aircraft. Then a few
minutes later a twin- engine
plane came by, circling ever
lower, until it finally flew
through the smoke several
Mary Taylor
sight. Moments later it lifted off
and headed for McCall. I
assumed one of the smoke
jumpers had been injured.
It returned twenty minutes
later with a second chopper and
both began dumping water on
the fire. The attack force soon
had the two -acre fire under
control.
Things have changed
By this time I had kept my
limit of trout, photographed
most of the fire fighting
operation (plus a few shots of a
fire to the west that turned out
to be the beginning of the huge
Corral fire), and headed for my
camp at Donnelly.
It occurred to me things have
indeed changed since my days in
the forest service. As a smoke
chaser stationed at Garden
Valley in 1945, we hiked to any
fire less than 8 or 10 miles from
a road — further to some.
Smoke jumping was in its
infancy.
The August 2 fire at Granite
Lake would have been one of the
easiest fires I would have hiked
to in 1945. It was probably no
more than a two -mile hike, with
very little climbing involved.
Helicopters were mostly
military and, as far as I know,
nobody dropped any type of
times. retardant on forest fires in 1945.
It circled for fifteen or twenty While we did have some fairly
minutes before I saw the jump large wildfires during the three
plane overhead. summers I labored for the forest
By the time the six smoke service, we didn't have fires that
jumpers had exited the plane, required 2,000 firefighters, like
two at a time, a chopper had the recent fires at Idaho City
landed on the dam. It strung out and McCall, and we certainly
the big water bucket and took didn't have fires that exploded
off toward the upper end of the like the Boise Front fire several
lake. It dipped the bucket, years ago.
dumped the water, and then flew I guess a case can be made
back and left the bucket on the that the potential for wildfire
dam. disasters has built up
The chopper then flew over considerably during the past 50
the ridge to where the jumpers
had landed and settled out of
years.
?/Ov-
Tourism is down, but firefighters have made
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
The fires burning on the Payette National
Forest may have scared some tourists away
this summer, but with the firefighting efforts
contributing to the local economy, the
summer season hasn't totally gone up in
smoke.
Interviews this week from local business
people, motels, restaurants and large
retailers show they have generally had
comparable or increased business this
summer, but some smaller businesses reliant
on tourists have been hurt by the fires.
Most business owners agree the amount
of tourist business was down in August
compared to July, which was generally up
from last year.
A few business operators said they lost
employees who chose to work on the fires,
but far more said a bigger problem was
finding people to fill positions vacated by
returning students or other employee
turnover.
Very few business owners said they have
been unaffected by the fires. "It's been quite
an impact on us," said Larry Bouck,
manager of Shaver's supermarket.
Bouck said the store has had increase in
overall business due in part to supplying
goods to the forest service. "It really helps
the local economy when they buy locally,"
Bouck said.
He said he's also seen an increase in
purchases by local people who have earned
extra money working on the fires. Across
town at Paul's Market, manager Mike
Pedersen had a similar report.
"We've done quite well, actually,"
Pedersen said, but added the effects of the
fires have not all been positive. "The tourist
trade in general is down because of the
fires," he said.
Ernie McIntosh at Lumberman's Build-
ing Centers said his store has done good
business over the summer by supplying
builders and the forest service. And while
the fires have proved to be a windfall,
McIntosh said he would still rather see
"green trees than green wallets."
Some smaller businesses, however, have
lost considerable business because of the
fires.
"Our business, like most businesses, is
geared for tourists, not fires," said John
Larson, owner of Old Town Market.
"Anytime there are major fires, the economy
kind of goes to hell."
Larson estimates his business is down 20
to 40 percent, and he is not optimistic the
situation will improve during hunting
season, which he says is "real important to
this community."
According to Harry Stathis of Harry's
Drydock, the fires "definitely had an impact,
and not for the better for retail."
Stathis said his big- ticket boat sales were
down for August, and while the service and
shop business has been busy, much of the
work has been preparing customers' boats
for the winter, which usually happens much
later, Stathis said. He also predicted a slow
Labor Day weekend.
Mark Jensen, owner of Lakeview
Chevron, said his July receipts were up
about seven percent from last year, but he
figures his August business will be down
about six percent from last year.
Using his July figures as a gauge, Jensen
estimates he may have lost 13 percent of his
potential earnings for August, which he
attributes at least partially to the fires.
"Overall it's had a real negative impact,"
Jensen said.
Restaurants and motels, however, have
seen much of the lost tourist business offset
by firefighters, military and support person-
nel.
"We have a lot of forest service people
in," said Tammy Smith, an employee at
Shore Lodge. She said business in both the
lodge and the restaurant has been busy.
Photo by Roger Phillips
.S. Army troops relax by playing volleyball at Legacy Park in McCall.
up the slack
According to Betty Woods of The
Woodsman Motel, the motel has been
fully occupied since the fires started.
"We've had good business with
the fires. They (Forest Service per-
sonnel) get here and they stay," Woods
said. "We've got no complaints."
Linda Leniz, owner of The Huck-
leberry restaurant, has also done brisk
business this summer despite the fires.
"It's been real busy," she said. "It
hasn't really hurt us at all."
Many business owners complained
that media coverage of the fires was
partly responsible for tourists staying
away from the McCall area.
"The media has portrayed it like
McCall has burned to the ground,"
said Laurie Deal, office manager of
the McCall Area Chamber of Com-
merce.
Deal said since the fires started in
early August, she has received up to
30 calls per day asking about the
situation. Many callers were surprised
to discover that the town was still
operating in relatively normal fash-
ion.
Deal said that she has heard of
media reports from as far away as a
Denver, Colo., telling people not to
come to McCall because of the fires.
"If it's going on in Denver, it's
happening other places, too," Deal
said.
Regardless of the bad publicity,
Deal said she has still received 400
requests for McCall vacation bro-
chures and 350 requests for reloca-
tion information since the fires broke
out.
Corral
reaches Salmon aver
"We're looking at The Chicken Fire, at 47,700 acres that since this (the fires) began," Pratt said all his available patrol
g Wednesday, matched the Blackwell Saleen said. deputies have been working at road-
hundreds and hundreds of fire in acres burned, even though it Under normal conditions, he said blocks leading to the area closed to
started eight days after Blackwell. firefighters are able to use some natu- the public by the forest service.
miles of fire line in Blackwell, at 47,861 acres ral variations in the terrain, like As a result, the patrol deputies
country that is very Wednesday, has grown the least of ridgelines, sparsely vegetated areas, have not been able to respond to regu-
the three but it is still threatening the marshes, old burns, etc., to act as lar service calls from the public in the
resistant to control. " remote communities of Secesh Mead- barriers to an oncoming fire. But due county, he said. Those calls are being
— Merrill Saleen, Payette National ows and Burgdorf. to the extreme dry conditions, none of handled by the three resident 1SP of-
Forest fire officer More than 3,200 firefighters and the terrain breaks are slowing the fires ficers in McCall, Cascade and New
support personnel were battling the this year. Meadows plus four additional ISP
three blazes backed up by 94 fire "The way it's burned this year, the patrolmen brought in for the special
BY ROGER PHILLIPS engines and 19 helicopters. opportunity to say `Well, it will slow duty, Pratt said.
The Star -News Air tankers continue to pound the down and we'll fight it here,' doesn't The sheriff's deputies must man
After a week -long lull, forest fires fires with fire retardant, and this week really seem to exist," Saleen said. the roadblocks because they are the
on the Payette and Boise national the one million gallon mark was Saleen conceded the fires are too only ones with authority to make ar-
forests this week showed they are still passed by tankers flying out of the large to fight head -on, which he said rests in case someone tried to get into
dangerous and unpredictable. McCall Smokejumper Base. would be dangerous and expensive the closed area, he said.
The Corral Fire marched to the Costs of fighting the fires continue with a slim chance of success. "We Idaho National Guard troops have
banks of the Main Salmon River early to rise as well. As of Wednesday, never had an intent to totally control assisted in the roadblocks, but have
this week and by Wednesday had battling the Blackwell Fire cost $13.3 the fires," he said. no arrest power, and U.S. Forest Ser-
spread at least two miles along the million, the Corral Fire cost $11.4 He restated the forest service's first vice security officers have jurisdic-
river. As of Wednesday, the fire had million and the Chicken Fire had goal is to protect firefighters and pub- tion only on national forest lands,
not jumped the river into the Nez nearly $2 million spent on it. lic safety, then protect private prop- Pratt said.
Perce National Forest. To the south, the Thunderbolt Fire erty and structures.
Continued hot and dry weather con- on the Boise National Forest continued "I think the process of suppression
ditions this week allowed the fires to to threaten the power lines that ser- at this point is to do what we can with
bum hot and uncontrolled, halting vice Yellow Pine. That blaze had what we have," Saleen said. "We may
firefighters' efforts to contain the grown to approximately 12,800 acres. never get to the point of where we
blazes as they entered their fifth week. Firefighters attempted to set large look at control. We're looking at hun-
back burns last weekend to head off dreds and hundreds of miles of fire
we can't just run out and put them
out," said Merrill Saleen, acting fire the fire and protect the power lines line in country that is very resistant to
"
officer for the Payette forest. and Johnson Creek Road, but weather control.
"This isn't a short duration type conditions thwarted efforts by blow- Payette forest officials expanded
situation we're in. It's going to type a in flames in the wrong direction and the area of forest closures to include
long term fire suppression and moni- starting spot fires some areas. the northwest portion of the Frank
The fire lumped lines and spotted Church River of No Return Wilder -
toring situation," Saleen said. in some areas, but those were brought ness Area. The closure now extends
The Corral Fire broke firefighters' under control, Boise fire information roughly from the Salmon River to the
winning streak at protecting struc- officer Ray Tate said. The back burn- north to Payette Lake, and from the
tures last Saturday by burning two ing was postponed until weather con - western boundary of the New Mead -
small cabins and two outbuildings at ditions improve. ows district to South Fork of the
the Sayer Ranch, located on Elkhorn A dry lightning storm on Saturday Salmon River to the east (See map
Creek 1-1/2 miles south of the Salmon ignited 34 new fires on the Hells Can- elsewhere in this issue).
River where the river passes Howard yon National Recreation Area. Sev- Saleen is sympathetic to the dis-
Ranch. eral fires quickly grew to thousands ruptions the fires have caused the
Firefighters were able to save a of acres, and high -level management public, but asks for continued coop -
historic cabin, a bunkhouse and an- teams were dispatched to coordinate eration.
other structure located in the same firefighting efforts. "We hope the public is understand -
area. Saleen said cold, wet weather is ing and patient in this effort. It's go-
The Corral Fire, the biggest of the what firefighters need to get the upper ing to be a long time until we're back
three fires on the Payette, grew to hand on the blazes, but the long -range to routine with public access," he said.
82,510 acres as of Wednesday. Fire- forecasts look bleak for precipitation Saleen encouraged people using
fig;iters had contained 45 percent of through mid - September. the national forests, especially hunt -
the blaze, which was no gain from last He said firefighters need one -half ers, to abide by fire restrictions and
week. inch to one inch of rain before they not violate area closures.
The Corral Fire is the second high- can realistically look to containing He said it may seem safe to go into
est priority fire on the Great Basin the fires. the woods when the flames are miles
region, which essentially means it has He said the last significant mois- away, but under current conditions,
the highest priority for existing fires ture was back in June and August was fire can travel several miles in a mat-
' since the top priority goes to initial the 12th straight month of below- ter of hours.
attack on new fires. normal precipitation. "Our fuel con- Valley County Sheriff's deputies
The Chicken Fire, burning in the
e, is ditions are dryer than we've ever have been almost exclusively occu-
South Fork Salmon River drainage, seen, he said. pied since the fires started, forcing
now listed third behind Corral, and He said anytime the humidity dips Valley County Sheriff Lewis Pratt to
the Blackwell Fire, burning northeast below 20 percent, it is considered call in help from Idaho State Police.
of McCall, is ranked fifth. extreme fire conditions. "We've had
��> 5 / ; : , 1
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P h o t o b y T o m r r e n c n l c o t o n z a n o n u y 1 0 . , , ,
C h i c k e n F i r e b u r n s t o w a r d t h e S o u t h F o r k o f t h e S a l m o n R i v e r , f o r e g r o u n d .
C h i c k e n F i r e t a k e s 4 c a b i n s
B Y R O G E R P H I L L I P S
T h e S t a r - N e w s
T h e f o r e s t f i r e s o n t h e P a y e t t e
N a t i o n a l F o r e s t t h i s w e e k b r o k e f i r e -
f i g h t e r s ' p e r f e c t r e c o r d o f p r o t e c t i n g
s t r u c t u r e s , b u r n i n g 1 8 b u i l d i n g s i n
f o u r s e p a r a t e a r e a s . B u t f i r e f i g h t e r s '
e f f o r t s k e p t t h e t o l l f r o m b e i n g m u c h
w o r s e .
O n S u n d a y , t h e C h i c k e n F i r e s w e p t
d o w n t h e P o n y C r e e k d r a i n a g e a n d
t h r o u g h t h e T r a i l ' s E n d s u b d i v i s i o n
a l o n g t h e S o u t h F o r k o f t h e S a l m o n
R i v e r 1 2 m i l e s s o u t h e a s t o f W a r r e n .
F i r e b u r n e d f o u r c a b i n s a n d o n e
t r a i l e r , a l o n g w i t h f i v e o u t b u i l d i n g s
a n d t w o p o r t a b l e t o i l e t s . T h e q u i c k
r e a c t i o n s o f f i r e f i g h t e r s s a v e d f o u r
o t h e r h o u s e s t h a t c a u g h t f i r e d u r i n g
t h e b l a z e , a n d 1 7 o t h e r s t r u c t u r e s w e r e
p r o t e c t e d f r o m i g n i t i n g .
T h e b u r n e d c a b i n s w e r e u s e d
m a i n l y a s v a c a t i o n h o m e s . T h e y b e -
l o n g e d t o W a y n e E n g l e h o r n o f
C a l d w e l l , D a n a n d L o r e t t a T i e s o r t o f
N a m p a , E r n i e B u l l o f C a l d w e l l a n d
t h e M a c i n t o s h f a m i l y o f E l d o r a d o ,
K a n .
" I t w a s s o l i d h e a t a n d
s m o k e . I t w a s o n e o f t h e
m o s t i n t e n s e f i r e c o l u m n s
I ' v e s e e n s i n c e
Y e l l o w s t o n e . "
L a r r y S w a n , P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l
F o r e s t
B u l l , w h o l o s t o n e o f t w o c a b i n s h e
o w n s i n t h e s u b d i v i s i o n , s a i d t h e
h o m e s i n t h e a r e a r a n g e i n v a l u e f r o m
$ 2 5 , 0 0 0 t o $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 .
B u l l t o o k t h e l o s s o f h i s c a b i n i n
s t r i d e . " I t ' s j u s t t h e w a y l i f e i s ; i t ' s n o t
w o r t h w o r r y i n g a b o u t , " h e s a i d .
A t o t a l o f 7 1 f i r e f i g h t e r s a n d s u p -
p o r t w o r k e r s h a d e s t a b l i s h e d
p r o t e c t i o n e q u i p m e n t a r o u n d t h e s u b -
d i v i s i o n , a n d w e r e p r e p a r e d f o r t h e
f i r e s , b u t i t a r r i v e d w i t h s u c h s u d d e n
f e r o c i t y t h e y c o u l d n o t h o l d b a c k t h e
f l a m e s , s a i d D a v i d A b e r n a t h y , t h e
s t r u c t u r e p r o t e c t i o n g r o u p s u p e r v i s o r
a t t h e T r a i l ' s E n d s u b d i v i s i o n .
" W h e n t h e f i r e c a m e i n , i t h o o k e d
a r o u n d t h e m o u n t a i n a n d c a m e f r o m
t h e o p p o s i t e s i d e w e e x p e c t e d , " s a i d
A b e r n a t h y , w h o i s f r o m P i t t s b u r g ,
T e x a s .
T h e f i r e f i g h t e r s l i t s u c c e s s f u l b a c k
b u m s , b u t t h e y c o u l d n o t s t o p t h e
s p o t t i n g f r o m t h e f i r e , a n d i t e v e n t u -
a l l y o v e r t o o k t h e m a n d s e n t t h e m
s c r a m b l i n g f o r s a f e t y z o n e s .
A b e r n a t h y s a i d h e t h o u g h t t h e i r
s a f e t y z o n e s t o b e t h e l a s t p l a c e s t h e
f i r e w o u l d h i t , b u t t h e y e n d e d u p b e -
i n g a m o n g t h e f i r s t t o t a k e t h e b r u n t o f
t h e f i r e .
A b e r n a t h y d e s c r i b e d t h e e m b e r s
r a i n i n g f r o m t h e f i r e a s " a l m o s t l i k e
t r a c e r s h e l l s . " F a l l i n g e m b e r s i g n i t e d
a t r u c k i n o n e s a f e t y z o n e , b u t i t w a s
q u i c k l y e x t i n g u i s h e d .
A b e r n a t h y s a i d w h i l e h e w a s s i t -
t i n g i n t h e s a f e t y z o n e w a t c h i n g t h e
f i r e p o u r d o w n , h e w a s a f r a i d t h e y
w e r e g o i n g t o l o s e a l l t h e s t r u c t u r e s i n
t h e s u b d i v i s i o n .
" I f e l t r e a l l y b a d . W e ' d d o n e e v -
e r y t h i n g I t h o u g h t w e c o u l d p o s s i b l y
d o , a n d I t h o u g h t w e ' d l o s t e v e r y -
PgQP ��3 °f _t�7 qi >s
Main Salmon River
Mackay
ayette Bar thick
Riggins
1V l Fire
thing. It really took the wind out of
our sails," he said.
"We ducked our heads and as soon
as it was clear we went back to work,"
he said.
Once the fire passed through, the
crews realized much of their preven-
tion efforts had succeeded, and they
still had a chance to save four burning
buildings.
"It gave everybody an uplift, and
we charged in and saved those four,"
he said.
The firefighters not only had to
deal with the maelstrom of fire from
the forest, they also had to contend
with propane tanks exploding when
the fire overran the subdivision.
Abernathy lauded the efforts of his
firefighters, who were collected from
a variety of agencies. "The crews per-
formed real quick and heroic thinking
in keeping the fire off all those houses,"
he said. "They're the best group I've
ever worked with. I couldn't have
hand - picked better crews."
The Pony Creek drainage had all
the elements to create an intense fire,
said Larry Swan, McCall district fire
management officer.
He described the drainage as large
and steep with large stands of timber
that have not burned in a long time.
The fire caught low in the canyon and
had a large area to grow and spread.
"All the elements were in place for
very intense and rapid fire spread, and
that's what it did," Swan said.
The fire produced 200 -foot flames
and winds estimated at 100 miles -
per -hour. The fire uprooted large trees
300 feet in front of the fire, officials
said.
"Most people won't witness the
kind of fire behavior that occurred in
the Pony Creek drainage in a life-
time," Swan said.
"It was solid heat and smoke. It
was one of the most intense fire col-
umns I've seen since Yellowstone,"
he said.
Keith Wooster, a fire behavior ana-
lyst on the Chicken Fire, said the fire
in the Pony Creek drainage was caused
partially by the influence of wind
from the Main Salmon River canyon.
While winds normally blow up-
stream in river canyons, the large air
masses moving through the Main
Salmon create a "venturi effect,"
which draws air out of tributary can-
yons, making the wind in the side
canyons blow downstream, Wooster
said.
The fire spotted upstream in the
Pony Creek drainage, and the wind
pushed the fire down the canyon into
the Trail's End subdivision.
ationa
Corral Forest
Fire
■ Burgdorf
■ Secesh Warren '
�J
'Thunderbolt
�a Blackwell
w Fire
Fire
,NWorm
To Cascade ,,Take
Lake
d ti.
Goose
Lick Cr. Rd.
Lake
a
F: B
Cop
SCALE
kh
art clove
R
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5 miles
To
Fire lines 8/10/94
r
Yellow Pine
New Fire 8/24/94
7
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x
ZM
Firelines 8/31/94
Porette
Lake
Areas of Payette Forest closed to public
McCall
Payette Forest boundary
La kP
thing. It really took the wind out of
our sails," he said.
