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Fires - Forest III (1995 - )
T 71 9.s^ Smokejumper- priest pens novel on exploits A former McCall smokejumper and Episcopal priest has written a new book that recounts his experi- ences of men fighting fires and find- ing spirituality at the same time. "Jumping Skyward" was written by Moscow resident Stan Tate, who was a McCall smokejumper for seven summers in the 1950s. Tate became pastor at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Boise in 1960 and held that post for 10 years. He also served as a county judge in Val- ley County between 1966 and 1970. "Jumping Skyward" is a novel that describes the experiences of the nar- rator, Mark Davis, as he undergoes training as a smokejumper in McCall and sets out fighting forest fires. The book recounts the rough -and- tumble lives of smokejumpers in the 1950s, but also traces the spiritual development of a fictional character named Ken Shuler, who is based on two men Tate knew. Tate also writes at length about the inspirational value of the wilderness in which is often jumped, calling it the "bioscathedral." "There is something very sacred about the mountains, and it is some- thing I wanted to capture in the book," he said. "People should love it more and appreciate it." Only in a novel form could Tate recount his many experiences and observations, including meditating with moose and bighorn sheep, step- ping on a rattlesnake and praying for Stan Tate Worked as jumper, pastor rain clouds to descend over a fire. Tate, now 62, is bioethicist for Gritman Medical Center and Latah Health Services in Moscow, and he serves as ethicist for the Idaho Juve- nile Justice Commission. He taught courses in religion at Boise State University and is now a part-time instructor in ethics for pro- fessional counselors at the University of Idaho. Last July, he presided over the funeral service of McCall smokejumper Jim Thrash, who was among 14 firefighters killed in a wild- fire in Colorado. "Jumping Skyward" (Cabinet Crest Books, 185 pages) is on sale in McCall at Blue Grouse Books, the McCall Smokejumper Base at the McCall Airport or by mail from Tate by sending $13.95 to The Centering Place, 1423 Alpowa Drive, Moscow, ID 83843. Forest Service will lift, revise wildfire closures The Associated Press The Forest Service has decid- ed to lift or revise area closures around major wildfires in the Payette and Boise national forests. Payette National Forest Su- pervisor David Alexander said Tuesday that an area from Haz- ard Lake on the west to Cham- berlain Basin on the east and from the Salmon River on the north to Yellow Pine on the south would be reopened at 12:01 a.m. today. Two camps used as bases for battling wildfires that burned more than 274,000 acres of back - country in the forest also were being shut down. However, officials urged people using the forest to avoid freshly burned areas and be alert to fire- fighters still working, smoky con- ditions, rolling rocks and occa- sional torching trees. In the Boise National Forest, recent rain and cooler tempera- tures allowed officials on Tues- day to open the area around the 142,000 -acre Rabbit Creek Fire to travel on foot and on horse- back. It remains closed to motor- ized vehicles. But other major roads outside the Rabbit Creek area are now open to motor vehicles. - 9ta.t'- s ky, dr• Jct , a /I?q1 ��% ��P L o n , L d l ������ ����f v o c ��r % - l �� / / ����9 �� ,q fia k C amps close, crews leave Payette fires BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News The fires on the Payette National Forest may not be out, but the fire season as we know it is now history. The Chicken Fire Camp, located 1 -1/2 miles southwest of Warren, was shut down last week and the: BlackwelVCorral Fire Camp, located three miles southwest of McCall, will' be gone by Friday. Over the summer, more than 7,800 firefighters were based in those two camps. According to fire officials, the hot, dry weather expected last weekend never materialized, and cooler tem- peratures allowed firefighters to control hot spots. After looking at the long -range weather forecasts, officials decided to demobilize most of the fimfaghters. Payette officials also lifted the clo- sure order that had blocked off large portions of the forest since the fires flared up in early August. "Things are cooling off and things are calm enough that they thought they could lift the closure," said Heidi Bigler Cole, Payette fire information officer. "They feel pretty confident, but there are still risks out there." All fire restrictions have also been lifted, and the weather is predicted to prevent the fires from taking off again. The Blackwell/Corral Fire is now listed as 82 percent contained, and the Chicken Fire is 75 percent contained. Bigler Cole said remaining por- tions of uncontained areas have natural features that will prevent the fire from spreading in case of a flare up. The three fires combined have en- compassed about 290,000 acres, which figures out to 453 square miles. But analysts are estimating only 20 to 40 percent of that acreage actually burned. Fighting the fires has so far cost approximately $65 million. Forest officials warn there are still hazards in the forest from smoke and possibly some torching trees. People are asked to stay out of freshly burned areas due to danger from falling snags, or dead trees. Forest officials are also concerned about the lack of precipitation. Sep- tember was the ninth straight month of below- average precipitation, and 1994 is looking to be the second driest year in the last decade. Fire officials were hoping for a large storm to put the fires out, but so far, it has not materialized, nor is there any sign of it in the long -range fore- casts. "They wish this had ended with a Noah's Ark rainstorm," Bigler Cole said. Two fire crews remain, and they will be stationed at the University of Idaho field campus located near Pon- derosa. State Park. They will be mobi- lized to fight any hot spots or flare UPS. The crews are being headed by Ray Cooper of Smiths Ferry, who works for the Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association. The 1994 fire season on the Pay- ette forest was the worst on record. The 290,000 acres burned smashed the 1919 record of 144,000 acres. The last major fire season was in 1988, when 104,593 acres burned. There were 293 fires this year in the Payette forest, but only six of those fires escaped immediate con- tainment. The total number of fires for 1994 is still well below the 1989 record of 385 fires. New, 0o 13, /99y %ll} ��r � � y� v ✓s Field burning gets out of control Sharon Siue uses a shovel to beat down flames from a wild fire that raced across brush and small timber north of Donnelly on Saturday. The fire burned 31.6 acres of private land north of Sheline Road about three miles north of Donnelly after a controlled burn in a field escaped its boundaries about 4 p.m. Ray Cooper, assistant fire warden at the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, said two structures were threatened by the blaze, but its spread was Photo by Tom Grote stopped by four SITPA fire engines and one bulldozer plus assistance from rural fire departments in McCall, Donnelly and Cascade. Cooper declined to name the owner of the field. He reminded residents extreme dryness still exists in the area even though restrictions on burning have been lifted. Land owners could be charged for fire suppression costs if a burn gets out of hand. The worst times to burn are between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., he said. 77ip Sfar- I�bY✓s It's over'. Snow- snuffs Payette forest fires BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News and then it snowed, and the fires were out. After nearly three months, the fires on the Payette National Forest have finally been declared dead, and the forest service is putting the wraps on the worst fire season on record. A storm last Friday dumped one third of an inch of rain on McCall and eight inches of snow on higher parts of the Payette forest, throwing the final knockout punch to the fires.;, The final two fire teams were sent home and the supervision of the forest was turned back to the McCall Ranger District. But like trick candles on birthday cake, there's still a chance fires could re- ignite in some places. But forest Officials are sure there is little chance of any serious burning. Now forest officials are hoping for an extended period of drizzling rain to saturate fuels before the hard freezing and snow arrives. And they are al- ready wondering what things will be like next year. Next year is unlikely to match this year, which saw old records fall like autumn leaves, according to a list of statistics tabulated by the Payette. A total of 290,000 acres, or 453 square miles, burned in the Payette forest this year, shattering the old record of 144,000 acres set in 1919. Consequently, the 1,548,000 gal- lons of retardant dropped this year more than doubled the old record of 740,000 gallons. The firefighting effort cost more than $60 million and pumped an esti- mated $8 million into the local economy. There were 293 fires this year, still below a record of 385 set in 1989, the last major fire season. All 293 were attacked by firefighters, and out of those, a mere six escaped, but they did so with glorious results. . Throughout the summer, seasoned firefighters with decades of experi- ence described fire behavior in terms that sounded like kids describing their first fireworks display. That analogy wasn't irrelevant considering there was an estimated 22,589 lightning strikes this year, and the fires sometimes sent smoke col- umns so high into the air it appeared that atomic -sized smokepots had been set off north of McCall. The fires came on the heels of a 10- year drought, and burned in a year that has so far had a 50 -inch moisture deficit. Inhuman terms, 7,800 firefighters worked the blazes throughout the sum- mer, exceeding the total populations of Valley County. At one point, the Corral Fire camp southwest of McCall was the second largest city in the county. Workers in the Payette's McCall warehouse distributed 2,960 Pulaski digging tools and 55 miles of fire hose. They issued 1,276 two -way ra- dios that required 36 repeater towers and 87 frequencies. The fire season started looking serious on July 24 when lightning started the Ruby Fire east of Riggins. The Ruby Fire burned 1,000 acres before it was contained one week later. The Ruby Fire had not ceased smoking when lightning storms once again rolled across the Payette Forest in the first days of August, igniting the Blackwell Fire east of McCall and the Corral Fire north of Brundage Mountain Ski Area. The Blackwell fire threatened to race down to expensive homes on the east side of Payette Lake, but favor- able weather and an intensive firefighting effort held back the blaze. The Blackwell and Corral fires eventually grew together, and at one point were the largest single fire burn- ing in the nation. About one week after Blackwell and Corral exploded, a complex of fires straddling the South Fork of the Salmon River grew together to form the Chicken Complex Fires, which burned more than 100,000 acres. Payette Forest offers programs on fires' aftermath MCCALL — The Payette National Forest is closing the books on the 1994 fire season and moving the post -fire planning phase. The fire season has disrupted the forest's and community's routine business. The post -fire work will also demand the attention of a post -fire team as they determine the fires' effects on the land. Just as forest personnel kept people up to date on the fires' situa- tion, the post -fire team will also be sharing information. An informa- tive field trip and several interactive programs are offered to review the fires' events, effects and future challenges. Events scheduled include: • New Tools to Understand Fire. Nov. 16, 7 p.m. at the McCall Smokejumper Base. There will be a slideshow of the fires and then a review of the new technology used to assess the fires, such as geo- graphical information system, color infrared photography, and satel- lite imagery. The one -hour post -fire analysis program will be followed by a tour of the geographical information system center at the Forest Supervisor's Office. • Fish and Fire: Do They Mix? Nov. 30, 7 p.m. at the McCall Smokejumper Base. David. Burns, fish biologist, will discuss how the 1994 fires may affect fish populations and fishing. The program will be illustrated with a slide show. • Wildlife and Fire: Whose Homes were Lost? Dec. 7, 7 p.m. at the McCall Smokejumper Base. Floyd Gordon, forest wildlife biologist, and Mike Schlegel, regional wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, will discuss the wildlife habitat before the fires, how the animals adjust to fire, and what long -term affects there could be on wildlife, including big game. For more information on the programs, call Pam Gardner at 634- 0727. l l i Payette Forest releases fire rehabilitation plan MCCALL — The first stage of postfire analysis has been com- pleted on the Payette National Forest. Two teams of scientists have developed plans to minimize the 1994 fires' immediate effects, includ- ing erosion. The Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation teams began working while the Blackwell, Corral, and Chicken fires were still burning. The scientists used lessons learned on past fires and their observations in the burned areas to make their recommendations. The Blackwell /Corral team, led by Payette Forest water specialist Randy Zuniga, did not recommend any emergency rehabilitation actions. They concluded, among other things, that: • soil erosion would be minimal, since there were enough rocks, logs, and other debris covering the burned ground, • less than one percent of the fire area was at high risk for acceler- ated erosion or long -term effets to soil productivity They did recommend that livestock be kept from the fire areas for at least two full growing seasons. That will allow new plants to become established. Additionally, some roads will be closed next spring dur- ing the wet season. The Blackwell/Corral team did not recommend any seeding. Their report states that the native vegetation is adapted to withstand fire, and broadcast seeding may actually slow the growth of native species. The Chicken emergency rehabilitation team was also led by a water specialist. With his team, Nez Perce National Forest Hydrologist Nick Gerhardt examined the 102,700 -acre Chicken Fire from both the ground and the air. The fire's size made it impossible to field inspect all pos- sible sites of concern. However, the team did sample enough areas to make recommendations for emergency treatments. Most recommendations focused on roads and trails that posed ero- sion threats. For example, some old logging roads had been built on logging slash. The fire burned out the slash, collapsing the roads in some spots and leaving them open to erosion. Total cost of the recommended actions is estimated at $220,000. The emergency fire evaluation is one of three stages of analysis that will be done on the fires. Presently, nearly 100 Payette Forest employees are working on the second phase, which involves examiri- ing the fires' effects on a larger scale. The agency wants to understand what the fires mean to the forest, its inhabitants, and humans. Results of the second stage of analysis are expected in mid - January. The Payette Forest is using some new tools, such as computer -based mapping and analysis, in the postfire planning effort. The public may learn about the new analytical tools at a program scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at the McCall Smokejumper Base. The program, "New Tools to Understand Fire," will include a tour of the geographic information system center at the Supervisor's Office. Boise Forest undertakes rehabilitation of Thunderbolt Fire CASCADE — Although Mother Nature will take care of the major- ity of the Thunderbolt Fire area, some areas will see cross - felled trees and straw mulching to aid in the recovery of the fire area. "A large part of this fire burned relatively cool and didn't do a lot of damage," said Ronn Julian, Cascade District Ranger. "But there are a few spots that need to be rehabilitated because of the sensitivity of the area." Parts of the fire that burned intensely, like Ditch Creek, were in drainages that feed into Johnson Creek - prime habitat for salmon. Protecting the creeks from excess sediment is imperative. Also important is maintaining soil productivity, said Wayne Patton, Forest Soils Staff Officer. "By cross - felling trees we slow the water run -off, allowing it to stop and soak in, and we stop soils from being washed down the hill- side," Patton said. The straw mulching is taking place in an area that burned several years ago, was planted with seedlings, then re -burned this year. There are no trees on site large enough to cross -fell, so the hillside is being mulched to maintain soil stability and water quality in the creeks below. Rehabilitation efforts should wrap up soon and, fortunately, Mother Nature will take care of most of the fire area. The cost of rehabilita- tion of the Thunderbolt Fire is estimated at about $500,000. hi Safety first in forest firefighting, new plan emphasizes Safety of fire fighters is the top priority in an action plan released by the U.S. Forest Service fol- lowing last summer's death of 14 fire fighters who were battling the South Canyon Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo. Two McCall smokejumpers, Jim Thrash and Roger Roth, were among those killed when explo- sive fuel conditions, high winds, poor communications, and a whole litany of small errors in judgment compounded to create the condi- tions that resulted in the deaths. A report of the fire, which iden- tified a list of contributing caus- es, was completed and released in August. Since then, the Interagency Management Review Team that investigated the accident has taken immediate action and developed an action and implementation plan. The plan includes 35 action items that address: • The use of weather, fire dan- ger, and fire behavior informa- tion. • Emphasis on leadership, atti- tudes and training. • A review of management sup- port and dispatch coordination. • And, preparing for above - average fire seasons. Neal Davis, foreman of the McCall Smokejumper Base, said he was surprised the report was completed so soon and that changes were already made as far as fire- fighting efforts go. Immediately after the incident, Davis said a strong message was sent out that "safety is the high- est priority." That message was emphasized and repeated through- out the fire season. He said he believed the rec- ommendations of the report are sound. Implementation of the report's recommendations will be accom- plished in cooperation with all state and federal agencies that serve as partners to the Forest Service in wildland firefighting operations. The review team found a dire need to create a passion for safe firefighting practices, a passion to be generated by leadership that shows a clear and steadfast com- mitment to safety. The team empha- sized the importance of training and qualifications for agency man- agers at all levels in wildland fire management. It also identified the need to more strongly emphasize accountability among agency lead- ers, fire managers and firefight- ers. The team took several steps immediately to improve safety for firefighters during the remainder of the 1994 fire season. The pri- ,ary mess age was that "Safety is Job #1." Among the other things the team has stressed for future fire seasons is the importance of hav- ing qualified personnel at all lev- els of wildland firefighting oper- ations, including senior agency officials. The team also identified three major issues of fire management policy that have implications for firefighter safety and operational effectiveness: preparedness, fuels management and wildland/urban interface. Those areas have ramifications beyond the immediate scope of the report. However, the team strongly recommended that the Departments of Interior and Agriculture take actions to address those issues. 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. Military firefighters return to their ,reguNar duties Kim Pearson battalion from Fort Riley, Kan., has been in Idaho to help with the Hartigan also said that coop - erative weather conditions and Staff Writer firefighting efforts on the Idaho diligent efforts from the firefighting MCCALL —The sight of cam- City Complex fires and the Coral- crews facilitated the early con - ouflage won't be around after Blackwell fires. tainment of the fires. Wednesday when all remaining According to Arnold Hartigan, "It's nice to have that ace in military crews on the Blackwell public affairs officer for the the hole to help us get the job done, and Corral fires head back to reg- National Interagency Fire Center, once we've exhausted our civil - ular duty. the fire is now "sufficiently con- ian resources," Hartigan said. "We "Task Force 1st Engineers," a tained for the civilian firefighters are very appreciative of every - to take over." 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. "t 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 nt command," Bostick said. ' The battalion was honored at a ceremony Tuesday at the Blackwell Fire Camp before they left for home. %�5 _ - /, /,o No's — Payette: no grazing in burn areas BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News Livestock owners will temporarily lose some of their grazing allotments on the Payette National Forest due to the severe fires last summer, accord- ing to Payette forest officials. Burned AreaEmergency Rehabili- tation teams have completed the first stage of the post -fire analysis, and they recommended livestock be kept from some of the burned areas for at least two growing seasons so new plants can become established. Many of the burned areas will have to be replanted with trees, which will affect the decision whether grazing will be allowed, said Mike Balboni, acting New Meadows District Ranger. "Another thing we have to look at is impacts to reforestation," Balboni said. "Grazing has an impact on that too." About 18 grazing allotments for sheep and one for cattle were affected by the Blackwell and Corral fires. "There will definitely be some impacts and reductions in grazing," Balboni said. He said that almost all grazing allotments in the Payette forest are in use, so there is no way to shift the livestock away from areas that are now burned. "Potentially, this is some pretty significant impacts on some folks, Balboni said. The permittees of the affected al- lotments have been notified, and the district rangers from McCall and New Meadows will meet with them to dis- cuss the situation. / 19� "From there, we'll decide what to do," Balboni said. "We can't wait until spring and then let them know." The decisions must be made as soon as possible to allow the livestock owners who are affected time to make other arrangements for grazing their livestock next summer. The final decision as to the fate of the allotments will rest on the district rangers and the Payette Supervisor Dave Alexander. They (the decisions) will be very controversial and something the for- est needs to be consistent with," Balboni said. Guy Carlson of Riggins, whose family has grazed sheep in the Payette forest for 67 years, said losing allot- ments for two seasons will hurt their operation. "You have no place to go with your sheep and there's no place else to go," Carlson said. Carlson has five allotments that allow him to graze up to 2,500 sheep. He said the grazing allotment areas were not totally burned over, but he may still lose four of his five allot- ments due to the fires. "It would be devastation and it would put me out of business," he said. `You've got to sell them, there's no other alternative." Carlson said there are no other places in the area to graze his animals if he cannot graze them on Forest Service land. "They've got to work it out so we can use the areas that didn't burn," he said. Carlson said that in the past, some allotments were grazed in the spring, then again the following fall. He hopes they can work out a similar arrange- ment to alleviate the problems caused by the fires. "It isn't the best scenario, but you've got to do what you've got to do," he said. Aside from recommending a tem- porary halt to grazing, the rehabilita- tion team did not recommend any emergency rehabilitation actions for the forest. They concluded soil erosion would be minimal and less than one percent of the fire area was at high risk for accelerated erosion or long -term ef- fects to soil productivity. They did, however, recommend the closure of some roads next spring. The Blackwell /Corral team did not recommend any seeding because na- tive vegetation is adapted to with- stand fire, and artificial seeding may actually slow the growth of native species. The Chicken Fire emergency re- habilitation team recommended ero- sion control measures on old logging roads that are susceptible to erosion damage. The total cost recommended for action on the Chicken Fire is $220,000, and that money will come from the fire fighting emergency funds. The emergency fire evaluation is one of three stages of analysis. VV &-AI&Ws 111,WI ' Payette fire damage not as bad as first thought BY SHARI HAMBLETON The Star-News Green clumps of grass amid scorched earth guarded by ghostly blackened snags indicate Mother Na- ture is healing slowly following this summer's fires on the Payette Na- tional Forest, those attending a meeting last week were told. Payette forest managers made the presentation at the McCall Smokejumper Base to illustrate how assessment and rehabilitation efforts are progressing on forest lands burned last summer. While early "damage reports" in- dicated a large portion of the forest had been affected — almost 300,000 acres on five major fires — a clearer picture has surfaced, Payette forest ecologist Susan Boudreau said. Although fires burned intensely through timber stressed by drought conditions and dead stands of insect - killed trees, a bird's -eye view has revealed burned areas resemble a "mo- saic pattern," not endless miles of blackened terrain, Boudreau said. It's the kind of burn pattern pre- scribed fire managers strive for, she said. A mosaic - pattern will allow veg- etative ecosystems of varying ages to develop much like they did before forest managers began to suppress wildland fires. In addition to grasses, wildlife has also begun to return. Displays were available at the presentation showing how advanced technology is being used by forest scientists trying to de- termine what rehabilitation efforts should follow this summer's fires. Even before this season's massive fires, forest personnel had begun com- piling ecological data on forest lands. That data has included geological, topographical and vegetative infor- mation forest scientists plan to use as they develop an overall plan for the forest. "This has been our mission since day one," Payette ecologist Rob Mor- row said. "We didn't do this because of the devastation of the fires. We were planning to do this anyway." "When the' fires came along, all that did was either confuse the issue or jump start the issue," he said. "Now we have the opportunity to put a lot of data into the system where we can start to analyze it ... and start to look at the interrelatedness of it all." Because the Payette hasn't experi- enced such extensive burning in many years, Boudreau said it will provide a good opportunity to develop infor- mation which has never before existed. In addition to broadening its own "ecological knowledge base," Boudreau said the forest is at the forefront of the push to develop an interagency data base which could be shared, added to and understood by others. That project has been labeled the Integrated Resource Inventory Sys- tem which is tied closely with the forest's newly emerging geographi- cal information system department. "Whether it's the Boise ... the Nez Perce ... or the Wallowa- Whitman (national forests), we'll be able to exchange valuable information," Morrow said. "We bought into this `data engineering' which allows any number of users to be speaking a common language." The Payette's Forest Plan, pub- lished in 1988, has been criticized for being archaic, so Payette managers plan to incorporate a forest manage- ment policy driven by the needs of ecosystems, not by timber harvest quotas. The forest's high - profile geo- graphical information system department is a tool Payette officials say they believe will help them ac- complish that shift. Photo by Tom Grote Cardboard from fire camps recycled Members of an effort to recycle waste from camps serving the recent forest fires on