"We ducked our heads and as soon
as it was clear we went back to work,"
he said.
Once the fire passed through, the
crews realized much of their preven-
tion efforts had succeeded, and they
still had a chance to save four burning
buildings.
"It gave everybody an uplift, and
we charged in and saved those four,"
he said.
The firefighters not only had to
deal with the maelstrom of fire from
the forest, they also had to contend
with propane tanks exploding when
the fire overran the subdivision.
Abernathy lauded the efforts of his
firefighters, who were collected from
a variety of agencies. "The crews per-
formed real quick and heroic thinking
in keeping the fire off all those houses,"
he said. "They're the best group I've
ever worked with. I couldn't have
hand - picked better crews."
The Pony Creek drainage had all
the elements to create an intense fire,
said Larry Swan, McCall district fire
management officer.
He described the drainage as large
and steep with large stands of timber
that have not burned in a long time.
The fire caught low in the canyon and
had a large area to grow and spread.
"All the elements were in place for
very intense and rapid fire spread, and
that's what it did," Swan said.
The fire produced 200 -foot flames
and winds estimated at 100 miles -
per -hour. The fire uprooted large trees
300 feet in front of the fire, officials
said.
"Most people won't witness the
kind of fire behavior that occurred in
the Pony Creek drainage in a life-
time," Swan said.
"It was solid heat and smoke. It
was one of the most intense fire col-
umns I've seen since Yellowstone,"
he said.
Keith Wooster, a fire behavior ana-
lyst on the Chicken Fire, said the fire
in the Pony Creek drainage was caused
partially by the influence of wind
from the Main Salmon River canyon.
While winds normally blow up-
stream in river canyons, the large air
masses moving through the Main
Salmon create a "venturi effect,"
which draws air out of tributary can-
yons, making the wind in the side
canyons blow downstream, Wooster
said.
The fire spotted upstream in the
Pony Creek drainage, and the wind
pushed the fire down the canyon into
the Trail's End subdivision.
3r &T -P 5YAO,I 5-��Toh7beY �,/9�1� --Pale I 0� -:�,
Corral Fire coul d jump
the river today
High winds are all
blaze needs to
push it across
into Payette forest
By Martin S. Johncox
The Idaho Statesman
High winds today will threat-
en to blow embers from one of
Idaho's most destructive forest
fires across the Salmon River
and into the Nez Perce National
Forest.
Southwesterly winds of up to
45 mph are predicted for today;
they are expected to blow the
84,595 -acre Corral Fire across
the river.
"This is as grim as it gets,"
said Duke Norfleet, dispatcher
for the Payette National Forest.
John Nelson, a dispatcher
with the Slate Creek Ranger
Station in the Nez Perce Nation-
al Forest, said officials have
been supplying structures on
the north side of the river with
sprinklers and water tanks in
preparation for the fire.
But with the fire burning
along several miles of river
bank, he said, it will be difficult
to snuff the flames out if it
jumps the river.
"The only chance of doing
anything is a heavy helicopter
in the vicinity to hit it while it's
small, and you'd have to be
there while it happened," he
said.
Crews may be able to buy a
little breathing room if they
hold back the fires today. Fire
weather meteorologist Paul
Werth said the winds should die
down Saturday and Sunday, but
another windstorm is bound to
show up before long, because
they are common in Idaho in the
late summer and fall.
The river has been serving as
a natural firebreak.
Also today, firefighters will
lay siege upon the newest wild-
fire in the Payette National For-
est, which officials fear could
rapidly grow to 10,000 acres if
not contained quickly. Light-
ning early Thursday ignited the
three Cuddy Complex fires,
which grew to 110 acres during
the day. Those fires are burning
in mixed terrain about 17 miles
west of Council.
The nearby Blackwell Com-
plex has burned 48,800 acres.
To the east, the Chicken Com-
plex has blackened 48,880 acres.
The 88,800 -acre Rabbit Creek
blaze inched its way eastward
toward the Sawtooth National
Recreation Area, but the rocky
Sawtooth Mountains would act
as a natural break. More than
1,600 firefighters were on the
scene.
In the Boise National Forest,
fire crews strengthened their,
suppression lines to the east and
west of the 14,384 -acre Thunder-
bolt Mountain Fire. Fires in
that forest have burned about
141,000 acres this summer.
The fires continued to pollute
the Treasure Valley's air. Air in
4hursday was in the
officials ad-
�l A to burn any -
�IfjeS
o�a'¢F
Fire expected to jump the Salmon Fiver
" With a moderate wind.. embers from !,
the fire can travel up to half a mils;.
Firefighters fight fear along with blazes
`Devil- may -care'
isn't really their
attitude at all
By Carol Bradley
3annett News Service
Every time she jumps out o
in airplane to fight a wildfire,
?9- year -old Allison Cushman
.eels the grip of fear.
When smoke inhalation felled
krmy medic Roger Komandt
sear Idaho City this month,
iarkness overcame him, his
lands and feet began tingling
tnd he lost all sense of where he
vas.
"You get scared," he recalled.
To many Americans, the thou -
ands of Western firefighters
vho return year after year to
attle blazes must seem like
nere thrill- seekers who bring to
heir jobs a devil- may -care at-
Dustin Matsuoka, a second -sea-
Idaho fire update s
son smokejumper from Twin Falls,
The 85,675 -acre Corral blaze I
Idaho Friday, mindful that a admits the jitters strike whenever
continued to boil along the p
predicted windstorm could' in- he's about to take the plunge.
south shore of the main Balm- s
stantaneously turn them into But it's not hard to overcome
on River, but had not jumped u
unchecked infernos. them, he said: In an aircraft flying
the stream to the Nez Perce A
A red flag warning was in 100 mph from 3,000 feet up, there's
Forest to the north. p
place in the forest with south- little time to dwell on butterflies.
Thousands of firefighters w
westerly winds up to 45 mph Komandt, one of several hun-
worked to add more suppres- p
predicted. dred Fort Hood, Texas, soldiers
said in a recent interview, he I ire ig ters say, is the key:nuts."
itude. Unless an assignment is genu-
Not so, firefighters say. With got a report from a veteran smo- inely too dangerous to carry
13 deaths on record already this kejumper who refused an assign- out, you just have to conquer
ire season, they readily ac- ment earlier this week "because the fear and forge ahead.
:nowledge that fear is a com – Talking about fear "is a daily
non companion. Anyone who he did not feel comfortable ritual that we go through" dur-
lenies it has no business out on Jumping in that particular fire. ing firefighter training, said Jer-
he front lines, says Dennis "That's an individual call some -ry Jeffries, the Forest Service's
Jeill, a firefighting veteran, times," Jeffries said, "because;afety and health manager for
' 'cause (fire) could kill you in a you're the one who pulls the trig- iviation and fire in Montana
teartbeat." ger on the power saw and you're ind northern Idaho. Over and
For the Denver -based Neill, the one who jumps out of the )ver, he said, recruits are told
vho now works as an informa- aircraft." No one can make that is OK to turn down an assign -
ion officer during fire season, decision for you, he said. nent they have misgivings
. about carrying out.
Crews work McCall fires,
hoping they don't explode
By the Associated Press
and Statesman staff
The weather cooperated with
firefighters Friday and helped
keep the largest fire burning in
the Payette . National Forest
from jumping the Salmon River.
Southerly winds of up to 45
mph were expected to blow the
85,675 -acre Corral Fire across
the river and into the Nez Perce
National Forest, but wind
speeds Friday were considerably
less than that, said Bev Daven-
port, a fire information officer
for the forest.
A wind estimate was unavail-
able late Friday.
Davenport said the fire has
burned along about a 4'/2 -mile
stretch of the river between Elk-
horn Creek and the mouth of the
French Creek. The forecast for
today is temperature in the mid -
70s and southwest winds of 15 -20
mph.
Four fires burning in the Pay-
ette National Forest have
charred more than 187,000 acres.
In other fire news, another
portion of the Sawtooth Wilder-
ness was closed on Friday night
as the 96,800 -acre Rabbit Creek
blaze in the Boise National For-
est moved eastward.
The closure extends five to
eight miles farther east as a fur-
ther measure to protect back-
packers and hunters.
Sawtooth National Recre-
ational Area Ranger Terry
Clark said the new area is not in
danger.
Pete Zimowsky
S, 6ke gets
in my eyes
There's uncola, uncool and
now, unview. ,
Idaho has become the
Unview State. Bet you won't
see that in travel brochures.
Even though it looked clear
in Boise on'Saturday,,a lot of
mountain locations vere still
plagued with smoke.
Thursday I tried like crazy
to get out of the smoke and see
a view.
All I wanted was a plain old
mountain view. Idaho
normally has hundreds, maybe
even thousands ofthem.
I got up early, jumped an in the
car with my day p d the
dog, and drove north.
Usually when you top
Horseshoe Bend Hill you get
out of all the sluggy, gray
Boise air.
Nope. Not this time. It was
still smoky on Horseshoe Bend
Hill.
It was like a Boise winter
inversion multiplied 30 times.
Golly, Idaho is starting to
look like some industrial state
back East. Maybe even like
New Jersey, heaven forbid.
What was really
discouraging is that I couldn't
see that magnificent view of
the mountains to the north as I
topped Horseshoe Bend Hill. I
always look forward to that
view.
Then I got an idea.
inowbank Mountain is the
)lace. It's got to have a clear
view.
After all, it's 8,322 feet in
- levation. The smoke can't be
that high.
I ended up driving about 70
miles on the highway to the
Snowbank Mountain turnoff.
From there it was 15 miles
on washboardy, dusty road
toward the top of Snowbank.
Anything was worth a view,
even having a bumpy road
loosen all the bolts in my rig.
The curves also made the
puppy look a little green
around the gills.
But, I just knew Snowbank
Mountain had to be smoke
free.
I was wrong, gulp, gasp,
cough. I couldn't believe it. No
view up on Snowbank
Mountain.
Normally, you can see 50
miles off that ridge, as far as
the Frank Church River of No
Return Wilderness on the east
and the mountains in Oregon
on the west.
out of the valleys
Still, I thought there had to
be a view somewhere out there
in Idaho; somewhere out of the
valleys. (By the way, if you
know where a view is, let me
know).
I had my eyes on every
mountain ridge on the way
driving north on Idaho 55.
That's pretty hard because it's
such a windy mountain road.
The ridges were blue -gray.
The sun looked burnt orange
like a sunset over Newark,
N.J., or something out of a
movie on nuclear war.
Choking birds
Nothing. In fact, when I got
out to hike to Blue Lake, I
heard a few robins choking on
the smoke.
The blue grouse were flying
a little slower because of
oxygen depletion.
While at the lake, I swear I
could hear the trout gasping.
Gray, smoke -filled bubbles
were coming up from the
depths of the lake.
The smoke was so thick that
an osprey flying overhead had
to do it by instruments only. It
couldn't even lock in its radar
on fish in the lake below.
You think I'm kidding about
the smoke? Hey, it's getting so
bad that every hiker's day
pack now should have a gas
mask.
I went down to a few of the
local army -navy stores and
they don't have that many left.
Is there a trend here?
So, besides a canteen, first -
aid kit, and snacks, don't
forget to throw in that surplus
U.N. gas mask.
I heard you can get the
mask, filter and carrying case
for about $10.
Good hiking, gulp, gasp,
cough.
g rca I, n/e W 3
pd� , O .�
Fire tab at $50
million and rising
Federal taxpayers
will be hit with
Boise, Payette bills
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
Fires on the Boise and Payette
National forests will cost feder-
al taxpayers at least $50 million
— more than a tenth of the
estimated cost of all the forest
fires this summer.
But that's no problem for the
Forest Service, where financing
fire suppression is like writing a
blank check. Whatever a forest
needs, it gets — if the resources
are out there. The message from
Washington: Extinguish the
blazes now — we'll worry about
the bills later.
"It's never a question of mon-
ey," said Andrea Wojtasek, a
budget analyst in the Forest Ser-
vice's Washington, D.C., office.
"A forest isn't going to say, `We
can't order another crew be-
cause we don't have the money.'
You would never hear that on a
fire. "
This year, the problem was
limited resources and personnel
— not money. In a season when
3.1 million acres burned
throughout the West, more than
24,600 firefighters were deployed
at peak times. That sometimes
Kevin Clark /The Idaho Statesman
A plane heads for retardant reloading after landing at the McCall airport
delayed a crew's arrival at a
fire, but not because no one
could pay them.
In fact, every firefighter, and
every piece of equipment, will be
paid for — from a budget that
grows along with the need.
Forest Service officials pre-
dict that more than $400 million
will be spent on fires nationwide
this year — about $220 million
above the amount Congress ap-
propriated for fire suppression.
And whether the Forest Service
tries to tap into a $188 million
federal disaster area contingen-
cy fund or starts borrowing from
other agencies within the De-
partment of Agriculture, the
shortfall will be paid for — in
time.
If the Forest Service spends
$400 million this year, it will log
Corral Fire Idaho City Complex
10% 9%
21% `'� 18%
15% 15%
/ 25% \ 25%
19% 22%
9% \ / 10% \ /
E�J Aircraft
Camp operati
0 Equipment
Crews
El Overhead
0 Supplies
Sample expenditures
Idaho City Complex
Crews: $5 million
Bulldozers: $354,633
Portable toilets: $91,683
Corral Fire
Crews: $1.6 million
Bulldozers: $5,734
Portable toilets: $123,992
the second - highest spending
year in history. In 1988 — the
year of the Yellowstone fires,
which burned more than half a
million acres in Wyoming and
Montana — the agency spent
$436 million.
So far this summer, the Boise
National Forest estimates
spending $22 million to $25 mil-
lion fighting the major fires on
its land. The Payette National
Forest expects to have spent
slightly more, estimating expen-
ditures to date at $25 million to
$30 million.
"This will probably be the re-
cord year for fire suppression,"
said Gene Benedict, the Payette
forest's fire management officer.
The record, he added, was $30
million in 1989.
Forest Service funding falls
into two categories: fire protec-
tion and emergency fire suppres-
sion. The first is a sort of opera-
tions budget that finances
equipment, personnel and other
resources in preparation for
fires. For fiscal 1994, that
amounted to about $190 million,
divided among the 10 forest re-
gions and assorted research sta-
tions and offices, according to a
computer analysis of what each
region will need.
The money for emergency fire
suppression, which amounted to
about $214 million with carry-
over funds from the relatively
calm 1993 fire season, is differ-
ent: It's not an absolute figure.
A portion of the money goes to
supplement each forest region's
protection funds, but when it
comes to actual fire suppression,
the remaining money is just a
target sum that is added to as
needed. Each forest does not re-
ceive a share of the suppression
pot — there is no pot.
Instead, after about $55 mil-
lion was subtracted from the
$214 million for extra protection
funds, about $159 million was
left for emergency fire suppres-
sion. Then the requests came in,
and the figure was forgotten. As
of late July (the most recent
figures available), the Forest
Service spent $162 million. That
was before the first flame was
spotted on the Boise or Payette
forests.
Now, analysts project the
agency will have spent $186 mil-
lion in August and will spend
$30 million in September. Those
figures are subject to change, of
course.
So when a forest like the Pay-
ette, which has suffered fires for
the past month, needs more
crews and equipment, it ac-
quires them. The folks back in
Washington, meanwhile, start
looking into other funding
sources within the Department
of Agriculture — or start asking
Congress for more money.
Aircraft, personnel and fire
camp operations carry the high-
est price tags for fire suppres-
sion. By the end of August, heli-
copters that transport
firefighters and drop buckets of
water had racked up $2.1 million
on the 85,000 -acre Corral Fire
alone. Similarly, the 96,500 -acre
Idaho City Complex had used
$2.3 million worth of heli-
copters.
Not all the expenditures on a
fire will be billed to the Forest
Service. Some fire crews and
supplies, for example, come from
other agencies. Those agencies,
then, are the ones who end up
footing the bill.
The Idaho Department of
Lands, for instance, will fork
over some $5 million for wildfire
suppression around the state.
That, too, will come out of state
taxpayers' wallets.
But for the most part, Forest
Service bucks (i.e., federal tax-
payers) pay the tab. And offi-
cials say that money is used
wisely — even on fires that some
argue should be allowed to burn
themselves out.
s-faY lve U) s s& p�r 5. a � 99 i
Page � 0.9
And in the Payette National
Forest, parts of the blazes are
doing just that. Fire strategists
planned early on to allow the
northern and eastern flanks of
the Corral and Blackwell fires
to burn until they reach natural
barriers like dirt or rocks. The
real effort — and the goal of fire
suppression on most blazes, offi-
cials point out — was in struc-
ture protection along the east
side of Payette Lake and in the
isolated communities of Burg -
dorf and Secesh.
"Sure, we pulled out all the
stops when the fire threatened
the east side of the lake. Our key
focus has been structure protec-
tion," Benedict said. "But for
the rest of the fire, we haven't
gotten more crews. We've just
been holding the line on the
fires. The crews have done a
good job holding their own with
what they have. They've had to
do more with less."
Obviously, letting a fire burn
rather than putting it out would
be cheaper. Nix the aircraft on
the Corral Fire, for instance,
and save taxpayers $2 million.
The Forest Service doesn't see
things quite that way.
"To let a fire burn and sup-
press it later is more expensive,"
said Wojtasek, who argued that
the longer a fire burns, the more
rehabilitative and suppression
work would have to be done.
"And to just let it burn and not
put it out? That's a scenario
that would never happen."
But it's not like the Forest
Service has no idea how much
money is being spent on any of
the 121 national forests, Wojta-
sek added. "We track the costs;
we do not monitor the costs,"
she said. "Everybody is expected
to be prudent."
y�� /yam
Fire advance icks u
p p
because of hot, dry weather
Smoke column towers over Corral Fire last week.
Lightning and strong winds kept firefighters in-
Cooler temperatures, higher humidities, and scattered light rain
our region on their toes over the Labor Day week -,
slowed the 87,050 -acre Corral Fire over the weekend. Over 17 miles
end. A total of 28 new fires were ignited by light -',
of fireline has been built with the help of 15 crews and 25 military
ning since last Thursday and heavy winds have kept
crews.
According to forest officials, those crews are doing "an excellent
already established fires going strong.
job on this fire in spite of extreme fire behavior and steep terrain."
Carey
Friday night's lightning storm caused a total of
Two helicopters were working on a spot fire northeast of
24 new fires on the Council Ranger District and on`,
Dome as of early Tuesday, but there was no other significant burning
the east side of the Payette National Forest. `activity
reported. Scattered spots and smoke around Carey Dome are
Lightning strikes caused new fires Thursday 17
currently causing the most concern for firefighters.
Lack of resources, steep terrain, and long -range spotting continue
miles west of Council on Cuddy Mountain forcing'
to challenge firefighters on the Blackwell Fire. Luckily, fire behavior
fire officials to close an area extending from Rush
has remained moderate, but is expected to increase over the next few
Peak on the south to Crooked River Point on the'
days as another drying trend develops due to low humidities, clear
north, and from approximately Brownlee Guard
skies, and breezes. Fire officials were expecting late afternoon activ-
Station on the west to Devil's Slide on the east.
The Cuddy Complex is made up of four fires: a
ity as the inversion lifts from the south and west.
Fire activity in the Victor Creek drainage was suppressed Monday
102 -acre fire on Cuddy Point, a 232 -acre Rush 1,
by military Chinook helicopters. Despite the challenges firefighters
are facing, almost 37 miles of fireline has been built around that blaze,
Fire, a 7 -acre Rush 2 Fire, and a 60 -acre Grave Fire,
The Cuddy Point and Rush 2 fires were contained,
which had burned 49,655 acres as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Thunderbolt Fire increased by 128 acres on Saturday but Boise
by Sunday, but crews continue to work hard to con -'
National Forest officials estimate the fire will be contained by September
tain the entire complex. Almost 3 miles of fireline:
h.gvehepn iiI6n e. last �{,our days and fire officials
12.
Fire behavior in the 14,384 -acre area that's burned there has decreased
favorable weather conditions. Progress
estimate the complex wttl be catttamea by 6 p.m.
and fire spread was limited due to
direct handline construction, holding, and mop -up.
September 8.