the Payette National Forest stand in front of a small part of their efforts. The flatbed truck behind them, from Lakeshore Dis- posal in McCall, is carrying 50,000 pounds of baled cardboard that traveled last week at a recycling center in Boise. A total of 135,000 pounds of card- board were recycled from the fire camps, the largest part of 165,707 pounds of cardboard, aluminum, paper, tin and plastic that were saved from going into a landfill. Second from left is Tony Totorica, owner of Lakeshore Disposal. The Payette forest team that worked with him included, from left, Ilene A.M. Jones, Karen Waters, Diane Evans and John Righ. Other team members not pictured are Jim Winfrey, Susan Boudreau, Floyd Gordon and Nancy Brossman. Pro- ceeds from the recycling are returned to the U.S. Trea- sury. '� �Gh� ✓' ��� y ��ro�� - ice/ OAK/ 9V With the 1994 fire season now history, Forest Service specialists are working towards recovery Th u n d e rb o I t Wildfire recovery programs for the many different areas that burned, throughout Idaho. Locally, work towards real c n p rod e c t plans discussed ing a wildfire recovery project for the areas co- sumed by the Thundberbolt Fire is already under - - way. - As part of a series of meetings througout Idaho, of trees, and to "recover the economic value of fire - killed and imminently dead trees as Payette and Boise National Forest.officials present- a means of financing activities" related to the other objectives. ed to the public Monday night at the Smokejumpet Patterson also said as part of the recovery project, Base in McCall the proposed plan to help areas dam- the Forest Service would also try to erase the impact aged in the Thunderbolt fire regenerate.The meeet= to the area due to firefighting activity, such as further ing was held not only to inform the public on the rehabilitation of firelines. Forest Service's plans, but to obtain input and answer The Forest proposed several management activi- questions. ties in order to meet the outlined objectives, and to Project leader Steve Patters©"ong with Boise "maintain post -fire ecological functions of the land." National Forest Supervisor Cathy Barbouletos and Some proposed actions involve making improvement Payette National Forest Supervisor Dave Alexander' to Johnson Creek Road, such as resurfacing certain initiated the Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery Project. stretches, installing culverts to reduce sedimentation, In addition, scientists, hydrologists, and fish and 'and revegetating cut and fill slopes. wildlife biologists are currently analyzing the effects ' "These are sedimentary- reducing activities. It's a of the fire in order to "assess opportunities for fish fairly expensive project, it will take about $400,000 habitat improvement through the revenue derived to $500,000 to do it. We think it will help quite a bit," from the salvage of fire- killed trees. Patterson said. According to Payette Land Use Planner Raody Another area slated for improvement is Cabin Swick, the Boise and Payette National Forest have Creek Road, the main access road to the Thunder decided to use an "ecosystem approach to wildfire Mountain mining area, which was built in the 1800's. recovery." Forest officials plan to install gates and restrict wet - The project involves many objectives, including season traffic on the raod, as well as construct water - improving the long -term fish habitat, rehabilitating bars and install culverts. Also on the agenda is to reduce watershed in the Ditch Creek existing sediment sources, improving hydrologic Road area by seasonally restricting traffic, possibly Oct. I through June 15, improving conditions of affected watersheds, protecting long- drainage and revegetating cut and fill slopes. _ term soil productivity, promoting the regeneration Vi Td j- (V9 &u S J)P_ L % 7 r R q ^i Wildlife survived fires well BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News Despite the historic forest fires over the summer on the Payette National Forest, most wildlife was not harmed and many species will benefit in the long run, according to biologists. Three wildlife biologist presented "Wildlife and Fire: Whose Homes were Lost ?" at the McCall Smokejumpers base last week. The presentation was part of a se- ries of public information meetings addressing the ecological effects the fires had on the forests. The biologists pointed out the 170 species of animals that inhabit the local forests have adapted to fires, just like the environment they live in. Since the fires burned in a "mosaic" pattern, some pockets of habitat were lost but not entire ranges. "It wouldn't appear that in the af- termath of the fires we have lost any species or habitat," said Floyd Gor- don, a Forest Service wildlife biolo- gist. Gordon was speaking range - wide, rather than dealing with indi- vidual animals and their homes. He conceded that while most ani- mals were able to escape the fires, there were some killed by the fires, especially animals that are not as mobile as others. Gordon said rodents and other small mammals may have been killed in the fires, but the entire populations were probably not seriously harmed, and the areas where those animals lived will quickly be re- inhabited by other animals. The news is better for big game, which often benefits from ices. "Fires have produced some of the best big game habitat in the state," said Jim Unsworth, an Idaho Depart- ment of Fish and Game biologist. Unsworth said big -game, animals can easily escape fire in most cases, and they tend to move a short distance away from the area of the fires rather than fleeing the area completely. He noted there are two fire- related problems that confront big -game ani- mals. One is when the fires burns winter ranges, which can cause in- creased winter mortality due to a lack of food for the animals. The second is a reduction in cover where the animals can hide from predators, most commonly, hunters. But in the long term, the effects of fire "are almost always positive for big game," Unsworth said. He said that regrowth after fires does, however, tend to favor elk over deer, and the ranges may become more suitable for elk in some areas. "Fires tend to shift species," he said. Such shifts are particularly true in the case of birds, the biologists said. Birds tend to inhabit "niches" — areas specifically suited to the needs of a particular species. For example, the three -toed woodpecker requires dead standing timber to bore into, and which will be in abundance proceed- ing a fire. The birds that previously inhab- ited the living trees would relocate to more suitable habitat, and the birds preferring the re- generating forest would colonize the burned areas, they said. ��7 R e - g r o w t h f r o m f i r e s u n d e r w a y S p r i n g w i l l r e v e a l n e w m o s a i c o f l i f e i n r a v a g e d f o r e s t s B y C h r i s A n g e l o T h e A s s o c i a t e d P r e s s D E N V E R S n o w c o v e r s t h e c h a r r e d s l o p e s o f h u n d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f a c r e s o f w e s t e r n f o r e s t s , m a s k i n g u n t i l t h e s p r i n g t h a w t h e n e w m o s a i c b e i n g c r e - a t e d b y l a s t s u m m e r ' s w i l d f i r e s . S e e d i n g w i t h g r a s s e s a n d o t h - e r e r o s i o n c o n t r o l t o s l o w t h e w a t e r f l o w o n s l o p e s b e g a n s o o n a f t e r f i r e s w e r e c o n t r o l l e d , e s p e - c i a l l y o n b u l l d o z e d f i r e l i n e s a n d w h e r e f i r e s w e r e s o h o t t h e y l e f t b a r e s o i l . B u t o n m u c h o f t h e 3 . 3 m i l l i o n a c r e s b u r n e d i n t h e W e s t b y t h e s u m m e r ' s 3 4 , 9 3 7 f i r e s , r e c o v e r y i s a w a i t - a n d - s e e m a t t e r . " W e ' v e h a d a l o t o f p e o p l e c a l l t o v o l u n t e e r t o p l a n t t r e e s o u t t h e r e . I t ' s n o t f e a s i b l e t o d o i t , " s a i d B o b E l d e r k i n . H e i s a B u - r e a u o f L a n d M a n a g e m e n t e n v i - r o n m e n t a l s u r f a c e p r o t e c t i o n s p e c i a l i s t i n G l e n w o o d S p r i n g s , w h e r e 1 4 f i r e f i g h t e r s d i e d i n J u l y i n a f i e r c e l y h o t , f a s t - m o v - i n g b l a z e o n S t o r m K i n g M o u n t a i n . P i n o n a n d j u n i p e r , w h i c h g r o w t o g e t h e r o n p a r t s o f S t o r m K i n g , f o r e x a m p l e , w i l l t a k e h o l d o n l y i n g o o d g r o w i n g y e a r s , a b o u t t w o o f e v e r y 1 0 y e a r s o n t h e m o u n t a i n 1 6 0 m i l e s w e s t o f D e n v e r . " I f y o u j u s t s a y , ` I ' m g o i n g t o p l a n t a b u n c h o f t r e e s , ' y o u ' r e p l a y i n g R u s s i a n r o u l e t t e , " E l - d e r k i n s a i d . A t C o l o r a d o S t a t e U n i v e r s i - t y ' s P i n g r e e P a r k c a m p u s w e s t o f F o r t C o l l i n s , a s p e n s t a r t e d r e g e n e r a t i n g f r o m r o o t s u c k e r s s o o n a f t e r a f i r e s w e p t t h r o u g h t h e r e J u l y 1 . F o r e s t e r s e x p e c t t h e s p r i n g t h a w t o b r i n g a p r o f u - s i o n o f w i l d f l o w e r s , m o r e a s p e n a n d l o d g e p o l e p i n e , t h e d o m i - n a n t s p e c i e s b e f o r e t h e f i r e . F i r e i s a n a t u r a l p a r t o f m o s t W e s t e r n e c o s y s t e m s , a n d t h e y ' v e e v o l v e d t o t a k e a d v a n - t a g e o f i t . R e s u l t s m a y v a r y W h a t c o m e s b a c k a f t e r t h e f i r e s a n d h o w m u c h f o r e s t e r s i n - t e r v e n e d e p e n d s o n w h a t w a s t h e r e b e f o r e , h o w h o t t h e f i r e w a s , h o w l o n g i t b u r n e d i n o n e p l a c e a n d w h a t i t c o n s u m e d . E a c h s i t e h a s i t s o w n c h a r a c t e r - i s t i c s . " I t h i n k a l o t o f t i m e s f o l k s g e t t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t o n e s i z e f i t s a l l , " s a i d L y n M o r e l a n , e c o s y s - t e m c o o r d i n a t o r 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 I d a h o , w h e r e f i r e r o a r e d t h r o u g h 1 8 4 , 5 0 0 a c r e s o f p r i m a r i l y p o n d e r o s a p i n e a n d D o u g l a s f i r f o r e s t . " E a c h o n e i s k i n d o f u n i q u e a n d y o u n e e d t o g o o u t w i t h c r e w s t o d e t e r m i n e t h e n e e d s o f t h a t e c o s y s t e m a n d t h a t l a n d . " T h e f i r e s w e r e a s v a r i e d a s t h e f o r e s t s t h e y b u r n e d a n d t h e c o n - d i t i o n s t h a t l e d t o t h e m , i n c l u d - i n g d r o u g h t a n d f u e l b u i l d u p f r o m f i r e s u p p r e s s i o n . S o m e l e a p e d t h r o u g h c r o w n s , t u r n i n g t h e m i n t o t o r c h e s . O t h - e r s r o l l e d q u i c k l y t h r o u g h t h e g r o u n d l i t t e r a n d s o m e t r e e s s u r - v i v e d . O f t e n t h e y w e r e a c o m b i - n a t i o n , a n d p a t c h e s w i t h i n t h e f i r e p e r i m e t e r r e m a i n e d u n t o u c h e d . T h e G a m b e l o a k a n d g r a s s a t o p S t o r m K i n g M o u n t a i n w e r e d e n s e a n d l u x u r i a n t , e v e n i n t h e h o t , d r y c o n d i t i o n s b e f o r e t h e s u m m e r f i r e . " B a s e d o n t h e r e m n a n t a r e a s I f o u n d , i t h a d a r e a l g o o d g r a s s u n d e r s t o r y w h i c h p r o v i d e d a n i c e , c o n t i n u o u s f u e l b e d t o c a r - r y f i r e , a n d a l l t h o s e f u e l s w e r e b o n e d r y , " E l d e r k i n s a i d . " A l a r g e p a r t w a s c h e a t g r a s s , t o o . T h a t t i m e o f t h e y e a r , t h a t i s l i k e a g a s - s o a k e d r a g . " T h e f i r e r a g e d o v e r t h e s t e e p s l o p e s , t u r n i n g i n t o a r o l l i n g , s e a r i n g - h o t c r o w n f i r e . " W h e r e v e r t h e r e w a s a s t u m p o r l o g o n t h e g r o u n d , i t a c t u a l l y m e l t e d t h e s a n d . I t m a d e g l a s s o f i t , " E l d e r k i n s a i d . A h a l f - i n c h a l u m i n u m p o w e r l i n e m e l t e d , m e a n i n g t h e f i r e r e a c h e d a t l e a s t 1 4 0 0 d e g r e e s F a h r e n h e i t . G a m b e l o a k , a s c r u b o a k d o m i - n a n t o n t h e t o p o f t h e m o u n t a i n , h a s d e e p , e x t e n s i v e r o o t s a n d b e g a n r e s p r o u t i n g i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r t h e f i r e , b u t w o n ' t b e a s d e n s e . S o m e a r e a s t a k e l o n g e r P i n o n a n d j u n i p e r d o n ' t r e s - p r o u t , a n d l a r g e a r e a s o f t h a t f o r e s t t y p e a r e b a r e . W h e r e s o i l w a s d e e p e r a n d t h e r e w a s l i t t l e a e r i a l f u e l , p a r t s o f g r a s s c r o w n s t h a t s u r v i v e d m a y s e n d f o r t h l e a v e s , b u t m u c h o f t h e a r e a i s s a n d y , r o c k y a n d d r y . I f t h e r e a r e n ' t s e e d s o u r c e s n e a r b y , r e g e n e r a t i o n f o r a n y p l a n t c a n b e s l o w . " I t ' l l t a k e t h r e e o r f o u r y e a r s a t a m i n i m u m f o r t h e g r a s s e s t h a t a r e t h e r e t h a t a r e s t i l l a l i v e t o g e t b a c k t o t h e i r f o r m e r v i g - o r , p r o d u c t i v i t y , " E l d e r k i n s a i d . B e f o r e t h e y h a d a c h a n c e , h e a v y r a i n s e n t m u d f r o m S t o r m K i n g ' s s l o p e s s l i d i n g o n t o I n t e r - s t a t e 7 0 , b l o c k i n g t h e r o u t e f o r h o u r s . E r o s i o n c o n t r o l T h e B L M h a s a e r i a l l y s e e d e d s e v e r a l t y p e s o f g r a s s e s o n S t o r m K i n g t o h e l p h o l d t h e s o i l . A l s o p l a n t e d w e r e s a g e b r u s h , w i t h f i n e , w i n d b l o w n s e e d s t h a t c a n t a k e 2 0 t o 1 0 0 y e a r s t o c o m e b a c k o n t h e i r o w n , a n d m o u n - t a i n m a h o g a n y , a s h r u b t h a t d e e r a n d e l k l i k e . I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e l i v e f u e l o n S t o r m K i n g , t h e s p r u c e - f i r f o r e s t i n a n d a d j a c e n t t o t h e F l a t T o p s W i l d e r n e s s i n n o r t h w e s t e r n C o l - o r a d o w a s f u l l o f d e a d w o o d a h e w o r k o f a b e e t l e i n f e s t a t i o g 4 i n t h e 1 9 4 0 s a n d ' 5 0 s . T h e U t e C r e e k f i r e b u r n e c i n - t e n s e l y f o r a b o u t a w e e k , b i t a w e a t h e r c h a n g e c a l m e d i t t o a c r e e p i n g , l o w - i n t e n s i t y s u r c e f i r e . T h e U t e C r e e k a n d S t & m K i n g M o u n t a i n f i r e s v J r e f o u g h t d i f f e r e n t l y , t o o . S t m K i n g i s n e x t t o G l e n w o u d S p r i n g s , a t o w n o f 6 , 5 0 0 . s i t e C r e e k p o s e d l i t t l e r i s k t o l i o r p r o p e r t y , a n d n a t u r a l p r o c e e s l i k e f i r e a r e a l l o w e d t o p r o M e d u n c h e c k e d i n w i l d e r n e s s a r m . O n l y 2 0 0 t o 3 0 0 a c r e s o f = h e 4 , 0 0 0 - a c r e f i r e b u r n e d i n t e n s i t y e n o u g h t o l e a v e b a r e s o i l . I n a d e c a d e s - l o n g p r o c e s s , h e r - b a c e o u s p l a n t s , g r a s s e s a n d s h r u b s w i l l r e t u r n , s a i d B o b A v e r i l l , a f o r e s t h e a l t h s p e c i a l - i s t w i t h U . S . F o r e s t S e r v i c e R o c k y M o u n t a i n R e g i o n a l , O f f i c e i n L a k e w o o d . I f a s p e n c l o n e s w e r e n e a r b y , t h e y w i l l c o m e u p f r o m r o o t s u c k e r s n e x t y e a r . W i t h t i m e , s p r u c e a n d f i i w i l l a p p e a r a g a i n , h e s a i d " I t b r o k e t h e v e g e t a t i o n . u p i n t o a w h o l e l o t o f p a t c h e s . W e d i d a l i t t l e b i t o f e r o s i o n c o n t r o l a f t e r i t h a d g o n e t h r o u g h i t h b a r e a b u t t h e v a s t m a j o r i t y o b i t ; w e ' l l j u s t l e a v e t o t h e n a t t y a l p r o c e s s e s , " A v e r i l l s a i d . Retirees' talents came in handy during PNF fires BY SHARI HAMBLETON The Star-News The Forest Service, after offering financial incentives for early retire- ment to some employees earlier this year, brought some of those same workers back during last summer's forest fires. Originally, the early retirement program was an attempt to reduce the federal work force as part of "a com- mitment of the Administration to the American public," according to Cindy Chojnacky, forest service Intermoun- tain Region spokesperson. While the program did reduce the federal work force, although not by much, it also drained hard -to- replace experience and talent in the forest service fire organization, Chojnacky said. And while the forest service and other federal agencies temporarily employ retirees on a regular basis, those who retired early received hefty financial incentives to do so. They also signed an agreement they would not seek federal employment for the next five years. But the fires blazing across the Payette National Forest last summer were an unforeseen drain on the forest fire organization skill pool. And Pay- ette Fire Management Officer Gene Benedict said he took advantage of experienced manpower wherever. he could find it. In response to a request by the Intermountain Regional office in Ogden, Utah, the United States Of- fice of Personnel Management granted a waiver allowing early retirees to work as civilians in emergency situa- tions, Chojnacky said. But that waiver was limited to 190 positions nationwide over a three - year period throughout the forest ser- vice, she said. Two retirees returned on the Payette, four more throughout the Intermountain Region. "We received the waiver because we didn't have the skills in the regular retiree pool," Chojnacky said. Individuals who were hired back had specialized skills which were both necessary in an emergency fire situa- tion and which could not have been taught in short form to other forest service employees, Benedict said. "It was a political situation," he said. "It's just the language. I didn't differentiate," between regular retir- ees and those who retired early, he said. "These are highly valued people," Benedict said. "They earned their money. They had the experience we needed and they did the job." "If we had a need and I knew who could fill it, I called them to come in," he said. "They had something we needed. If you don't have the experi- ence it shows up." Although bringing much - needed experience back into the fold of the fire organization relieved some of the pressure, it did not come cheap. In addition to receiving an initial financial incentive for retiring early and their monthly retirement fund checks, returning retirees were also paid a hefty civilian wage for their expertise — up to $20 per hour, ac- cording to forest service personnel officials. But that's no different than hiring back other retirees year after year when they're needed, Benedict said. And even though the Payette and other forests were granted a waiver to bring back the experience they des- perately needed, they couldn't find enough people. Requests for experienced people were left unfilled — up to 50 at a time, Payette Forest Dispatcher Duke Norfleet said. In hindsight, Chojnacky said the early retirement program may have been handled too hastily. Forest service personnel depart- ments had a narrow "window of time" to decide who should be offered the early retirement incentive based on regular job descriptions, Chojnacky said. Because employees often perform dual duty, working in a department other than fire in the off - season, valu- able specialized fire management skills were not taken into account. That was a mistake, Chojnacky said. "When we did our screening we looked at the job description on pa- per. In all of that haste ... we cut the personal job description, not what they did in the fire organization," Chojnacky said. "In hindsight, things would prob- ably have been done a lot differently," Chojnacky said. "We should have looked further. I'd like to say we've learned something. We're not real good at thinking ahead as an organi- zation. We tend to be reactive." "We're having an accelerated loss of experience throughout the federal wildland fire fighting agencies," Benedict said. "We're really begin- ning to feel that." 5td r pec ��, /99 Y- `�rl?(, Idaho -544- ho sin4n - / /ll 9s At i Firestorm Smokejumpers struggled to contain a fire outside: McCall as wildfires statewide burned about 750,000 acres by summer's end. p r cr A Wi ,z � n i Ok* Firestorm Smokejumpers struggled to contain a fire outside: McCall as wildfires statewide burned about 750,000 acres by summer's end. p r cr A Wi ,z 17 -2 Significant dates in firefighting history Idaho Historical Library and Archives Idaho Air National Guard fire crew on the Mores Creek Fire, July 1960. ■ 1905: U.S. Forest Service organized under the Department of Agriculture ■ 1910: "The Big Blow" burns 3 million acres across north- ern Idaho and western Montana, prompts widespread support of fire suppression. ■ 1935: Forest Service adopts "10 a.m. Policy," rec- ommending all wildfires be extinguished as soon as possi- ble, targeting a control time of 10 a.m. the morning after the fire begins. ■ 1940: In light of 10 a.m. Policy, aerial attacks on forest fires begin, smokejumper pro- gram and base established at Missoula, Montana. ■ 1945: Forest Service's 5mokey Bear fire prevention campaign launched; Forest Service begins adapting World War II aircraft for fire observa- tion and suppression efforts. ■ 1946: Bureau of Land Management established. ■ 1948: Bureau of Indian Affairs organizes first Native American firefighting crew, the Mescalero Apaches. Forest Service begins utilizing reser- vation crews the following year. ■ 1950s: Forests viewed as timber resources; tree har- vests begin, to meet demand in housing construction. uunng same period, Boise District BLM fire suppression crews were not formalized; firefight- ers were drawn from unemploy- ment lines, in much the same way the Forest Service pulled men out of bars for fire crews earlier in the century. ' ■ 1956: Helicopter firefighting program introduced (later to be named "Helitack "); also, first year chemical fire retardant dropped onto wildfire. ■ 1961: First Forest Service "Hot Shot" crew; program quickly expands as Forest Service notes the need for aggressive, quick- response firefighters. Hot Shot crews soon became, like the smoke - jumpers, firefighting's "elite ": They could go anywhere, at any time, already physically fit and outfitted with equipment. "' IMrAA�- 'tMRii Idaho Historical Library and Archives BLM crew, 1960s. ■ 1964: The Clarification and Multiple Use Act enables BLM to become an active resource manager and to mobilize an agency -wide fire protection effort. ■ 1965: Great Basin Fire Center moves to Boise, renamed the Boise Interagency Fire Center (renamed the National Interagency Fire Center in 1993). ■ 1960s: Equipment created for individual firefighters: fire - retardant clothing (known as Nomex), hardhats and alu- minum fire shelters, devices used to cover firefighter trapped in flames. ■ Early 1970s: Reports sug- gest fire suppression aim for containment, rather than con- trol. Modern era of firefighting begins. ■ 1976: Bureau of Land Management takes over range- land holdings. ■ Late 1970s to present: Containment and prescribed burn strategies evolve as com- mon polices toward wildland fire suppression and forest health. Sources: "Fire in America," by Stephen Pyne; "Fireline," by Michael Theele; and "Young Men and Fire," by Norman Maclean. 57d7e SMJ n Jv ne 21, q Report says firefighters should be allowed to question orders By Robert Weller The Associated Press GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The final report of the team that investigated the Glenwood Springs wildfire last year urges agencies to permit firefighters to challenge orders they consid- er unsafe. The report, prepared by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other agencies, was released Monday, barely a week before the first anniversary of the South Can- yon fire that claimed 14 lives July 6, including two fire- fighters who were stationed in Idaho. It says that since the fire all federal agencies involved have committed themselves to "zero tolerance of carelessness and unsafe actions." The report says meetings with firefighters revealed "there is no acceptable way to disagree with orders in a command culture when individuals disagree with an action they believe is unsafe." The report recommends that fire officials "modify command procedures to allow good -faith challenges to unsafe orders without fear of retribution." It said everyone involved in fire- fighting should be trained about "effective means for employees to challenge unsafe orders." Jim Thrash and Roger Roth, Payette National Forest smoke- jumpers stationed in McCall, died in the fire. One of the firefighters who sur- vived the South Canyon blaze praised the recommendation. "I would say that the most important question that a super- visor can ask his subordinate is `what do you think ?' And if that is a conclusion that the report reaches then they got it right. That's a good deal." It's a good message, said Brian Scholz, who was crew foreman of the Prineville, Ore., Hot Shots when nine members of the Forest Service's 8 rookie smokejumpers near the end of intensive training period McCALL — U.S. Forest Ser- vice smokejumpers are train- ing as the 1995 fire season slowly begins to speed up. The base is home to about 80 smokejumpers, eight of whom are new this year to jumping out of airplanes. The rookies are about to finish up a rigor- ous four -week training pro- gram, preparing them for the important task of catching and extinguishing small fires. Rookies must have five or six years of firefighting experience to be a smokejumper candi- date. Their fire experience is supplemented with classroom instruction on all aspects of fire suppression and behavior and simulation exercises. The simulation exercises in- clude jumping out of a mock airplane door high on a tower is The primary cause lead- ing to the deaths of the fourteen firefighters was that no one person was responsible. Occupational Safety and Health Administration report team died on torm King-moun- tain in the South Canyon fire. Scholz credits his own surviv- al to his boss allowing him and some other firefighters to de- cline to go into the ravine where fire trapped their colleagues. The final report offers no new information on how the South Canyon fire disaster occurred. Its draft edition said no one person was responsible for the deaths and no disciplinary ac- while attached to cables, which simulates leaping from the plane. They also are hoisted up in the air, attached by their parachute harness and taught how to lower themselves to the ground when they are caught in a tree. Another simulation ap- paratus is motorized cable to which they are attached by their parachute harness and brought down to the ground at an angle and at varying speeds to simulate the actual landing. After 10 jumps and an over- night camp out, where they jump into a site, retrieve cargo dropped for them and wrap up their instruction, they are ready. Each rookie is paired with an experienced jumper and goes on the fire list, ready for an as- signment, this Friday. tion was planned. "No one person or unit recog- nized the interaction of all factors on the incident that results in the entrapments," the report said. " Firefighting safety fundamentals were compromised during a period of extreme weather and fire be- havior in a highly flammable fuel type. This situation, compounded by failure to provide critical fire weather and fire behavior infor- mation to the firefighters was the primary cause of the injuries and fatalities." An independent report by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited both the For- est Service and BLM for manage- ment failures. It said "the primary cause leading to the deaths of the fourteen firefighters was that no one person was responsible for insuring" their safety. T1?1, - h1 yvS - r1l3/ 93- Indonesian learns fire fighting techniques from Payette forest BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star-News The tropical rain forests of In- donesia may be different than the forests of the Payette National Forest, but they have at least one thing on common — fire. Zaina Yurda, an Indonesian for- estry official, is visiting the Pay- ette to learn more about wildlands fire fighting, and she will return to her native country later this sum- mer and set up a fire fighting pro- gram there. Yurda will start with a pilot program in her district in East Kalimantan, commonly known as Borneo, and expand the program to cover more districts over the next several years. Yurda has visited the Payette and Challis forests during the first month of her two -month stay in the United States. She has participated in rappel and engine training for firefight- ers and will hit the fire lines once a fire starts this summer. Then she will take all she has learned back to Indonesia. "Were trying to give her a good cross - section of different programs and how to handle fire," said Gene Benedict, fire management officer for the Payette. "She will be able to adopt a lot of what we do here and fit them into her program." Indonesia consists of 13,000 is- lands, and fires cost the island of East Kalimantan alone an average of $50 million per year. The fires there are mostly hu- man- caused. The rural farmers have traditionally burned fields to Zaina Yurda Studies PNF fire fighting prepare for the next growing sea- son, and those fires often burn out of control. Logging operations also create fire conditions by leaving slash, or creating an environment for flam- mable brush to grow after the trees are logged. The firefighting on the island is usually limited to the efforts of timber concessionaires (private companies that lease timberlands) and local villagers. That's what Yurda plans to change. She plans to institute a four -point fire management sys- tem consisting of prevention, sup- pression, detection/pre- suppres- sion, and prescribed and controlled burning. "There's no question in my mind it will become operational," Benedict said. Aside from the technical side of firefighting, Yurda has also learned about Idaho during her visit here, which marks the first time she has been out of Indonesia. She had her first encounter with snow, and witnessed her first hail storm, which she described as "white rain." Benedict said the visit has been an excellent cultural exchange for the both parties. "We are very pleased to have her here," Benedict said. "I think it's been very good for Yurda." Holly Thrash of New Meadows, left, comforts her children, Ginny and Nathan, last Thursday as the family visited the site near Glenwood Springs, Colo., where Smokejumper Jim Thrash died a year before. The Thrash family joined other relatives of 14 firefighters who died in the South Canyon Fire on July 6, 1994, in retracing the final steps taken by the fallen men and women. Memorials to the victims of the blaze were dedicated as well. Also killed in the fire was McCall -based Smokejumper Roger Roth, whose family is from Michigan. Photo by Casey A. Cass, Glenwood Post E/ 31 yS S-/-/)/?