Meanwhile, the Corral, Blackwell, and Chicken
continues on
Public and firefighter safety, public and private property protec-
rum, and natural resources preservation continue to the three
Complex fires north of McCall continue to burn
fi r
'nary objectives of the fire management team and firefighters, accord
actively with the Chicken Fire rennin an addition-
Y g
ing to a Boise National Forest news release.
al 2.6 miles towards Chamberlin Basin as of Tuesday.
In order to protect the chinook salmon habitat from stream degra-
According to forest officials, the Chicken Complex
dation, crews are rehabilitating handlines with waterbars to prevent
Fire grew 12,250 acres over the last week although
future soil run -off. Crews are also taking care to keep fuels and retar-
the fire received about .20 inches of rain on September
dants from polluting the nearby stream.
Handline construction from Johnson Creek to the north and east is
3rd. Some minor fire spread occurred on the north
expected to be completed this week. This will help to slow the fire
end where little or no rain fell.
spread and eliminate the need to burn out under the Yellow Pine pow -
Most fire activity in the area is reported to be
erline.
smoldering and burning of heavier fuels. Grasses
Presently, power from Warm Lake to Yellow Pine has been shut
from the hours of 8 a.m, to 9 p.m. daily to provide safe working
were rekindling in the late afternoon and officials
off
predict that activity will slightly increase as the dry-
conditions for firefighters.
ing trend continues.
Officials predict that the inversion will have lift-
ed by early afternoon Tuesday, which will result in
an increase of atmospheric instability which could
I--A ,, a r,_ —t.t ;f-
The
Lighter
side qf
Fire...
(l;tl. 's note. There et - ,
plcritt 0f storir c anaN`ing the
roavult of sonu, of the thirti".s
Some)tumor`out there. And'
we're certain there is ra lot
More.
If you've a huanorous
mtet'dote to tell about sonic -
thin,> that's -one on with the
e!lortc to my7pressfires now
burning on nearly 200,000
acres of Boise and Payette
national forest ground in this
caeca, Itlease share theist with
1', 0, Bo< v 1039, Cascade, 11)
43611. Or drop theta f /rat
either our-McCall ORace, /00 '
N. Third, "next to KiWIT -FAI,
(and just leave it in the blue
bar if no one's about), or our
Cascade office, 112 N. Alain
Street (the Nigh C "ountn' Inn
Building)
.A rather woolly episode
took place recentty when sev-
eral sheepherders ran i,f)N)
head of sheep through a heh-
base located in the woods on
the Fayette National Forest.
The armed security Bilks
there were probably taken
abaaaack -.by the site ol' 3,000
sheep and their shepherds —
some of whom were artned to
defend their woolly charges
from coyotes and other preda-
tors - -- descending on their
base.
At that carne base, the
story goes, there's a rance
Y
day for refreshing relief from
the heat.
Then, there's the load of
retardant that went slightly
south. A military C -130, of
which there are many chip-
ping in to help the firefighting
effort, was apparently headed
for the Thunderbolt Fire with
a load of retardant when it
lost an engine shortly before
reaching its target.
Policy is that under such
circumstances, the mission is
immediately aborted. After
turning back, the pilot is
reported to have asked what
to do with the load of orange
slurry he was packing.
He was told to drop it
over the backcountry where
he didn't see any structures.
Stolle Meadows, from the
9,000 -foot altitude he'd
climbed to, qualified.
The pilot couldn't have
known that at about the time
he released the load, he was
(lying over a group of biolo-
gists and others from the
National Marine Fisheries
Service who were at Stolle
Meadows with a group of
Similar roresrervrcc'iiiiil ^ "
vials to discuss the situation
with the threatened Chinook
salmon that spawn in the
South Fork of the Salmon
River there.
Bullseye!
And neither could the
pilot have known there was a
New York Times reporter and
National Geographic photog-
rapher along with the group.
From that attitude, the slurry
had pretty much vaporized
and didn't pack much of a
wallop, but it did settle like
rain over those non- structures
out in Idaho's backcountry
that day.
We've not been able to
find out for sure if the C -130'
that was involved in the above
episode is the same one iden-
tified -in this tidbit..
But we're told that there'
is a C -130 flying out of Boise
that's carrying align honor-
ing the tictitious hero of a
popular movie currently in
theaters, "Forrest Gump;'
,fhe big retardant bird is
reported to have the words
"`Forrest Dump" scripted on
its sides.
A rather woolly episode
took place recently, when sev-
eral sheepherders ran 3,000
head of sheep through a heli
base located in the woods on
the Payette National Forest.
The armed security ' folks
there were probably, taken
abaaaaek by the site of 3,000
sheep and their shepherds-- -
some of whom were armed to
defend their woolly charges
front coyotes and other preda-
tors --- descending on their'
hale.
k2q'IFS
Fire advance picks up
y of
because of hot, dry weather
Smoke column towers over Corral Fire last.week.
Lightning and strong winds kept firefighters in
our region on their toes over the Labor Day week-
end. A total of 28 new fires were ignited by light-
ning since last Thursday and heavy winds have kept
already established fires going strong.
Friday night's lightning storm caused a total of
24 new fires on the Council Ranger District and on
the east side of the Payette National Forest.
Lightning strikes caused new fires Thursday 17
miles west of Council on Cuddy Mountain forcing
fire officials to close an area extending from Rush
Peak on the south to Crooked River Point on the
north, and from approximately Brownlee Guard
Station on the west to Devil's Slide on the east.
The Cuddy Complex is made up of four fires: a
102 -acre fire on Cuddy Point, a 232 -acre Rush 1
Fire, a 7 -acre Rush 2 Fire, and a 60 -acre Grave Fire.
The Cuddy Point and Rush 2 fires were contained
by Sunday, but crews continue to work hard to con-
tain the entire complex. Almost 3 miles of fireline
have been built in the last four days and fire officials
estimate the complex will be contained by 6 p.m.
September 8.
Meanwhile, the Corral, Blackwell, and Chicken
Complex fires north of McCall continue to burn
actively with the Chicken Fire running an addition-
al 2.6 miles towards Chamberlin Basin as of Tuesday.
According to forest officials, the Chicken Complex
Fire grew 12,250 acres over the last week although
the fire received about .20 inches of rain on September
3rd. Some minor fire spread occurred on the north
end where little or no rain fell.
Most fire activity in the area is reported to be
smoldering and burning of heavier fuels. Grasses
were rekindling in the late afternoon and officials
predict that activity will slightly increase as the dry-
ing trend continues.
Officials predict that the inversion will have lift-
ed by early afternoon Tuesday, which will result in
an increase of atmospheric instability which could
lead to more fire activity.
See Fires on page 2
Fires from page 1
Cooler temperatures, higher humidities, and scattered light rain
slowed the 87,050 -acre Corral Fire over the weekend. Over 17 miles
of fireline has been built with the help of 15 crews and 25 military
crews.
According to forest officials, those crews are doing "an excellent
job on this fire in spite of extreme fire behavior and steep terrain."
Two helicopters were working on a spot fire northeast of Carey
Dome as of early Tuesday, but there was no other significant burning
activity reported. Scattered spots and smoke around Carey Dome are
currently causing the most concern for firefighters.
Lack of resources, steep terrain, and long -range spotting continue
to challenge firefighters on the Blackwell Fire. Luckily, fire behavior
has remained moderate, but is expected to increase over the next few
days as another drying trend develops due to low humidities, clear
skies, and breezes. Fire officials were expecting late afternoon activ-
ity as the inversion lifts from the south and west.
Fire activity in the Victor Creek drainage was suppressed Monday
by military Chinook helicopters. Despite the challenges firefighters
are facing, almost 37 miles of fireline has been built around that blaze,
which had burned 49,655 acres as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Thunderbolt Fire increased by 128 acres on Saturday but Boise
National Forest officials estimate the fire will be contained by September
12.
Fire behavior in the 14,384 -acre area that's burned there has decreased
and fire spread was limited due to favorable weather conditions. Progress
continues on direct handline construction, holding, and mop -up.
Public and firefighter safety, public and private property protec-
tion, and natural resources preservation continue to be the three pri-
mary objectives of the fire management team and firefighters, accord-
ing to a Boise National Forest news release.
In order to protect the chinook salmon habitat from stream degra-
dation, crews are rehabilitating handlines with waterbars to prevent
future soil run -off. Crews are also taking care to keep fuels and retar-
dants from polluting the nearby stream..
Handline construction from Johnson Creek to the north and east is
expected to be completed this week. This will help to slow the fire
spread and eliminate the need to burn out under the Yellow Pine pow -
erline.
Presently, power from Warm Lake to Yellow Pine has been shut
off from the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily to provide safe working
conditions for firefighters.
t (s 1- tv, (,f/,9 S e h r $i / 99 Y
Photo by Tom G
► U.S. Air Force crash truck from Gowen Field in Boise hoses off hundreds of gallons of red fire retardant from the McCall Airport runway la:
'hursday after 1,850 gallons of the gooey liquid spilled from an air tanker during take -off. A control box malfunctioned on the DC -4, owned by
RDCO of Tucson, Ariz., as pilot Steve Howlan was preparing to take off about 4:25 p.m. last Thursday. The runway was closed for an hour
hile the retardant was washed off the pavement, and ARDCO was charged $1,286, which is the value of the dropped retardant. The faulty
ntrol box was replaced. The retardant is a fertilizer that contains red dye to make it visible to pilots and to firefighters on the group. The salt
e retardant can corrode the runway, but surrounding grass will not be affected.
uY 2... .
A
2k "ia
z: »
on McCall runway
MC'C'AH. — Thos—,, involved iii the fire hghtint, (ATori at the
McCall Smo kejurnp:rl3,,rw were literally seeing led hiStIhrirsciay
when 1,850 gallons of red fire retardant spilled oil the tHIMv J_v
causim, it to he shut down Ior tut hour so the mess could he mopped
up.
Air tanker pilot Steve Howlan was preparim, for take -off at
4 °25 p.m. last Thursday when the control box in (tie DC-4 lie vas
piloting . mal lunctione(I and spilled retardant all over the runwity,
The fire retardant, called phos -check D75F_ is a Monsanto-
brand fertili/er ctmiprornised of'antnioniurn 5ulrate and diarnilio-
nium phosphate. It contains aired dye, that makes the retardant
drop visible both to the pilot and to firefighters bit the ground.
According to a Payette National Forest news release, the ret,ir-
dant also contains salt, which is corrosive to the pavement, so
airport and tanker base personnel had to close the runway to wash
the retardant off of the pavement.
Forest officials said that the surromiding grass should not he
affected by the spill.
The Tucson -based company ARDO), which supplies the
Forest Service with three contract air tankers, will be chargcd-
$1,286'- the cost of the dropped retardant loitd.
Following the clean -up, the air tanker's 'ntalfunctiotiiug con-
trol hox was removed and replaced with a new control hox, accord- -
ing to a news release.
-MIC /_ 07 k�,ae y 7fAldedee 91M
We've not been able to
find out for sure'if the C -130
that was involved in the above
episode is the same one iden-
tified in this tidbit.
But we're told that there
is a C -130 flying out of Boise
that'scarrving a sign honor-
ing the fictitious hero of a
popular movie currently in
theaters, "Forrest Gump,"
The big retardant hird is
renorted to have the words
At that same base, the
story goes, there's a mge
The
bull who's proven to be a hit
bothersome. He showed up
the first day that camp w as
Lig'hter
up, and proceeded to get in
the way. ,
Figuring they had this
Side O
one figured out, the camp
folks turned a fire hose oil
0
hint. It worked, he left. But
(i ♦ ♦ ♦
lies apparently taken a likin.
to those regular, cooling
(Ed 's note: There are
showers and reportedly
returns about three times a
plenty, of stories making the
rounds of same of the things
day roc refreshing lelici, trom
that have happened on the
the hca
front lines of the fires burning
in our area. Here's a ew
1
'Chen} theta's the ivacl cd;_
we've picked up on. The
retardant that went slightly
natnes have been Changed, or
SOUth. A military C -130 of
ontilted to protect the inno-
which there are tuany chip
cent. but there's definitely
fiFighEztlg
pink in to help [h f
some humor out there. Anil
effort. %vas apparently leaded
we're certain there is a lot
for the Thunderbolt fire with
more.
a load of retardant when it
It-you've a humorous
losran clwine "llortiv before
anecdote to tell about some-
re,01:1111 its lmocl.
thing that's gorge on with the
policy is that under such
efforts to suppress fares now
circully tances, [tie mission is
burning on nearly 200,000
immediately aborted. Alter
acres of Boise and Payette
turning back, the pilot is
national forest ground in this
reported to have. sked what
area, please share them with
to do with the load of orange
us. We'll make every effort to
slurry he was packing.
verify the authenticity of the
He was told to drop it
starter told. Just send them to
z.
over the backcountry where
The Long Valley Advocate,
he didn't see any structures.
P.O. Box 1079, Cascade, ID
Stolle Meadows, from the
83611: Or drop them off at
9,000 -foot attitude he'd
either our McCall Office, 100"
climbed to, qualified.
N. Third, next to KMCL -FM,
The pilot couldn't have
(and just leave it in the blue
known that at about the time
box if no one's about), or our
he released the load, he was
Cascade office, 112 N. Main
flying over a group of biolo-
"Street (the Nigh Country Inn
gists and others from the
Building).
National Marine Fisheries
A rather woolly episode
Service who were at Stolle
took place recently when sec_
Meadows with a group of
eral sheepherders ran 3,000
similar Forest Service offi-
head of sheep through a heli-
cials to discuss the situation
base located in the woods on
with the threatened chinook
the Payette National Forest.
salmon that spawn in the
The armed security folks
South Fork of the Salmon
there were probably taken
River there.
abaaaack by the site of 3,000
Bullseye f
And neither could the
sheep and their shepherds --
some of whom were armed to
pilot have known there was a
defend their woolly charges
New York Times reporter and
from coyotes and other precia
National Geographic photog -' °
tors — descending oil then
rapher along with the group.
From that attitude, the slurry
base
had pretty much vaporized
and didn't pack much of a
-MIC /_ 07 k�,ae y 7fAldedee 91M
We've not been able to
find out for sure'if the C -130
that was involved in the above
episode is the same one iden-
tified in this tidbit.
But we're told that there
is a C -130 flying out of Boise
that'scarrving a sign honor-
ing the fictitious hero of a
popular movie currently in
theaters, "Forrest Gump,"
The big retardant hird is
renorted to have the words
Firefighter hurt as blaze
near McCall stays strong
MCCALL -- A Montana fire.
fighter was slightly injured Fri-
day as air tankers continued bom-
barding the raging front of a 300 -
acre wildfire northeast of McCall
and reinforcements joined the
battle.
A member of the Flathead Hot
Shots crew, whose name was not
released, was hurt when a dead
tree fell and trapped his knee
against a rock.
A Payette National Forest
spokeswoman said the man was
taken by helicopter to McCall
Memorial Hospital, where he was
treated and released.
Meantime, fire bosses secured a
containment line on the west
flank of the Squaw Lake Fire, and
190 firefighters, ferried into the
remote terrain by helicopter,
were carving additional line on
the northern and southern flanks
in a bid to funnel the flames into
rocky terrain to the east.
Another 40 firefighters were on
the way, and land managers said
they hoped they would have some
idea by Sunday about when the
blaze would be contained.
The fire was burning in a popu-
lar roadless area just south of
Squaw Lake. No structures were
threatened, and the flames in
thick, dry timber were moving
away from the community of
2,000.
The cause of the fire was still
being investigated.
777p _S�ar-- /Yv ,kvs — g1�lg5Z
A fight with fatigue as much as fire
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
The job of firefighting on the
Payette National Forest fires is still
as dangerous and strenuous as their
first days, but that was weeks and
hundreds of hours ago. Crews now
face different dangers: fatigue and
burnout.
, Firefighters typically work 12
to 16 hour shifts for 14 to 21 days
straight. That rigorous schedule can
take a toll on even the most physi-
cally fit firefighters, especially
considering most of them have
worked at that pace all summer in a
variety of terrains and climates.
"There's no such thing as fresh
crews anymore," said Andy Finn, a
Forest Service safety officer from
the Payette Forest.
That makes a safety officer's
job all the more difficult. They
have to monitor the crews to ensure
they are still able to safely fight
fires.
"It's a continuing problem we
have to deal with," he said. "We
can't just send everybody home or
we'd be out of business."
"There's no such thing as
fresh crews anymore. "
— Andy Finn, U. S. Forest
Service safety officer
The long hours, the primitive
living conditions, the separation
from families and friends all erode
the firefighters' bodies and spirit,
and while it's all familiar to them,
they are still not immune to its
effects.
"After a while, your mind just
doesn't work and your body says
`enough,' " Finn said. "It doesn't
make a difference who you are,
you have a burn -out area."
And part of the safety officer's
job is to decide when a crew has
had enough.
"There's no black and white
guideline that tells you that you
have to get rid of a crew," Finn
said. "You just have to watch the
body language of the crew."
Safety officers say there are
many ways to judge how a crew is
faring.
In the field, prolonged sitting
and an increased need for breaks is
one indicator. In camp, a crew re-
quiring medical attention for head
colds and other illnesses signal a
safety officer the crew may be
weakening, and need to take a rest
day or be switched to lighter duties.
A change in climatic conditions,
the long hours and lack of sleep, as
well as the close quarters of the
troops all work against a firefighter
trying to remain healthy, said
Darlene Loper, an emergency medi-
cal technician from New Meadows
who is working at the Blackwell
Fire camp southwest of McCall.
Loper said that when new crews
arrive, she won't see any of them
for a few days, then they'll start
trickling in to be treated for various
ailments. She said tired firefighters
are more likely to take a misstep
and twist ankles, so a rash of those
injuries can mean that a crew is
getting worn down.
She also noted the hardest work-
ing firefighters are often the most
vulnerable; they sometimes go be-
yond their limits, but won't admit it
Part of the responsibility of safety
officers and crew bosses is to make
sure the firefighters are fit for duty,
but it's everyone's responsibility, said
John Kraushaar, a safety officer from
Redding, Calif.
"We have to take care of our-
selves," Kraushaar said. "We're ulti-
mately responsible for ourselves."
He encourages firefighters to pace
themselves so they can work steadily
throughout their shifts, and also have
a reserve of energy to escape hazard-
ous situations.
He noted that after weeks of work-
ing under dangerous conditions, the
firefighters are also susceptible to
complacency.
"The longer we are on an incident,
the greater chance there is for acci-
dents," Kraushaar said. "We really
have to key in on complacency and
boredom."
Safety officers also have to moni-
tor the work in the field to ensure it is
done in as safe a manner as possible.
"It's another set of ears and eyes to
look at the people," he said.
The safety officers have daily brief-
ings with crew bosses to discuss safety
issues, and the word is passed on to
the crews. "What we strive to do is
minimize the chances they have to
take," Kraushaar said.
He noted thatln the 11 days he has
worked on the Blackwell Fire, there
have been only two accidents that
resulted in lost time.
He likes to see the safety officers
out on the lines with the firefighters,
monitoring their work and ensuring
the jobs get done safely.
"I think them just seeing us on the
line makes it easier for us to do our
jobs and makes them work safer."
.aids fire battle troops and ley, Kans. helicopters
Weather from Fort Riley, Kans.
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
Although the weather has taken
a turn for the better, the largest fires
on the Payette National Forest were
still stubbornly resisting contain-
ment this week.
As the fires move into their sixth
week, firefighters have been suc-
cessful at stopping them in some
areas, but reigning them in is still
unlikely until there is a dramatic
change in the weather, according
to fire officials.
The firefighters have been con -
centrating on fighting the fires in
various drainages in an attempt to
keep them from running and spread-
ing into other areas.
The weather has improved and
firefighters have been able to get
into some areas to fight the fires
that were too dangerous in hotter
and dryer weather.
The Thunderbolt Fire burning
between Cascade and Yellow Pine
in the Boise National Forest was 80
percent contained Wednesday, and
total containment is expected by
Monday.
,►
M
P
AM
To the west of Thunderbolt, the
Cuddy Complex fires, which were
ignited last week during a light-
ning storm, have been held to 420
acres and the firefighters were ex-
pecting to have it fully contained
Wednesday. The cost of that effort
broke $1 million by Wednesday.
Another lightning storm last Sat-
urday ignited 24 more fires in the
Council area, but they were quickly
contained through initial attack.
"In the overall scene, things have
moderated, but we've still got our
guard up," said Gene Benedict, fire
management officer for the Payette
forest.
Firefighters were still hopeful
Wednesday the Corral Fire will not
jump the Salmon River and burn
into the Nez Perce National Forest.
"I think it still has the potential,
but it's not imminent," Benedict
said. "We still have our forces, as
does the Nez Perce, for aggressive
initial attack if any spot fires do
occur. It's our hope we won't have
to deal with that, but I wouldn't
rule it out."
The Corral, Blackwell and
Chicken fires have now burned a
combined 194,000 acres and are 50
percent, 45 percent and 5 percent A slight rain over the weekend
contained, respectively. signaled that fall weather is approach -
In the last week, the three fires ing, but Benedict said it doesn't nec-
essarily mean the end of the fires is
close.
are still threatening some struc- "You could be deluded into think -
tures, t but efforts and no structures continue
ttheir ing we're home free, but we're a long
way from that, Benedict said. "We've imminent are The any Fi e danger. screeping got t see some i ore moisture. We've
had l2 of drought,
toward Loon Lake, the site of a
piece of local history. A World we re not going to modify the effects
of that with 20 /100ths of precipitation
War II vintage bomber crash -lande (the amount of rain that fell last Satur-
there in the 1940s, and the fuselag day)."
still remains. But Benedict is encouraged by the
The fire has not reached the laki weather conditions. He said that in a
but if it does, firefighters are not likel_
to be able to protect the plane becaus typical fall, the days grow shorter,
its location prevents them from get weather fronts are more frequent, the
ting in and out safely, fire informatioj humidity increases and the tempera -
officer Dave Tippet said. ture drops.
As the acreage of the fires mount "Whose things are like little turns
so does the cost of firefighting efforts of dials that tend to de- escalate the
The forest service has now spent $1' level of potential, and I see that hap -
million on the Blackwell Fire, $14., pening," he said.
million on the Corral Fire, and thi He is guardedly optimistic about
$4.45 million on the Chicken Fire. the firefighters' chances of getting
There are approximately 3,201 the upper hand on the fires, but he still
people working on the three bigges recognizes that weatherwill ultimately
fires. The Army battalions from Foti be what puts them out. "I see us deal -
Lewis, Wash. and Fort Hood, Texas ing with fire until we see a very large
finished their tours of duty on Wednes scale wetting storm of a day or two in
dgy, and will be replaced by new duration," Benedict said.
J 111 1 k1N 1 ►i1 " i XN v 1h4L UI
Photo by Tom Grote
.S. Air Force crash truck from Gowen Field in Boise hoses off hundreds of gallons of red fire retardant from the McCall Airport runway 1
i6day after 1,850 gallons of the gooey liquid spilled from an air tanker during take -off. A control box malfunctioned on the DC -4, owned h
DCO of Tucson, Ariz., as pilot Steve Howlan was preparing to take off about 4:25 p.m. last Thursday. The runway was closed for an hour
le the retardant was washed off the pavement, and ARDCO was charged $1,286, which is the value of the dropped retardant. The faulty
trIol box was replaced. The retardant is a fertilizer that contains red dye to make it visible to pilots and to firefighters on the group. The sal
retaAant can corrode the runway, but surrounding grass will not be affected.
Tdatio Sid tC-s2ha14
Fire crews near Warren feel confident
The Associated Press
Fire crews in the Payette Na-
tional Forest remained confi-
dent Friday their lines around
the old mining town of Warren
would hold against the raging
82,000 -acre Chicken Complex
that jumped fire lines a day ear-
lier to race within three miles of
the backcountry community.
That blaze along with the
91,250 -acre Corral Creek Fire
and the 51,140 -acre Blackwell
Complex, all north and east of
the resort community of McCall,
were expected to burn until
snow finally blankets the more
than 1,000 square miles in that
area south of the main Salmon
River.
Fire bosses also had little
hope of reining in the rapidly
spreading Rabbit Creek Fire
that was near to becoming the
nation's largest wildfire of 1994.
That distinction now belongs to
central Washington's Tyee Com-
plex that covered more than
135,000 acres before it was con-
,%P1 (0, i9Y5°
tained late last month.
Manpower and equipment re-
mained at a premium.
Statewide, over 5,000 fire-
fighters were still battling nine
major blazes burning on more
than 400,000 acres.
And another 7,000 were on the
lines of 11 other fires burning in
California, Montana, Oregon
and Utah.
More than 2 million acres of
western timber and range have
burned in the past two months.
Forest Service looks at ways to attack
Smoke inhalation
on the front line
worries fire officials
By Carol Bradley
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — They call
it "the hack" — that telltale
cough that skitters across fire-
fighters' camps at twilight,
clearing lungs of smoke.
The problem is what to do
about it.
After decades of dismissing
smoke inhalation as an unavoid-
able downside to fighting fires,
the U.S. Forest Service is look-
ing at ways to improve respira-
tory conditions on the front
lines.
It's not as easy as it sounds.
On the one hand, a three -year
study just completed by the For -
pocket of fresh air," said Califon
nian Bill Weaver, who fought fires
for 15 years.
,`But every once in a while there
is no pocket of fresh air. You take
a breath of that very thick, acrid
smoke and it's like tearing your
lungs up."
During the Yellowstone fires of
1988 — the last really big fire year
— the Forest Service charted
12,000 respiratory complaints. Of
those, 600 required medical atten-
tion, according to Roger Ottmar,
director of the Health Hazards
project.
Since then experts have consid-
ered various forms of respirators,
with little success.
Wildland firefighters, who fre-
quently must hike miles into the
woods just to get to a blaze, laugh
out loud at the thought of lugging
along the 30 -40 pound self- contain-
ing breathing apparatuses that
structural firefighters don before
entering a burning building.
Some have strapped lightweight
paper filters over their mouths,
which call to mind TV's Dr. Kil-
dare. But the holes in the filters,
designed to screen out particu-
lates, are so small they can make
est Service's Pacific Northwest
Research Station in Seattle
found that fewer than 5 percent
of firefighters battling pre-
scribed blazes — those set inten-
tionally by firefighters — ex-
ceeded the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration's
guidelines for smoke inhalation,
said Brian Sharkey, Missoula,
Mont. -based physiologist and
coordinator of the Forest Ser-
vice's "Health Hazards of
Smoke" project.
OSHA does not monitor condi-
tions at wildland fires. But the
agency says no worker should
inhale an average of more than
35 particulates per million over
an eight -hour period, or 200 par-
ticulates per million at any giv-
en moment. Many firefighters
who inhaled smoke at the test
sites in Washington, California;
Idaho and Montana registered
fewer than 5 particulates per
breathing impossible, especially
when swinging a Pulaski fire tool
in 100 -plus degree heat.
With the help of the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory,
the California Department of For-
estry tried another approach. Last
summer the agency outfitted 60
firefighters in San Bernardino
County and a half dozen other
sites with futuristic- looking masks
that covered a firefighter's mouth,
sported filtering canisters on each
cheek and had bubble -like shields
to protect the eyes.
The masks work fine for the
people they were intended for: em-
ployees who must escape a build-
ing in the event of a toxic spill,
the department concluded. For fir-
efighters, "It didn't work," said
Weaver, who now serves as the
department's deputy chief of state -
/federal cooperative fire division.
Participants found themselves
breathing up to five times faster
than the filters could exchange
-air, Weaver said. The act of exhal-
ing "was actually lifting the face
masks up off their faces."
Even if they could make the
holes bigger and the devices
lighter, researchers have discov-
ered, no mask in existence can
screen out every gas and poison
found in smoke. And if the federal
government ever starts issuing
`the hack'
million, Sharkey said.
On the other hand, anyone
who has fought a forest or brush
fire can attest to the incapaci-
tating effect of encountering a
fateful of smoke.
"If you're fortunate, you can
hold your breath and wait for a
respirators to firefighters, OSHA
will require full monitoring and
surveillance — the costs of which
would be significant, Sharkey
said.
Part of what the Forest Service
must decide is if it's worth it.
The non -profit National Fire
Protection Association, looking to
overhaul fire standards several
years ago, "backed completely
away" from the respiratory issue
where wildland firefighters are
concerned, said Bill Baden, the
association's senior fire service
specialist. The reason: "Experts
couldn't agree on what the prob-
lem was or how elements in smoke
should be filtered."
At the University of Washing-
ton, lung- function tests being con-
ducted on some of the prescribed -
fire participants hint at similar
findings: that decreases in lung
function, while statistically signif-
icant, were actually quite small
over the course of a season, said
Tim Reinhardt of Radian, an Aus-
tin, Texas -based engineering con-
sulting firm hired by the Forest
Service to help study the problem.
"It's very easy for somebody to
say, `Let's give them a respirator,
a medical exam, and do fancy
monitoring in the field,'" Sharkey
said. "If we did that it could easily
add up $10 million -$15 million.
4> ta. 1) • S',2 p To m b a-1 1 :2 1 1 Mc fit° --
Maybe that's small change for the
Defense Department, but we don't
like to throw money away unless
there's a good reason for it."
Part of the problem is that no-
body has kept track of firefighters'
respiratory history, where long --
term problems likely would show
up. But even firefighters victim-'
ized by the smoke wonder if their '
predicament merits the fuss.
Dave Hill, an engine captain
from outside Fresno, Calif., admits
that simple tasks are difficult to
perform when he has inhaled
smoke for an extended period.'
But, "I've never experienced any,
long -term effects," he said. "If.
you're exposed to heavy -duty-
smoke for a long time, you can get
carbon monoxide poisoning, but
that's in heavy -duty smoke for a
long time."
Even without respirators, there
are ways to ameliorate the prob-
lem, experts say. Pre- wetting fuels
downwind of a fire can curtail
smoke.
Waiting until fuel moisture is
high and winds are light before
setting a prescribed burn can also
minimize smoke.
Simply getting enough rest also
makes a big difference, Sharkey
said. Sheer fatigue can lower fire-
fighters' immunity and give them
a cough.
Idaho firefighters
It's hard to tell for sure how
many of the 5,294 firefighters
working on Idaho's blazes have
experienced health problems
as a result of the smoke. Thirty
firefighters in Idaho City were
sent home with strep throat re-
cently, and two cases were
confirmed in the Payette Na-
tional Forest near McCall.
And there have been several
reports of firefighters afflicted
with bronchitis, said Dottie Por-
ter, a fire information officer
with the National Interagency
Fire Center in Boise.
"It's a general problem with
a lot of firefighters," said David
Tippets, a fire information offi-
cer who is working on fires in
the Payette forest. "You go to a
fire camp and you see a lot of
symptoms of colds and a lot of
coughing."
tlo,V Ida 11 e % Advoci -te
qep7lef, Iggv
Rehabilitation experts see little need
for formal rehab of Blackwell burn
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
MCCALL — No rehabilitation efforts will be
necessary for areas burned in the Blackwell Fire, a
group of rehabilitation experts from the Forest Service
said on Friday.
A group of agency biologists, hydrologists, and
botanists toured the western flank of the Blackwell
Fire Friday to evaluate what, if any, rehabilitative
measures should be taken to restore the area.
Taken into consideration are the potential effects
to life and property as a result of fire, as well as the
fire's effect on soil and water resources.
The outlook for the areas burned in the Blackwell
Fire, particularly near Fall Creek, is positive accord-
ing to Randy Zuniga, team leader of the rehabilita-
tion group.
Zuniga said he predicts a good recovery for the
Blackwell area, and that evidence of regrowth could
be apparent as early as this fall.
"By next summer, this will be a carpet of green,"
Zuniga said.
In fact, rejuvenation is already detectable. Amid
the grey ash dulling the ground and blackened trees,
specks of new green growth could be seen. Patches
of bear grass and new starts of currant bushes have
already begun to grow out of the ash.
Alma Hanson, a botanist for the Payette National
Forest, believes that vegetation will be back to an
acceptable level in only two to three years.
"There is a lot of potential for regrowth in this
area, " Hanson said.
An acceptable level of vegetation is described as
one at which the vegetation helps to control erosion
of the soil.
Fall Creek is a particular area of focus for the
rehabilitation crew, since the creek flows down-
stream into Payette Lake. Forest Service hydrolo-
gist Greg Lesch, whose primary interest is in water-
shed resources, said that the fire created no poten-
tial danger to the health and quality of the water.
According to Lesch, the ash from the fire will
actually add more nutrients to the water, and to the
lake.
Lesch also pointed out, however, that this area
was the least of their concerns in the Blackwell com-
plex.
By next week, the group hopes to have complet-
ed an interim report on the burned areas.
A forest service rehabilitation crew looks at Fall Creek and the aftermath of the Blackwell Fire.
Chamberlain basin closures are in of ct
Kim Pearson
.)IM,
N,liiiiu
over the p&�l wl"-41 C,!", wu;d gn,,ts
LON61-111illg dry Weather.
The Chicken Fire burned 14,000 new acres last Thot-s(111Y.
on ihe southeastern and western sides, resulting, in the
expansion of area closures and restricted ti,;e for the Cliambei
Airfield.
Fire officials increased area clOSLII-es to the SOLIth and east 01'
the Chicken Fire in order to include new hazardous areas creat-
ed by the lire's expansion. The closure area now include,, the
land north of Yellow Pine and west of Big Creek.
On Saturday, Payette National Forest Supervisor Dave
Alexander announced a special order to insure public safety at
the Chamberlain Airfield. Camping within one mile of the air-
field is now prohibited, as well as parking an aircraft on the air-
field for more than 12 hours,
According to a Payette news release, Chamberlain Airfield
is in the direct path of the 92,000-acre Chicken Fire, which was
reported to be only 1.5 miles away from die girl geld as ol'Monday.
Heavy smoke from the fires has limited visibility arid made 11_
ing in the area hazardous.
Wind gusts Of .30 miles per hour Pushed the Chicken Fire
across the dozer line south of Warren Summit, resulting in sev-
eral new spot fires east of the summit in the Pony Meadows area.
Crews built a new dozer line between Warren Summit and
the town of Warren to cut off theslop-overs fi-orn 'rhorWay.
Structure protection was in place as ol'Monday for Warren and
ranches along the South Fork of the Salmon Rover, Elk Creek
Road, anti the Big Creek area.
Crews have been working hard to build more than 12 miles
of reline in the area. Fire activity has been more subdued recent-
ly because ol'higher humidities, cooler temperatures, and cloud
cover during the burning period.
The Blackwell File gained more than 2,000 acres since fast
Wednesday, with the fire burning niost actively in the Storm
peak area. Firefighters have been prepared to protect structures
in Bergdorf and Secesh Meadows if the fire spreads it) those
areas. As of Monday, Blackwell was more than 53,000 acres in
size.
On Saturday, Victor Creek and the Ruby Mountain area
received holit rain late in the afternoon, however, the fire haz-
ard will not he reduced until heavier precipitation occurs,
Lick Creek Road was reopened on Monday due to a decrease
of fire movement over the weekenLL Fire officials predict that
similar fire behavior will continue, but also feel that some pelime-
ter growth may still be possible.
§tructure protection was the priority last week, on the Corral
Fire due to the fire's growth. The fire made a run on the Marshall
Mining area, however, lower temperitures and higher humidi-
ties kept tire behavior to o minimum over the weekend.
The Corral Fire was estimated to be more than 94.800 acres
as ol'Monday.
On Saturday,' management of the Cornii and Blackweil fires
were combined, even though the two fires have not burned togeth-
er. All regular military crews working on the tmo fires left on
Tuesday, but Idaho National Guard personnel remained on the
fire.
i,on vAliev 11tJvoc-aie-
3c.�
Fire crews on the Corral and Blackwell fires have HOW turned
their efforts toward,, he;iv N, rchthilitation in those areas.
The Cuddy Complex was put to rest on Friday', \kill] all fires
being contained and rehabilitation completed. 'three crews will
remain to monitor the burned area, while the overhead crew and
other fire crews and resources move to the Chicken Fire.
All area closures surrounding, the Cuddy Complex were
reopened on Saturday, and tire officials are asking that people
going into the Cuddy MoUnlaill area not iise the rehabilitated
tirelines for trails.
On the Thunderbolt Fire front, lire activity has increased
because of high, erratic winds over the last week. However, most
of the fire activity has Occurred within the fire perimeter.
Fire crews on Saturday were pulledoff of the line on the west
flank and moved to safety zones due to high winds increasing,
the danger of falling snags.
Torching and spotting occurred in the area of'Fom-mile and
`sister creeks. On the northeastern hank, !orchiug and intense
tire activity occurred on the west ride of 3t.ri3nson ('reek above
IN- Ri"11ch.
According to a news release, the fire is moving [101111 thrOL1011
heavy fuels on steep, roadless terrain.
Structure and powerline protection remain top priorities For
Fire crews. The Wapiti and Cox rm0ies are currently bern p
well (-,
tected by fire crews. as ell as powcrlincs to Yellow Pine.
Johnson Creek Road is now open, but drivel" should u�c
caution and watch For rolling rocks, Snags, and increased Iml
fic, Delays or escorts may be encountered if sA*..warrmts.
Chicken Fire burns over a ridge to the northwest of Warren this
oast week. (USFS photo)
b e T lS,
"WO by KOger vnnups
Photo: Members of a fire
rehabilitation team walk through
a burned -out area on the
Blackwell Fire near Payette Lake.
From left are Rodney Jorgensen,
Christie Kalkowski, Alma
Hanson and Lee Jacobsen.
S %A V /Vn K/ 9 Se-P -re, Mb Q:r 1r,, /9yj, - pa 9e �,
Teams evaluate the long
term damage from fires
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Before the flames are snuffed and the last
firefighters have left the forest, teams are al-
ready removing the signs humans left on the
landscape and ensuring that nature has the
opportunity to heal itself.
A Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation
(BAER) team has been monitoring the
Blackwell Fire near McCall to ensure there
was no damage that could pose immediate
dangers after the fire is out.
"We look at potential effects to life and
property that may come about because of the
fire," said Randy Zuniga, a hydrologist for the
Payette National Forest.
The team is also concerned with the soils
and watersheds and their ability to recover in
the aftermath of the fire.
The team flies over and surveys the severity
of the burned areas.
In cases where there is light burning, the
fire may only burn the underbrush and some of
the dead matter on the forest floor. In those
cases, the forest is likely to quickly recover.
In areas of moderate burning, 50 to 100
percent of the forest canopy is scorched, but
the ground remains covered with matter and
the soil retains most of its nutrients, allowing
the regrowth of plants and young trees.
The hand lines dug by crews and
the larger firelines dug by heavy equip-
ment also poses an erosion hazard, as
well as a disruption of the natural
forest.
Once a line is dug, teams place
water bars along them to reduce the
chances of erosion in case there is rain
runoff.
After the fire has completely
burned through the area and the lines
are no longer needed, the crews work
to rehabilitate the areas so they can
grow back naturally.
"It's pretty important to put things
back close to natural," said Jim
Fitzgerald, a resource advisor from
the McCall and New Meadows dis-
tricts of the Payette.
The crews go back in and replace
the "duff," the natural carpet of veg-
etation on the forest floor, and place
slash over most of the fire line.
The duff acts as a natural mulch
and retains the native plant seeds that
will grow on the turned soil. The slash
covering holds the duff to the trail and
"If we decide there is a hazard,
we have to decide if there is
something we can do before the
first snow. "
— Randy Zuniga, Payette National Forest
In areas of intense burning, the ground is
burned of all matter, the soil is scorched down
several inches, and it loses its ability to retain
water.
This situation presents a serious erosion
and water quality hazard, and teams will often
take measures to lessen the likelihood of its
effects.
"If we decide there is a hazard, we have to
decide if there is something we can do before
the first snow," Zuniga said.
On the Blackwell Fire, the BAER team has
found no large areas of severe burning. The
forest floor is becoming covered with downed
tree trunks, dead pine needles and new plant
growth.
The dead matter and new plants will help
stabilize the soils, retain water and provide
nutrients for further plant growth.
helps retain the natural appearance of
the forest.
The rehabilitation efforts are not
limited to the fire lines.