- REVIEW; '94 PAYETTE FIRE ANNIVERSARY A year ago, lightning strikes set record fires "1 don't think BY ROGER PHILLIPS year in recorded history with a total of The Stu-News 290,000 acres —approximately 453 square miles —burned during the months ofJuly, A year ago this week, bolts of lightning August, September and October. danced across the ridges surrounding After four months of fires, many fire - anybody McCall and started the most spectacular fighters had the "1,000 -yard stare" that is fires of the memorable 1994 forest fire usually associated with combat veterans. could have season on the Payette National Forest. "Last summer it got beyond the point of ` Last summer, a heat wave gripped the having fun; it was pretty grueling & predicted it area and forest officials cast nervous Benedict said. glances at drought - plagued forests. Pre- The 1994 fire season started in late July cipitation seemed as unlikely as an open near the Salmon River when lightning was going to bar at a church picnic. touched down in tinder -dry grass, igniting rr "A number of us felt we were going to 25 fires, including the Ruby Fire, which " F 3, *: be that big.- have a long fire season," said Gene grew to 1,000 acres before it was extin -� Benedict, fire management officer for the guished. Payette forest. "I knew we were going to The Ruby Fire quickly became an af- - Gene Benedict, have large timber fires, but I didn't know. terthought when the lightning storms a how big. I don't think anybody could have returned in early August, touching off two V I~ Payette National . `' : ,'� ,•,- predicted it was going to be that big.' majorfires: the Blackwell and Corral fires. Forest By the end of the 1994 fire season, the The Blackwell fire drew immediate Pavette had experienced the worst fire Star -News File Photo attention from McCall residents as We will be Page) Fires created a show in 1994. trees on the eastern slopes above the In the end, it was the weather th putting them Lightning storms last weekend ignited Payette Lake burst into flames like put out the final flames after a four about 170 fires on the Payette and Boise giant matchsticks. month -effort that included more fire- Out for the next national forests that were all put out by While prevailing winds kept the fighters than the total population of 10 days or s0 initial attack, according to forest service flames moving toward uninhabited Valley County. officials. lands, the residents and property own- Despite the staggering statistics, even if we don't The wet, cool spring has kept vegeta- ers on the east side knew a change in firefighters had an admirable record get any, more tion green and moisture high, helping wind direction could send firebrands of combatting ild fires last summer. firefighters, but Fire Management Officer g. back in their direction. They extinguished during initial at- lightning. Steve Raddatz of the Boise National For - Firefighters dug in on the east side, tack 97 percent of the 293 fires that est warns those conditions also have a started last summer. -Steve Raddatz, negative side. vigorously attacking spot fires and helped " i N Boise atonal The moisture that hel firefighters keeping the flames at bay as they tried "Basic operation was very suc- Bo P g to creep back down the slopes at night cessful," Benedict said. Forest control theses fires also has a down side. This year, fire fighters face a dif- The fires that are not totally rained out will when the daytime winds subsided. ferent situation. An above- normal burn at a low intensity and their smoke will Meanwhile, the Corral Fire was not be detected," Raddatz said. burning through rugged, inaccessible snowpack and a prolonged cool and "As temperature rises and the forest terrain one mile north of Brundage wet spring have forests green and dries out, the fires will begin putting up Mountain. Forest officials scrambled moist. more smoke," he said. "We will be finding for personnel and equipment in a sum- Approximately 170 fires started these and putting them out for the next 10 mer when fires raged throughout the last weekend in the Payette and Boise days or so even if we don't et an more About a week later, more lightning rted the Chicken Complex, a series smaller fires that burned into one ge infemo in the Frank Church After two weeks of firefighting, all signs pointed to an epic fire sea- son. Three major fires were raging ut of control despite $10 million and ousands of man hours spent fight - 'ng them. Later in the season, tragedy struck hen a helicopter overturned, killing n Army reservist, and a fire storm wept through a backcountry subdi- ision along the South Fork of the almon River, burning several build- Early on, forest officials knew ather would be the ultimate decid- factor in firefighting efforts. They turned their attention to pre - iting the fire from overtaking iso- -d communities, backcountry nes and subdivisions, .a move that largely successful. forests, but all were put out b initial g y P Y � lightning." attack. The fires showed that firefighters are Benedict warned that the fires last ready to go to work after last years record weekend are a sure sign that a fire fire season. All the 80 fires on the Payette season still lays ahead. As the grasses were held to less than a quarter acre, ac- and brush dry out, they will become cording to Gary Murphy of the Payette fuel for fires, which have already taken dispatch office. hold at lower elevations in Southern "Everything went real well. It was a Idaho. good roll out for the beginning of the fire' As the fire season gets into swing, season," Murphy said. "Evervthing is un- Benedict said the firefighters on the der control, but we expect to pick up a lot Payette remain at the ready. of holdovers throughout the week." "I think we do a good job assessing Since much of the Payette is at higher the situation and being able to re- elevation than the Boise forest, the forest spond to it," he said. "We're not over has remained greener. But as the lush reacting this year, but we're sizing spring growth cures, especially the grass - them (the fires) up and taking action." lands along the Salmon River, the fire Benedict noted that it will take danger will increase. more than one above- average winter Payette Fire Management Officer Gene to erase the conditions created by a Benedict said by mid - August the forest 10 -year drought, but he doesn't ex- will be roughly as dry as it was last sum - pect a repeat of the 1994 fire season mer, and if hot, dry weather continues, anytime soon. there may be more large fires. "I don't think we're ever going to "The vigor of the BLM fires tells us the see things like last year," he said. potential for fire is there later," Benedict - said. "We can expect to run into this if we don't have some precipitation." ������ ��Q r " / Y P y r s - ��` t �� 9 l F i r e s b r e a k o u t o n B o i s e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t T w o l i g h t n i n g - c a u s e d f i r e s i n V a l l e y C o u n t y e s c a p e d i n i t i a l a t t a c k o n S u n d a y a n d b u r n e d m o r e t h a n 2 0 0 a c r e s a s o f T u e s d a y a f t e r n o o n , a c c o r d i n g t o C a s e y T h r o n g a r d , f i r e i n f o r m a t i o n o f f i c e r f o r t h e E m m e t t R a n g e r D i s t r i c t o f t h e B o i s e N a - t i o n a l F o r e s t . A l i g h t n i n g s t o r m l a t e S u n d a y n i g h t a n d e a r l y M o n d a y m o r n i n g i g n i t e d e i g h t f i r e s o n t h e B o i s e f o r - e s t . S i x f i r e s w e r e e x t i n g u i s h e d d u r - i n g i n i t i a l a t t a c k s b y f i r e f i g h t i n g c r e w s , a n d t h e S n o w b a n k a n d t h e N o N a m e f i r e s w e r e t h e o n l y o n e s t h a t e s c a p e d . A n o t h e r l i g h t n i n g s t o r m h i t t h e a r e a o n T u e s d a y e v e n i n g , i g n i t i n g a n o t h e r n i n e f i r e s o n t h e B o i s e f o r e s t b e t w e e n C a s c a d e a n d I d a h o C i t y . T h e S n o w b a n k f i r e , w h i c h s t a r t e d S u n d a y a b o u t 1 0 m i l e s s o u t h w e s t o f C a s c a d e h a d b u r n e d 1 4 5 a c r e s i n a m i l e - l o n g s w a t h n e a r W i l s o n P e a k b y T u e s d a y . A b o u t 1 8 0 f i r e f i g h t e r s w e r e a s - s i g n e d t o t h e f i r e a n d a T y p e 1 1 i n c i - d e n t t e a m , t h e s e c o n d - h i g h e s t r a n k - i n g t e a m , w a s p u t i n c o m m a n d o f t h e f i r e . T h e f i r e w a s s t i l l b u r n i n g o u t o f c o n t r o l T u e s d a y , b u t f i r e f i g h t e r s r e - p o r t e d i t t o b e 2 0 p e r c e n t c o n t a i n e d , a n d p r e d i c t e d f u l l c o n t a i n m e n t b y S a t u r d a y . T h e N o N a m e f i r e , l o c a t e d a b o u t 1 0 m i l e s e a s t o f S m i t h s F e r r y , w a s c o n t a i n e d T u e s d a y m o r n i n g a n d e x - p e c t e d t o b e u n d e r c o n t r o l b y t h a t e v e n i n g . T h a t f i r e h a d b u r n e d 6 0 a c r e s a s o f T u e s d a y a f t e r n o 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 a l s o p i c k e d u p n i n e n e w f i r e s r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h e l i g h t n i n g s t o r m o n T u e s - d a y , b u t a l l w e r e e x t i n g u i s h e d b y s m a l l f i r e c r e w s b e f o r e t h e f l a m e s s p r e a d . r <( G10 � e"q �6► 11 / P v 4d ✓aea� e - ���� / �7( McCall man earns Keep Idaho Green Award, state warns continued vigilance with fires MCCALL — Keith Moore, 68, of McCall, was awarded a Keep Idaho Green Award last week by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. The award stems from the actions he took July 5 to extinguish a campfire that had been left smol- dering in the Yockwah Creek area. Bill Williams, SITPA director, said Moore was out cutting firewood and came upon a campfire some- one had left smoldering. He said Moore took his shovel in hand and began working the fire over. "He did a lot of shovel work," Williams said. He said the fire was getting bigger and could have presented some big problems were it not for Moore's quick actions. Williams said the fire season hasn't been too bad for the SITPA fire crews with 23 fires so far this summer. There hasn't been much lightning this year, he said, but many of the fires have been human - caused. And with temperatures predicted to go back into the 90s, and no precipitation to speak o1: having fall- en, the fire risk is very high, Williams said. We had about one -half the normal amount of moisture in June, he said. And in July, he said measurable precipitation amounted to about. 13 inch, well below the normal amount of .70 inches. August has not started out any better. Williams said the normal precipitation for the month is about .98 inches, and so far only about .03 to .04 inches of rain have fallen this month in McCall. "It's way below normal," he said. "Everything is starting to get dry and we need some rain bad." Another factor that could worsen the fire hazard is the frost we had a couple of days ago. That will also kill vegetation that could then dry out and add to the fuel base that's available for a fire. Williams said it's critical that people visiting the woods use caution with campfires or while smok- ing. Good things to have along are shovels, fire extin- guishers, buckets and an ax. And don't leave campfires smoldering, drown them, stir them, drown them and stir them some more, until they're out cold. Fires stay calm on Payette BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News While fires continue to burn around the West, the fire season on the Payette National Forest remains fairly quiet this summer due to few lightning storms in the area, accord- ing to Payette forest dispatchers. "The fire world's been slow here," Payette Dispatcher Gary Murphy said. Only three fires were reported last week on the Payette. Two were small fires that were easily put out by firefighters. The largest of the three was the "Hell Fire" located near Pollock Mountain, which burned five acres before several crews of firefighters extinguished it. The fire burned through spruce and subalpine fir and scorched the crowns of the trees, which caused the fire to jump ahead up to 3/8 of a mile ahead of the main fire. Big Bruin, an 8,100 acre "pre- scribed natural fire," continues to burn deep inside the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness near Arctic Point, about seven miles north- west of Chamberlain Basin. Big Bruin is a lightning- caused wildfire that forest officials say they are allowing to burn to return fire to its natural role within the forest eco- system. The fire started earlier this month and is being allowed to burn un- checked. A fire team is currently watching its movement and prepar- ing to take action if it burns into the Salmon River canyon and threatens to cross the river into the Nez Perce or Salmon/Challis forests. The team is making fire behavior predictions based on current and ex- pected weather conditions, fuels and slope information. If the fire threat- ens to cross into other forests, the team will use water drops or fire retardant to slow it down or reduce its intensity. Overall, the Payette has had less than half the fires it had last summer, dispatchers said. The Payette had 60 reported fires as of Monday, while there were 131 by the same date last year. The Pay- ette firefighting efforts received an- other break last weekend when a storm dumped up to one -half inch of rain in some parts of the forest. I-o, -rq 1�a /1 r� y �dvacafP q i�9 Area fires controlled MCCALL — All fires in the 485 -acre Fall/Goose Complex were contained late last week, and all except the Frog Fire were controlled, according to the Payette Forest. Firefighters got a big help from the weather last week, as cool weather, rain, and snow at high elevations last Thursday and Friday put the damper on the late summer blazes. Because hot spots on the Frog Fire may smolder and smoke for weeks, a control date for that fire was unknown late last week. Management of the complex of fires was turned over to local fire officials Friday morning, and most of the fire man- agement team members were demobilized and left last Thursday and Friday. A road closure on Brundage Mountain Road #50451 from its intersection with Fisher Creek Road #50281 to the inter- section with Brundage Lookout Road #50456 has been lift- ed. Grouse Campground and camping on the west side of Goose Lake are now open as is dispersed camping on the east side of the lake and the lake itself are also now open. National Forest lands within the drainages of Fall and Lemah Creeks, and an unnamed creek that drains the area a known as "The Frog Pond," and east to Payette Lake is closed t to all Forest users. Crestline Trail is open. The Fall Creek Road remains closed at the forest boundary. Elk Meadows Road #50308 from its intersection with Goose Lake Road #50257 is open from 6 p.m. Fridays to 6 a.m. Mondays. The closure remains in effect from 6 a.m. Mondays to 6 p.m. Fridays due to heavy log truck traffic. SMOKEDFISI '. , , y - A family fishing from the North Beach area of Payette Lake keeps an eye on the Frog Fire burning on the east side of the lake. BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News Fires on the Payette National Payette fires Forest continue to smolder, but crews are expected to begin all contained, pulling out by the end of the week as the fires are contained, crews to pull according to Payette officials. "For the limited amount of Out soo resources we had when the fires started, they (firefighters) have done a great job keeping them from getting away," said Meghan Dugan, Payette information officer. There were 15 new fires on the Payette last week, adding to several that have been burning since Aug. 26 -27 when lightning started some the largest fires on the forest so far this season. A "holdover" fire ignited on Sunday near Upper Payette Lake and quickly burned through dense timber, scorching about 40 acres before firefighters got it under control. Most of the new fires were either extinguished or were fully contained by mid -week. By Wednesday the Frog Fire, located two miles north of Payette Lake, had burned about 320 acres and was contained, according to press releases by Payette fire information. Progress on the fire was difficult last week due to the terrain and forest type, which consists mainly of spruce and fir trees. Spruce and fir forests tend to grow in dense stands and can be difficult to fight when fire starts among them. The Frog Fire flared Friday and sent spot fires to the south toward houses on the north end of Payette Lake, but aircraft and ground crews stopped the spot fires and they never threatened any of the homes or property on the north end of the lake. The fire spread mostly to the north and east toward the area where the 1994 Blackwell Fire burned. Cooler weather is expected for the end of the week, which should allow the 12 fire crews i manning the blaze to have it fully contained. After containment, most of the firefighters will disperse, and local crews will monitor the fires. Other fires on the forest are mostly contained, including the 60 -acre Fall Fire, located to the east of the Frog Fire, the 105 -acre Goose Lake Fire, and three fires in the Hartley Meadows area, which burned a total of 40 acres before containment. The largest fire of the year on the Payette is still the Big Bruin fire, which has burned an estimated 8,100 acres in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The fire has been n SXI-4- unmanned since it started last month. Another large fire continues to burn unmanned on the portion of the Frank Church Wilderness inside the Challis and Salmon national forests. That fire, named the Bridge Fire, has burned about 10,000 acres, accord- ing to a press release from the Salmon and Challis forests. Due to the fires, some area and road closures remain in effect. For up- to -date information on road closures or other fire information, call 634 -0700. L", Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips A helicopter drops a load of water on flames rising from the Frog Fire near McCall. 5iate,� h-7 a�� 1'/31/ q( Crews contain Ruby Fire, gain on Squaw The Associated Press Fire bosses believe crews were close Saturday night to full con- tainment of the 1,000 -acre Ruby Fire in the Salmon River canyon eight miles east of Riggins. Supervisors have called in a rehabilitation team to assess the impact on critical salmon and steelhead habitat. "The fire is in extremely diffi- cult terrain, and I think it's a tribute to the crews what they've been able to accom- plish, Payette National Forest Supervisor Dave Alexander said. `The commitment from these firefighters and management team is outstanding. And crews were being demobi- lized south of Twin Falls on the south - central desert after rein- ing in the 5,000 -acre Squaw Joe Fire. Several ranch families, about a dozen people who were evacuated Friday night, were back in their homes Saturday morning. Joe Fire In all, nearly 2,000 firefighters were deployed across the state, and land managers, confronted every afternoon and evening with new waves of dry lightning, continued to have trouble get- ting reinforcements, air tankers and more helicopters because of the more serious blazes in Wash- ington and Oregon. The Elevator Canyon Fire around Samaria Mountain just north of the Utah border was still consuming range, expanding to more than 20,000 acres Saturday as more than 600 firefighters hard- ened lines on the fire's eastern and southern flanks. Fire bosses remained con- cerned about keeping flames off the mountain's northern face, where numerous small canyons are filled with dead fir trees. Fire Management Officer Ray Mitchell said if the weather re- mains favorable the blaze could be contained today or Monday, but Mitchell acknowledged that weather has not been coopera- tive so far. Cascade woman 20, killed while fighting wildfire BY JAMES L. KINCAID The Star -News A Cascade woman was struck and killed by a falling dead tree while fighting a forest fire near Cascade Reservoir last Thursday. Julie Ann Young, 20, died at the scene of the Silver Creek Fire while serving as a member of a fire fight- ing team for the Cascade Ranger District of the Boise National Forest, said Ronn Julian, Cascade District ranger. Young and other team members were laying a water hose when the tree unexpectedly fell, hitting Young, who was wearing full fire protection gear, including a hard hat, Julian said. The four -acre fire occurred just above Anderson Creek Road on the west side of Cascade Reservoir across from the public boat docks in Cascade, Julian said. The accident occurred about 100 yards above the road. Young had started in June at a seasonal position with the forest service, he said. Two emergency medical techni- cians were on the fire line and ar- rived at the accident scene immedi- ately, where they applied emergency life - saving techniques, Julian said. "We called for a Life Flight heli- copter from Boise and an ambulance from Cascade, which both arrived very quickly, Julian said. "Helicopters that were fighting the fire wet down a landing area on Anderson Creek Road where Life Flight landed." Life Flight medics ended the life- saving techniques after determining Young had died, according to a Boise National Forest news release. Young's body was then driven to Valley County District Hospital in Cascade, according to the release. Cause of death was listed as in- ternal injuries, according to the Valley County Coroner's office. About 1,500 people attended Young's funeral which was held Monday at Cascade High School in Cascade, said Joann Wheeler of Cascade, who was a family friend. "We are all stunned and grieving because she was a special person," Wheeler said. "We are all very sad and will miss her greatly." The Young family asks that memorials go to the Valley County Hospital Foundation, Wheeler said. A Cascade High School mathemat- ics department scholarship, in Young's name, is also being consid- ered, Wheeler said. "There were several fire crews on the site who let the fire go and con- centrated on the accident," Julian said. "Then we brought all the Cascade people, about 10 or 12, off the fire and brought in two addi- tional crews from Oregon. About 50 people fought the fire, including a crew from Idaho City." An accident investigation team did a reconstruction of the accident, which is normal procedure in the case of a fatality, Julian said. The team was made up of Gene Benedict, fire control chief for the Payette for- est; John Chambers, director of fire management _ for the Ogden, Utah - based Region 4 of the forest service; John Lopez and Frank Quintana, both from the Ogden office and Milt Coffman from the Boise National Forest Supervisor's Office in Boise, Julian said. "We will review fire fighting techniques, but nothing earth -shak- ing came out of the investigation," Julian said. "We don't anticipate changes in procedures." Forest service fire investigators are also investigating the cause of the are, which is believed to have been man- caused, Julian said. After the accident, a Critical Incident Stress Team was called in to work with the fire fighters who were at the scene of the fatality, ac- cording to the news release. The stress team, from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Boise, deals with anyone affected by the incident, Julian said. Young is survived by her par- ents, Gary and Ann, and her three sisters, Cathy, Susie and Angie. Star-News Photo by Roger Phillip An IMAX camera crew shoots footage at the McCall Smokejumper Base as part of a film on wildfires. IMAX shoots film on wildfires BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -New, It's lights, camera, action time at the McCall Smokejumper Base. Fire- fighters are heading for not just the big screen, but the really big screen. Two film crews from London, En- gland, are in McCall shooting footage for an IMAX film based on forest fires and firefighting. The IMAX cam- eras use 70 millimeter film, which is projected onto 60 -foot screens, bring- ing the images to an epic, larger -than- life scale. The 40- minute film will be about "the interaction of fire, forests and people," Director Mike Slee said. The film will feature McCall smokejumpers and "helitack" crews, which rappel to the ground from heli- copters to fight fires. It also will in- corporate educational information about fire's role in a natural forest ecosystem with footage of actual fire- fighting. "The whole idea of this movie is to take people to the heart of a forest fire and take them there with some knowl- edge," Slee said. Fire is an excellent subject be- cause it so photogenic and exciting, he said. "It's hypnotic and frighten- ing, and at the same time, good for the forest," Slee said. The film crews will stage some scenes in the film, but they also plan to film a Type 1 forest fire, which is the largest and most intense classifi- cation of a wildfire. They will shoot that footage "live," letting the fire call the shots rather than actors, directors and special effects wizards. "About 20 percent of the movie will be real -live fire action," Slee said. The movie is being produced by Discovery Channel Pictures, Princi- pal Productions and Big Picture Part- nership. Slee could not say what its budget is, but it's not cheap. Filn alone costs $1,000 for every three an( half minutes, and that does not in elude processing. A 25- person film crew will be it McCall throughout the summer shoot. ing scenes. They will have camera., mounted on several forest service air- craft, and they have chartered a heli- copter for all of August so they will be ready to shoot when a big fire breaks out. Two crews will be ready at any time so they can simultaneously film from the air and on the ground. Crews have permission from the forest service to film during firefight- ing operations, and they will be con- sidered a part of the actual fire team, Slee said. The crews will be based in McCall, but they will travel to wherever a big fire breaks out this summer. The film has been in production since this spring, and the entire pro- duction will take about 1 -1/2 years to complete. "They are long, big un- wieldy beasts," Slee said. The movie's world premiere is planned for the fall of 1998 in Sydney, Australia, and it can only be shown