Teams also go in to main and spike
camp areas, helipads, and streams to
ensure there has been no damage to
them.
The rehabilitation work on the
Blackwell and Corral fires are essen-
tially completed in all the areas where
it was safe for the teams to return and
work.
"Things are coming along pretty
quickly," Fitzgerald said. He credited
the military units called in to help
with the effort for the speedy job
rehabilitating the firelines.
"The Army really helped us kick
butt on rehab efforts, so we're in good
shape now," Fitzgerald said.
If the teams do not complete all the
rehabilitation work before it snows,
they could return in the spring if it is
necessary, but Fitzgerald did not think
that is likely to occur.
"One of our biggest concerns is to
get back up there while we can," he
But the large amounts of ash on the forest
floor will still wash down during spring run-
off, or if heavy rains hit prior to the snow.
"All that ash is going to come off in the first
rain. You can't do anything about that," said
Greg Lesch, a forest service hydrologist from
Council.
The forest stands a good chance of recover-
ing without suffering from the most adverse
effects of fire.
However, the scientists pointed out that it
will not immediately return to its former self.
Much of the subalpine fir and spruce died.
Since it took up to 300 years for those trees to
attain maturity, the forest will be a young,
regenerating ecosystem rather than the "cli-
max forest," which is composed largely of
mature trees.
After an extensive survey of the Blackwell
Fire, from the ground as well as from the air,
the team is optimistic about the chances of the
forest bouncing back naturally.
"The group thought is it will recover very,
well on its own without help from the forest
service," Zuniga said.
And in other areas of the forest, teams that
sweated and strained to dig firelines to contain
the fires are returning to obliterate their earlier
work.
said.
While it may seem economically
foolish to send people in to undo the
work completed just weeks previ-
ously, Fitzgerald said that the reha-
bilitation work is in relation to the
total cost of the fire suppression activ-
ity.
"Comparative to everything else.
it's pretty small potatoes. It's in the
one to two percent range of the total
suppression costs," he said.
Part of the reason for that is the fire
command teams are conscious of en-
vironmental impacts from the very
start of the fires.
"I think there's been a real shift in
the mentality of fighting fires,"
Fitzgerald said.
Resource managers are on hand to
lend their expertise and ensure the
suppression is done in a way that
minimizes effects on the environment
and protects critical resources, such
as endangered species habitat.
That helps to reduce the efforts
needed to rehabilitate the area once
the firefighting has concluded.
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Air tanker leaves red mess
on McCall runway
MCCALL —Those involved in the lire lighting effort at the
McCall Smokejumper Base were literally seeing red last Thursday
when 1,850 gallons of red fire retardant spilled on the runway
causing it to be shut down for an hour so the mess could be mopped
up.
Air tanker pilot Steve Howlan was preparing for take -off at
4:25 p.m. last Thursday when the control box in the DC -4 he was
piloting malfunctioned and spilled retardant all over the runway.
The fire retardant, called phos -cheek D75F,'is a Monsanto -
brand fertilizer compromised of ammonium sulfate and diammo-
nium phosphate. It contains a red dye that makes the retardant
drop visible both to the pilot and to firefighters on the ground.
According to a Payette National Forest news release, the retar-
dant also contains salt, which is corrosive to the pavement, so
airport and tanker base personnel had to close the runway to wash
the retardant off of the pavement.
Forest officials said that the surrounding grass should not be
affected by the spill.
The Tucson -based company ARDCO, which supplies the
Forest Service with three contract air tankers, will be charged
$1,286 - the cost of the dropped retardant load.
Fallowing the clean -up the air tanker's malfunctioning con-
trol box was removed and replaced with a new control box, accord -
ing to a news release.
���� m a r " / Y A W S - 9 ��i s �� ����
M i l i t a r y e n d s w o r k o n P a y e t t e f i r e s -
B Y R O G E R P H I L L I P S
T h e S t a r - N e w s
T h e y c a m e , t h e y s a w , t h e y f o u g h t f i r e s , a n d
n o w t h e y ' v e t r a d e d t h e i r y e l l o w N o m e x s h i r t s
f o r c a m o u f l a g e a n d g o n e h o m e .
T h e m i l i t a r y u n i t s a s s i g n e d t o t h e B l a c k w e l l
a n d C o r r a l f i r e s n e a r M c C a l l m u s t e r e d f o r a
f a r e w e l l c e r e m o n y T u e s d a y a t t h e B l a c k w e l l -
C o r r a l c a m p b e f o r e r e t u r n i n g t o F o r t R i l e y ,
K a n s .
" I f e e l t h a t t h e y h a v e a c c o m p l i s h e d a l o t , "
s a i d S g t . M a j . H a r o l d R i v e r a - A y a l a . " T h e y ' r e
p r o u d o f w h a t t h e y h a v e d o n e f o r t h e i r c o u n t r y .
I t h i n k t h e y w a n t t o d o m o r e , b u t w i t h t h e
m i s s i o n w i n d i n g d o w n , t h e y r e a l i z e t h e y m u s t
g o h o m e t o d o w h a t t h e y a r e t r a i n e d t o d o
s o l d i e r i n g . "
W i t h h i g h e r - l e v e l c i v i l i a n f i r e f i g h t e r s c o n -
c e n t r a t i n g t h e i r e f f o r t s o n t h e p o r t i o n s o f t h e
f o r e s t t h a t a r e s t i l l b u r n i n g , t h e m i l i t a r y h a d
b e e n r e l e g a t e d t o l o w e r l e v e l d u t i e s , w h i c h
i n c l u d e s c o n t a i n m e n t a n d m o p - u p t a s k s , a c -
c o r d i n g t o f i r e i n f o r m a t i o n o f f i c e r H e i d i B i g l e r
C o l e .
A r n o l d H a r t i g a n o f t h e N a t i o n a l I n t e r a g e n c y
F i r e C e n t e r i n B o i s e s a i d t h e f i r e s n e a r M c C a l l
a r e n o w s u f f i c i e n t l y c o n t a i n e d f o r t h e c i v i l i a n
f i r e f i g h t e r s t o t a k e o v e r f o r t h e m i l i t a r y u n i t s .
" F o r t h e a r e a s t h e y w e r e a s s i g n e d t o , t h e y
f e l l i n t o t h e s y s t e m v e r y s m o o t h l y a n d g o t
b e t t e r e v e r y d a y , " H a r t i g a n s a i d .
H e a d d e d t h a t t h e m i l i t a r y ' s c o m m a n d a n d
c o n t r o l s t r u c t u r e a n d t h e p h y s i c a l f i t n e s s o f t h e
t r o o p s m a d e t h e m i n v a l u a b l e h u m a n r e s o u r c e s .
H e s a i d t h e y w e r e a n " a c e i n t h e h o l e " w h e n t h e
p o o l o f c i v i l i a n f i r e f i g h t e r s w a s u s e d u p .
" W e a r e v e r y a p p r e c i a t i v e o f e v e r y t h i n g t h e
m i l i t a r y h a s d o n e t o h e l p u s c o n t r o l t h e f i r e , "
H a r t i g a n s a i d .
T h e l o s s o f t h e m i l i t a r y c r e w s a n d n u m e r -
o u s o t h e r c r e w s f i g h t i n g t h e B l a c k w e l l a n d
C o ����[ [ ' a I f i r e s h a s d r o p p e d t o t a l m a n p o w e r o n
t h e l f i r e s b y a l m o s t t w o - t h i r d s . T h e o v e r a l l
n u m b e r o f f i r e f i g h t e r s n o w a s s i g n e d t o t h e t w o
f i r e s i s 7 2 1 , d o w n f r o m m o r e t h a n 2 , 0 0 0 a
w e e k a g o .
P a r t o f t h e r e a s o n f o r t h e r e d u c t i o n i s t h e
l o s s o f t h e m i l i t a r y p e r s o n n e l a n d t h e c o n s o l i -
d a t i o n o f t h e t w o c a m p s , w h i c h r e l e a s e d m a n y
o f t h e s u p p o r t p e o p l e f r o m t h e C o r r a l C a m p .
M e a n w h i l e , t h e f i r e s h a v e t a k e n
t h e i r t y p i c a l r o l l e r c o a s t e r r i d e d u r -
i n g t h e p a s t w e e k , b u r n i n g h o t a n d
f i e r c e w h e n c o n d i t i o n s a l l o w , a n d
s e t t l i n g d o w n a n d g o i n g a l m o s t d o r -
m a n t w h e n t h e w e a t h e r g e t s c o o l
a n d h u m i d i t y i n c r e a s e s .
A s o f W e d n e s d a y , t h e C h i c k e n
F i r e s t o o d a t 9 1 , 9 2 5 a c r e s , t h e C o r -
r a l F i r e c o v e r e d 9 4 , 9 1 5 a c r e s a n d
t h e B l a c k w e l l F i r e h a d b u r n e d
t h r o u g h 5 3 , 4 8 5 a c r e s .
A c c o r d i n g t o I n c i d e n t C o m -
m a n d e r M i k e M o n a h a n f r o m O g d e n ,
U t a h , f a l l w e a t h e r i s a l l o w i n g f i r e -
f i g h t e r s t o g o i n t o a r e a s t h a t w e r e
e a r l i e r u n s a f e a n d b u i l d f i r e l i n e s t o
p r e v e n t t h e f i r e f r o m e n t e r i n g i n t o
k e y a r e a s . B u t t h e l o n g - r a n g e f o r e -
c a s t i s f o r m o r e h o t a n d d r y w e a t h e r .
M o n a h a n s a i d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e r e
h a s b e e n a r e d u c t i o n i n p e r s o n n e l , i t
d o e s n ' t m e a n t h e f i r e a c t i v i t y i s o v e r .
" W i t h t h e l o n g - t e r m f o r e c a s t ,
p e o p l e s h o u l d n ' t b e f o o l e d b e c a u s e
i t c o u l d p i c k r i g h t u p a g a i n , " h e
s a i d .
M o n a h a n s a i d t h e r e d u c t i o n i n
p e r s o n n e l w i l l n o t h a m p e r t h e f i r e
s u p p r e s s i o n e f f o r t s . A n d t h e n e w
T y p e I t e a m t h a t i s t a k i n g o v e r t o d a y
w i l l s t i l l h a v e e n o u g h r e s o u r c e s t o
c o n t i n u e f i g h t i n g t h e f i r e s . F i r e f i g h t -
e r s a r e s t i l l p r o t e c t i n g a l l s t r u c t u r e s
t h a t a r e e n d a n g e r e d a n d t h e c r e w s
w i l l s t i l l a c t i v e l y e n g a g e t h e f i r e s
w h e n i t i s s a f e t o d o s o .
" W e a r e l e a v i n g e n o u g h p e r s o n -
n e l a n d a i r c r a f t f o r t h e n e x t t e a m t o
m e e t t h e i r o b j e c t i v e s , " h e s a i d .
T h e c r e w s h a v e w r a p p e d u p m u c h
o f t h e r e h a b i l i t a t i o n f r o m t h e f i r e
s u p p r e s s i o n a c t i v i t i e s , a n d n o w
m a n y c r e w s a r e b e i n g d e m o b i l i z e d
b e c a u s e k e e p i n g t h e m a r o u n d t o
f i g h t t h e f i r e s i s n o l o n g e r c o s t e f -
f e c t i v e .
" I t ' s f a r f r o m o v e r , b u t y o u r e a c h
a p o i n t w h e r e y o u c a n s p e n d m i l -
l i o n s m o r e d o l l a r s , b u t t h e n e t e f f e c t
w o u l d n ' t b e a n y d i f f e r e n t , " h e s a i d .
W i t h t h e f i r e b u r n i n g f a r a w a y
f r o m m a n y c l o s e d a r e a s , a n d r e h a -
b i l i t a t i o n w o r k c o m p l e t e d , t h e F o r -
e s t S e r v i c e h a s r e l a x e d s o m e o f t h e
f o r e s t c l o s u r e s .
T h e c l o s e d a r e a s h a v e b e e n
c h a n g e d s o t h a t m u c h o f t h e s o u t h -
e r n a r e a s o f t h e t w o f i r e s a r e n o w
o p e n . T h e r o a d i n t o Y e l l o w P i n e i s
o p e n , a s i s t h e L i c k C r e e k R o a d t o
t h e c o n f l u e n c e o f t h e S e c e s h a n d
S o u t h F o r k o f t h e S a l m o n r i v e r s .
L i m i t s o n t h e p u b l i c a t
C h a m b l e r l a i n A i r f i e l d i n t h e F r a n k
C h u r c h R i v e r o f N o R e t u r n W i l d e r -
n e s s A r e a w e r e o r d e r e d l a s t w e e k -
e n d b e c a u s e o f p o t e n t i a l t h r e a t s f r o m
t h e C h i c k e n F i r e .
C a m p i n g w i t h i n o n e m i l e o f t h e
a i r f i e l d o r p a r k i n g a n a i r c r a f t o n t h e
a i r f i e l d f o r m o r e t h a n 1 2 h o u r s i s
p r o h i b i t e d .
T h e C h i c k e n F i r e w a s w i t h i n 1 -
1 / 2 m i l e s o f t h e a i r f i e l d e a r l i e r t h i s
w e e k , a n d h e a v y s m o k e f r o m t h e
f i r e s i s l i m i t i n g v i s i b i l i t y .
E S. officer to take ho
Sam Dunn, a forest service law enforcement officer
from South Carolina, spends a little time getting
acquainted with "McCall," an orphaned dog he re-
cently adopted while on assignment at the McCall
Smokejumper base. McCall city code enforcement
mea friend Photo by Shari HamWeton
officer Kenny Francis, shown at rear, met Dunn while
looking for McCall's owners. Dunn said he plans to give
the dog to his 19- month -old grandson, Brenton, when
he. returns home. Dunn was on assignment providing
security on the large forest fires burning near McCall.
S T&Tjo.S )n c� )I - Sip ro art bOX i9, 19?, f
Weather
will fan
flames of
Idaho firua
Higher temperatures
could keep blazes
burning into October
By Kim Eckart
The Idaho Statesman
This week's, warmer weather
is expected to fire up the sim-
mering Southwest Idaho blazes
once again.
Now totaling more than
416,000 acres, the wildfires in
the Boise and Payette National.
forests probably will continue to
burn into October, thanks to a
returning spell of summery tem-
peratures.
"The cooler temperatures
were a boon to firefighters last
week," said Christie Kalkowski,
fire information officer for the
Payette National Forest. "But
we do expect some of the dor-
mant areas on the fires to be-
come active again after the
weather reprieve."
Temperatures climbed only
into the 60s and lower 70s last
week near McCall, where three
fires have burned for more than
a month: the Corral Fire, now at
95,015 acres; the Blackwell Fire,
at 53,500 acres; and the Chicken
Complex, estimated at 92,075
acres. The cooler weather and
higher humidity helped raise
moisture in the trees last week,
which slowed down the fires. All
three blazes are 50 percent con-
tained, Kalkowski said, but fire
bosses still don't expect to put
the fires out before the first
snowfall.
Fire /From 1A
And no one knows when that
will be.
National Weather Service
forecaster Joel Tannenholz said
Sunday that above - normal tem-
peratures, combined with below
normal precipitation, are ex-
pected over the next month.
This week will kick off the
weather pattern, with tempera-
tures in the 80s and 90s — but
no precipitation.
That ridge of warmer weather
is expected to last the rest of the
month, Tannenholz said.
That's not exactly welcome
news for firefighters on the Ida-
ho City Complex, where daily .
high temperatures generally
hover near those in Boise.
Nearly 0.3 of an inch of rain
fell last week at Idaho City,
amid temperatures in the low
70s, giving fire crews a chance
to make progress building fire
lines.
But with an eye toward this
week's sunny skies, helicopters
on Sunday increased their water
drops on the 146,400 -acre Rabbit
Creek Fire.
"The weather is a major fac-
tor. This week, it will create a
little more difficulty," said
Mary Hale, fire information offi-
cer for the Boise National For-
est. "The cooler temperatures
gave the firefighters an opportu-
nity to gain some ground and
headway. They needed that."
Fire bosses still haven't pro-
jected a containment date for
the Rabbit Creek blaze, now the
largest fire in the state.
The 21,000 -acre Thunderbolt
Fire, however, is expected to be
contained this week.
An evacuation order remains
in effect for summer -home rest
dents in the Grandjean and Wa-
piti areas northeast of Lowman,
although the Rabbit Creek blaze
hasn't advanced toward the area
since last week, when about two
dozen residents were asked to
leave.
1ptjI Vd 11 e vo(!,a.-fp�S -Q r1 a1,/gq-
Formerly owned by Donald Trump, this twin rotor helicopter has been in use locally in the bat-
tle against the Thunderbolt fire. It is presently owned by Columbia Helicopters of Oregon.
Thunderbolt fire
helicopter once carried
the Donald and Ivana
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
CASCADE — It used to whisk the Donald and Ivana to far
off and exciting places, now it's a firefighter's dream. The huge,
black, double - propeller helicopter was purchased from Donald
Trump during his "financial difficulties" by Columbia Helicopters
about three years ago for an undisclosed price. Since then, the
wet bar has been taken out and it has been converted to drop
water and fire retardant.
Jerry Koschmick, who has piloted the machine since July,
estimated that it was worth $14 million. However, the high cost
of the well -known machine does not intimidate him.
"It's just another helicopter," Koschmick said.
Just another helicopter? This chopper has the strength to haul
a 2,000 gallon bucket for water and fire retardant drops.
For about the last week, the helicopter has been combatting
the Thunderbolt Mountain Fire by making mostly 1,000 to 1,500
gallon fire retardant drops.
According to Koschmick, the high altitude at which they've
been working makes it difficult to fill the drop bucket to capac-
ity.
The helicopter goes out on two to three hour shifts, twice
each day, picking up retardant near the Wapiti Ranch and mak-
ing 70 to 80 drops per day.
One thing remains a mystery, however. The cost of running
a $14 million - dollar aircraft each day.
"It's probably one of the best kept secrets at Columbia
Helicopters," Koschmick said.
He said he does not know how much longer the helicopter
will be used on the fire, since a containment date has been set.
Before landing in Cascade to help out with the Thunderbolt
Fire, the helicopter was working in Joseph, Ore., on the Twin
Lakes Fire.
Ldh9 vd- ll- e�A4- VO6a.- .e.S ,epT;Ll,1gIq
Warmer temperatures, lower humidity
keep the home fires burning
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
Firefighters throughout Valley
County are still hoping for rain as
the active fire season is now enter-
ing into the fall season.
The latest warming trend and
lower humidities have increased
fire behavior in the Corral,
Blackwell, and Chicken fires.
Luckily, the cooler weather we
experienced last week calmed the
fires long enough for firefighters
to continue making progress on
the firelines.
Payette Forest Supervisor Dave
Alexander lifted a portion of the
large area closure on that forest
last Thursday, moving the west-
ern boundary east to allow access
to Goose Lake Road and Hazard
Lake Campground. The southern
boundary of the closure was moved
north to Lick Creek Road and is
now open for travel to Yellow
Pine.
The 149,055 -acre Corral and
Blackwell Complexes picked up
in fire activity on Sunday, with
most of the activity occurring along
the northeast perimeter of both
fires.
Scattered single and multiple
tree torching in dead standing
spruce, with short crowning runs
were observed throughout the inte-
rior of the fires. Similar fine behav-
ior is expected through the week.
Forest officials expect that areas
that have been dormant for the last
week may pick back up again, due
to the recent warming trend and
low humidities. Although rugged
terrain and heavy, dry fuels are a
major problem, firefighters have
built over 107 miles of fireline.
According to Forest Fire
Management Officer, Gene
Benedict, the fires are made up of
hundreds of spot fires. Many spot
fires are burning around Loon
Lake. Currently, eight crews, 15
engines, 11 helicopters and 518
personnel are battling the
Corral/Blackwell fires. Officials
report the fires to be 52 percent
contained, however, no contain-
ment date has been set.
The 93,245 -acre Chicken
Complex Fire was reported to be
52 percent contained as of Tuesday.
The fire spread actively on Monday
by torching and spotting, primar-
ily at lower elevations in Willey
Creek and on the southeast corner
of the fire. Forest officials predict
similar activity for Tuesday and
Wednesday.
According to a Payette news
release, fire crews moved to the
south end Monday to improve han-
dlines on both sides of the South
Fork Salmon River, while progress
continues to be made on the north-
west flank near Smith Knob.
The Chicken Complex, with
553 personnel, 15 engines, 12
crews, and seven helicopters, is
slowly demobilizing crews and
engines.
On Tuesday morning, Boise
National Forest officials lifted the
evacuation order for Grandjean
and the Wapiti summer home area,
completing heavy mopup of the
area.
Residents were evacuated on
Sept. 9, when the fire threatened
the remote fire location. According
to Incident Commander John
Maupin, it is now safe for resi-
dents to return. However, officials
stress that the areas are open to
residents only, and that fire secu-
rity will be checking vehicles as
they enter to enforce limited access.
More than half of the Sawtooth
Wilderness remains temporarily
closed to entry. The western por-
tion of the Wilderness was closed
on Sept. 3 after the Rabbit Creek
Fire burned into the area.
Meanwhile, Johnson Creek
Road between Landmark and
Yellow Pine is open although dri-
vers may encounter short delays
in travel.
The Thunderbolt Mountain
Fire, now over 21,000 acres,
remained very active over the
weekend. Boise Forest officials
report that extensive helicopter
bucket drops were being used to
cool numerous hot spots in steep,
rugged terrain.
Fire crews have begun reha-
bilitation on some of the fireline.
Cloud cover has been keeping
temperatures below what was
expected, which has moderated
fire behavior, aiding firefighters
in their efforts.
On Monday, firefighters began
mopup activities as well as reha-
bilitation of firelines. Officials
report that the Thunderbolt Fire
is 70 percent contained, with the
estimated containment date being
Oct. 1. Seven federal agencies,
the Department of Defense, and
eighteen states are cooperating in
fighting that fire.
A member of the Black Mountain hotshot crew observes a burnout
that was done last week at Upper Circle End Creek.
s 7'&l Nk ws - .S'e- P T. �_i l (Tl �
Forest service retirees strap on
the gold watch and get to work
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Not all retirees in McCall spent
their summer on the golf links or
boating on the lake. Many helped
fight the fires on the Payette Na-
tional Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service regu-
larly hires its retired personnel to
help with the firefighting efforts.
This year, Forest Service retirees
were out in force helping the full -
time employees and lending the
expertise they derived from their
decades of working on the forest.
"They are already trained, they
know where to go, and they know
how to operate. They are a wel-
come sight," personnel officer
Brenda Cory said.
The retirees are often able to
provide information to firefighters
brought in from other areas.
"I have the local knowledge,
and it helps the teams do a better
job," said George Rinehart, a re-
tired fire behavior specialist from
McCall who spent several weeks
fighting the fires on the Payette
forest.
Rinehart has 43 years
firefighting experience, and since
retiring from his full -time position
in 1986, he has worked on 20 fires.
"I kind of pick up where I left off,"
he said.
Rinehart and many otherformer
firefighters keep their ties with the
firefighting community. "We keep
in touch with the people currently
working, and when they need
someone, they call," he said.
Rinehart's job as a fire behav-
ior analyst is crucial to the
firefighting efforts, and his exper-
tise in local terrain and conditions
helps others perform their jobs
safely and effectively.
"That many years in fire
control, you don't just
toss it aside and forget
it, " he said. "When you
get the major stuff
going, anyone who's
able should step in and
help out. "
-Jim Butler, retired Payette
dispatcher
"It's a reasonably complicated
skill," he said. "I enjoy the wild-
fire business. In a lot of cases, you
get a sense of accomplishment
when you get on afire and put it
out."
Ed Allen, a former fire man-
agement officer from McCall,
"retired" last spring, but when the
fires took off, he was back in the
business again.
He spent three weeks filling in
for other fire management offic-
ers, and then worked another three
weeks assisting in the protection
of structures in the Chamberlain
Basin area.
Allen was one of several retir-
ees who were under the forest
service's "buy out" plan, where
employees were paid a lump sum
in order to trim the agency's work
force.
Technically, those under the buy-
out agreement could not return to
work for the federal government for
at least five years, but because of the
extreme fire season, .many retirees
were granted waivers since they pos-
sess "unique firefighting skills and
qualifications."
Allen said that after 28 sum-
mers fighting fires, he was looking
forward to taking a summer off,
but when the call came, he re-
sponded.
"It was fun. I had a good time,
but it wasn't something I planned,"
he said. "The one nice thing is it's
not a long -term commitment."
After his work on the fires was
completed, he said he was looking
forward to getting back into the
retirement mode.
"Right now, I'd kind of like to
have some time off from fires,"
Allen said. "I'm happy to do it, but
not anxious to do it year after year."
Jim Butler, a retired Payette
dispatcher who now lives in
Weiser, returned to the Payette for
seven weeks to help the
firefighters.
After a 30 -year career as a dis-
patcher, Butler returned for the
fifth time in his ten -year retire-
ment.
He said the transition back into
the fast -paced job of dispatching
is still easy for him.
"I've done it so many years, it's
like riding a bicycle, you never
forget," he said. "Once you get
back in the flow of things, it's like
you've always been there."
Butler said he returns to help
fight fires out of a sense of duty, as
well as the opportunity to rub el-
bows with many of his former
co- workers.
"That many years in fire con-
trol, you don't just toss it aside and
forget it," he said. "When you get
the major stuff going, anyone
who's able should step in and help
out. Most of the guys who have
been in the game feel the same
way."
17"0 5;7za _ - /�P,Yy 7/.;� � /9-�V
Even Smokey the Bear would agree
Onlyia"nter
can stop these
forest fires
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News ,
The fires on the Payette National
Forest are going be put out the same
way the were started — by the forces
of nature, fire officials said this week.
A "season- ending" storm is im-
minent, but when it will arrive is
anyone's guess. In the meantime, the
fire situation generally favors the fire-
fighters more each day, but they still
can't go in and give the fires a knock-
out punch without incurring major
costs, officials said.
It will take rain or snow to put out
the fires, not manual labor, Payette
forest Supervisor Dave Alexander
said.
"We've been real open about that,
but I think people are forgetting what
we told them," Alexander said.
"People are wanting to hear we went
up and put them out. Frankly, it's not
a cost - effective thing to do.
"We could possibly, technically,
control the fires, but it would be so
dog -gone expensive," he said.
Alexander figures putting out the
fires would require bringing back all
the firefighters and aircraft that were
here during the peak fire activity, and
even then, there would be no guaran-
tee of success.
Considering time is now on the
firefighters' side, they see the situa-
tion as a case of waiting for the
opponent's inevitable demise rather
than preparing for an all -out assault.
The three major fires on the Pay-
ette burned a combined 3,340 acres in
the past week, and 1,845 acres of that
burned on the Chicken Fire, which is
burning mainly in wilderness areas.
A variety of factors has kept the
fires inactive. The cooler tempera-
tures, higher humidity, shorter days
and cold nights have all slowed, he
fire activity.
According to fire management of-
ficer Gene Benedict, rain will now do
more to squelch the fires than it would
have earlier this summer.
"In August, a half inch of rain
would not have been enough. In Sep
tember, it will be," Benedict said.
But conditions still exist that could
allow more active fire behavior.
The cold spells have caused frost
kills to foliage and grasses, and
warmer temperatures, high winds, or
both, could allow the fires to burn
more acreage.
"Barring a major wind event, the
predictions I've got say we are not
going to see major growth on these
fires," Alexander said.
While the fire officials do not plan
to physically put out the fires, they are
not turning their backs on them either.
They are continuing to protect struc-
tures and herding the fires where it is
feasible to do so.
"We can't. walk away from them,
and we're not," Alexander said.
"We've got the fire caught in key
places."
Structure protection for Mackay
Bar, Chamberlain Basin and Big Creek
have been removed because threats to
those areas have diminished.
The cost of the three fires has now
reached approximately $51.6 million.
While the firefighting efforts still cost
approximately $500,000 per day, they
have decreased considerably since
earlier in the summer.
"When you put it in perspective,
we probably had $35 million into the
fires before we ever moved away from
McCall," Alexander said.
The number of personnel fighting
the fires has also decreased in the past
week from 1,814 for the three fires to
827 people.
Alexander noted that while the to-
tal number of personnel is down, they
have kept aircraft on hand, which
allows the remaining crews to be
highly mobile and able to access fires
and fight fires where there are flare
UPS.
As the fires wind down, forest of-
ficials have promised to relax both
area closures and fire restrictions as
soon it as it is prudent to do so.
The area restriction have now been
scaled back. The western boundary
has been moved to allow public ac-
cess to Goose Lake Road and the
southern boundary has been moved to
allow travel on Lick Creek Road.
Forest service officials are hoping
to change the Class II fire restrictions
to Class I restrictions soon so wood-
cutters will be able to go into the
forest.
Restrictions on campfires will
probably remain until there is rain.
Benedict said the fire danger in the
forest is still high, but "we think we
can assume the risk."
Firefighters are anticipating more
human - caused fires as more people
go into the woods for hunting season.
Corral fire activity increases over weekend
was closed to hunting, camping, A team from the Fort Rucker and it burned into a felled and
The Warren Wagon gathering firewood and other Aviation Safety Center is now bucked Bureau of Land Manage -
activities," said Incident Com- investigating Friday's Chinook m e nt timber sale in that
Road is closed again mander Michael Monahan. helicopter accident that killed drainage.
"Our top concern is for the safe- 30- year -old John C. King of Ev- Warren Wagon Road is again
The Associated Press ty of both the firefighters and erett, Wash., and injured four closed beginning four miles
the homeowners in the area", others. north of the intersection of War -
Fire activity on the southeast- There were several reports Other Chinooks worldwide ren Wagon Road and Eastside
ern edge of the Corral Fire in- from homeowners and fire- have been grounded because of Drive at the Payette National
creased over the weekend, fighters that hunters had been mechanical concerns. Forest boundary due to the ex-
spreading southwest from seen in the area closed a`s' a Meanwhile, firefighters have treme burning southwest of
Squaw Meadows toward Upper result of the fire. completely contained the Squaw Meadows.
Payette Lake, growing by 600 The closure will remain in of 146,400 -acre Rabbit Creek Fire Payette forest officials said
acres. fect until the fire is declared and are in the cleanup stage. they did not expect to contain
Crews expect to hold the blaze controlled. Grandjean Road has again been the 54,210 -acre Blackwell Com-
at the Warren Wagon Road, the Idaho fires have blackened closed to the public because of plex, 97,495 -acre Corral Fire or
west side of Upper Payette Lake more than 400,000 acres this fire danger. 95,300 -acre Chicken Complex
and Cougar Creek. The fire is summer but have slowed from "It was confusing to the pub- burning south of the Main Salm-
also backing down the Carey cooler temperatures and higher lic to have the road open to on River until substantial rain
Creek drainage on its north end, humidity. I traffic while the surround area or snow falls.
,L4'1hI V& lle�AAVb6Ar-e- SQpTe7V0' aYX8, /917?- rW1'0.1 r1i'�-
Local residents receive Governor's
Award for fire fighting efforts
Left to right, SITPA's Bill Williams, Winston Wiggins, and Herald Nokes, Boise- Cascade's Herb
Malany, and award winners Lorraine Newcomb, Bob Baker Sr., Sher Schroeder, and Gary Clark.
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
The Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association
handed out the Governor's "Keep Idaho Green"
award to honor Valley County residents whose quick
action helped to prevent or stop fires throughtout
our region.
Eight people were recognized for their firefight-
ing efforts during the summer when they came across
fires and helped to suppress, prevent, or report these
fires.
"I think it's pretty important to recognize people
for their good deed," SITPA's Fire Warden Bill
Williams said.
Those who received the awards include: Bob
Baker Sr., Bob Baker Jr., Dustin Baker, Brenda
Baker, Gary Clark, Sher Schroeder, Lorraine
Newcomb, and Barbara Pyle.
The Baker family, along with Gary Clark and
Sher Schroeder, had been out picking huckleberries
in the Laffinwell Creek area outside of Donnelly and
were on their way home when they spotted a fire
alongside the road. Bob Jr., Dustin, Clark, and
Schroeder grabbed shovels and a water jug and
attacked the fire, however, it continued to spread.
Meanwhile, Bob Baker Sr. and Brenda Baker
drove to a phone and called SITPA for help.SITPA
dispatched an engine, however, it was sent up the
wrong road.
Luckily, Bob Sr. heard the directions on his scan-
ner and called SITPA back to correct their direc-
tions.
According to Williams, with Bob Sr.'s help in
directing the engine to the fire, the engine made it
to the fire sooner and it was controlled at one -tenth
of an acre in size. Williams said that the fire was the
result of a campfire.
It was a similar incident Ibr which Newcomb.and
Pyle were awarded. The two women were also out
picking berries when they noticed a small fire bum -
ing by the road. They controlled the fire with tools
and water and started for the Smiths Ferry Station
to report it.
But only a short distance down the road, they
noticed a larger fire burning. The two started to work
on the second fire after flagging down a passerby
and asking them to call SITPA.
STTPA responded with two engines and the fires
were put out at less than one -tenth of an acre in size.
Williams said that the fires were deliberately set,
and that without the "determined action" the women
took, the fires could have been much larger and a
potential threat to timber and other resources in the
area.
"I am really impressed at what these women did,"
Williams said.
Herb Malany of Boise- Cascade, who presented'
the awards since both of the fires to place on the'
company's property, agreed with Williams.
"It's the actions of folks like you that helps
us, "Malany said. "Quick action saves the cost of
putting these fires out, and as you know it comes out
of the taxpayer's pocket."
Ad Va 66,1"e_ 5por, -nj b P�
Those honored also expressed appreciation to
Boise - Cascade and SITPA.
"You put a lot of effort into putting the fires out
quickly," Newcomb said. "I feel the firefighters were
extremely efficient and helpful."
Clark said that he wasn't expecting an award, but
appreciated the gesture.
/,�,,� ✓a� f�a'V�co�fEC gl1B /9�
Washington Army Reservist
killed in helicopter crash
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
An Army Reserve
Technician involved in the
firefighting effort on the
Chicken Complex Fire was
killed in a helicopter acci�
dent on Friday.
John C. King, 30, a
flight engineer from
Everett, Wash., was killed
when an Army CH -47
Chinook helicopter rolled
over while preparing' to
Pick up Forest Service fire
fighters. He is survived by
his wife, Denise, and one
child.
According to a news
release from a U.S. Army
Reserve Command, five
people were aboard the
aircraft when the accident
occurred. Three others
were injured, however,
none seriously.
Brian Ross, 30, a flight engineer and Army Reserve
Technician from Monroe, Wash., was treated for cuts and
bruises. The Army Reserve pilot and co- pilot, Brett
Radford, 35, of Federal Way, Wash., and Gerry Curtis,
51, of Tacoma, Wash., were examined and released. Jack
Finley, 36, a National Park Service employee from Florida,
was also treated and released.
An investigation team from the Fort Rucker Aviation
Safety Center arrived on Saturday to determine the cause
of the accident. An earlier report that Chinook helicopters
had been grounded worldwide because of mechanical
concerns was reported by the Payette Forest Service, but
could not be confirmed.
This is the Chinook that crashed last week.
n /lp /�cl
Spike camps no Club Med
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
Just north of Thunderbolt Mountain, near the Wapiti Ranch, fire-
fighters experience a different life than that of the sprawling fire camp.
Life at a "spike camp" is a little less comfortable and a lot more
remote. Usually set up closer to the fire, firefighters can stay at spike
camp for up to a week.
Alissa Wilson, Thunderbolt Spike Camp Communications, sums
up what spike camp is really like.
"It's food in a bucket and a shower in a pail," she said.
According to the crew stationed there last week, the favorite past -
times include playing cards, eating, and sleeping.
One of the crew members said they fondly refer to it as "Club Med
at Wapiti." However, it's not quite the same. In fact, about the only
thing that is the same is the food, supplied by the main camp's cater-
er.
Supplies are driven in everyday, but one thing the crew says it miss-
es are showers.
"You can sure tell who's been at spike camp," Wilson said.
Mostly made up of just a few tents, spike camps can be set up almost
anywhere. According to the Thunderbolt Asst. Information Officer,
Carlton Smith, the spike camp at Wapiti is quite a luxury compared
to some he's seen.
"I've seen spike camps set up on the side of a mountain, it's real-
ly amazing," he said.
One thing is for sure, everyone at spike camp looks forward to their
return to the main camp, or better yet, home.
Va ��� y WWX)Ca� o f xis
A da y the in life:
Kim Pearson Thunderbolt Staff Writer Fire C
What does it take to combat a forest fire? More
than a crew of well- trained, hard- working firefight-
ers, more than all of the engines, helicopters, and
fire retardant in the whole United States Forest
Service.
A .<
What it does take is a network involving not only
the crews and equipment, but people to make sure
AM A . 00
the firefighters get the tools they need to fight fire.
da
The food and water to keep up the strength each day
-
to continue waging war against the flames. A paper
sleeping bag to keep you warm at night, somewhere .
to go if for some unfortunate reason you are injured,
and a warm shower to wash off the day's dust and
ash.
4.
Sounds like it would be too much to hope for in
the middle of Idaho's wilderness, but there are peo-
ple and equipment that make it possible - bringing
a "little bit of home" to the i%en and women who
help save our forests, resources, and personal prop-
µ
erty from the devastation of fire.
A fire camp is a firefighter's refuge. Anyone
involved at the Thunderbolt Fire Camp just 30 miles `>
northeast of Cascade can attest to that.
When lightening struck Thunderbolt Mountain
on Aug. 8, the Fire Camp was almost immediately
a living, breathing "mini- city." It's been well over
a month now, and the Fire Camp has seen many
-rews come and go. However, the daily routine has
remained much the same.
Each day is organized in a "Daily Shift Plan, "`
Local merchants set up camp with fire fighters to provide souvenirs and other small luxuries.
,hich contains information from all of the working
rgans of the Fire Camp hierarchy. The hierarchy
tarts at the top with the incident Commander, who
versees all of the camp functions. Below the IC is
ie Fire Information Officer and the Safety Officer.
'hen the Fire Camp is divided into four sections:
,ogistics, Finance, Operations, and Plans.
The,Daily Shift Plan is the first order of business.
kt 0630 hours, everyone gathers to go over the Plan.
t outlines the day's objectives, which includes pub-
ic and firefighter safety, protection of the salmon
ishery at the South Fork of the Salmon River and
is tributaries, protection of structures at Wapiti
tanch, dissemination of fire information to local
-ecreation areas, and so on.
According to Assistant Fire Infonnation Officer,
�arlton Smith, safety and protection are the first pri-
"We try to protect natural resources and values
irst," he said. "But safety is number one."
The Plan also contains important information and
nstructions for fire crews, including fire behavior
)redictions and strategies to best combat the fire.
Phis information is vital to firefighters, since it may
ielp them avoid potentially dangerous situations.
Maps, first aid information, and warnings are also
isted. Everything anyone would want or need to
snow about the fire effort for that day is in the Plan.
Thunderbolt's own tool mans
.. L .
WMI
4
°,,,:Y6ol t camp tool and equipment managti
Allams keeps firefighters supplied.
After the Plan is gone over, page by page, the
group disperses to his or her duty for the day. Those
heading out for the fireline are busy packing their
lunch, checking to see they have the right tools and
all the fire safety equipment they may need.
This means a visit to the catering trailer or tent,
and a stopover at the Supply Logistics Area.
A catering company has set up camp on Thunderbolt
to provide three well - balanced meals a day to the
staff, as well as a variety of snacks. It's important
the firefighters get the calories they need in order to
fight the fires.
"They provide fuel for the machine - without the
fuel, the machine doesn't work," Smith said.
All the fire fighting tools and supplies for fire-
fighting can be found at the Supply Logistics area.
There is "everything you need to work," according
to Smith.
Shovels, picks, chainsaws, and handtools are dis-
tributed each day. Even paper sleeping bags are avail-
able, although it would take three or four stuffed
inside of each other to keep warm during a Thunderbolt
night.
Tool and equipment manager, Jerry Mallams,
said that sometimes the area is open all night, depend-
ing on when crews arrive or how many need to be
outfitted.