at one of about 300 IMAX theaters worldwide, Slee said. In the North- west, there are IMAX theaters in Spo- kane, Wash., and Portland, Ore. ko /<<C(/ oafs 10 YEARS AGO —1989 Friday, Aug. 11 Crews gain ground on Idaho wildfires. Cooler, moister air continued to dampen Idaho wildfires Thursday, giving fire offi- cials confidence that all blazes may be contained within a week. Compiled by Michelle Sugai Airshed Group may get balloon to aid Prescribed bums MCCALL — The Southern Idaho Airshed Group is consid- ering buying a pilot balloon to assist with prescribed burns and smoke management dur- ing September and October. The group — made up of the Bureau of Land Management, the Payette National Forest, Idaho's Fish and Game and En- vironmental Quality Depart- ments, Boise Cascade Corp. and the Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association — is the major conductor of controlled burns in southern Idaho. Duke Norfleet, a dispatcher for the Payette National Forest, said the balloon would be launched every morning to monitor atmospheric condi- tions, air quality, temperatures and wind patterns, using satel- lite tracking. "That data would then be sent to Missoula, Mont., where meteorologists would issue a forecast for a given day; for ex- ample, `no burning below 4,000 feet' or `fire at will.' After the project gets going, there is a possibility that we might use it in the spring, say from April to May, also for prescribed burn- ing. It's not intended for wild - land fires," he said. This would be the Southern Idaho Airshed Group's first time using a pilot balloon. Na- tional forests in Missoula and northern Idaho have used the project for 20 years. There eventually will be pilot balloon stations in McCall, Boise, Salmon and Pocatello. The first -year budget for smoke monitoring and equip- ment purchases probably will be about $28,000. Federal funding for the proj- ect will be split among the Boise, the Payette and a third national forest. Deadly 1949 fire taught Forest Service many lessons The Associated Press Robert Sallee, in this photo from 1991, is the last living survivor of the 1949 Mann Gulch fire near Helena, Mont., that killed 13 smokejumpers. By Len Iwanski The Associated Press 'HELENA, Mont. —Late on the bone -dry August after- noon, the air shimmering with 97- degree heat, 15 smokejumpers parachuted into a remote gulch to fight a fire sparked by lightning. Within 90 minutes, 10 were dead, overtaken by a searing wall of flame 200 feet high. A forest ranger on the ground died with them. Two others succumbed to burns the next day. This Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service marks the 50th anniversary of the 1949 Mann Gulch fire — the first major catastrophe to befall the agency's then - fledgling smokejumper program. The number of firefighter deaths in a single blaze, 13, was unsurpassed until July 6, 1994, when an inferno on Storm King mountain outside Glenwood Springs, Colo., killed 14 firefighters. Three of those who died were smoke- jumpers, including two who were based in Idaho. The Mann Gulch tragedy inspired a 1952 Hollywood movie, "Red Skies of Mon- tana," and was the subject of the haunting, 1992 non - fiction best -seller "Young Men and Fire" by Norman Maclean, who also wrote "A River Runs Through It." Earlier this year, Mann Gulch joined the National Register of Historic Sites. Granite markers on the hill- side commemorate the men who died. Like the 10 men and four women killed on Storm King, the Mann Gulch firefighters died when a fire blew up and trapped them on a steep slope. "The Mann Gulch fire was very significant for us. It was really the start of the Forest Service's commitment to un- derstanding fire behavior, and the commitment to firefighters' safety," says Jerry Williams, fire coor- dinator at the regional Forest Service headquarters in Missoula. "That's where we started develop- ing protective equipment for people, better tools ... also kind of a national mobilization toward establishing fire line safe practices," Williams says. On Aug. 5, 1949, the Forest Service crew completed their jump into Mann Gulch between 3:50 and 4:10 p.m. and were joined on the ground by forest ranger Jim Harrison, who had been alone on the scene for hours digging fire lines. The single radio that was dropped from the airplane with them smashed on impact, cutting off the crew from outside communication. The men were heading down the gulch toward the Missouri River when flames flared up below them and jumped across the ravine. The men quickly realized their predicament. Flames were racing up the steep slope toward them. The only escape was over the ridge. They dropped their gear and ran. The fire overtook them one by one. Eleven died in the gulch, where tem- peratures probably reached 1,800 de- grees, according to estimates possible today. Two more died in a Helena hos- pital. Only three smokejumpers survived — foreman R. Wagner "Wag" Dodge, at 33 the oldest member of the group, who lit a back fire and laid down in the burned -out area as the main fire skipped over or around him, and two teen - agers, Robert Sallee and Walter Rumsey, who found refuge in the rim rocks high above the slope. Eventually, it took 450 firefighters to control the blaze, which grew from 60 acres to 3,000. The confusion and lack of commu- nication at Mann Gulch prompted sig- nificant changes in smokejumper training, says Laird Robinson, a for- mer smokejumper and veteran Forest Service official in Missoula, who helped Maclean with research for "Young Men and Fire." Wag Dodge, for instance, while an experienced smokejumper and fore- man, was a stranger to most of his crew that day, Robinson says. Now, smokejumpers undergo a paramili- tary regimen in which veterans help train the crews they will lead into fires. Mann Gulch and other killer wild- fires also prompted establishment of fire science laboratories, at Missoula and at Macon, Ga., where the Forest Service studies how fires behave, how weather affects them and how best to fight them in various conditions. Development labs in Missoula and San Dimas, Calif., invented or im- proved much of the equipment to- day's firefighters use in the wild. "In 1949 they wore jeans and a cotton, long - sleeved work shirt. They wore baseball hats," Robinson says. Today, smokejumpers wear hard - hats and fire- resistant clothing. Sever- al members in a crew carry compact, multi - channel radios that keep them in contact with dispatchers, aircraft and other crews. And every smokejumper carries a fire shelter, Robinson says, `basically a tiny aluminum tent that one individ- ual can crawl inside of, that's heat -re- flective." The center of attention at this week's commemoration in Helena is likely to be Bob Sallee, the last living survivor of the Mann Gulch fire. Sallee, 67, an engineer and paper manufacturing executive from Spokane, Wash., does not relish the limelight. "I'm participating in it because I don't really have any choice," Sallee says. "I'm the only survivor. I have a lot of smokejumper friends who are telling me that, like it or not, I'm part of history and I have to go up there and do this." Also attending will be Jack Harri- son, who 50 years ago was summoned to identify the body of his brother, the ranger who died in the fire. "My brother had been a smoke - jumper the year before, and my moth- er didn't want him to jump anymore because it was too dangerous," Harri- son says. So Jim Harrison took a job as recreation ranger at a nearby For- est Service picnic area — and died at Mann Gulch. "My mother never did really get over it," Jack Harrison says. "I think the Forest Service has done The Associated Press An August 1949 file photo shows the the Mann Gulch fire near Helena, Mont., which took the lives of 12 smokejumpers and a forest ranger when a wall of flame raced up a steep hillside. The blaze burned more than 3,000 acres, and controlling it required the efforts of more than 400 firefighters. This Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service marks the 50th an- niversary of the Mann Gulch fire. ''. /c�aGrofi��e -s gran Some facts about smokejumping MISSOULA, Mont. —The first line of defense in battling U.S. forest fires are some 400 smokejumpers stationed at bases throughout the West. Three - quarters of them work for the Forest Service and are based in Missoula and West Yellow- stone, Mont.; Winthrop, Wash.; Grangeville and Mc- Call, Idaho; Redmond, Ore.; and Redding, Calif. The Bureau of Land Man- agement employs the rest, who are based in Alaska and Idaho. The BLM began its own smokejumper program in 1958 in Alaska, where the agency manages millions of acres. It was modeled on the Forest Service program, and the two agencies continue to cooperate in wildland fire- fighting. Some facts about smokejumpers: > Candidates undergo rigorous paramilitary training and physical conditioning. Most rookie instruction fo- cuses on parachuting, since recruits must already know how to fight forest fires. > In an average five- or six -month fire season, a smokejumper can earn $14,000; a severe fire sea- son, with overtime and haz- ard pay for jumping, could bring double that amount. > The smokejumper corps very nearly didn't get off the ground. In 1935, when the Forest Service was experimenting with the idea, Montana regional forester Evan Kelley wrote to Wash- ington asking to be rid of the program in his territory. "All parachute jumpers are more or less crazy," Kelley wrote, "just a little bit unbalanced, otherwise they wouldn't be engaged in such a haz- ardous undertaking." / /�/ Y? 50 YEARS AGO —1949 Thursday, Aug. 11 Fire Crews Make Gains. One thou- sand weary fire fighters Wednesday night seemed to be gaining the upper hand on the 5100 -acre Salmon River forest fire but a severe thunderstorm added to the troubles of the Forest Ser- vice when lightning set 33 new fires in the Payette and Boise national forests. Ap VQ GAtE, /0 /s-/ /9F Snow puts the chill on fires and firefighters Kim Pearson Staff Writer Firefighters and officials are all thinking the same thing ........bran! 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 Fire, which joined last week above the Upper Payette Lake, seerns 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. e info rcements Help arrives: Kim Hughes/ The Idaho Statesmar ; oldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, sound off at Gowen Field before getting onto buses and heading for the Burgdorf Junction fire north of McCall. Iroops arrive m Boise to help battle wildfires Staff and wire reports Nearly 600 soldiers landed in Boise on Tuesday and headed to the mountains near McCall to help battle a wildfire that has burned across more than 15,000 acres in the Payette National Forest. They were the first wave of troops to join the fire lines on about three dozen major fires throughout the West. Tuesday, fires were burning on nearly 640,000 acres of forest and range in nine states. Fire bosses at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise called for reinforcements because of the severity of this Gerry Metendez /The Idaho Statesman Reconnaissance: Steve Nemore, air tactical group supervisor trainee, gathers information on the Clear Creek fire during a flight Monday evening. Nemore, along with his supervisor, Dick Stiliha, was assessing fire behavior and coordinating aircraft over the massive blaze. rl P on ��� /�DOd Fq& ,l1 e ) f . year's fires and the need for help on the fire lines. In Idaho, crews are battling five large fires, including a com- plex of more than 186,000 acres in eastern Idaho. Water tankers were moved into the communi- ty of Warren in the rugged backcountry north of McCall in case winds whip the Burgdorf Junction fire into town. Fire officials also have in- creased restrictions on the use of public lands, such as requir- ing campfires to be only in de- veloped recreation areas. "Our fire situation is extreme and historic," said Dave Ritten- house, forest supervisor of the Boise National Forest. "We are experiencing extremely severe conditions the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time." So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 3.5 mil- lion acres nationally. In Idaho, more than 207,000 acres has burned. The last time the Boise -based fire center mobilized military units was in 1996, when 3 million acres had burned by July 25. More troops are on the way. About 500 Marines began train- ing in California on Tuesday and should be in Idaho by week's end to go up against the Clear Creek blaze near the Montana border. That fire has covered more than 83,000 acres. Firefighters also are on alert for new fires started by dry lightning in the region. Kim Hughes/ The Idaho Statesman Gearing up: PFC Joshua Hafer laughs as he passes rucksacks down a line to unload them from flats taken off a plane that flew about 600 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, to Boise. Soldiers arrive to help fight Bergdorf blaze Makeshift city iu Secesh awaits 600 By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman MCCALL — Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion 16th Field Ar- tillery rolled into Idaho Tuesdayto help firefighters battle the 15,562 -acre Burgdorf Junction fine north of McCall. Instead of the usual military hard- ware, nearly 600 men and women from Fort Hood, Texas, will be armed with axes, shovels and hoses for the next'30 days. "We know these people have been working hard on these fires," said Mas- ter Sgt. Lou Matson. "We just want to come in here, learn and go to work." The unit, called "Task Force Thun- der," consists mostly of troops who handle large weapons and ammuni- tion. Several smaller units within the battalion will provide support includ- ing medical and logistical assistance. But overall, the soldiers are here to fight fires. "This is a big challenge for our guys," said Capt. Jon Milner. "This will definitely build unity in our nuh- tary team." The thick smell of scorched -earth, billowing smoke plumes and the sounds of retardant - dropping helicop- ters provided some similarities of a military atmosphere, but most of the soldiers have never fought a fire. "When I joined the army, I never thought that I would be doing this," said Specialist Sam Monk, who is originally from Camden, Ark. "But I'm here to help in any way I can." While the western part of the nation currently has numerous wildfires burning, Sam Wilbanks, the incident commander of the blaze, said the sol- diers we're routed to Idaho because assistance was needed immediately. "We need the help," Wilbanks said from the fire camp base. "We have ba- sically used all of our other resources." Wilbanks also said the fire would provide training should the soldiers be sent elsewhere. They will likely be shipped to assist on other fines in the state or the nation after 30 days. Fire officials were concerned that weather conditions would affect fire behavior during the day. But coopera- tive winds allowed firefighters to make some progress on the blaze that's only 37 percent contained. Matson said his troops would focus on training the next couple of days, so that the firefighters could be given some relief. "We're not the A- team," he said. "But believe me, they will come in and do their best." The battalion will be under the di- rection of the Forest Service and fire- fighting officials. "We're not going to put them on the lines with our hotshot crews or any- thing like that," Wilbanks said. "It's just too dangerous. They'll mainly pro- vide support roles" on the fire lines. He said he knows the soldiers are physically fit, but experience is most important. "These guys out there on the fire lines have been doing this for a long time," Wilbanks said. "We actu- ally have guys training to train the sol- diers so that we can have as safe an environment as possible." That's all right with Specialist Jen- nie Guerra, one of the few women in the troop. "I just want to do my best," said Guerra who's a part of the mili- tary's medic team. "I actually hope I can split myself and do a lot of things while I'm here." The troops will begin training today on the basics of fire line cutting tech- niques, the use of hand tools and the use of fire shelters, said fire officials. The blaze, which has made some significant runs the past two days, has a chance of reaching the Salmon River. A f t `Page ,4 3 0�4- F /CAq o s 1 a �x _r,,, Kim Hughes/ The Idaho Statesman Ireparing to fight fire: A soldier wanders along a row of ru&sackis unloaded from the plane that carried soldiers to Idaho to help fight wildfires. Wilbanks said the increase in man an the middle of some; private land and power has the potential to have an p p , some federal land," Stick said. "And feet on the fire. we just wanted to be respecdU of our "It really depends on how the fire and neighbors." the weather behaves," Wilbanks said. ' if ,.weather is cooperative, then we Stick said Forest officials had been cake advantage of the fire with negotiating with the land. owners about the troops camping; in their more bodies. But if the weather isn't be- back yards. "We wanted to know if ing cooperative, then it doesn't matter they had some issues or concerns," he how many men we have on the fire." said. "And basically they didn't." The soldiers will be camped in a The camp is situated in a segment of makeshift city about six miles from the Secesh community. the main fire camp. Before arriving at the camp, the "We will make sure all their accom- troop traveled through a region of the modations are in good working or- Payette Forest that was scorched for der," said camp manager, Gary Rush. more than 300,000 acres in 1994. "Everything will be just right for For many of the soldiers, it was them." their first time seeing the effects of a The camp has many accommoda wildfire lions including a laundry and shower "I have never seen anything like facility. that in my life," Monk said. "But this i Randy Swick of the Payette Nation- place is still pretty." al Forest Service said much time was spent on preparing the camp for the soldiers. "This camp area is sitting in 7—ry Ne> Plenty pp of su lies food await firefloters By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman While manpower has been pushed to the limit, food and other supplies are abundant for firefighters battling the Burgdorf Junction fire. Forest service officials said they have more than enough equipment and supplies for the more than 1,100 firefighters and soldiers in the Payette National Forest. "Oh, I have plenty of tools and sup- plies for the fire crews," said Frank Howell, who works for the California Department of Forestry and is here to help manage the equipment. "The fun- ny thing is that I don't have enough people to help me pass them out." From axes to water, the supply unit has nearly everything the crews need. Fire information officer Sarah Gracey said the supplies operation is well organized. "We make sure that we have the necessary equipment for the firefight- ers and to service the equipment;" Gracey said. The equipment is refurbished and replenished at the National Intera- gency Fire Center in Boise. After the equipment has been cleaned and serv- iced, it is sent back to the supplies unit of a wildfire camp. The service and re- furbish rotation varies with each piece of equipment. Gracey said crews on the fire lines don't typically have to return to the fire camp to get equipment that's needed while fighting a fire. "We have designated drop points if they need to get equipment," she said. "But usually they make sure they have everything they need before they leave. They know that coming back to camp all the time could slow them down." Gracey said the firefighters also take ample food and water with them to the lines. "They all get bag lunches," she said. Meals are also delivered to crews that sleep near the fire lines. And after working all day in danger- ous conditions and extreme tempera- tures, fire officials make sure there is plenty of food for the firefighters. "The food is great," said 20- year -old Dustin Jones of Oregon. "And I make sure I eat my share." From New York steaks to baked chicken, Stewarts Fire Fighting Cater- Darin Oswald /The Idaho Statesman Troops from the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion leave their camp Wednesday to train to fight the Burgdorf Junction Fire north of McCall. The military delivered about 600 troops to aid in the fire sparked by lightning in mid -July. Below: Brennen Munford, Boise, working with the the Grayback 47 firefighting team, pulls burning timber into the open before extin- guishing the blaze along the front lines of the Burgdorf Junction Fire Wednesday. ing service has been providing meals, to the men and women since the fire started nearly one month ago. "We have to make sure they have at least 2000 calories per day," said cater- ing service manager Mike Kramer. "And we do it, easily." "These guys are out there working hard, and we want to make sure they have a good meal when they return to camp in the evening." Kramer said his company placed a bid with the forest service and they were awarded a five -year contract to serve meals to firefighters. "We have the capacity to feed 2,500 people three meals per day," he said. "And that includes special requests." Sandra Hehn, of Oregon, is one of 25 employees who prepare the meals, and services the firefighters. Ci n %ac7P 1f1 pr- 2- fad �s Darin Oswald /The Idaho Statesman Help from the air: A helicopter drops water onto the front lines Wednesday, where rough terrain hampers the ground effort against the Burgdorf Junction fire north of McCall. Fire activity since 1994 Number of fires Acres burned Year U.S. Idaho U.S. Idaho 2000* 61,400 461 3,596,854 391,288 1999 93,702 954 5,661,976 409,524 1998 81,043 1,133 2,329,709 110,554 1997 89,517 655 3,662,357 40,606 1996 115,166 1,038 6,701,842 825,840 1995 130,019 1,080 2,316,595 265,286 1994 114,066 1,216 4,727,272 679,840 * Year to date Source: Eastern Great Basin Coordination Center Satellite link helps supply firefighters By Bradley Brim The Star -News The fire in the Payette Na- tional Forest on French Creek has the distinction of being the first where firefighting efforts have been aided by the use of a satellite communication system, according to U.S. Forest Service officials. A group of Green Berets from the U.S. Army Tenth Special Forces Group landed in McCall about 8 p.m. Thursday. They immediately began work- ing with Kim Peterson, a Bureau of Land Management computer specialist from the Boise In- teragency Fire Center, to set up a satellite link between computers at the forest's logistics center in McCall and at Corduroy Junc- tion, the base camp for the French Creek fire. Peterson designed the system that linked the Data General computer in McCall with a military satellite orbiting the earth. "What we've done here is in- troduced a computer into the fire camp where the necessary orders and /or reports can be generated in the computer and sent over, in this case, a satellite link into a computer here at the logistics center in McCall," Peterson said. This is the first . time that a satellite link has ever been used to fighCa forest fire in the United States, Peterson said. The French Creek fire also has the distinction of being the first civilian task on which the Green Beret communications unit from Ft. Devens, Mass., 'have been deployed, said Staff Sgt. Dan Swistak, commander of the Special Forces unit in McCall. He said that Idaho's terrain probably had something to do with the Army's decision to order them onto the fire. "We're a mountain unit, set to deploy to the European theatre," Swistak said. "These definitely qualify as mountains. I've never seen anything like this in my life." The biggest advantage of the satellite link is that requests for additional supplies or manpower can quickly be relayed to the Mc -. Call logistics center. From there, they are sent over a nationwide computer system called the Forest Level Informa- tion Processing System (FLIPS). "The information that's typed in at fire camp gets transmitted to the computer here, and through electronic mail is transmitted on the FLIPS system to any logistics center in the country that might have the equipment needed on the fire," Peterson said. He said that the method is con- siderably less time- consumit)g than transmitting requests over the radio, and it makes transcrip- tion errors less likely. "It's really helping us break the back on the paperwork crunch," said Norm Hesseldahl, the fire information officer at the Corduroy Junction fire camp. Peterson said that the military was called in because the decision to use a satellite link to fight forest fires was made so recently that the forest service did not yet have all the necessary equipment when fires flared up in the West. I 00ps get first lesson .suers say ,paring for fire I much different n readying for war Jeffrey McKinnie Idaho Statesman The men and women of the U.S. army's 3rd Battalion 16th Field Ar- tillery got their first lessons in the ba- sics of firefighting Wednesday. "You guys are going to go out and ;ee what the rest of us do for a living," ;aid incident commander Scott Vail iuring a predawn briefing. "So, wel- t -ome to the family." s The soldiers were given instruc- tions on safety management, placed nto 25- person crews and transported 1 :o previously burned areas of the 3urgdorf Junction fire. Fire officials gave demonstrations n tool functions, line construction and terrain navigation. "One of the most important things we want them to learn is how to be writle with the land," said Capt. Lou glesias, who is a 23- year - veteran fire - iighter with the California Depart- ment of Forestry. "We want them to mow exactly how to swing the tools." Lt. Greg Santillo of the 3rd Battal- on was getting mentally prepared for he training just before the unit's first like into the mountains. "This is going to be a good chal- enge for us," the West Point graduate ;aid as his unit began hiking up a idge near the Burgdorf hot springs. `But as you can see, we're in shape to lo this." Most of the soldiers said preparing o fight a fire isn't that much different han preparing to fight a war. "Of course, we don't have weapons, nstead we're using tools," said Spe- iialist Kris Terrill of Texas. "But most importantly, you've got to be in shape and you've got to work as a team." Being physically fit, working with a team and following directions are some of the basic principles in prepar- ing for war, military officials said. All the training exercises were con- ducted in the previously burned areas of the 15,623 -acre fire. Fire officials were focused on safety issues for the first training sessions. The soldiers were equipped with shovels and axes. "They'll be out here working direct- ly with us as soon as they finish their training," said division supervisor John Lane as he was monitoring two experienced fire crews extinguishing' tot spots near the active fire line. "But ve won't put them as close as we are D the fire right here. Maybe later on, out not this soon." Sgt. Lou Matson said it'll take time or the soldiers to gain experience. "This is like basic training for them oday," Matson said as he watched the roops board buses to be shuttled broughout the forest. "The best way o gain experience is through hands- et training." Matson said the troops are confident about the assignment they ve been giv- en "even if it's not fighting a war." "They feel like there's no differ- ence," he said. "'They feel loose, avail- able and ready to go." The soldiers trained for six hours in he field Wednesday and received ome classroom instruction on safety. The soldiers are scheduled to get experience on previous fire lines, earn how to construct fire lines and ift0im,ig iffes fire bosses directed soldiers to differ- to have a safe and managed plan." ent training sessions. "Our job is to Matson said forest service officials learn, to help and to make progress." have been very accommodating to the Firefighter Keith Rotsaert , 23, of troops. Boise said the soldiers need the train- "We basically have more facilities ing before they can benefit the fire (food, laundry and showers) here than crews. we do at Fort Hood," he said with a "It's rough up here," Rotsaert said smile. as he wiped charred ash from his face "Of course these guys want to go while on the east flank of the fire. "But out and fight fires for them." the more the merrier." Rotsaert, who has been fighting fires for more than two years, said the soldiers should expect to work hard. "This fire and the other one in Salmon just won't quit burning," he said. "If we don't do something soon, they'll be a big black X in the middle of Idaho." Darin Oswald / The Idit State Gearing up: U.S. Army troops from Fort Hood, Texas, are issued their firefighting tools before being bused to portions of the Burgdorf Junction fire for the beginning of their fire training. will ultimately construct fire lines, Matson said. "All this depends on the task force and incident commander," he said. Matson said fire officials are in charge of the entire mission. "We are totally dependent on the Forest Service for leadership, planning and management," Matson said, while Iglesias was cautious about putting soldiers on the fire lines too quickly, despite the need. "They are a great resource to have up here with us," he said. "But we have to move them along slowly." Iglesias was confident the troops could do the work. It's no doubt in mind they're up for the challenge," he said. "But we have C�7� i��t t1,_Z1VO &4� -r& Dombeck and Kempthorne visit Burgdorf Fire Safety and resources are key issues raised during briefings By Craig Boswell Staff Writer MCCALL— U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne both got a first hand look at the Burgdorf junction fire last week, as well as a briefing from the California Incident Command Team and local U.S. Forest Service officials. Dombeck's tour of wildfires in Idaho and Montana last Thursday brought him to the Burgdorf firecamp for a press conference with local and national media, followed by a briefing with the leaders of the California Incident Command Team. "I am here to preach the safety message ... to get a pic- ture of them [the fires in Idaho and Montana] and hear what the common themes are," said Dombeck during a press conference at the firecamp. During the briefing, Incident Fire Commander Scott Vail and Payette National Forest Supervisor Dave Alexander gave Dombeck some sobering "on the ground" observa- tions regarding the recent Forest Service policy decision for a 14 -day rotation of all Forest Service employees, and the need for more trained fire fighting personnel. "Fires didn't used to go on for so long," said Vail who has been with the Forest Service for 31 seasons. "We are only on the fire for 12 days with two days of travel. I think 21 days is better for an effective transition. I'm sure you'll hear this from numerous people in my position," Vail told Dombeck. "As I watch these teams," said Alexander, "the first 3 to 4 days is a high stress period as they learn about the fire and the terrain. They are going to go through this more high stress period frequently and it will wear them out." By Saturday, however, the squeaky wheel had gotten the grease, and Vail reported that his team had been grant- ed a 21 -day rotation. In a special agreement with the National Multi- Agency Command Group in Boise, the CICT alone was given per- mission to stay in order to reduce the number of command teams (from 3 to 2) that the military would have to deal with while they finish out their 30 -day tour of duty. Dombeck also heard concerns from Alexander and Vail on the shortage of trained fire fighters. "We are running critically short every year [of Type 1 crews] . We need to re -think this," said Alexander. "Crew structure is also an issue. What we actually have are Types 1, 2, 3, and 4 crews and CIT's have to spend their time sorting them out." Vail concurred. "Perhaps we need another layer [of fire crews]. I don't think the contract and "Administratively Determined" crews are going to make it," he said. Wby fim &mpts bui% Warren, pop. 12, is s det afe from flames, at least for now By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman WARREN — Fifteen years ago, Shirley Winter wanted to move from a big town to a small town. So she packed her bags and moved from Secesh, population 40, down the road' about 20 miles to the old mining town of Warren, population 12. "I've always liked living in the mountains for its peace and quiet," said Winter, while working behind the counter of her business, The Win- ter Inn — which is part restaurant, grocery store, museum and tavern. "But since this fire started, there ain't been no peace. As a matter of fact, there ain't been this many people coming down here since the last fire." Warren was nearly evacuated two weeks ago when winds shifted the Burgdorf Junction fire in its direction. Fire officials have yet to declare it 100 percent safe, but the potential risk has decreased. "Naah, not anymore," she said while proudly pointing at a picture of Idaho's first governor, Norman Wil- ley, who was originally from Warren. "We can basically see that the fire is not headed this direction anymore. Now, if you asked me was I con- cerned a couple of weeks ago ... maybe." Warren, which lies almost in the heart of the Payette National Forest, is the fifth- oldest town in the state. It doesn't have electricity and only five years ago had its first telephones in- stalled. In its boom days, the population was around 5,000 — but that was more than 100 years ago. "We like this old place," Winter said while she pulled out her list of most frequently asked questions. "That's why we live here." Winter drives to McCall weekly to pick up supplies for the town resi- dents, but during the winter, when the only road into the area is closed, supplies are flown in by helicopter. And the folks in this place don't 'mind the inconveniences. "It might be a little tough for us to get out of here some times," Winter Statesman filq phut Not worried anymore: Warren resident Ron Drake said he's not concerned about any danger from a nearby fire. "We don't have nothing to worry about.... Except now, we might get run over by fire trucks." said. "But that also means it's tough to get in here!' Greg Crisp is one of Winter's neighbors. "I can admit, I was a little nervous about the fire at first," said Crisp, who is a miner in Warren. "But now that they've got the fire turned in the other direction, the only thing you have to worry about in this town is the gun- slingers, whiskey drinkers and gold miners." Fire officials, who were concerned about protecting the historic town when the winds shifted, have been consistently updating Winter, and her 11 neighbors, about the fire that still could pose a threat. A bulletin board outside Winter's establishment provides daily fire up- dates. And the Forest Service has been conducting periodic town meet- ings. Randy Swick, a Forest Service offi- cial, said fires can change quickly. "Right now, things appear to be OK for those people living down there," Swick said. "But wildfires can switch directions at any time." But Winter, who can see numerous large plumes of smokes coming from the mountains just a few miles from her business, said she has faith in the Forest Service. "They're handling it," she said,. "Because some military guys came down here the other day and told us our place is basically OK for now." Ron Drake, who also lives in War- ren, said he's not concerned either. "The fire hasn't even reached the dredge pond," Drake said, while drinking a cup a coffee at the Winter Inn. "I ain't worried one bit." Drake, who's also a miner and has lived in the town for 20 years, said Warren is safe from everything. "We don't have nothing to worry about because hardly no one comes down here," Drake said. "Except now, we might get run over by fire trucks .11 Portrait from the front lines By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman Jesus Lopez likes working on dan- gerousjobs. That's why he likes being a fire- fighter. "I don't want to cut grass, and I don't want to work in no office," Lopez said. 'This is better than a lot of jobs." Lopez is part of an all- Hispanic fire fighting crew from Salem, Ore. He's a supervisor for the Ferguson Manage- ment Company that provides season- al firefighters to the Forest Service. "It's good work," Lopez said as he was organizing a crew to put out hot spots on the east flank of the fire. "Sometimes we work nine months a year.,, Lopez, who is originally from Michuacan, Mexico, said most of the guys on his crew work to help their relatives. "Sometimes we send money back to Mexico," he said. "Because they don't have as much as we do." Lopez, who is married and has three children, said this season has provided steady work. "We've been fighting fires in Col- orado, Utah and Idaho," said the sev- en -year firefighting veteran. "I've been doing a lot of driving." Lopez has currently worked 21 days on the Burgdorf Junction fire Jesus Lopez, fire crew supervisor and doesn't want to take a break. "He's a hard, hard worker," said Ken Rieger, who is the captain of the Ferguson crew. "He'll just keep work- ing until we make him stop." At night, Lopez said he plays cards with his crew members sometimes. "Most of the time I'm so tired, I just go to bed." Lopez said all 25 crews that work for his company are currently out fighting fires. "I'm glad the army is here," he said. "Tell them to hurry up." Lopez said he also enjoys his job be- cause it keeps him in shape. "I also like the money," he said. "But only get to keep $20 because my wife gets the rest." Fire officials said there are several Native American and Hispanic crews working the fire. Reinforcements head for firelines Soldiers complete two days of training 3y Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman All 560 soldiers of the U.S. Army's Ird Battalion 16th Field Artillery offi- iially joined the firelines Friday to as- sist firefighters battling the more than '3,000 -acre Burgdorf Junction fire just iorth of McCall. The men and women from Fort -food, Texas, will have an immediate mpact on the blaze that appears to be ) uuning toward the Salmon River, fire )fficials said. "Watch what we do to this fire," ;aid Staff Sgt. Carlos Chavarri as he and his unit entered the southeast lank of the blaze. "It's going down." The addition of Chavarri and the )ther soldiers brings the total of per - >onnel working on the fire to 1,219. The extra manpower will certainly )e needed to fight the blaze that flexed is muscle late Thursday and black - med nearly 2,000 more acres. Oregon firefighter Craig Dixon, who is a division supervisor on the blaze, Said the soldiers were ready for action. "This is definitely the real thing," Dixon said as he gave directions to soldiers standing on a ridge above the ames. "You are now firefighters." Despite having only two days of training, Dixon said the soldiers were well suited to help fight the fire. "They learned how to use all the necessary tools very quickly," he said. "Plus, they're already in good shape." The 145th Support Battalion unit of the Idaho Army National Guard in Boise provided all ground transporta- tion for the soldiers. The troops, 20 crews of 25 soldiers, were shuttled to different segments of existing fire- lines. Specialist Truman McDuffie was with the unit assigned to work on the southeast flank of the fire, about one mile from hotshot crews that were es- tablishing lines on one of the most ac- tive parts of the fire. " I know how to use all the tools, and now I'm ready to get busy," MCDuffie said as he was starting the 1 U2 mile hike to the fireline. "This is probably the hardest part of fighting fires —the hike." Dixon said the climb is difficult be- cause of the steep terrain. The soldiers working the southeast flank provided support duties to exist- ing lines near Stratton Creek. The soldiers were scheduled to work for eight hours the first day and progressively increase over the next few days, fire officials said. "Look at these guys," said informa- tion officer Sam Wilbanks, as the sol- diers began preparing for the hike. "fhis is no political statement. Believe me, these guys are here to work." Wilbanks said despite rumors, fire Darin Oswald / The Idaho Statesman Troops from U.S. Army 3rd Battalion 16th Field Artillery based in Fort Hood, Texas, try to get a little extra sleep while being transported Friday morning to the firelines by a convoy of Idaho National Guard five -ton trucks. officials do not intend to let the blaze reach the Salmon River. "We are going to try our best to sup- press that fire before it reaches the Salmon," he said. "And these guys (the soldiers) are going to give us a chance of doing that." Fire officials said the soldiers will put out hotspots, construct lines and help maintain existing containment lines on the blaze, which is only 35 percent contained. Military officials said one soldier suffered a minor injury during train- ing Thursday and received four stitch- es after cutting himself with one of the fire tools. Officials said the soldier is expected to be back on duty today. Fire officials said protection efforts of the towns of Secesh and Warren have been met. , ATfe */ of z �agPs Above: Soldiers from the U.S. Army 3rd Battalion 16th Field Artillery enter the fireline Friday at the Burgdorf Junction fire north of McCall, after spending two days training. The fire had burned more than 17,000 acres of the Payette National For- est by Friday morning. Top photo: Sgt. Manuel Gomez of the U.S. Army 3rd Battalion at the fireline Friday. Crews focus on Warren, Secesh Meadows By Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman Idaho Gov. Dirk Kemp - thorne applauded the coopera- tion of federal, state and Army firefighters after flying over the Burgdorf Junction fire, now within five miles of the Salmon River. The governor toured the state by air to see Idaho's biggest blazes firsthand. "You see how rapidly the fire moves and the wipredictability of it," Kempthorne said. "All of this is critical habitat for fish, elk and sheep. This fire will leave its mark on Idaho for a long time," Kempthorne said of the Burgdorf fire. Firefighters briefed Kemp - thorne that they were concen- trating efforts on protecting Warren and Secesh Meadows, a subdivision of 120 homes to the east of the fire. Dave Alexander, supervisor of the Payette National Forest, told Kempthorne it was both too dangerous and too expen- sive to place firefighters ahead of the fire. And the timber, a mixture of spruce, fir and lodgepole pine, was not valu- able. The fire is moving as many as 4 to 5 miles a day when the wind picks up. It could reach the Salmon River within a day, and fire- fighters predict it has a 75 per- cent chance of reaching the riv- Kim Hughes/ The Idaho Statesman Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, left, toured the state by air to see Idaho's biggest blazes firsthand. He applauded the cooperation of federal, state and army firefighters after flying over the Burgdorf Junction fire, now within five miles of the Salmon River. er in 7 to 10 days, even under the best circumstances. The governor witnessed several new lightning strikes, which fire offi- cials said started even more fires around Salmon. "You can see why they call it `the beast," " he said, looking at the fiery head of the Burgdorf Junction fire. "There's no way you can contain it. It's too dangerous." Kempthorne met with local officials in Valley and Lemhi counties, offer- ing state resources. "It's lined up when you're ready," he said. "You need only ask." Salmon Mayor Stan Davis told Kempthorne his top priority was pro- tecting the Jesse Creek Watershed that provides the source of Salmon's municipal water. Davis said a supreme court decision recognizing federal control of water downriver from the Frank Church River- of -No- Return Wilderness leaves the Jesse Watershed as Salmon's only source. "Right now, the biggest thing I'm worried about is we'll lose our snow- pack," Davis said. Kempthorne asked firefighters how much the roadless character of the area was effecting firefighting. Alexander said that one of the rea- sons he was not putting firefighters in front of the blaze was there was no safe way to get them out. President Clinton has proposed banning future road building in 9 mil- lion acres of Idaho's backcountry. His ambitious schedule for completing the plan by the end of the year already was tight. Kempthorne questioned how well the work could be finished in light of the fires. "People are putting out fires instead of putting out paper for the roadless proposal," Kempthorne said. Jack Blackwell, intermountain re- gional forester, said Clinton's roadless policy is having no effect on current firefighting. Bulldozers are allowed into roadless areas when firefighters call for them, he said. Even if Clinton's plan goes into ef- fect, it has provisions allowing bull- dozers and other equipment to be used in roadless areas. Weather conditions were allowing firefighters to expand firelines around the Clear Creek fire they hope will keep it from threatening the town of Salmon to the east. I ltermittent rain cooled some parts of the fire, but it has grown to 99,500 acres. Fire crews continue to provide structure protection for the Cobalt, Leesburg, and Trail Creek areas. In the Sawtooth National Forest, a 80 -acre wildfire was contained early Friday. The fire was located about two miles east of the Porcupine Camp- ground. In Eastern Idaho, a complex of 14 different wildfires, which cover about 190,000 acres, is 80 percent contained. Two hundred Canadian firefighters and 500 additional Army troops will reinforce beleaguered crews battling wildfires across the West, the head of the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. Mike Dombeck said most of the Canadians will be assigned to Mon- tana while a second battalion of 500 Army troops from Fort Hood, Texas, will undergo firefighting training and join 500 Army troops and 500 Marines already assigned to fires in Idaho. Dombeck toured the Idaho and Montana fire lines Friday and prom- ised adequate resources for fire crews. "We're really at the mercy of Moth- er Nature," the forest service chief said. "Unless we have a miraculous change in the weather, I think we can look forward to several tough weeks ahead of us' Idiers taste smoke, dirt on fire duty oops experience zgh assignment Idaho mountains Kelly Teal y he Associated Press �.' ✓ '' „ BURGDORF — Sgt. Brad Rhoden ded his M -16 for a pick and shovel nd dug in against a wildfire in the daho mountains, breathing smoke. = _ and ash in thin mountain air, sweat- ? ing in triple digit temperatures and .. trudging up and down rugged terrain. "The hiking is worse than in Bosnia, and the living conditions aret better there,” Rhoden said as he and ' nearly 600 others from Fort Hood, Texas, became the first Army soldiers to begin battling blazes that have stretched resources thin across theA. West. "This has nothing to do with what I _ trained for," Rhoden said. "I'm here The Associated Press because my country needs me" In addition to the Army soldiers, I Idaho, Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, march to the trucks that will carry them into the Payette National Forest near Friday, the first day of fighting the fires after two days of training. The head of the U.S. 50 Marines had joined firefighters in Idaho and a second battalion of Burgdorf Junction, Forest Service, Mike Dombeck, said Friday a second battalion of 500 Army troops from Fort Hood, Texas, will firefighting training and join 500 Army troops and 500 Marines already assigned to fires in Idaho. Marines arrived in Idaho this week- undergo end from Camp Pendleton, Calif. The Forest Service has also announced that 200 Canadian firefighters and talions, 57 helicopters and eight air constantly working. It's something I "That bad boy was hard on my feet," Gary said. "I thought I was in 500 additional U.S. Army troops were joining the effort. tankers helped battle flames that rav- aged Yellowstone National Park. haven't seen in a while: Soldiers get- ting in the dirt and just working." shape before I came here." Rhoden and his fellow soldiers were given two days of training last Rhoden and several friends talked about their new combat duty while The soldiers had been trudging But morale is high. through thick ash, putting out embers "We're saving peoples' lives, we're week, shown how to cut fire lines, dig taking refuge from the hot sun in a rel- inside a secured fire line that has been helping safeguard this property out a settlement of several dozen here," said Lt. Col. Darryl Williams, ditches and create escape routes, then they were sent Friday to battle the atively spacious mess tent. In Idaho for less than a week, their protecting homes. Their weapons: 10 -pound pu- who commands the task force. Williams said firefighting gives the Burgdorf fire about 25 miles north of McCall in the Payette National Forest. eyes were bloodshot, feet blistered and grimy uniforms smelled of laskis, a combination adz and ax, and McLeods, a combination shovel and soldiers "a great opportunity to show - The fire is far from the biggest in smoke. When they have had time for pick that weigh about the same. case what the military does best. "I'd rather have my M -16," Rhoden We're able to react to a situation very the West but the soldiers' presence is allowing experienced Forest Service breaks, they've slept in canvas pup tents pitched on steep, rocky ground. said. quickly, and we're doing pretty good." crews to tackle other assignments. in There are only eight showers for the Sgt. Sylvester Gary had been as- That doesn't diminish their respect signed to fires before and knew some for the civilians who normally hold Military forces have been sent as reinforcements to help the nation's entire battalion. "Kuwait wasn't hard compared to of what to expect. But struggling up this duty. 20,000 civilian wildfire fighters previ- this place," Staff Sgt. Ian Campbell and down an Idaho mountain was "Firefighters are the true American heroes," Rhoden said. ously, most recently in 1996. The said with a wry smile. "Here you're taking a toll. worst year was 1988, when eight bat- 1 I Fires improve some habitat, but damage others By Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman In a matter of hours, giant hot fires have transformed tens of thousands of acres of Ida- ho's forests into blackened landscapes. As Valley County Commis- sioner Terry Gestrin watched the fires burn north of McCall on Friday, his words reflected a common view: "It's sickening," he said. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kemp - thome toured the Burgdorf fire Friday and said, "This fire will leave its mark on Idaho for a longtime." The fires threaten homes, communities, hunting spots and favorite places for Idaho's residents and visitors. But their effects on the natural commu- nities that evolved with regular fires through the eons are less clear. Fire kills trees like the 600 - year -old ponderosa pine that burned in the 1992 Foothills Fire on the Boise National For- est. It kills wildlife, like the herd of elk lost during fires north of McCall in 1994. Fire also kills fish, like bull trout that died in fire - heated water in Slide Gulch on the Boise National Forest in 1992. However, fires also benefit wildlife and even fish in some cases. Fire's lasting effects, says fire ecologist Leon Neuen- schwander of the University of Idaho, depend on the forest type and the size and fre- quency of the fires. Huge in- frequent fires are the inevitable and natural tool for re- newing the spruce, fir and lodge - pole pines Dirk Kempthorne governor torests like those north of Mc- Call and across the northern Rockies. In the dry ponderosa pine forests of southern Idaho, like most of the Boise National For- est and much of the Salmon - Challis National Forest, small fires at 10- to 30 -year intervals were the norm. However, fire suppression and selective logging that re- moved the largest trees changed the basic character of dry forest types where Fire w frequent and of small intensit ,�/ %1oZ6>0 0 Now thousands of young trees have grown up around the huge orange -sided ponderosas that are the anchor species on which the health of the surrounding ecosystem rests. These smaller firs act as ladders that carry the fire into the crowns of the ponderosas, causing uncharacteristi - cally large fires that unnaturally alter the ecosystem. "Historically, the ecological recov- ery time was short and immediate, Neuenschwander said. "That's not going to happen now in those dry forests." These ponderosa pine forests, which spread from Arizona north to Idaho, are now burning with increas- ing severity that is reshaping millions of acres across the West. On the Boise National Forest, an average of only 3,000 acres of forest burned each year from 1955 to 1985. Since 1986, that average has exceed- ed 56,000 acres burned annually. The slow recovery is evident on the slopes around Lowman where fire burned through thick ponderosa stands in 1989. Even the North Fork of the Boise River suffered signifi- cant degradation after the 1994 Rab- bit Gulch Fire, said Tim Burton, a U.S. Forest Service biologist in Boise. However, fisheries impacts like those seen on the Boise River are the exception, not the rule. Erosion fre- quently sends sediment into rivers af- ter fires. But most streams recover quickly — within five years, Burton said. David Burns, a Forest Service fisheries biologist in McCall, has studied the effects of large fires for several decades in the spruce -fir for- est streams of the Payette National Forest. The erosive sediment after fires tends to be courser and actually beneficial to rivers. The floods that often follow act to cleanse the river systems of the fine sediment that choke off spawning grounds and fill in holding pools Kim Hughes / The Idaho Statesman Payette National Forest Supervisor David Alexander briefs Gov. Dirk Kempthorne on the status of the Burgdorf Junction fire north of McCall on Friday during the governor's survey of the state's fires. where fish can rest. "The large scale events — floods and fires — are how the system works," Burns said. Small streams can be damaged temporarily, but the fish can usually go elsewhere. One exception is the bull trout of the Weiser River, which are isolated from other populations of the endangered char. A fire that wipes out their home there would drive them into extinction. Since elk and deer can move around, their populations are rarely hurt by fires. In the long run, fires like those in the 1930s on the Clearwater River actually improve their habitat. But specialized species like pine marten, goshawks, grizzly bears and lynx that need old growth and other rarer forest habitats can be harmed when fire destroys the little habitat they have left, said Lynn Bennett, a Forest Service ecologist. Since fire is inevitable and even ecologically desirable in the Engle - man spruce forests north of McCall, the decisions are easier for David Alexander, Payette National Forest supervisor. He doubts his team of firefighters could stop the continuing Burgdorf Junction Fire blaze no mat- ter what he threw at it. So he can save taxpayers' money and, more importantly, risk fewer lives by keeping them out of the way. "You could do far more damage to the ecosystem through your suppres- sion techniques than the fire will." Alexander said. More than a decade of highly, publicized blazes . has changed �ublic attitudes about wild- fire. Nicola Potts, the owner of the Coffee Grinder in Ketchum, remem- bered how she felt about the Yellow- stone blazes in 1988. She saw some of her favorite scenic vistas de- stroyed. That was one of the most trau- matic times in my life," Potts recalls. "But when I went back a few years later and everything was growing back, you knew it was going to be OK." ccPSr-77 (7)7.. President to stop in Idaho today Clinton will see Burgdorf wildfire, visit firefighters By Gregory Hahn The Idaho Statesman President Clinton is sched- uled to stop in Idaho for about six hours today to tour the Bergdorf wildfire, have lunch with firefighters there and talk with Idaho's congressional dele- gation about the conflagrations raging around the state. It's unknown whether the president will take advantage of his visit to declare Idaho or other fire - stricken states a disaster area, but a White House spokes- woman said Monday night that Clinton is expected to make some sort of announcement while he's here. Flying aboard Air Force One, Clinton will fast land at Gowen Field in Boise about 8:30 a.m., transfer to a smaller aircraft and then fly up to the McCall airport. From there, he'll take Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to the Burgdorf Junction Fire In- cident Command Post. Clinton is scheduled to be back at Gowen Field by 2 p.m. and back in Washington by this evening. The visit will be Clinton's first visit to Boise since 1996, when he stopped in Boise on his way to tour of the flood - ravaged Pa- cific North- west. , Clinton also twice briefly visited the eastern part of the Gem State in the mid- 1990s, both times flying to president the Idaho Falls Bill Clinton to change air- craft for vaca- tions in Jackson, Wyo. After flying over the Burgdorf fire area, the president will meet with firefighters at the Bergdorf field command post in Idaho County, a few miles north of the Valley County line. "We're spiffing things up just a little, but it's still very rustic," said Miera Crawford, spokes- woman for the Payette National Forest. "It's still a fire camp — a fully operational