"There's a big rush in the morning, the crews
seem to come in mass," Mallams said.
And they come from all over. Smith estimates
that over 30 states are represented at Thunderbolt.
"They all wear their organizational hats, so we
look at hats to see where people are from," Smith
laughed.
All sort of agencies are also represented. Many
people come from state or federal Forest agencies,
even from President Clinton's new Americorps pro -
grain.
But no matter where you may be from, the sleep-
ing quarters are the same for everyone. Rows of tents
stand at each end of the camp, far enough away to
escape the ever - present hum of the generators pump-
ing life into the camp.
It does get pretty cold at night, so each tent is
equipped with a propane heater which must be taken
out before going to bed to avoid carbon monoxide
poisoning. But with up to ten people in a tent, body
heat has to be worth something.
The Camp does have it's small luxuries, like a
big screen television so firefighters can enjoy Monday
Night Football, and warm showers provided by a
truck trailer. There's even a commissary, which pro-
vides everything from "ink pens to toilet paper."
"It helps to boost morale. Fires usually don't last
this long, and it's hard on firefighters to leave their
spouses and families," Smith said.
But there does come a time when firefighters get
to return home. Usually, firefighters and other per-
sonnel stay anywhere from two weeks to 21 days.
Then it's either back to the homefront or on to anoth-
er fire camp,
pa?,, A Z c, l^ Z �Zq?,
Spike camps no Club Med
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
Just north of Thunderbolt Mountain, near the Wapiti Ranch, fire-
fighters experience a different life than that of the sprawling fire camp.
Life at a "spike camp" is a little less comfortable and a lot more
remote. Usually set up closer to the fire, firefighters can stay at spike
camp for up to a week.
Alissa Wilson, Thunderbolt Spike Camp Communications, sums
up what spike camp is really like.
"It's food in a bucket and a shower in a pail," she said.
„ According to the crew stationed there last week, the favorite past -
timd?a include playing cards. eating, and sleeping.
One of the crew members said they fondly refer to it as "Club Med
at Wapiti." However, it's not quite the same. In fact, about the only
thing that is the same is the food, supplied by the main camp's cater-
er.
Supplies are driven in everyday, but one thing the crew says it miss-
es are showers.
"You can sure tell who's been at spike camp," Wilson said.
Mostly made up of just a few tents, spike camps can be set up almost
anywhere. According to the Thunderbolt Asst. Information Officer,
Carlton Smith, the spike camp at Wapiti is quite a luxury compared
to some he's seen.
"I've seen spike camps set up on the side of a mountain, it's real-
ly amazing," he said.
One thing is for sure, everyone at spike camp looks forward to their
return to the main camp, or better yet, home.
9te� N.Ws yeNfil r
COPter crash,.on 'a g` °� °„
Payette fire kills one
The Star-News
A helicopter crash on the Payette
National Forest killed a U.S. Army
Reservist last week as firefighters con-
tinue the difficult and dangerous job of
trying to end one of the worst fire
seasons in recent history.
On Friday, an Army Reserve CH-
47 helicopter from the 158th Aviation
Regiment crashed and killed one crew-
man shortly after it touched down at
the Davis Ranch, located along the
South Fork of the Salmon River five
miles below the confluence of the
SeceshRiver.The 158th Aviation Regi-
ment is based at Fort Lawton in Seattle.
John C. King, 30, an Army Re-
serve flight engineer from Everett,
Wash., died from injuries he sustained
in the accident. King was the second
death of personnel working on the
Payette fires in the past two weeks.
On Sept. 15, Robert L. Johnson,
53, of Nampa, died after a semi - trailer
uncoupled from its truck and struck a
supply truck Johnson was driving
south of Cascade on Idaho 55. He was
an employee of the National Inter-
agency Fire Center in Boise and he
had been trans
Payette fires.
On Friday,
helicopter, als
touched down at Davis Ranch, where
60 firefighters were awaiting trans-
port, the rear section of the twin -rotor
helicopter lifted, driving the nose sec -
tion into the earth and rotating the
fuselage vertically 180 degrees be-
fore the aircraft crashed down on its
right side amid a hail of flying metal.
"As we were landing 'everything
seemed fine," said Jack Finley, a Na-
tional Park Service firefmliter frgm
Big Cypress, Fla., who was the opera-
tions manager aboard the helicopter.
"We put all four wheels on the
ground level and everything seemed
okay," he said. "I was thinking about
what I was going do ... and all of the
sudden I felt like I was traveling back-
wards real fast. That's evidently when
the thing ended up flipped up on its
nose and flipping over."
According to Finley, the CH -47
has two settings while the engines are
turning. One setting is for when the
aircraft is on the ground, and another
setting for when it is in flight.
Finley said the helicopter was still
set in its flight mode when the flip
occurred.
porting supplies to the "We hadn't settled down enough
to make sure we were stable enough
King was riding in the to go to ground," he said. "Things,
o called a "Chinook," happened immediately."
"As soon as I looked out 1
said `don't worry about
the rotor blades because
there aren't any. ' "
— Jack Finley, crash survivor
Wreckage of CH -47 helicopter
after it crashed Friday at Davis
Ranch.
Photo by Curt Spalding, Payette National Forest
He said- while the aircraft was
flipping, he was tossed around, but he
remained inside. "Things were slam-
ming into me and I was being spun
around quite a bit," he said.
When the 50,000 pound aircraft
came to rest on its side, one engine
was still operating.
Finley said he momentarily re-
mained inside the aircraft to avoid
being struck by one of the rotors.
"You don't want to survive a landing
and then jump out and get smacked,"
he said.
As soon as I looked out I said
`don't worry about the rotor blades
because there aren't any,' "he said.
Finley said he exited out the side
door of the helicopter and met the
pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Brett
Radford of Federal Way, Wash., and
the co- pilot, Chief Warrant Officer
Gerry Curtis of Tacoma, Wash., in
front of the helicopter. They saw one
of the flight engineers, Brian Ross of
Monroe, Wash., who had lost his hel-
met and suffered a head injury.
At that time, they did not know the
location or condition of King, who
was another flight engineer.
Finley said the pilots had attempted
to shut off all the circuit breakers to
the fuel, electrical and hydraulic sys-
tems, but one engine was still run-
ning and fuel continued to leak from
the helicopter.
"Things happened so fast. I feel
that my being in the business as long
as I have made me know what to do,"
Finley said.
Their flight was the first of the day
for the helicopter, but they had been
flying the craft all week and had expe-
rienced no problems. Finley said he
didn't hear a change in the sound of
the engines prior to the flip, nor were
there any other warning signs.
Finley said the Army Reserve crew
was "very professional," and that he
had "no qualms flying with them." He
said he saw no errors or mistakes
made in the operation of the aircraft.
And despite King's death Finley
recognized there was the potential for
even more harm than what occurred.
"Certainly it was a tragedy, but
luckily it wasn't any worse. It cer-
tainly could have been much worse,
he said.
"Having a fatality on the fire was a
big blow to us," Payette National For-
est Supervisor Dave Alexander said.
"Regardless of the cause of this acci-
dent, we're saddened by the fatality."
But Alexander also saw the heroic
efforts of the Finley, and awarded
him with a plaque and a letter ac-
knowledging his efforts in the crash.
fd c /Vo w 5 Sep- '.99�, /999
"We instigated the award because
we saw what he did on video and
thought he deserved some credit,"
Alexander said.
There will also be forest service
representation at King's funeral to
show respect for his service, he said.
ring, and the helicopter was leaking
fuel and hydraulic oil, and there was
also fire in the aircraft
"Ideally you want to get away from
the wreckage because you don't know
what's going on," Finley said. "The
engine was still screaming away and
the dripping fuel and hydraulic fuel,
the aircraft was just a mess."
But they didn't know where the
other crewman was, so after sending
Ross off to seek medical attention for
his head injury, the three started fight-
ing the fire in the aircraft and search-
ing for King.
The crew was able to extinguish
the fire, and continue looking for King.
"We we're all dazed," Finley said.
They found King under the aircraft
pinned to the ground by a rotor blade.
Finley said they could not detect a
pulse in King's body, and at that point,
the pilot ordered them away from the
aircraft since the engine was still run-
j"dg, J 64 a?
wv, c5 dr- -
Now Idaho's biggest burn
Corral and
Blackwell
fires merge
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Stu -News
The Corral Fire burned through
fire lines and across Warren Wagon
Road above Upper Payette Lake over
the weekend, joining the Blackwell
fire. The combined fires instantly be-
came the largest forest fire burning in
Idaho.
"It crossed line like it wasn't even
there," incident commander Rich
Wands said of the latest run of the
two - month -old Corral Fire.
High temperatures, continued
record low humidity levels, and shift-
ing winds pushed the fires through
patches of dead spruce trees, which
often spotted in all directions up to a
quarter -mile away.
The firefighters had to contend with
wind blowing out of the northeast,
which pushed a fire burning inside the
Corral Fire to ",ie southwest. After
burning into the Blackwell area, fire-
fighters concentrated on the north side
of the burn, anticipating a wind shift
that would push the fire back toward
the north, Wand said.
"We're trying to get ahead of this
thing because the wind is going to
shift," Wands said. "The weather is
working against us now. The winds
are shifting. When the winds change,
it continues to pose a threat in any
direction.
He called the situation "very touch
and go," and ordered an additional six
20- person crews and 20 fire engines
to add to the effort.
'l he tOidl tiuiuuc► vi pCUple Otl e
Blackwell /Corral fires has increased
from eight crews and 14 engines last
Thursday to the current 14 crews and
38 engines.
The Blackwell - Corral fire has now
burned a total of 156,813 acres, mak-
ing it the largest fire in Idaho this year.
Corral increased by 5,668 acres
last week, and Blackwell grew an-
other 515 acres. The two were 67
percent contained on Wednesday.
Nearby, the Chicken Fire also in-
creased by 4,485 acres and had reached
98,620 acres by Wednesday. It was
54 percent contained. The fire activ-
ity on the three fires burned the most
new acreage in several weeks.
The cost of the three fires is now
approximately $54.6 million. Accord-
ing to Forest Service figures, $8
million of that has gone to local resi-
dents and businesses for services
rendered for the Payette fires.
Wands said his primary concern
continues to be threats to structures,
but he is also looking at the long -term
strategy and trying pin point "areas of
opportunity" where firefighters can
contain the fires.
Wands said the arrival of new crews
will help, and he recognized the sus-
tained effort the firefighters have made
this summer.
"It's been a really long fire season
for most of these troops," Wands said.
But he added that morale is still
high, and the recent flare ups and slow
march toward containing has not both-
ered the firefighters.
"People realize this is the way it is
right now. Nature's dictating what
happens," Wands said. "We're doing
the best we can we appreciate the
support of the community."
Lotl ir'alle.y Aduocate
Sc-t-7 l q 9 `/
No end in sight for Corral, Blackwell blazes
Burgdorf got the water treatment this past weekend. Kevin Ohls of North Carolina mans the hose.
Inset: Firefighter works on hot spot.
Mike Stewart Burgdorf was ordered evacu- Benedict said much of the
Staff Writer
MCCALL — Wildfires that
are confounding fire behavior spe-
cialists and fire suppression per-
sonnel are also creating a lot of
concern amongst those who man-
age water quality and anadromous
fish in the area.
In the meantime, fire suppres-
sion personnel with the U.S. Forest
Service have pretty much rele-
gated themselves to doing battle
with the Corral and Blackwell fire
complexes for the long haul.
That long haul probably won't
end until the snows come.
With a team of fire behavior
analysts on board, it's become
clear that the fires that started ear-
lier this month are not your aver-
age forest fires.
Bone -dry fuels, gusty winds
and a national shortage of man -
nnwer to hattle wildfires_ are all
focused on more immediate con-
cerns — protecting the people and
structures in Burgdorf, Secesh
Meadows and Warren.
ated earlier this week, as was the
Secesh area. But as of Tuesday,
about 22 people remained in the
Secesh area. To provide a back
door out of the Warren area, Forest
Service crews have cleared the
road over Elk Creek Summit, which
had been closed by a landslide.
With the fires burning so hot
and large, Benedict and Alexander
said the strategy is to protect peo-
ple and structures and hope for a
change in the weather that might
aid fire suppression efforts.
As it is, Benedict said last week
that he fully expects Nez Perce
National Forest firefighters to have
to do initial attack on the south -
facing north bank of the Salmon
contributing to what those fire
behavior specialists believe are
some fires that could end up, in
the worst case scenario present-
ed at the news conference, scorch-
ing the better part of 425,000 acres
on the Payette National Forest
alone.
over fish habitat
surface
blame
for what is shaping up to be one
of the worst fire years on record
has to do with the continuing
drought.
With this year's continued hot
and dry weather, he said the Payette
Forest has ended up missing two
complete water years out of the
last ten.
"These fires are up and run-
ning because of the drought and
the weather," he said.
Alexander reminded everyone that the Payette
Forest's fire season normally begins about Aug. 12,
and that we're far ahead of the curve when it comes
to fire session,
And the comparisons to the Yellowstone fires of
1988 continue to be drawn. Those comparisons are
based on the speed, intensity and size of the Payette
fires.
L6141 147aex 45,�IYoca�c_ - y y/9
Military firefighters return to their regular duties
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
MCCALL —The sight of cam-
ouflage won't be around after
Wednesday when all remaining
military crews on the Blackwell
and Corral fires head back to reg-
ular duty.
"Task Force 1st Engineers," a
battalion from Fort Riley, Kan.,
has been in Idaho to help with the
firefighting efforts on the Idaho
City Complex fires and the Corral -
Blackwell fires.
According to Arnold Hartigan,
public affairs officer for the
National Interagency Fire Center,
the fire is now "sufficiently con-
tained for the civilian firefighters
to take over."
Hartigan also said that coop-
erative weather conditions and
diligent efforts from the firefighting
crews facilitated the early con-
tainment of the fires.
"It's nice to have that ace in
the hole to help us get the job done,
once we've exhausted our civil-
ian resources," Hartigan said. "We
are very appreciative of every-
thing the military has done to help
us control the fire."
Lt. Col. Thomas Bostick, the
commander of the battalion, said
he was very proud of what the task
force accomplished in the fire-
fighting effort.
"I think if you look at what
we've accomplished here at the
Corral- Blackwell Fire and at the
Idaho City Complex, we have met
all the objectives of the incident
command," Bostick said.
The battalion was honored at
a ceremony Tuesday at the
Blackwell Fire Camp before they
left for home.
Chicken Fire burns over a ridge to the northwest of Warren this
past week. (USFS photo)
P �ol7q pl iiP, Adva_-a-�e
00-�-
1,7VY
'
iPa y ette fire s u pp re s son
cost put at $63.1 million
Record - setting fire season ends with rain, snow
MCCALL — With the rain and snow that
finally arrived last week came the end of the fire
season on the Payette and Boise National Forests.
And what a record - setting season it was for the
Payette forest.
During the summer, 13 incident management
teams directed the battle against the major fires
on the Payette forest during the summer. The last
of those teams closed up shop and left last Thursday.
That left management of the Blackwell/Con al
and Chicken fires in the hands of a local Type
III Incident Management Team, which has been
operating out of the University of Idaho field
campus at McCall.
Two 20- person crews are remaining behind
to mop up any hot spots that might develop.
It was a fire season that broke countless records.
The duration that the Blackwell/Corral Fire burned
tops that list of records. It burned hot for 72 days.
Among the other records set during the 1994
fire season, are:
• The cost of suppressing fires on the Payette
forest topped $63.1 million. Though an exact fig-
ure of what the prior record fire suppression
expenditure was wasn't available, forest officials
said it was without question a record year for
expenditures on firefighting.
• The Corral/Blackwell Fire was Idaho's largest
at almost 175,000 acres.
• A total of 518 miles of fireline were dug
around the Blackwell, Corral and Chicken com-
plex fires.
• A total of more than 1.5 million gallons of
fire retardant dropped on the Payette blazes this
summer, doubling the old record set in 1989.
• The Payette forest had a total of 293 fires
this season.
• But, firefighters were able to suppress 96
percent of them immediately.
• The total acreage burned this season, 290,000
acres, more than doubled the old record of 135,000
acres that burned during the 1919 fire season.
Next highest after that was the approximately
105,000 acres that burned in 1988.
• Retardant plane$ water - dropping helicopters,
and other fire suppression aircraft flew 9,000
hours this summer. That also doubled the previ-
ous record of 4,500 flown in 1989.
• More than 7,800 firefighters came to McCall
during this season.
• More than 74,000 pounds of garbage gener-
ated by the firefighting-effort was recycled, return-
ing $4,300 to the U.S. Treasury.
R fi es X a ti - - 0C-Tobe x I 1qql�
Line around campground
holds back Payette fire
Fire line protecting a camp-
ground on a backcountry lake in
Central Idaho were holding Fri-
day against the nation's largest
wildfire.
Although there remained
some active spots in the 167,000 -
acre Blackwell and Corral Com-
plex north and east of the resort
town of McCall, flames were
kept at bay around the Upper
Payette Lake campground.
Fire lines were also holding in
key areas of the 102,000 -acre
Chicken Complex fire further
northeast of McCall, and cooler
temperatures with higher hu-
midity continued to help the
more than 1,200 firefighters
keep the Payette National For-
est blazes from taking off.
But fire experts say it will still
take a major snowfall to finally
rein in the fires that have been
burning for nearly two months.
To the south in the Boise Na-
tional Forest, where nearly
200,000 acres have burned this
summer, land managers were
warning of the possibility of
mud slides this weekend in some
areas as another storm front
crosses the state.
Rehabilitation work on some
of the burned areas was sched-
uled to begin Sunday. .
P5�yt_ pare /J e is iy95�
Post -fire debate
heats up over timber
Gannett News Service
MISSOULA, Mont. — The
deadly 1994 fire season is not yet
over, but already a white -hot
debate is raging across the West'
and in Washington policy shops
over whether charred timber
should be hauled out of the re-
gion's sick, blackened forests.
Fearing the U.S. Forest Ser-
vice is about to embark on a
wholesale salvage logging cam-
paign that could trash the land-
scape, ruin fragile streams and
create an even worse fire season
next year, environmentalists are
urging the Clinton administra-
tion to resist calls for post -fire
salvaging.
The forest industry and some
of the region's influential law-
makers counter that leaving
millions of dead trees will only
make things worse, and that re-
moving some of them will im-
prove forest health and also pro-
vide jobs in a flagging logging
economy.
"With that scale of salvage
cutting, you're doing things to
the system that are really irre-
versible," forest researcher
Bethanie Walder said as pilot
Hume Davenport aimed a tiny
Cessna through a mountain gap
and over the Rattlesnake Wil-
derness east of Missoula.
From above, the difference in
forest recovery from a burned
but unlogged wilderness area
and a burned, clear -cut national
forest is stark. On the managed
forest, cutting practices have
led to severe erosion of the
mountainsides. Further east,
over the Scapegoat Wilderness,
site of a huge fire six years ago,
the forest is plainly recovering
faster than the adjacent, logged
terrain.
Clear -cuts cover the national
forests like a quilt. Regardless of
aesthetics — mostly visible only
from above — Walder said for-
estry practices designed to cre-
ate more productive forests are
part of the problem with the.
fires.
As fires were controlled in
this frequent -fire terrain, f,
took root underneath the big
ponderosa pines. Many of the
prized old- growth ponderosa
were cut, leaving thick stands of
firs that are more susceptible to
insects, disease and fire.
"Until you see it, you can't
appreciate the damage," said
Davenport, a one -time stock bro-
ker who is now a volunteer pilot
for Lighthawk, the environmen-
tal group that conducts aerial
tours to bring attention to such
issues as logging and mining.
Lighthawk's airplanes are get-
ting a workout these days as
local officials, policy - makers,
and others seek a different per-
spective of one of the forest ser-
vice's biggest problems. ,
Years of fire suppression have
created mountains of insect -in-
fested, dying trees that are ignit-
ing with ferocious frequency. At
issue is whether loggers should
be allowed to come into these
forests in the spring to remove
the burned trees and to th'.
existing stands to reduce to
chances of an equally devastat-
See Timber /2B
ing fire season in 1995.