fire camp — because the fire's still burning." Foresters and local law en- forcement officials met with Clinton's advance team Mon- day, but Crawford and others said most of the president's se- curity force travels with him. Crawford guessed about 100 people, including a few firefight- ers, would be at the camp to greet the president, though most will be still working on the fire line. Clinton will dine on the same food as the firefighters — a sandwich, a drink and a piece of fruit, Crawford said. Idaho's senior Sen. Larry Craig plans to be with Clinton all day, flying from Washington, D.C., on Air Force One. Craig's spokesman, Mike Trary cnid-Craipr hones to find time to "bend Clinton's ear" on forest management issues and the need for more fire mitigation money. Sen. Mike Crapo couldn't get a flight down to Boise from North Ida- ho, where he has aseries of meetings planned for today. Crapo will tour the Salmon area fires on Wednes- day. Idaho GOP Reps. Mike Simpson and Helen Chenoweth -Rage are both expected to join the president. Details of Clinton's plans carne slowly Monday, as the White House put together the trip on short notice. "Craig will carry the message just fine for us tomorrow," Crapo's Boise representative, Lindsay Nothern, said Monday afternoon. The delegation wants the federal government to commit more money to the firefighting efforts now and to the cleanup that will follow. Crapo's and Craig's offices said estimates are that the country is spending $15 million a day to fight fires in 11 states. They didn't know how much the Idaho fires will end up costing, but, to compare, they said the Los Alamos fire in New Mexico needed around $800 million in emer- gency spending. Simpson hopes to show Clinton why Idaho forests need to be logged and managed, not left to grow thick and flammable. Among the issues sure to arise to- day is the administration's hope to secure millions of acres of roadless wilderness, which the Idaho delega- tion opposes. "If forests aren't managed, they go up in smoke," Simpson said. But area Forest Service officials hope Clinton's fly -over tour will help show how these fires fit into the nat- ural cycle of the forest's ecosystem. Th Bergdorf fire is surrounded by more than 300,000 acres blackened by fires in 1994. The land is still pep- pered by the charred remains of trees, but new ones are already growing, and the ground is green with grass and wildflowers. This is what the Bergdorf area will look like in six years, foresters said. "What is happening now, we knew it was going to happen," Craw- ford said. "We just didn't know when." Clinton's schedule President Clinton faces a tight schedule during his short visit in Idaho today. Here are the highlights: > 8:35 a.m. Clinton is scheduled to arrive at the Idaho Air National Guard Base in Boise aboard Air Force One. > 9:40 a.m. Clinton will leave shortly thereafter for McCall, where he is expect- ed to arrive about 9:40 a.m. He will transfer to his Marine One helicopter for a short hop to the Burgdorf Junction Fire Incident Command Post. > 11 a.m. the president will join firefighters for lunch in the Burgdorf area, and af- ter speaking to firefighters will head back to McCall.. > 2 p.m. Clinton returns, to Boise about 2 p.m. for his return trip to Virginia's Dulles International Airport. President won't be in public view Idahoans wanting to catch a glimpse of President Clinton during his Idaho visit today are in for disappointment. > The president plans no public appearances in the Treasure Valley. There will be no motorcades and no traffic disruptions, except for some minor flight delays when Air Force One arrives at and leaves Gowen Field at the Boise Airport. > Air Force One probably will be visible from the Boise Airport's main termi- nal, Boise Airport Director John Anderson said.That's the plane the president uses for cross - country travel. It's not every day that a 747 lands in Boise, Anderson said, and it's been more than four years since the president last visit- ed Boise. The airport had a wide -body 747 on the tar- mac a couple of weeks ago, and the plane was visible from inside the terminal. > Security around Gowen Field will clamp down today. The best chance to watch the presi- dent's arrival at about 8:30 a.m. today may be from inside the main airport. > Air traffic will be restricted. Planes won't be landing or taking off while Clinton's plane is airbome in Boise's air space. Bergdorf Junction blaze may jump S Rver Foresters protect historic sites The Associated Press The 25,500 -acre Burgdorf Junction Fire threatens to cross the Salmon River. On Wednes- day, the fire north of McCall burned along a mile- and -a -half of the riverbank, prompting land managers in the Nez Perce National Forest to pro- tect historical sites. Steve Armstrong, archaeol- ogist for the forest, said crews were covering three historical cabins near the river Wednes- day. "The cabins are wrapped in fire shelter material. The wa- terpipe drip system keeps the blanket wet," Armstrong said. The archaeologist said land managers were providing fire- fighters with information about ancient Indian art that could be blackened if the fire jumped the river. "What we're doing is provid- ing information on where the sites are," Armstrong said. "With rock art, you can build a Eric Dinger, right, and Chad White, with the U.S. Forest Service Engine 11 from Lester Creek Guard Station, spray water on hot spots Wednesday after- noon north of Moun- tain Home as crews worked to contain the Oregon Trail Fire. The fire, which has burned 25,000 acres since it was started Monday, is 60 percent con- tained. fire line around it or prune the vegetation. Rock art is suscep- tible to the fires." He said the fire fighters were told about more than 1,000 pieces of rock art — from straight figures to geometric shapes and depictions of birds, and fish. Armstrong said there are numerous prehistoric sites along the river — some as large as 50 feet long — at old hunting posts up to 8,000 years old. Alexis Collins, at the Payette National Forest headquarters, said the fire is burning upriver and that burning embers could cross the 100- yard -wide river, where crews were prepared to fight the blaze. The Three Bears Fire burn- ing on the north side of the Salmon River on the Nez Perce National Forest reached 15,000 acres Wednesday. The fire was less than 1 percent contained. Also in the Payette National Forest, the Flossie Fire con- sumed 15,600 acres Wednes- day. Supplies were dropped in- to crews staffing the fire, burn- ing in mature logdgepole. About 100 miles to the east, fire bosses focused on protect- ing 30 threatened residences scattered along Panther near the state's large The Clear Creek Fire, at 113,000 acres, was about 40 percent contained Wednesday. `�)w /_ Six more fires sparked by dry lightning and thunderstorms MCCALL— Thunderstorms and dry lightning on July 31, and again on August 4, have touched off numerous spot fires, and started five new major (more then 100 acres) wildfires in and around the Payette National Forest. • Flossie - 11,000 acres. This fire is moving mostly to the north/north- cast. It started near the Sheepeater Lookout and is burning in mature lodge- pole forest. The fire burned around the Stonebreaker Ranch yesterday and continued to the east and north. On Sunday, the fire had burned around the Chamberlin guard station and airstrip. An area closure is being implemented for the entire Chamberlin Creek drainage and all its tributaries. - Three Bears - 11,150 acres. Infrared photography has been used to help fire managers accurately map the fire which has burned 5,000 acres north of the Salmon River from Deer Park Creek upriver to Sabe Creek, and 6,150 acres south of the river from Dillinger Creek upriver to Hot Springs Creek. A management team has been assigned to the fire primarily for structure protection. The fire' is burning both on the Payette and NezPerce Forests, as well as the Frank Church Wilderness. The Nez Perce National Forest is managing the fire. Otter - 1,500 acres. The fire is located near the Butts Fire that is burn- ing in the Salmon- Challis National Forest. It was started on August 4 and its status is unknown and it is'unstaffed. • Diamond Point - 800 acres. Activity on this fire picked up yesterday. The fire moved out of the rocky area were it started and is burning in lodge - pole and subalpine fir. • Goodrich - 3,170 acres. This fire is located approximately 9 miles south- west of Council and is' located `on BLM and private lands that are under the protection and jurisdiction of the Payette National Forest. The fire is con - tained. Personnel from this fire were moved to more active fires. Crews remaining on this fire are mopping up. �do� ;1 M % R 1, 1 L,&?w Burgdorf fire reaches Salmon River - Nez Perce and Payette to coordinate initial attack response SLATE CREEK — The Burgdorf Fire had reached the Salmon River near Cottontail Creek by Tuesday morning according to a report from the information office at the Burgdorf Junction Fire Camp. Officials said the fire had slowly crept down the drainage overnight, but with light winds on Tuesday morning they were not aware of any spotting across the river in the Nez Perce National Forest. Forest officials on the NPNF have been preparing for the possiblitiy that the fire could jump the river and begin to burn through what is known as the Salmon River Breaks Country in the Salmon River Ranger District. "I have been meeting with the Payette National Forest and the Burgdorf Command Incident Team for the past two weeks," said Salmon River District Ranger Jack Carlson on Monday. "We believe that if the fire crosses the river we will find out right away whether we can knock it down. If we can't, then it will really be up to Mother Nature," he said. PNF, NPNF and the CICT have agreed that the initital attacks on any spread of fire across the river will be by air support from the Burgdorf fire. "We have a task force of 30 people on the ground there now. They are focused on structure protection, but they will assist with initial attacks," said Carlson. According to Carlson, the Salmon River Breaks country rises up from the north - em bank of the Salmon River and is made up largely of the Gospel Hump Wilderness, but also has portions of the Frank Church Wilderness, as well as roaded and unroad- ed areas. Structures which the task force have been working to protect are the James, Shepp, and Bemis Ranches. "It is steep terrain, lightly timbered but heavy with grasses and shrubs. If the fire spreads, it will burn fast," said Carlson, noting that this is an area which has a history of fast burning wildfires. Carlson, who has been the Salmon River District Ranger for the past six years, said there have been a succession of wildfires in the area over the past 11 years. "Directly across the river from Cottontail Creek there was the Porcupine Fire in 1992 which burned several thousand acres. Downstream from this fire there was the Johnson Butte Fire in 1989 and further downstream there was the Scott Fire in 1992. Carlson said the areas of these fires had overlapped, and were of mixed severity. "The Scott Fire was a standard replacement fire while the Porcupine fire had standard replacement in some areas," said Carlson. Standard replacement refers to the natural cycle of mature timber stands being replaced by fire or other nat- ural events. Timber in that area is primarily Ponderosa Pine, according to Carlson. 0-) � - rz�z,&Y High technology helps firefighters predict weather, fire behavior BURGDORF — Incident Meteorologists — or in the world of acronyms IMET — play an impor- tant role these days in fighting fires by combining old methods of data collection, along with real time computer data and software modeling to predict local weather patterns. Last week two current National Weather Service IMETs who have been on the Burgdorf fire for the past two weeks — Joe Lester of Boise, and Scott Weishaar of Portland, Ore. — spoke about the changes in technology that are helping air fire suppression efforts. "Technological changes have been the greatest in the last 10 years," said Wieshaar who has been with the NWS for ten and a half years. Wieshaar was referring to the development of computer hardware and software technologies which have brought quite nearly real time national, regional and local weath- er data out into the field. But after he said this, Wieshaar then stepped out- side the tent to perform a test for relative humidity and temperature with a decidedly less "high tech" device - a Sling Psychronmeter. The sling is simply two thermometers -one "dry" bulb and one "wet" bulb which is moistened with water and then spun in the air until the wick on the wet bulb dries. From the two temperatures Weishaar can then calculate the relative humidity of the air at base camp. The two also use another more traditional method to observe wind speed and direction - with the PIBAL and a Theodolite. A pilot balloon (PIBAL), or as known in the vernacular, "weather balloon," is filled with a certain volume of helium which provides a constant rate of rise. By tracking the ascension of the PIBAL through the lens of the theodolite at fixed intervals, the azimuth at each interval is determined, and from a succes- sion of such readings the IMET (with the aid of a computer program) calculate wind speed and direc- tion. IMETs also get the same information — local temperature, humidity and wind speed and direction data — from different locations around the fire with the aid of three automated remote mobile weather stations, as well as from FOBS — or Field Observers who radio this information from locations in and around the fire. Then, with the aid of a satellite uplink, local IMETs have access to an array of national and local weather data provided by the NWS and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The BLM in particular has a national network of sensors which detect air to surface lightning strikes. That information is updated on the minute, said Lester, and allows fire personnel to identify possible new fires. lrlr �riaf A typical day for the two begins at 5 a.m. with breakfast in the mess hall. Then it's off to the Situation Tent where they are quartered with the Incident Command Team's Fire Behavior Analyst and the Planning Officer. After comparing their forecast from the previous evening with the latest information, they present their daily report at the 6 a.m. command briefing, which is then followed by a 7 a.m. briefing with the mili- tary up the road at the campsite at the Echo mine near Secesh Meadows. After that the two begin to prepare the next day's forecast to present during the afternoon briefing at 4 p.m. After just two wildfire duties, Lester said the only thing he will not miss about them is having to get up at 5 a.m. C'�Ve90 to 0 es ,tne river banks) were on fire, with Wildfir faii to reel flaming and flaring up. We could scourage-eally di feel the heat. We saw some Some enjoy close look at blazes By Patrick Orr ]'he Idaho Statesman While a rash of wildfires near the Salmon River may be causing headaches for fire- fighters, it has not kept rafters from enjoying the summer. Despite the wildfire activity y t e fire since it started. in the Salmon - Challis and without many problems. Payette national forests, the While rafters may have to Salmon River still is open for deal with smoke, ash and floating traffic, and it does not ;ome charred hillsides on the appear to be closing any time Salmon, day floats and multi - soon. The other popular Ida- day trips still are being al- ho rafting spots — the Payette lowed on the river, fire offi- River, Snake River, and the caals said. middle fork of the Salmon ,Right now, there is no clo- River — are not near any 'sure of the river. It's open," wildfires, so Treasure Valley said Meira Crawford, public rafters should have no prob- affairs officer for the Payette lems enjoying their favorite National Forest. "We do have rs on •ocks roll over and one tree that fell in he river. We were all like, `Wow.' " Mason said most of the rafters were 1.10 64m� ]1 ware of the fire before they went on St e trip, and many enjoyed getting an p -close look at a wildfire. "I think the rafters got into it be- cause they were all snapping pictures and going crazy," he said. "It was like, `Hey, it is too bad this is happening, gut this is a good opportunity to see .t., " Rafters are still al- lowed to float the Main Salmon River in spite of the fire's proximity. Some campsites are closed. Ray Schuler recently floated the riv- er and took these photographs of areas where the Burgdorf Junction fire burned on the southern shore of the river. "It's amazing to see," he said. Ray Schuler Special to The Idaho Statesman ple are still allowed to float the river." During some of the multi day river trips that begin near the city of Salmon and finish near Riggins, rafters have floated through areas of the forest that have been burned or are close to the fire. "It hasn't really been a problem, but it is kind of smoky at times," Tim Ma- son, a river guide with Canyons Inc., said Friday after returning from a raft- ing trip. "Some mornings, it was pret- ty bad, and it stings the eyes a little bit. whitewater. some closure areas along the Mostly, it is dead snags and bushes. Large wildfires in the banks of the river, and some We went through one place where Salmon - Challis and Payette campsites are closed, but peo- national forests have been blazing since mid -July and have burned thousands of acres, including some river- banks of the Salmon River, but rafters have been floating One -day float trips, which usually begin by Vinegar Creek near McCall, are several miles from the fire and do not go through the fire area at all, :�rawford said. Susan Bechdel, co -owner of "anyons Inc., said the fires haven't af- ected her business at this point, and iow some rafters are looking forward o the action. "We have had rafters take a bunch A pictures and really enjoy it," she said. "Everybody is still coming. We do get a lot of calls from people who want to know what is going on, but we haven't had any cancellations." On some of the multi -day trips, the raft crews stay away from the restrict- ed areas and have used common sense when figuring out where to stop, she said. For instance, on Mason's lat- est trip down the river, the group vot- ed to skip a campsite about one mile from the fire for one about five miles farther down. "If you see a tree burning on the side of the river, don't set up a tent," said Bechdel. While the guides try to keep the groups in the middle of the river by the current most of the time, they will di- rect rafters to keep a safe distance from any fire activity, said Mason. He had to direct his group around the tree that fell in the Salmon during the lat- est trip. While the Salmon River has seen its share of fire this year, the Payette Riv- er, a favorite of Boise -area rafters, has emerged unscathed and is open for business. "There are no problems over here. We haven't seen any smoke or any- thing all summer," said Kenneth Long, manager of Cascade Raft Co. "The oth- er rivers (Payette, Snake and the mid- dle fork of the Salmon) are fine." Crawford said the U.S. Forest Ser- vice is compiling a map of all the re- stricted areas next to the Salmon Riv- er and will post it on the agency's Web site this weekend. The river could be closed if fire offi- cials feel there is a threat to public safety, but such a ban appears unlike- ly, Crawford said. Rafters who have breathing prob- lems may want to reconsider taking a multi -day trip because of the heavy amount of smoke in the air near the fires, Crawford said. firftfin,,,, gender doeon t mafter Women on Idaho fire crews say they like challenges, outdoors By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman Holly Eckert of Seattle grew up in McCall admiring her dad, who worked many years for the Forest Service fighting wildfires. So after getting a degree in political science and then earning a living as a modern dancer in Seattle, Eckert de- cided to come back home and learn how to be a firefighter. "Call me crazy," she said while helping fire crews put out hotspots on the east flank of the Burgdorf Junc- tion fire. "I know, I know — some- times I can't believe it either." Eckert is one of many female fire- fighters actively participating on the firelines in the Payette National For- est. "We have the same expectations for them as we do for the men," said division supervisor John Lane, who was directing Eckert and other crews working near the most active part of the fire. "We make no concession." Eckert, who works out of the War- ren Fire Station, said this area is spe- cial to her. I love this part of Idaho," she said. "So of course, I wanted to help out." Eckert said the Warren station re- sponded to the fire when it initially started nearly one month ago. Kerry Kilner is also a firefighter. She works with Eckert in Warren. "I remember when this thing first started," Kilner said. "And now, it just keeps growing." Kilner, who has been a firefighter for five years, said she likes being in the wilderness. "This is my office," she said before manually starting a water pump. "Is- n't it beautiful ?" Fire officials didn't have the exact number of women fighting the blaze, but they were quick to talk about their importance. "They work just as hard and some- times harder than some of the guys," Lane said. "Gender doesn't matter when it comes to being a good fire- fighter. It depends on the individual." Gary Eckert, Holly's dad, was im- pressed when his daughter first told him she wanted to be firefighter. "Well, I'm definitely proud of her," he said. "Still a little shocked, but proud." Eckert, who still works for the Payette National Forest Service in timber management, said his daugh- ter has always been tough. "She's got a lot of guts," he said, "because not just anybody can be a firefighter." Laura Haushild, 22, agreed. "This is only my second fire," Haushild said while helping extin- guish hotspots on a ridge above the most active part of the fire. "It's tough, but not that tough." Jenny Turner of Utah said she likes the job because of its physical chal- lenges. "That's the part I like," Turner said. "It keeps me off the couch and in shape." Women also participate in many other duties, including communica- tions, supervisory and medical roles. But for Eckert, fighting fires means getting physical. I like being near the action," she said. Clean -up crew: Jenny Turner, left, of Sunny - side, Utah, and Kerry Kilner of Bozeman, Mont., help clean up a burned area of the Burgdorf Junction fire last week. Dann Oswald / The Idaho Statesman About a quarter of the 4,100 refighters on the line across e state were concentrated on e blaze 23 miles north of the , sort community of McCall. But with manpower tretched tight and new fires onstantly igniting, other lazes in the Payette National '4. _,, orest and elsewhere in the ate ran unchecked across thee;.° argely unroaded backcountry. k - '? In the past six weeks, fires�;�' ave blackened over 550,000 cres of Idaho forest and range, r - osting more than $40 miliion7 :o battle and uncalculated mil; ions in resource and propeVational osses. 1' tf V ier I Helicopters continued Pounding the southern bank of the main Salmon River with water on Tuesday as federal land managers decided fire danger was too great to leave the popular rafting river and the 2.4 million -acre Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness open to the public. Water drops and sparse fuels on the southern bank of the riv- er have kept one major wildfire from jumping north into the wilderness. But National Forest supervisors for the area said other fires were burning unchecked over 182,000 acres in the protected area. The closure will take effect Thursday morning at 12:01 a.m., affecting 2,000 miles of trails, all backcountry air strips and 80 miles of the river from Cache Bar to Carey Creek. The closure will likely remain in ef- fect until fall. "Most of the trailheads into the wilderness are blocked by fire, and numerous fires are burning along the banks of the Salmon River," Salmon- Challis National Forest Supervisor Parks Service worker Chris L is week. This fire is contained, George Matejko said. "it has gotten to a point where we could not guarantee the safety of the wilderness visitors" Matejko said fire crews have reported seeing flames soaring 200 feet at the heads of some fires, and smoke on others has been so thick reconnaissance was impossible. The circum- stances, he said, could easily re- sult in a hiker getting caught between two fires. Gov' Dirk Kempthorne, who has been to the fire lines three times in the past two weeks, an- nounced that all state colleges and universities had agreed to delay until mid- to late- Septem- ber the deadline for student registration so college firefight- ers could remain on the lines. Kempthorne did not know awler of Isle Royale, Mich., helps set a controlled burn in the Clearwater National Forest but 22 others are %ill burning strong throughout the state. how many students at the Idaho schools were involved in the cam- paign against the wildfires, but he said as many as 9,000 of the 20,000 people committed to fire suppression across the West are college students. The 35,200 -acre Burgdorf fire was simmering in sparse fuel on the south shore of the Salmon River, 100 yards away from the Nez Perce National Forest on the northern bank. It has run upriver to pioneer cabins at the Polly Bemis Ranch, settled by a Chinese im- migrant woman. Crews readied struc- ture protection there. The fire also was closing in on buildings in the Marshall Mining Dis- trict on the northwestern flank. Resi- dents earlier evacuated were notified of its proximity, forest dispatchers said Monday night. Meanwhile, other blazes in the Payette forest blackened the land- scape in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness. The Flossie fire has burned 30,000 acres, the Three Bears blaze 22,000 on both sides of the Salmon, and the 28,000 -acre Diamond Peak fire swept into the remote Taylor Ranch, but no structures were de- stroyed. To the north, the National Trans- portation Safety Board was investi- gating the crash of an air tanker that went down in the Salmon River last week in the Oxbow area south of Mal- oney Creek. Pilot Mike Walker of Ar- row Spray, Inc., from Appleton, Minn., reported experiencing engine failure but was able to set the plane down in the water before it flipped. Walker managed to swim to shore and was not seriously injured. So far the plane has not been recovered from the river. Near the Montana border, about 1,600 firefighters reinforced the east- ern edge of the 130,000 -acre Clear Creek fire to keep it from scorching the drainages providing water for the city of Salmon about 12 miles away. But erratic winds sent the blaze rac- ing up hills and over bulldozer lines on the south side around Blackbird Mountain. Crews burned out more control lines in two creek drainages to the east. In the heart of the central Idaho mountains, crews reported progress against the 2,100 -acre Rankin fire that threatened the historic buildings and private property in the old Yankee Fork mining district about 40 miles west of Challis. Land managers said bulldozer lines were cut in two strate- gic places and the fire was 85 percent contained. c..�a��smccn- 8�9��200�} fighters, camp workers glad to see Clinton Patrick Orr Idaho Statesman I ePAYETTE NATIONAL REST —When 15 -year -old rli Stewart goes home to egon next week, she is go- to have quite a story to tell. After all, how many teen - rs get to swap stories out candy bars with the sident of the United `He was a lot more mellow an I thought he would be," said Stew- art, grin- ning from ear to ear about an hour after a surprise meeting with Presi- Carl! dent Bill Stewart Clinton af- ter he toured the Burgdorf- Junction fire camp Tuesday afternoon. "You would think he was more uptight, but he wasn't. He was real easy to talk to. It is real easy to make him laugh. "He told us how good the food was and how he liked the Payday candy bars, because when he was a kid, he was al- lergic to chocolate and all he could have was Payday. It was so neat." Clinton spent a few minutes with Stewart, who works at the fire camp catering tent for her grandmother, after eating lunch with about 50 fire offi- cials and soldiers during an official visit to the fire camp. Clinton went to the camp to Christine praise fi re- McCrea fighters _ who have struggled to extinguish the wildfires that have ravaged the state this summer, includ- 10 -acre fire at who got to d, get a hug or all seemed to be 1 the man. ink it is a big g from the pres- ident. That is pretty cool," said Christine McCrea, a member of a tanker firefighting crew from Weiser, about 10 min- utes after Clinton left the See Reaction / 8A Mton9 S ters Mat precious ana rrrepraceanre things saved. And doing that. issue was much more in nano in the last 10 years. And this has been a diffi- are you're "I know a lot of the firefighters have cult year. And most of the people I talk ks been working here for weeks and weeks' and probably for months. Giv- to think that the next two or three Years could also be difficult years. And To Twan 9toth en all the problems we've had with we want to do whatever we can to nk y ou for this. vvildfires this summer, you probably make sure that we take care of the peo- And I want to thank Dave Alexander i y - "" - -- know we've lost � ruuuori ple, as well as the natural resource. "gut for making me feel welcome here. acres, which is about twice the 10 -year saloon the main thin I did — I just g � And I just want to say I appreciate average, before this. So we're in for a wanted to get in the plane this morn- what you're doing. I could have used rough summer and I know how hard ing and fly here and say thanks. I this about seven - and -a -half years ago it is on ou. know this is hard and I know a lot of I think, when I got to Washington. "I'd also like to say a special word of You are a long way from home. I know There was a lot of underbrush that appreciation to the people from the some of you have to get, almost, per - needed cutting there. I will treasure military who have come up from Fort mission to go back to where you come this for the rest of m life. Thank You. Y Y Hood — to teach you that one loud from ust so ou can a the, bills and I. Y pay "I wanted to begin today, if I might, word in the English language. keep them nom iurmng on e water by thanking your Governor, Dirk "And I heard there are some Marines and the electricity. Kempthorne, for coming out here with here, too, somewhere, doing some "But I want you to know that your me, and Senator Larry Craig and Helen work in this area, and I thankthem. But, fellow Americans appreciate it. Chenoweth-Hage — both your mem- obviously I'm especially proud of this "These fires have been very well bers of Congress are here from Idaho. "And group from Fort Hood because their publicized and the American people I'm very grateful to them for leader, Lt. Colonel Dell Williams was know how they're being fought... . that. Let's give them a hand for being my Army military aide before he got a And you need to '-now that we're here and for the support they've given rr A job with you guys. I told him today proud of you and W .: e grateful to you. you. "And I was glad to see him having to do real "I know there was a terrible fatality of course, as Secretary Glick- work after having that White House job and there is a funeral today, and our man said, our Secretary of Interior, Bruce Babbitt, came today, along with for a good while. But it didn't do him any permanent harm. prayers are with the family of the man who lost his life. This is hard. And I Louis Caldera, the Secretary of the So I thank you for your service. know it. And the main thing I want to Army, and Mike Dombeck, who is And I thank you for the work you're do was just hop on Air Force One this your chief of the Forest Service. And doing together. We're going to release morning at 6 a.m. so I could come over mostly we came here to say thanks. today about $150 million in emer- here and say thanks. I got to fly over at least some of the gency funds to help continue to fight "You've done a good thing for your fires, and it was early morning and I the fire and to help restore the area af- country and a good thing for your fel- know they haven't reared their ugly terward. And I hope that restoration low Americans. Thank you very heads yet, but I have some sense of work will also lead to some jobs for much." what you're doing. I also got to see some places where the people in this area who have been disadvantaged by this fire. you had succeeded in changing the "And I have asked the secretaries of course of the fire and limiting its reach. agriculture and interior to undertake And I appreciate that very much. I an intensive 90-day study and report know that Mother Nature will burn in our forests one way or the other. But it back to me about what can be done to minimize the impact of wildfires like matters how it happens. "It this, because this thing was pretty well matters that people don't die. It — nks to most of you who have tha matters that property is saved. It mat- been doing this for years — this whole CUmton offers his support to bel�l red firefighte 1�m Kim Hughes / The Idaho Statesman ,esident Bill Clinton poses for pictures with firefighters and crew Ti esday at the Burgdorf Junction fire Incident Command Post north of McCall during his sit to Idaho to see the wildfires. President releases $150 Ri llion for fim fund By Ken Miller The Idaho Statesman McCALL — President Clin- ton flew to Idaho Tuesday to lend moral support to ex- hausted fire crews, telling fire- fighters at a base camp, "I want you to know your fellow Americans appreciate it." Clinton also used his brief trip to the Burgdorf Junction Fire north of here to announce the release of $150 million in emergency funds to the De- partment of Agriculture for fire fighting and restoration efforts across the scorched West. "Ibis is hard and I know it," Clinton told red -eyed mifitary and civilian firefighters clad in soot - covered yellow shirts. "But the main thing I did — I just wanted to get in the plane this morning and fly here and say thanks." Joining Clinton at the fire command c inter were Idaho Gov. Dirk Ke, ipthorne, Interi- or Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Agriculture S �cretary Dan Glickman, Idaho Reps. Helen Chenoweth and Mike Simp- son, and Sen. Larry Craig. Top Idaho officials have been sharply critical of a Clin- ton administration forest maT 1gement policy they say has aelped fuel one of the worst Western fire seasons in recent years. Earlier in the day, after touching down in McCall just before 10 a.m. after the short hop from Boise in the presi- dent's C -20 corporate jet, Clin- ton boarded a helicopter for a tour over a large section of the 25,000 -acre fire in the Payette National Forest. The president said he was shocked at the extent of the fire. While the blaze is 42 per- ������ / c ��a k o L ` ��f i " a f c = s m a n c e n t c o n t a i n e d , $ 1 0 . 6 m i l l i o n h a s a l - r e a d y b e e n s p e n t o n t h i s f i r e a l o n e . D u r i n g t h a t f l y o v e r , C l i n t o n g o t a c r a s h c o u r s e i n f i r e b e h a v i o r f r o m U . S . F o r e s t S e r v i c e C h i e f M i c h a e l D o m b e c k . H e a s k e d D o m b e c k h o w l o n g i t t a k e s a f i r e t o m o v e 1 0 0 y a r d s . " F a s t e r t h a n y o u c a n r u n , " t h e f o r - e s t c h i e f s a i d . " I t ' s s o p r e t t y , i s n ' t i t ? " t h e p r e s i d e n t s a i d . " B u t y o u c a n r e a l l y s e e h o w s c a r y i t w o u l d b e t o b e s t a n d i n g t h e r e a n d h a v i n g f l a m e s c o m e t o w a r d y o u . " H e a d d e d , " I t ' s r e a l l y e e r i e s e e i n g a l l t h a t s m o k e i n t h e v a l l e y . " L a t e r , a t t h e f i r e c a m p , a d d r e s s i n g s c o r e s o f f i r e f i g h t e r s , C l i n t o n s a i d h e r e a l i z e d h e d i d n ' t s e e t h e w o r s t o f i t . " I g o t t o f l y o v e r a t l e a s t s o m e o f t h e f i r e s t h i s m o r n i n g , a n d i t w a s e a r l y m o r n i n g a n d I k n o w t h e y h a v e n ' t r e a r e d t h e i r u g l y h e a d s y e t , b u t I h a v e s o m e s e n s e o f w h a t y o u ' r e d o i n g . " I k n o w M o t h e r N a t u r e w i l l b u r n i n o u r f o r e s t s o n e w a y o r a n o t h e r . B u t i t m a t t e r s h o w i t h a p p e n s . I t m a t t e r s t h a t p e o p l e d o n ' t d i e . I t m a t t e r s t h a t p r o p e r t y i s s a v e d . I t m a t t e r s t h a t p r e - c i o u s a n d i r r e p l a c e a b l e t h i n g s a r e s a v e d . A n d y o u ' r e d o i n g t h a t . " W h i l e n o t c o m m e n t i n g s p e c i f i c a l l y o n r e c e n t c o n t r o v e r s i e s o v e r h o w h e a v i l y n a t i o n a l f o r e s t s s h o u l d b e " m a n a g e d " t o r e d u c e f u e l l o a d s , C l i n - t o n s a i d s o m e o f t h e c a u s e s o f t h e W e s t ' s b l a z e s a r e b e y o n d h u m a n c o n - t r o l . " W e ' r e i n f o r a r o u g h s u m m e r , a n d I k n o w h o w h a r d i t i s o n y o u , " h e t o l d f i r e f i g h t e r s . A n n o u n c i n g h i s p l a n t o r e l e a s e $ 1 5 0 m i l l i o n t o b o o s t f i r e f i g h t i n g e f - f o r t s a n d t h e n t o b e g i n r e s t o r i n g t h e l a n d s c a p e , C l i n t o n s a i d h e h o p e d t h e m o n e y w i l l h e l p f i r e - r a v a g e d c o m m u - n i t i e s . " W e ' r e g o i n g t o r e l e a s e t o d a y a b o u t $ 1 5 0 m i l l i o n i n e m e r g e n c y f u n d i n g , " h e s a i d . " I h o p e t h a t r e s t o r a t i o n w o r k w i l l a l s o l e a d t o j o b s f o r s o m e p e o p l e i n t h i s r e g i o n w h o h a v e b e e n d i s a d - v a n t a g e d b y f i r e s . " I t ' s p r e m a t u r e t o s a y h o w t h e e m e r - g e n c y f u n d s w i l l b e s p e n t o r w h e r e . B u t C l i n t o n a l s o s a i d h e p l a n s t o i s s u e a n o r d e r d i r e c t i n g B a b b i t t a n d G l i c k - m a n t o m a k e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s o n h o w t o r e h a b i l i t a t e b u r n e d l a n d s , r e - d u c e f i r e r i s k t o o t h e r r u r a l c o m m u n i - t i e s , a n d m a k e s u r e m o r e m o n e y i s a v a i l a b l e t o f i g h t f u t u r e f i r e s . T h e W h i t e H o u s e s a i d t h o s e r e c o m m e n d a - t i o n s a r e d u e i n 3 0 d a y s . K e m p t h o r n e s a i d t h e p r o p o s e d $ 1 5 0 m i l l i o n i n n e w s p e n d i n g w i l l a t l e a s t a l l o w m o r e r e s o u r c e r e s t o r a t i o n a f t e r t h e f i r e s . " T h e f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s a r e c r i t i - c a l , n o t o n l y t o c o n t i n u e t o h a v e t h e r e - s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o f i g h t t h e f i r e , b u t a l s o f o r r e s t o r a t i o n , " K e m p t h o r n e s a i d . " A l o t o f c r i t i c a l h a b i t a t h a s b e e n l o s t . " S i m p s o n s a i d t h e m o n e y w i l l h e l p . . * , 5 �� / 2 4 Y - c , H e s a i d C r a i g a n d S e n . M i k e C r a p o , R - I d a h o , " h a v e b e e n p u t t i n g s o m e n u m b e r s t o g e t h e r " o n h o w t h e f e d e r a l m o n e y c o u l d b e s t b e s p e n t , b u t t h e r e a r e n o f i r m r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s y e t . T h e m o n e y , w h a t e v e r t h e a m o u n t , w i l l n e v e r c o m e d i r e c t l y t o t h e s t a t e b u t w i l l b e u s e d i n f e d e r a l p r o g r a m s . S i m p s o n a l s o s a i d h e w a s s t r u c k b y t h e r a p i d l y r e c o v e r i n g f o r e s t s w h e r e b u r n e d t i m b e r h a s b e e n r e m o v e d a n d s a l v a g e d , c o m p a r e d t o b u r n e d a r e a s w h e r e i t w a s n ' t . " I t ' s g o i n g t o b e a d e b a t e t h a t ' s g o - i n g t o c o n t i n u e a l o n g t i m e , " S i m p s o n s a i d o f t h e s a l v a g e a n d f o r e s t - h e a l t h i s s u e . F i r e f i g h t e r s , p r e s e n t e d C l i n t o n w i t h a n h o n o r a r y " p u l a s k i " t h e c o m b i - n a t i o n a x e - a d z e t o o l s y n o n y m o u s w i t h w i l d l a n d f i r e f i g h t e r s . " I c o u l d h a v e u s e d t h i s a b o u t s e v e n - a n d - a - h a l f y e a r s a g o , I t h i n k , w h e n I g o t t o W a s h i n g t o n , " t h e p r e s i d e n t s a i d , d r a w i n g l a u g h t e r . " T h e r e w a s a l o t o f u n d e r b r u s h t h a t n e e d e d c u t t i n g t h e r e . I w i l l t r e a s u r e t h i s f o r t h e r e s t o f m y l i f e . " F i r e f i g h t e r s s a i d t h e y w e r e h e a r t - e n e d b y C l i n t o n ' s s u p p o r t o f t h e t h o u - s a n d s o f f i r e f i g h t e r s w h o h a v e b e e n g r i n d i n g t h r o u g h t h e f i r e s e a s o n a l l s u m m e r . " T h e r e ' s a l o t o f f i r e s g o i n g o n a n d h e p i c k e d t h i s o n e , " s a i d 1 s t S g t . J i m P a s q u a l e , o n e o f 5 0 0 U . S . A r m y t r o o p s h e r e f r o m t h e 3 r d B a t t a l i o n , 1 6 t h F i e l d A r t i l l e r y o f F o r t H o o d , T e x a s . " I t ' s h a r d w o r k , b u t i t ' s r e w a r d i n g . S o m e - t i m e s t h e h a r d e s t p a r t i s g e t t i n g t o i t i t t h i s s t e e p t e r r a i n . B u t t h e m o r a l e ' s h i g h a m o n g m y s o l d i e r s . S o f a r , s o g o o d . " " I t w a s g o o d t o h a v e h i m h e r e , " s a i d F o r t H o o d S p c . J e r a l d B e l s t o c k , w h o r u s h e d u p t o s h a k e C l i n t o n ' s h a n d . " I t h i n k h e g i v e s s o l d i e r s m o r a l e . " A s h e e n j o y s d o i n g , C l i n t o n w o r k e d t h e c r o w d a f t e r g i v i n g h i s b r i e f r e - m a r k s , s h a k i n g h a n d s a n d p o s i n g f o r p i c t u r e s . P a u l H e a d , a N a t i o n a l P a r k S e r v i c e e m p l o y e e w h o i s a t t a c h e d t o F o r t H o o d , i s s e r v i n g a 3 0 - d a y s t i n t a t B u r g d o r f . " I t ' s n i c e t o s e e t h e p r e s i d e n t o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a p p r e c i a t e w h a t w e ' r e d o i n g u p h e r e , " H e a d s a i d . K e m p t h o r n e c r e d i t e d C l i n t o n f o r t a k i n g a s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t i n t h e f i r e s . " H e c a m e s p e c i f i c a l l y t o I d a h o t o p e r s o n a u y s e e t h e t i r e s , a n d t h e n w e n t d i r e c t l y b a c k t o W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , t h e g o v e r n o r s a i d . ' T h i s w a s n o t a d r o p - b y . I t a f f i r m s t h a t b o t h t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t v i e w t h i s a s a c r i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n a n d a p r i o r i t y . " C l i n t o n ' s l a s t v i s i t t o I d a h o w a s i n 1 9 9 6 , w h e n h e w a s i n B o i s e t o m e e t w i t h s t a t e a n d l o c a l o f f i c i a l s a b o u t w i d e s p r e a d f l o o d d a m a g e . H e w a s l a s t i n M c C a l l i n t h e m i d - 1 9 8 0 s , w h e n a s g o v e r n o r o f A r k a n s a s h e a t t e n d e d a g o v e r n o r s c o n f e r e n c e i n B o i s e . a , e r ' 4 4 , T 3 ��' O q , _ F i r e f u n d i n g A s p a r t o f o n g o i n g e f f o r t s t o c o m b a t w i l d f i r e s a n d p r o - t e c t c o m m u n i t i e s , P r e s i d e n t C l i n t o n h a s r e l e a s e d $ 1 5 0 m i l l i o n i n e m e r g e n c y f u n d s r e q u e s t e d b y t h e D e p a r t - m e n t o f A g r i c u l t u r e t o c o n t i n - u e f i g h t i n g w i l d f i r e s a n d r e s t o r i n g d a m a g e d l a n d s n a - t i o n w i d e . I t ' s u n c l e a r h o w m u c h o f t h a t m o n e y w i l l c o m e d i r e c t l y t o I d a h o b e c a u s e i t ' s t o b e u s e d f i g h t i n g f i r e s t h r o u g h - o u t t h e W e s t . E l e v e n o f t h e n a t i o n ' s 6 6 m a j o r w i l d f i r e s w e r e b u r n i n g T u e s d a y i n I d a h o , a t o t a l o f n e a r l y 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 a c r e s . T h e f u n d s w i l l b e d r a w n f r o m a n e m e r g e n c y a c c o u n t e s t a b l i s h e d b y C o n g r e s s t o h e l p m e e t u r g e n t f i r e f i g h t i n g n e e d s . S u p p r e s s i o n o p e r a t i o n s f u n d i n g i n c l u d e s f i r e f i g h t i n g s a l a r i e s a n d e x p e n s e s , c o s t s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h n a t i o n a l m o - b i l i z a t i o n , a n d l a r g e a i r c r a f t a n d h e l i c o p t e r o p e r a t i o n s . R e h a b i l i t a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s i n - c l u d e r e d u c i n g e r o s i o n a n d l o s s o f s o i l p r o d u c t i v i t y , d e t e - r i o r a t i o n o f w a t e r q u a l i t y , c h a n g e s t o e c o s y s t e m s , a n d d a m a g e t o c r i t i c a l c u l t u r a l a n d n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s . S o u r c e : W h i t e H o u s e W e b s i t e : w w w . w h i t e h o u s e . _ o c o v l JiG �GDO fyv✓x 6 f 3 �GRPs Kim Hughes / The Idaho Statesman esident Clinton encourages Payette National Forest Supervisor David Alexander, right, and Initial Attack Engine Foreman Cody Peel, left, among oth- firefighters and officials at his lunch table to smile for the cameras Tuesday during his visit to the Burgdorf Junction fire Incident Command Post. Be- v: Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, wait next to the briefing area at the Burgdorf Junction fire Incident Command Post for Clinton to speak Tuesday. S i-- errcrn — /��Goao Fire eonsumes ranch buildings 22,400 -acre blaze eats unoccupied Hotzel Ranch The Associated Press The Flossie fire, burning 50 miles northeast of McCall, overtook parts of the unoccu- pied Hotzel Ranch, destroying the main lodge, an old house and portions of the bunkhouse on Thursday. Miera Crawford with the Payette National Forest said the 22,400 -acre fire had burned past the Chamberlain Guard Station and Sheepeater Ranch, which sit in wilderness accessi- ble only to hikers, equestrians and by airplane. Those struc- tures were unharmed. The airstrip at Chamberlain is operational, but it is closed due to a travel flight restriction. In Idaho, fires are burning more than 241,000 acres; so much that international help is coming in the form of 79 fire- fighters from Australia and New Zealand, who are joining fire crews this weekend. Meanwhile, the Burgdorf Junction fire north of McCall made a major run Thursday, bringing the number of acres burned to 30,785. Crawford said high winds contributed to the fire's advance. And con- trary to earlier reports, the Burgdorf Junction fire had not jumped the Salmon River on Friday. Eight new lightning- caused fires started overnight in the Payette National Forest. Craw- ford said most spot fires were put out, but a 1,000 -acre fire at Sheep Peak near Hells Canyon was quickly burning grass and brush. Crawford also noted the Salmon River is open, despite closure areas around fines. Peo- ple planning float trips should access the Payette National Forest Web site. On the eastern side of the state, the 1- month -old Clear Creek fire maintained its status as the largest wildfire in the na- tion. It had reached 124,400 acres and was considered 40 percent contained early Friday afternoon. Fire information officer Mary Lunsford said scattered rains helped crews a little on Thursday, but lightning caused 21 new starts. Three were con- tained. The Marine battalion from Camp Pendleton, Calif., com- pleted training and was on the line Friday. Lunsford said Marines are constructing fire lines and also are being trained to fell trees. Volunteers, mostly retired Forest Service employees, are contacting homeowners near the Clear Creek fire about re- during the risk of having their homes burned, and preventing new blazes. Volunteer Dick Hauff said some have men- tioned to him close calls where fires were luckily extinguished. One person was welding when sparks jumped into some grass, which "went up like gasoline." The North Forks Wilderness fires, consisting of nearly 10 blazes, were expected to merge by the weekend. Lunsford said two commercial buildings and three residences were threat- ened by the 7,250 -acre fire. Four of the major North Forks fires are north of the Salmon River, while five are burning south of it. In the Nez Perce National Forest, the Three Bears fire made little progress, remaining at about 18,000 acres because of more moderate weather. The Associated Press On the march: Sol- diers from the 4th In- fantry Divi- sion at Ft. Hood, Texas, are reflected in a lake as they deploy for duty on the front lines of a wildfire burning about 30 miles north of McCall on Friday. <- lnahoa�� >srnGn- ��i -��a DOWN BELOW i he ASSOclatea cress Smoke signals flare -up: A Forest Service worker observes a flare -up from across a canyon at the Burgdorf Junction wildfire near McCall on Thursday. j tF idct�a r'tCkq Fire erews,tunmn g i 79 Australians, New Zealanders will lend a hand By Corey Pride The Idaho Statesman The National Interagency Fire Center and Bureau of Land Management teamed up to give a pep talk and an orientation to 79 firefighters from New Zealand and Australia Satur- day morning before sending them to battle blazes in the Northern Rockies. Most of the group will work in supervisory positions for the next month, but the more than 20,000 men and women trying to contain wildfires in the area are grateful. "They are well trained and know what they are doing. We just want to let them know we appreciate the help," said Tom Fry, BLM national director. Fry spoke with the foreign guests at NIFC's Boise head- quarters. He encouraged them to remember safety while in they are out in the field. An hour -and -a -half orienta- tion was also held for the visi- tors Saturday morning. Meth- ods of measuring moisture in vegetation, management pro- cedures and proper use of safe- ty devices were among the sub - 'ects discussed. Kent McConnell, a ranger fox asmania State Park, said that etaining the information was greatest concern. "There is so much to learn in condensed amount of time d you don't want to forget ything," he said. "It's the little things that can trip you up:' Fatigue is another impedi- ment the visitors are trying to overcome. Most of them ar- rived Friday night after spend- ing 15 to 30 hours traveling. The firefighters will be given their assignments today in Mis- soula, Mont., then sent out in groups to fires there and in Ida- ho. They will go home after 30 days, working 14 days straight before receiving two days off and working another 14 days. The firefialrters practiced us- ing fire shelters for protection. Neither New Zealand or Aus- tralian firefighters use the metallic tent -like objects that U.S. firefighters use to cover themselves when fire gets too close. Tony Blanks, a senior fire of- ficer at state parks in Tasmania, said firefighters also will have to get used to the temperature change. "It's our winter. When I left home, it was 36 degrees. These temperatures are going to take some of us a while to get used to," he said. Blanks will orchestrate com- munications between the fire- fighters and their loved ones back home. He hopes to set up e-mail contact for them. Kent Tony Blanks Paul DeMar McConnell senior fire fire protection ranger officer manager The environmental differ- ences among the countries can potentially affect the ability of the Australians and New Zealanders to perform their job. "Here you have mountains, and the wind can come from anywhere. We are going to have to tap into the local knowl- edge of the environment when we get there," said Paul De Mar, fire protection manager of a state park in Sydney. McConnell compared com- ing to a foreign country to fight fires to going to war. "It's similar. Going off to war can be dangerous, but it can al- so be an honor," he said. Fire behavior analyst Lary Hood com- pares a cur- rent digital photograph of the Burgdorf Junction wild- fire with a file photograph of the same re- gion taken in the mid -1990s as he works in his tent at the fire command center near McCall on Fri- day. Hundreds of support staff work for weeks away from home to battle wildfires from behind the front lines. The Associated Press me Bergdorf burns i*ntosecond month 4,000 firefighters are now spread across the state Statesman staff and The Associated Press BURGDORF — Water drops and sparse fuel slowed the spread of flames along the southern bank of central Ida- ho's main Salmon River on Monday as the Burgdorf Junc- tion fire burned into its second month. Four thousand firefighters were spread across the state — more than a quarter of them ' working out of Burgdorf about 23 miles north of McCall. Twenty -three significant fires and dozens of smaller ones ° continued to burn out of con- r trol. In the past six weeks, fire has y blackened more than 550,000 acres of Idaho forest and range, costing more than $30 million to battle and uncalculated millions in resource and property losses. With manpower spread ex- tremely thin across the West, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who has been to the fire lines three times in the past two weeks, was making arrangements for state colleges and universities on River with water drops to delay the start of the fall se- in an effort to keep the fire from eral others, will probably not be mester for students who are jumping the river and heading out until snow falls. fighting the fires this summer. toward another settlement at In the heart of the central Ida - At Burgdorf Junction, fire Dixie about eight miles north. ho mountains, another wildfire bosses concentrated on protect- There have been no major was threatening the historic ing four isolated ranches being road closures around Dixie,) buildings and private property threatened by the 33,000 -acre fire that has been burning since ei r and the villagers are still in their m the old Yankee Fork mining strict about 40 miles west of July 14. But they were develop- homes, although it could be acuate Challis. Land managers said ing a contingency plan for the necessary to evacuate in the tore if the fire the fire was active on the north- Marshall Mining District off the jumps the p Salmon river and travels north. ern flank but remained on the northwestern flank of the fire as flames pushed within just About 90 miles to the east, western side of the Yankee more than a mile of the evacu- the Clear Creek fire — the na- Fork of the Salmon River. ated settlement. lions largest at 130,000 acres — "It's too hot to get in front of was being herded away from Idaho Statesman staff writer right now," Payette National the drainages providing water Patrick Orr contributed to Forest spokesman Scott Bray- for the city of Salmon about 12 this report. ton said. "We've had a lot of miles east of the fire's western spotting. The fire's pretty much flank. At www.IdahoStatesman.com doing what it wants to do." Structure protection re- Since that fire began July 10, helicopters have dumped 2.5 > National links mained in place at the back - million gallons of water on the I Archive of past stories country communities of War- flames, logging 1,100 hours in ren and Secesh, where the the air. threat was beginning to lessen. But it remains only 40 per - But helicopters continued cent contained and, like the pounding the bank of the Burgdorf Junction fire and sev- Flying fire- fighter: A hel- icopter heads for a pond on Hutchinson Road to refill its water bucket at sunset last week. The chopper was fighting a blaze on American Ridge, just north -west of Kendrick and Julietta. The wildfire con- sumed 900 acres of brush, trees and farmland and stopped burning Aug. 11. Mop -up crews are cleaning up and restoring power to the two towns. Anne Drobish Moscow - Pullman Daily News /Ilea 161(aI ?b c.