"This is an emergency situa-
tion, one which deserves an
emergency response," Sen.
Slade Gorton, R- Wash., told the
Senate Sept. 21. "The message to
the federal government is clear:
Get in quickly, get up the fuel
load, conduct the salvage opera-
tions and restore the health of
our forests."
Everyone agrees the forests
are gravely ill. The disagree-
ment is over the cure. Gorton is
leading an effort, backed in part
by James Lyons, head of the
Department of Agriculture's
natural resources and environ-
ment branch, to restore the for-
ests by thinning and salvaging
— reducing fire fuels.
Lyons is due to testify Tues-
day at a House hearing on forest
health in the West. He also will
present the findings of a USDA
team that for the past month has
been drafting short- and long-
term recommendations to deal
with those forests. Those recom-
mendations are expected to in-
clude some salvaging.
"People sometimes forget that
salvage logging is full -scale log-
ging, and in a watershed that's
already impacted by the fire,
adding the impacts of logging
and road building can really set
back the stream for decades,"
said David Bayles, public lands
director of the Oregon -based Pa-
cific Rivers Council.
4-6hq 1 & I1'P � Ad V6( a fie• - 0Cfi6b.QT 5i1g1q
Water quality inter - agency group
otential from fires
looks at damage p
MCCALL — Concerns about the potential impacts
of the forest fires on water quality in the Payette
River drainage took up the majority of the discus-
sion at last Thursday's joint meeting of the techni-
cal advisory committees looking at Cascade Reservoir
and the Payette Lake Watershed.
At the meeting, Forest Service officials discus
sed a efforts to rehabilitate firelines that were dug
in the effort to suppress the Blackwell and Corral
fires.
Water bars were built to help keep water flow-
ing down both cat/dozer -built and hand -dug firelines
from directly entering streams; the digging of lines
by any means were limited in sensitive areas such
as meadows, lakes and streams; and slash from
downed trees was used to cover sensitive areas to
encourage the uptake nutrients as well as acting as
a seed source for new growth.
In addition, the rehabilitation effort included
removing garbage from all spot camps; heli -pads,
spot camps, cat/dozer lines and hand lines were all
re- seeded and fertilized with BioSol, an organic fer-
the efficiency of the buffer zones
remaining in the forest.
Forest Service estimates are
also that there are areas of the
Blackwell Fire where 30 to 50 per-
cent of the wooded debris was not
consumed by the fire.
Discussion also turned to graz-
ing management in the burned
areas, and there will likely be some
restrictions placed on sheep graz-
ing over the next two years.
In addition, monitoring will be
recommended, but Fitzgerald said
there will likely be some question
over the best type of monitoring
to do.
Much of the information that
has been developed already for
the Blackwell Fire'is still in the
development stage for the Corral
Fire.
There were also concerns
tilizer tk at has been tested and shown to be a good
one iq Bolding nitrogen in place.
Erosion effects of the cat /dozer lines will be
addressed, according to Jim Fitzgerald, a Payette
Forest hydrologist who talked to the group about
rehabilitation in the watershed.
Fitzgerald also said the forest doesn't yet know
how much potential phosphorus was made available
to add to the loading in the drainage as a result of
the fires. But he said there is an analysis being done
to try to determine that. In addition, he said the Forest
Service and Idaho Department of Fish and Game are
doing a survey to determine what effects the fire
might have on high mountain lakes.
He also said the Forest Service is unsure about
how to approach the question of determining how
much phosphorus was in the fire retardant dropped
on the fires, as it varies depending on the source.
There will be some released into the watershed,
but how much depends on the routing, the rate at
which vegetation regrows, the heat of the fire and
expressed at the meeting about and how fire affects the goals of
future fuel loading of the areas, limiting phosphorus loading.
7`e- C)(:�,Tob'i 5_1 199/-/
Snow puts the chill on fires and firefighters
Kim Pearson
Staff Writer
Firefighters and officials are
all thinking the same thing
........brrrrr! Summer has jumped
straight into winter for those bat-
tling area fires.
Portions of the Corral/Blackwell
and Chicken Fires received light
snow Sunday night due to the cold
north winds that caused temper-
atures to drop below freezing,
chilling the fires and firefighters.
Firefighter's on the 102,380 -
acre Chicken Complex are focus-
ing on the fire's remaining hot
spots. Five engines and a water
tender remain in Warren while
firefighters continue to reinforce
fireline and mop -up north of
Warren Summit.
As of Monday, crews contin-
ued to remain at Mackay Bar to
keep the fire from advancing, and
fourteen crews will finish fireline
and mop -up in Pony Creek.
Helicopters continue to patrol
Sheep Creek and the Chamberlain
Basin.
Over the weekend, a snag fell
on a firefighter working near Logan
Creek. A National Guard heli-
copter flew him to McCall where
he was treated for two broken ribs
and a lacerated elbow, according
to a Payette news release.
The 171,509 -acre
Corral/Blackwell Fine, which joined
last week above the Upper Payette
Lake, seems to be calming due to
the light snowfall it received
Sunday.
Snow fell north of the Upper
Payette Lake and two miles north
of the Secesh Summit, and a light
dusting fell at Marshall Mountain
Mining District. Firefighters now
face cold weather concerns, such
as frozen hoses and hypothermia
as they continue mop -up and pulling
in equipment.
Rain and snow are predicted,
with three to six inches of snow
above 6,000 feet.
On Monday, forest officials
reopened approximately two- thirds
of the area closed by the fires,
including the Grandjean Road,
Grandjean Campground, and pop-
ular Sawtooth Wilderness Area
trails such as the South Fork of
the Payette River.
Lightening touched off two new
fires on Saturday, one near Yellow
Pine and another just southwest
of McCall. However, helicopters
and crews were able to quickly
put them out.
Firefighters on the Thunderbolt
Fire have now built over 49 miles
of fireline around the fire. However,
officials report they have another
14 miles to go.
The Fire's northwestern flank,
approximately three miles from
the South Fork of the Salmon River,
remains active, however, no struc-
tures are threatened in this extreme-
ly steep area.
The southern portion of the fire
near Paradise Valley and Yellow
Pine powerline has cooled after
several days of intense crew efforts.
Rehabilitation of the firetrails
began Sunday, with crews seed-
ing and scattering brush to stabi-
lize soils. Crews hope to contain
the 27,142 -acre fire by Oct. 15.
Fire officials say the Thunderbolt
Fire is now 79 percent contained
as of Monday.
Boise National Forest reminds
hunters to be alert to changes in
smoke and weather conditions,
and to watch for special posted
notices if conditions change.
l9yy
PIC 1 of 3
Despite ran Payette's
fires are full of dangers
BY ROGER P
HILLIPS
The Star-News "-- ` I'm one who would
Predicted wet weather never
came through this week for
firefighters battling blazes on the
Payette National Forest. But land
managers decided to go ahead and
lift restrictions on fires in south-
ern Idaho effective Wednesday
morning.
Nearly one -half inch of rain
fell in McCall last week, but little
of the moisture reached the
Blackwell /Corral or Chicken fires
on the Payette. As a result, large
parts of the Payette were kept
closed.
An eight -year drought created
the conditions for the fires, light-
ning storms started them, and a
"season ending" fall weatherevent
will be what eventually puts them
out.
"Safety is still our main con-
sideration," Payette forest
Supervisor Dave Alexander said.
"When the fire season- ending
storm comes, we plan to quickly
take off the closure for the entire
area."
Fire restrictions were lifted
Wednesday by the forest service,
the U.S. Bureau of Land Manage-
ment and the Idaho Department of
Lands. Officials issued a warning
that fire danger is still high, and
urged forest users, especially hunt-
ers, to take care when building
warming fires.
The Blackwell /Corral Fires ha
now been burning for more than t
months, and the Chicken fire ignite
10 days after those fires.
The Blackwell/Con al fires are no
listed as 67 percent contained, an
Oct. 12 is the predicted for the tot
containment date.
The Chicken Fire is now 70 pe
cent contained, but containment is n
predicted before Halloween.
like to put them out, but
it's still not feasible at
this time. "
- John Robertson, fire
behavior analyst.
Robertson said a computer model
has predicted there is 50 percent
chance a major storm will hit .by
Wednesday. Chuck Baker, a National
Weather Service meteorologist said
if it doesn't happen then, it should
happen shortly thereafter.
From mid to late October, this
should really take place," Baker said.
"We're looking at Oct. 14 through
Oct. 30. Somewhere in that time frame
will be a maior shift in flow patterns."
As the weather has recently
taken a roller coaster ride, so has
the fire activity.
The Blackwell /Corral Fire
grew by approximately 15,000
acres last week, and had burned
171,509 acres by Wednesday. The
two fires are not only the largest in
Idaho, they are also the largest in
the United States. And next door
to the east, the Chicken Fire had
burned 102,380 acres.
According to John Robertson,
fire behavior analyst on the
Blackwell/Corral fires, the persis-
tent dry fuels in the forest have
kept the fires active, even though
ve we have had colder, wetter
�� o weather.
d "There hasn't been enough
(precipitation) to offset the dry-
v ness," Robertson said.
d He said the fire activity is es-
sentially following the weather
patterns. When it is hot, the fires
r- take off, like what happened on
of Sept. 28, when Blackwell/Con al
exploded and burned 8,803 acres
in one bay, nmiiiiiscent of the
August burning.
When days are cool and hu-
midity increases, the fires go
relatively dormant, but Robertson
said the base condition - extremely
dry fuels - is still there, and all the
fires need to take off is warm
temperatures and low humidity.
As long as those conditions
remain, Robertson said firefight-
ers cannot safely engage the fires.
"I'm one who would like to put
them out, but it's still not feasible
at this time," he said.
Although there has been some
precipitation, Robertson said it has
not been enough to soak the fuels
and the moisture quickly evapo-
rates as soon as the air temperature
increases.
"I would expect to see that un-
til we get a period of high humidity
day and night without the sun
warming things up," he said.
The recent cool weather, which
dipped into the low 20s on the
Chicken Fire this week and
brought wisps of snow to many
areas, could quickly be negated
by a warm weather front that is
predicted to move in this week-
end.
And the fire fighters are still
waiting for the elusive "season
ending weather event" that will
lay this prolonged fire season to
rest.
Sfd r /Y e- ;,c/ S Dc t 6, / 9'? t
Page � o13
Jesse Main of McCall watches as a burned tree he just cut falls near Warren Wagon Road north
of Upper Payette Lake. Thf frees were being cut to reduce hazards to traffic along the road, which
runs through the Blackwell - Corral Fire. Photo by Roger Phillips
Oc-t /0 l�9`f
l6ro LaHq Yu / /q - 10112.1 1�5/
Lightning bust keeps Payette fire crews busy
Stage 1 fire restrictions take effect tnrlav nr, RnirP Pa"Arto f„ro�t�
MCCALL —Pre crews were keeping very
busy on the Payette National Forest Tuesday,
battling fires that were sparked by a large dry
lightning storm that passed north of McCall
Sunday night.
According to the fire information office,
the largest of those fires, Walter's Fire along
the Salmon River about three miles above
Riggins, had been contained at about 150 acres
by Tuesday.
But three other fires were occupying fire-
fighters.
Classed as "hot fires" by the forest Tuesday
afternoon were the 50 -acre Ruby Fire, about
8 miles above Riggins on the Salmon River,
the 5 -acre Star Creek Fire, about 24 miles
northwest of McCall, and the 5 -acre Bascom
fire, about 18 mules north- northwest of McCall.
According to fire information officials, 34
firefighters were battling the Star Creek Fire,
16 firefighters have been assigned to the Bascom
Fire, and 40 firefighters were working the Ruby
Fire.
In addition, six helicopters were ferrying
firefighters and dropping water on the three
fires, and an air tanker was also being used on
the Star Creek and Bascom fires, but wasn't
being used on the Ruby Fire because of hazy
flying conditions along the Salmon River.
The Sturgill Creek and Keithly fires, on the
Weiser District, are out, according to fire infor-
mation.
There are still 23 fires burning on the for-
est, including three that are in the Frank Church
River of No Return Wilderness that are not
y ores s
manned.
Because of the continued hot and dry conditions, officials of the
Boise and Payette Forests have ordered Stage I Fire Restrictions to take
effect today.
Practically, the restrictions mean no campfires outside of developed
campgrounds, smoking outside of closed vehicles or outside of a 3 -foot
diameter circle cleared of all burnable material, is prohibited. Gasoline
cooking stoves are still permitted under Stage 1, while charcoal fired
barbecues are not.
The lire weather forecast for Tuesday called for a lightning activity
level of 6, which is the top of the lightning activity scale.
Bob Patton, fire management officer on the Cascade Ranger District,
said the woods are dry and encouraged everyone venturing out to use
caution with fire. He said the Cascade District and the Boise Forest as
a whole have escaped any major fires so far, with one - quarter acre blazes
pretty much the rule, and very few of them at that.
L�hc�` yd�l _y Advoc�le Ocft9, /qqy
pct ge 4 a i 3
Fire season winding down, finally
Cooler weather, moisture work in favor of
fire suppression efforts
Kim Pearon
Staff Writer
This summer's record - setting
fire season may be winding down,
as fires cool and firefighters pack
up and head home.
Last week, more than half of
the firefighters went home, leav-
ing 580 people still working on
the Corral/ Blackwell and Chicken
Fires. Because of the fires recent
inactivity, crews have been demo-
bilizing.
Forest officials, however, say
the hot, dry weather predicted for
the next few days could cause the
situation to change. Fire officials
who flew over the Chicken Fire
on Thursday located several areas
that could flare up if hot, windy
weather should occur. Two over-
head teams have been retained,
and area closures are being kept
in place until the potential for flare
up subsides.
Isolated showers were observed
over the Blackwell/Corral Complex
last Friday. More moisture fol-
lowed Monday evening. Fire activ-
ity retrained low over the week-
end due to lower temperatures and
higher humidities. Officials pre-
dict more creeping and smolder-
ing fire behavior throughout the
week.
According to a Payette National
Forest news release, officials met
on Saturday to reassess whether
both incident management teams
will continue managing the two
big fires on that forest. Weather
forecasts and predicted fire behav-
ior will be key considerations.
The Chicken Complex stood
at 102,697 acres and was 75 per-
cent contained as of this past week-
end. A containment date of Oct.
31 has been set. Crews have
focused their efforts on fertiliz-
ing and seeding firelines. Officials
say that quick - sprouting grasses
will take root and help stabilize
the soil, as well as prevent soil
erosion and keep the watersheds
clear.
Fire and dozerline rehabilita-
tion efforts will remain high on
the priority list for crews near Big
and Bear Creeks. Hand crews and
engine personnel will watch for
anticipated wind gusts, and are
staged to provide structure pro-
tection for Big Creek, Warren,
and Mackay Bar. Helicopters will
continue to patrol the fire perime-
ter.
Falling, burned trees remain
the biggest concern on the 171,509 -
acre Blackwell /Corral Fire. A
firefighter was injured on Thursday
when he was grazed by a falling
snag. However, officials report
that after a day of recuperation he
was back on the fireline. Firefighters
aren't the only ones in danger of
falling snags. The first reported
animal fatality, an elk hit by a
falling snag, was reported last
Wednesday.
Intensive rehabilitation of the
firelines will be the main focus
for firefighters throughout the
week. Firefighters have been work-
ing to put in waterbars in steep
areas to reduce erosion. They have
also raked over top soil and scat-
tered branches and logs over fire-
lines to help prevent erosion as
well as help these areas appear
more natural - looking .
Six crews, and 14 engines
remain on the Corral/Blackwell
Fire, and a containment date of
Oct. 12 has been set.
The 27,348 -acre Thunderbolt
Fire was reported to be 80.percent
contained as of Monday.
Management of the fire has been
turned over to the Cascade Ranger
District, and the Type II team was
demobilized from the fire on
Thursday.
Officials report that the danger
of falling snags is high, and they
warn hunters to be particularly
careful in hunting unit 23 in the
Hazard Lake area. For further
information, the Cascade Ranger
District can be contacted at 382-
4271.
Forest Fire -
A Tool of Nature
With nr;t;or iore�t Ir(c°s styli !)lulling, III SC cr.rl parts of the I
slate, rnaritiy idalwmis are'concerried ,ahkxrt the CH"'Cls flre.se ores �
will have on the landscape and the fish and wildlife Irving in or
near affected areas.
tlnder�standing the role fire plays in the natural environment
will help it) alleviate sonic I& these concerns, according to infer -
million provided by the Idaho I)eparinient of Fish and Came.
A clear distinction exists between rratt►r<i1 arrif roan - caused
fires. Natural fires are commonly horn of lightning strikes, often
in remote areas. Man- caused fires include prescrihed'burns, ac.ci-
cicntal fires and arson fires. Prescribed burns are pre- planned,
carefully controlled operations typically designed to achieve it
particular ohjective, Such as' improving livestock graving cluah_
ty or wildlife habitat improvement:
Accidental fires, like wildfires, and arson fires are not linked
It) range or habitat improvement and typically start in areas close
to hit man habitation such as subdivisions. campgrounds and other
places frequented by people.
Natural Dire is a key component of the forest environment and
one oi-the most powerful tools in rlature's repertoire. it is capa-
ble o €' imparting tremendous changes upon the landscape in a
very short time.
i
Natural lire plays .i critical role in manipulating and improv- 1
ing wildlife habitat and maintaining the vitality of many wildlife
populations, Yet fire and its effects are often reported in t N cry
negative light.
Readers may recall the 1988 Yellowstone National Talk (ices_
Burned areas were commonly described as " cievasiated,- ilestro�cd,-
anii "uninhabitable." However, tile true impact: cil such events;
though often dramatic, are actually beneficial to wildhle.
The habitat - modifying capahililie.s of lire make it valuable to
wildlife. particularly in the long -term. For example, natural fires
modify overgrown timber stands, horning, through portions of a
Slats while leaving other se";nhents untouched.
The restiltinr mosaic pattern allows various other vegetation
types - shruhs, (orbs, grasses, and other tree species - to est h-
Iish themselves in burned areas creating diverse wildlife hahir -tt
]'his hahitat diversity is far more beneficial to wildlife thrill are
east, single species tiinher stands,
More critical to wildlife is the area horned by a particular f il, .
ftigh elevations and surnrner ranges, those used durincl the sum-
mermonths, are typically much more plentifu] than are love ell-
vation, winter ranges. "Transitional ranges, areas linking, sumnic•
and winter ranges, are also more common than winter ranges
Summer and transitional ranges can burn with little of tic;
impact on the herds using (tie areas because the initnals sinhply
niece to other scunmer or transitional ranges. Winter range bunts
caul have mare dire 'cometl tic 'ices Ior herd ainimals when critical
I'm . c° incl cover are lost. particularly \\lien these areas hurn just
hr .r;e 0,,c ,,,nset of winter. The foothills Fire of 1992 is a prime
exarupl,- ail ihat tyre of tire,
✓a1iel Ad 1/4cdre-
Pdge-
oc1 /a, I?fy
0 6t 3
ttie combination of drought arid warm temperatures provid-
ed ccindition.s for an exrremely hot hurn, which not only cou-
snnied available forage, hill also killed many of the root stocks,
setting* hack regeneration of the � rea for many years. Forage lost
in the hum (lien Impacted deer herds dependent on this forge for
sustenance through file winter months.
With lew exceptions, this year's fires burned portions of hig
game smimier and transitional r rnl,�e, rt;i the more limited win-
ter rial(N, hahitat. Recause suns m i and ian,;itional mrive is nr - h
nhore picivil'ul, no serious imlvcts w ilia? tanic need. ,re expect
ed aura result M the: ici94Idaho, lyres.
While fire impacts to fish and wildlife species are repeate sty
dramatized for shock value, the real result is often better habitat
and better health for the wildlife community as I whale. As we
better understand the role of fire in the natural world, we devel-
op an appreciation for its rejuvenating effects on the landscape
and ultimately, its beneficial effects to the wildlife resource.
Long Vally Advocate Oct 12, 1994 Page 3 of3
THANK YOU I
During the worst fire season
in our history, you came
forward and helped in
countless ways. You offered
supplies, equipment and
assistance. Most of all, you
made visiting firefighters
feel welcome a d supported.
Thank you.
Forest Supervisor
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