`�� a � �� S k%l a )1) Wildfire developments Crooked fire: The fire is 50 miles southwest of Missoula, Mont., near Lolo Pass. The fire continues to challenge construct- ed fire lines but is currently hold - ing west of Idaho 12. Crews are attempting a burnout operation to stop the eastern spread and pre- vent the fire from moving onto the Lolo National Forest. Three Bears fire: This fire, 29 miles from Elk City, is burning ac- tively on both sides of the Salmon River. The fire is burning toward the mouth of Arctic Creek. The Allison Ranch and Yellow Pine sites are being protected. Prepa- rations are in progress to protect additional sites. Clear Creek fire: The fire is 12 miles west of Salmon. The 3rd Battalion 5th Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif., is assigned. The fire had a major run covering 3,000 acres Monday. Firefighters retreated to safety zones on the south side of the fire. The fire cur- rently threatens 200 homes, out- buildings, historic sites and com- mercial ventures. Lightning in the area resulted in new starts in the vicinity. Burgdorf Junction fire: The fire is 23 miles north of McCall. The 3rd Battalion 16th Field Artillery from Fort Hood, Texas, is as- signed. Grass fire: This fire is burning in grass 16 miles north of Three Creek Town. The fire continues to grow in size on several fronts. One aban- doned cabin has been destroyed. Concerns include power lines, grazing lands and some struc- tures. Oregon Trail fire: This human - caused fire is burning in grass and brush eight miles north of Mountain Home. Intense fire be- havior was observed as it grew rapidly in size. Idaho 20 is closed and residences in the area are being evacuated. The fire has burned into an area of rugged ter- rain. Threats are to the Oregon Trail, microwave and radio tow- ers, big game winter range and grazing lands. Eastern Idaho Complex: Un- controlled fires within the complex include West Fork, Supon and Moonshine. There was active burning near containment lines this week on the Moonshine fire. Flossie Complex: This fire is 50 miles northeast of McCall. The fire made significant runs and burned over the Stonebreaker Ranch Monday. All personnel at the ranch are safe. Firefighters are working to control flare -ups around the buildings. Goodrich: This fire is burning in grass and brush within two miles of Goodrich. Firefighters made good progress on mop -up and cold trailing. Barring unforeseen circumstances, containment is likely today. P41 Z of "Z /-"?q,Gs Wildfires in Idaho As of Tuesday, about a dozen fires were burning on more than 350,000 acres across Idaho, most started ,poi by lightning in recent weeks. The figures on the fires below were posted by the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise and don't include the most recent fire growth. Coeur d'A>ne Crooked fire 3,060 acres; 30% contained; 606 personnel; $2.3 million cost Moscow Three Bears fire Lewiston 12,500 acres; 0% contained; 16 personnel; $12,000 cost \ Burgdorf Junction fire \ 23,150 acres; 40% contained; rRlaq in -4 1,276 personnel; $10.1 million cost Clear Creek fire ", ss 106,870 acres; 40% contained; 93 1,545 personnel; $14.7 million cost Goodrich fire hMIS 15 ; 3,710 acres; 95% contained; Eastern Idaho Complex 48 personnel; $10,000 cost 192,450 acres; 95% contained; t z, n c..., vsn 39 personnel; $5.1 million cost ountain Home* ' '' a�kioot American Pocatello Oregon Trail fire Falls •Lava Hot 22,000 acres; 75% contained; Springs 100 personnel; cost not available � . r67personnel CRY fire 0 acres; 60 %contained; ; cost not available f orest fires a lso closing Middle Fork Wilderness, river shutdowns disrupt travel plans, recreation economy By Pete Zimowsky and Tim Woodward The Idaho Statesman More than 2 million acres of recreational lands in Idaho will be shut down by the dangers of spreading wildfires, sending tourists, hunters and rafters scrambling to find solitude in a state that seems to be burning UP. The U.S. Forest Service an- nounced on Wednesday the closing of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The Middle Fork and Main Salmon River and the 2.4- million -acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness will close at midnight tonight be- cause fires continue to worsen. As of Wednesday, 23 fires were burning in Idaho on around 334,301 acres. "People are in danger," said Mary Lunsford, fire information spokeswoman with the Salmon - Challis National Forest. The closures affect one of America's premier whitewater rivers and the largest forest wilderness playground in the lower 48 states. The river closures, according to Georgia Smith with the Idaho Department of Commerce, have already affected about 90 outfit- ting businesses and 2,000 guests in an industry that in 1993 (the latest year for which figures are available) contributed $22 mil- lion to Idaho's economy. "We had a trip down the Main Salmon River," said Jim Kur- fess, of Bakersfield, Calif. Kur- fess, 74, believes this was his last chance for a float trip down the Salmon River, a trip he has been thinking about for years. But Kurfess is still coming to Idaho. "We don't want to lose the money for our airline tick- ets," he said. The River of No Return Wilderness also is a haven for backpackers, hunters, horse packers and anglers. "Public safety is our top prior- ity," Smith said. "We want people to know places they should avoid and where they can still go. By land mass, less than 1 percent of the state is burning. We aren't min- imizing the situation, but we also want people who are planning Idaho vaca- tions to know that the whole state isn't on fire. There are still lots of places to go and things to do in Idaho." Lonnie Zietz came to Stanley from Grand Rapids, Mich., this week to take a Middle Fork trip that was booked a year ago. He and his travel companions learned shortly before departure that it had been canceled. "We're going to do a little hiking and fishing around Stanley and then go back to Boise for a tour of the city and do whatever there is to do there," he said. "We're disappointed about the river trip, but we'll make the most of it." Sun Notes on the closure Because fires in Central Idaho continue to worsen, the U.S. Forest Service will close the 2.4- million acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, along with the Mid - .Boise dle Fork and Main Salmon River, at midnight tonight. > The Lower Salmon River from Riggins to the Snake River and the Upper Salmon River in the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley are not affected by tie closures. > Individuals who have a permit to float the Main Salmon in the wilderness area after to- day can contact the North Fork Hanger District at 1- 208 -865- 2700 to obtain a permit for the same date next year. Or they can get a refund. > Rafters who have a Middle Fork permit can contact the Mid- dle Fork Ranger District at 1- 208- 879 -4101 and obtain a per- mit for the same time next year. > There are places that are not threatened by fire where out- door recreation is available. Out- fitters are suggesting clients float the Snake River in Hells Canyon or the Lower Salmon River. Visitors can go on day trips on rivers such as the Main Salmon near Riggins or the Payette River north of Boise. The South Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho is another good fishing and floating river. > For more information about the closure or for other ideas on where to go, call the Salmon- Challis National Forest at 1- 208 - 756 -5100; Nez Perce National Forest, 1- 208 -983- 1950; or the Payette National Forest at 1- 208 - 634 -0700. > The state is providing fire updates at 1- 800 - 704 -3246 or www.visitid.orci/wildfire. > Visit www.IdahoStates- man.com for links to Web sites with fire - related information or check out the Web site: www.ts.ted.us/r4/payefte. Middle Fork River Expeditions, based in Stanley, gave a refund to the Zietzes and other clients. A six -day Middle Fork float trip costs about $1,500. It was the fast time in the com- pany's 20 years that it had canceled a trip. Co -owner Jean Ridle was busy Wednesday writing refund checks, booking guests with other companies on other rivers or re- booking this year's guests for the same trip next year. "We found out about the closure an hour before an orientation and had to tell a full group of 21 people that they couldn't go," she said. `No one was an- gry. They were just disappointed, and really, it was a blessing not having to deal with being on the river in the smoke and not knowing what was waiting downstream." Ridle agreed with the decision to close the rivers. "If it isn't safe, we don't want our crews in there ... and we certainly don't want to put our guests in dan- ger," Ridle said. "You don't think about the financial loss at a time like this. You think about doing the right thing." She said her business had had a good year and would survive, but that the fires would "have an adverse af- feet on outfitters, motels, restaurants, everything." At Stanley's Mountain Village Re- sort, front desk clerk Debbie Enoch said business was down by half. "We've had a lot of cancellations," she said. "But quite a few of the people who are already here are staying any- way. It's not too smoky here, and peo- ple are going hiking, backpacking, swimming, horseback riding, taking canoes out on the lakes, that sort of thing. It's definitely affecting business, but we've had a pretty good summer, and there's only a month of the rafting season left anyway. It's a good thing it didn't happen earlier." In Salmon, Rocky Mountain River Tours co -owner David Mills spent Wednesday scrambling to change trips from the Middle Fork to the Low- er Salmon. "People already have their airline tickets here and are looking for a great time, so we're just transferring rivers," he said. "Some outfitters are going to the Snake. We're going to the Lower Salmon. That's one of the nice things about Idaho. You have opticas. They don't call it the whitewater state for nothing." Mills' wife, Sheila, is the author of a Dutch oven cookbook and has changed the company's cooking Pro- cedures because of the fire restric- tions. "You can't have an open fire or even briquettes, so she's baking ahead and freezing stuff to cook on the gas camp stoves," Mills said. He said he "absolutely" supports the closures. "They have roadblocks because it's burning right down along the river," he said. "It's so smoky in Salmon you can't see the outline of the moun- tains." The closure also is affecting the plans of about 600 hunters who have booked guided hunts in the wilder- ness area. They have spent big bucks to go on a wilderness hunt with an Ida- ho outfitter. "We are completely shut down," said Tracy Krekeler, who with her husband, Tony, owns Chamberlain Basin Outfitters in Salmon. The esti- mated loss to their business is $90,000. The economic impact of hunting will have rippling effects to local towns. Hunters will spend upward of $4,500 for a nine -day big -game hunt in P I d��a'af�S�rrav� - f� /��e2o6v The Associated Press Recreationists beware: A wall of flames 500 -feet tall and a mile wide sends smoke 25,000 feet into the air. The flames made a run over Trail Creek outside Salmon recently as the Clear Creek fire continued to devour land. FIRE SPEED AND FLAME LENGTHS Afire travels about 11h mph through a pine forest. A fire travels about 4' /2 mph across cheatgrass. Flame Length 10 #t. 150 acres can bum after one hour I Travels at 1 1/2 mph I Flame Length 8 ft. 3,000 acres can bum after one hour. Travels at 41/2 mph A fire travels about 81/2 mph through sagebrush/bitterbrush. Flame Length 55 ft. 5,900 acres can berm after one hour. i Travels at 8 1/2 mph S idents sigh ith relief fN fte sufts town Shift of the wind offers townspeople welcome respite from Trail Creek fire By Tim Woodward The Idaho Statesman With its exploding trees and ash - blackened mountains, the Trail Creek fire was bad enough and close enough that even Jim and Karen Sayko, who have spent most of their fives in Atlanta, feared the imminent loss of their home and lifestyle. "When I went out the back door at 5:30 one morning and saw the flames on Sugar Hill and trees crowning a quarter of a mile away, I didn't know if I'd still be here at 6," she said. Hundreds of firefighters and a for- tuitous wind shift narrowly saved At- lanta from the Trail Creek fire. A few buildings outside town were de- stroyed, but, for now, the blaze ap- pears to have spared the historic mining town. Power was restored Monday morning, and exhausted owners of summer homes are returning to Boise after nearly losing them. Singer - musician Curtis Stigers, who has spent parts of summers in Atlanta for the past seven years, calls it "paradise at the end of a dirt road." He returned there last week after performing and recording in the San Francisco Bay Area. "There were huge smoke clouds then, but the fire was still about 5 miles away. By Thursday morning, it was about three ridges away. About four hours later, these red four - wheel -drive vehicles with guys in yellow suits appeared out of nowhere. They said they were evacu- ating the town. By then we could eas- ily see the flames, which were about 20 minutes away. We have a 6- month -old baby. We got in the car and left." Stigers and his wife, Amy O'Brien, put their daughter, Ruby, in the car and drove to an airstrip where fire crews are based. They stayed there until the fire ap- peared to cool down for the night and a firefighter told them it wou,,1 be safe to return. "We got there just after the sun went down," he said. "The whole mountain looked like a volcano. It was a red glow, and every now and then a tree would go up. It looked like a KISS concert with pyrotechnic can- nons. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen. When we saw that, we decided there was no way we were staying. "We packed up the saxophones and guitars, soaked the place down with a hose and drove out about mid- night. We felt like we were in the middle of Armageddon." Atlanta was founded and named during the Civil War by Confederate miners. It produced millions of dol- lars worth of gold. Now valued for its solitude and natural beauty, it's a popular spot with recreationists, artists and history buffs. Some of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. That includes Odel England's 1892, two -story clapboard house, which he and his father bought 28 years ago and restored. Like other property owners in Atlanta, he worked frantically to protect his home. "People were evacuated to the oth- er side of river and later walked back to their houses and stayed with them through the whole thing," he said. "People were hosing down their houses and covering them with wet blankets. They had sprinklers going all night„ A co-owner of Graeber & Co. LLC in Boise, England returned to Boise Monday morning. Like Stigers, he called the fire the most frightening experience of his life. "I thought Atlanta would burn to oblivion," he said. "Trees were exploding, and it was raining ash. You could feel the heat and hear the explosions. Embers were dropping on our heads. We thought that was it, but the wind changed at just the proper moment and saved the town." Fire units from Melba, Notus, Mid- dleton, Eagle, Parma, Star, Placer- ville, Centerville and other towns helped save Atlanta, which Sayko calls "the mining town that wouldn't die. We were all set up to evacuate, but we didn't leave. I guess they didn't realize what hardy people we are." Town still threatened but `secure' for now By Shannon Lafferty The Idaho Statesman ATLANTA — A shift in the winds and heroic containment efforts are being credited as the reason this small mountain town wasn't sacrificed to the 22,700 -acre Trail Creek fire this weekend. Residents of this historic town who left during a manda- tory evacuation Thursday start- ed returning Monday. Traffic is still restricted to residents and fire crews. "Atlanta is still threatened, but with the burning situation, we have it relatively secure, said Casey Throngard, Boise National Forest fire informa- tion officer. "It would take a major wind event to switch things around." During the previous days, the fire burned right up to the town's southern edge, said For- est Supervisor Dave Ritten- house. This weekend, the fire burned a semi- circle around two-thirds of Atlanta — a com- munity of about 100 — on the southern, eastern and south- western borders. Two homes, one full-time and one seasonal, and 12 outbuildings were burned. Reports of other dam- aging was trickling in Monday evening as residents surveyed their property. "We are a little more opti- mistic," Rittenhouse said Mon- day afternoon. "This fire will be around for quite some time." As of Monday, 28 large fires were burning on more than 600,292 acres across Idaho, most started by light- ning in recent weeks. The Trail Creek fire was still far from contained Monday. It gobbled up an additional 5,500 acres Sunday, increasing the burn area to 21,370 acres, about 33 square miles. Mon- day, it continued to consume hun- dreds of acres as winds pushed the blaze to the west, away from the city and toward Middle Fork Road, said Venetia Gempler, Boise National For- est fire information officer. Crews struggled Monday after- noon to keep the fire from jumping north across the middle fork of the Boise River. Gempler said the densely wooded area north of the river hasn't been logged for 100 years and is very dry. Air tanker crews had flown 16 missions by Monday night, dropping 33,600 gallons of retardant. Three more fire crews arrived Monday and two are expected today, pushing the number of firefighters up to 650. Throughout the weekend, more than 500 firefighters battled the fire. Ground crews manned dozer lines 30 to 40 feet wide on the southern edge of town. ? c'S.C11n ion _ ✓l�ils President Clinton Visits McCall Fires - Year 2000 President Clinton Visits McCall Fires - Year 2000 President Clinton Visits McCall Fires - Year 2000 a5f,e�o �n a r� o t-e c3.c,c�a Z �7l ®2 0 21 Troops given hearty sendmoff before heading back to 'le�s Officials extend thanks to soldiers for battling fire By Jeff McKinnie The Idaho Statesman McCALL — During a military cere- mony Saturday, U.S. Forest Service officials and fire bosses gave a re- sounding "thank you" to 600 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, for their ef- forts in battling the Burgdorf Junction fire. The troops will begin heading back to Fort Hood today. The wildfire, now at more than 55,000 acres, continues to burn north of McCall. "You have done an outstanding job cutting — and more importantly hold- ing — miles of firelines," said Payette National Forest Supervisor Dave Alexander. "Your job was to prevent loss of lives and property, and that's what you've done. And you did it with a great attitude." The men and women of the 3rd Bat- talion 16th Field Artillery, who have spent the past 30 days helping fire- fighters get the blaze more than 60 percent contained, were also given numerous awards including com- memorative coins, plaques and an open invitation to visit the forest. "You will always be welcomed back here," Alexander said. Members of the Idaho National Guard were also recognized for their help on the fire. "They all came voluntarily and did an excellent job transporting our guys safely," said Lt. Col. Darryl Williams. "We couldn't have helped if they did- n't get us there." Military and fire officials said the Guard transported more than 13,500 troops and firefighters to firelines in rugged terrain. The Guard will be honored in a sim- ilar ceremony today. "This was an integrated effort by many agencies," Alexander said. "You all came here, soldiers, and now you're firefighters, too." As columns of smoke could still be seen rising from several hot spots in the mountains, Alexander reassured the troops of their impact in reducing the forest fire's danger. "You guys kept this fire from get- ting much larger," he said. "It may not be out, but you helped shape it." Fire - information officer Charlie Johnson also said the troops helped preserve some of Idaho's landscape. "If we didn't have the military here, this fire would be much different. I know we wouldn't have this much containment." For staff Sgt. Bill Ellis, the mission into the Central Idaho mountains did- n't seem to be accomplished. "When I first got here and I saw all that smoke coming from the hills, I just knew we were going to put the whole fire out," said Ellis as he point ed to smoke still rising from those same hills. "But I guess it's going take a lot more than just as to put this thing all the way out." Throughout the ceremony, Forest Service officials tried to explain the nature of forest fires to the soldiers. "Understand what you have seen, guys," Alexander said. "You have watch the death of an old forest and the birth of a new one. And this new one will be here when your children come to see it." But after 30 days of firefighting, El- lis was tired of being in the forest. "I'm ready to go home," he said. "I'm tired of climbing hills, and it's too cold in the mornings." Ellis and the rest of the troops be- gan dismantling the makeshift camp in Secesh on Saturday and will head back to Texas today after a short stay in Boise. The soldiers did their last day of firefighting on Friday and spent the time since playing catch football, do- ing laundry and getting much - needed rest. I'm tired," said specialist Jean Collins, who's been in the Army for more than three years and is original- ly from Miami Beach, Fla. "I'm not used to being in the mountains and doing all this hiking." Sgt. Lou Mattson said the job was challenging for all the troops who ventured to the Idaho fire. "These guys were able to work side by side with some of the hotshot crews, and you know they are the best firefighters," Mattson said. "But there was no question of what we could do by the second week when we put a fireline in a mile long. "I think the hotshots were pretty impressed with us." Fire officials said additional troops probably wouldn't be necessary be- cause of the current containment lev- el on the fire. The blaze was detected on July 14 and, fire officials said it was the result of a lighting holdover. "When we first got here, fire ex- perts told us that Mother Nature start- ed this fire, and Mother Nature is go- ing to put it out," Williams said. "Now it's time for these guys to get back to being soldiers." l7 = 1p Ifinder fire Rain snow he By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman Mother Nature dumped rain M; fighters, and snow on some of the North- west's largest wildfires Friday night providing assistance to some fire lines while preventing access to others. At the Burgdorf Junction fire just north of McCall, a combina- tion of rain showers and light snow flurries helped firefighters extend containment lines around the Mackay Bar section of the fire, but slick roads prevented crews from reaching the Warren Creek and Marshall Camp area of the blaze. The Associated Press Rain clouds build early Saturday over the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Mont., as firefighters climb the rugged hillside. This weekend's rain could help firefighters get the upper hand on fighting fires throughout the West. "The weather is good, but The National Weather Servicx me of the roads are just nasty . The blaze is nearly 7U perce nt Coleman intormanon omcer a� ther but weren't naive td slick," said Kathy Jo Pollock, in Boise said temperatures in th( contained. o i information officer on the area of the historic town were it Showers and thunderstorms the low 30s. dropped as much 1/2 inch of rain ore than 65,000 -acre blaze. Some crews on the fire have lut I'm sure the snow will be been demobilizing to their home on parts of Montana by Satur- me by morning because it's not units but fire officials said it will day. Highs reached into the 70s, ,en sticking. humidity was low, and rain was take at least one month of wet forecast through Wednesday. Fire officials said extreme � Bather conditions shut down all weather to reverse the effect of "These are probably the best r operations and crews were this year's dry season. conditions we've had since this filled off the fire lines. In Salmon, the Clear Creek fire started," said Dan Kincaid, a to 1/4 inch of rain fell on the fire received some frequent rain fire information officer for a Up Up showers and snow flurries as 81000 -acre fire near Townsend, "We have some crews here we It rained off and on all day ont. "I think it will allow (fire- )in Floridathat are shocked be- y fighters) to make pretty good ,use they have never seen and night," said Jack Horner, an progress this weekend." low," Pollock said. information officer on the more Firefighters in Wyoming In Atlanta, overnight tempera- than 200,000 -acre blaze. "It ever awoke to freezing temperatures res were near freezing, so fire snowed on some parts of the fire Saturday morning. The damp, ficials turned their attention But it's just not enough yet tc cold conditions allowed com- way from the blaze and pre- have a significant effect." manders in the state to start anted crews from camping out Fire officials said the wet and sending crews home or to other i the fire lines. Crews slept in cold weather has allowed fire - fires, and some restrictions were [e fire camp because officials fighters to make progress on the lifted in Yellowstone National ere concerned with firefighters nations largest blaze. Park. fitting hypothermia. "It has not grown in the past "It cooled things down. It Fire officials said 1/2 inch of two days, thanks to the weather," cooled the fires down, the in fell and traces of snow fell on Horner said. "We actually were down. It took a lot of the smoke e more than 34,000 -acre blaze. able to complete some additional out. It made things so much more containment line." bearable for the crews," said J.D. the Northern Rockies Coordina. enough to believe it would halt tion Center in Missoula. advancing flames for good. Fire officials still cautioned ,The fire dragon sort of re- that many of the 27 blazes burn mated into its lair for a bit," he ing on morethan 658,200 awes in said, `but its not gone." Montana were not yet contained and still could jump fire lines if the weather changes. Lightning accompanying some of Friday's showers also ig- nied new fires. While the wet weather has helped in the northern Rockies, more than 200 new fires were re- ported Friday in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Missis- sippi, an area that has been suf- fering through triple -digit tem- peratures and drought condi- tions for weeks. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise counted 68 major fires burning across the country Saturday on 1.7 million acres. So far this year, more than 74,000 au fires blackened nearly 6.5 million acres. In Montana, Coleman said crews were relieved to have cool i NEW FIRES No new fires were reported in Idaho by late Saturday. Sand n CONTINUING FIRES � .Coeur 1. Burnt Flats fire I 22,527 acres; 100% contained; 303 personnel; $6.5 million > The fire is three miles from White Bird. 2. Burgdorf Junction fire 65,558 acres; 65% contained; 328 personnel; $21 million > The fire is 23 miles north of McCall. The west side of the fire re- ceived approximately .25 inches of rain, slowing the rate of spread and cooling hot spots. The fire contin- ues to spread in the Warren Creek area. 3. Flossie Complex fire 50,000 acres; 0% contained; 4 personnel; not available > Payette National Forest. This fire is 50 miles northeast of McCall. Structure protection continues at Root Ranch. No new information to report. 4. Diamond Complex fire PaGo 19 Wildfire developments Showers are slowing the spread of some of Idaho's 24 major wildfires. Up to an inch of rain is expected to fall during the Labor Day weekend. The state's largest blaze, the Clear Creek fire near Salmon, is ► burning 200,155 acres. 3 More than 706,000 acres are burning in Idaho. The National Weather Service in Pocatel- lo called for more Imon showers next week. 126,000 acres; 0% contained; 10 personnel; No cost estimate 51 s > Payette National Forest. This fire is 42 miles northeast of McCall. This complex consists of the Look- tection remains in place for Big out, Point, North Shellrock and Creek and Edwardsburg. No new South Shellrock fires. Structure pro- information to report. 6. SCF Wilderness 176,600 acres; 0% contained; 23 personnel; cost not available > This complex is made up of the North Fork Wilderness Com- plex and the South Zone Wilder- ness. Moisture was received across the area slowing fire growth. Clo- sure orders remain in effect for ar- eas in and around the fires. 7. Crooked fire 4,892 acres; 90% contained; 78 personnel; $5.1 million > The fire is 50 miles southwest of Missoula, MT, near Lolo Pass. S. Clear Creek fire 147,081 acres; 30% contained; 1,516 personnel; $22.8 million > The fire is 12 miles west of Salmon. The 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina are in field training. Some areas in the southern por- tion received up to .67 inches of rain resulting in decreased fire ac- tivity. Rehabilitation may begin soon. Structure protection and fire - line construction remain a priority. 9. Yellowpine Complex fire 16,100 acres; 25% contained; 421 personnel; $4.9 million > This complex consists of the Nick and Indian fires and is locat- ed 20 miles east of McCall. Struc- ture protection and evacuation plans are in place, if needed. The fire activity today was reduced due to high humidity and afternoon precipitation. 10. Morse fire 4,460 acres; 15% contained; 83 personnel; $792,000 > The fire is burning in grass, sagebrush and Douglas fir five miles east of May. Very little fire activity was observed today with scattered clouds and high relative humidity. Efforts have been direct- ed toward containing perimeter spots. I Ilis N-21 5, Rexburg Ketchum R Idaho.Falls 20i ' Pocatello 5. Three Bears fire 33,273 acres; 0% contained; 58 personnel; $716,000 > This fire is on both sides of the Salmon River, 29 miles from Elk city. 11. Marlin Springs fire 6,249 acres; 0% contained; 168 personnel; $1.2 million > This fire is burning along the ridge between Montana and Ida- ho, 40 miles northwest of Salmon. This complex consists of the Marlin Springs, Full Circle and Sister fires. The fire received some rain resulting in very little fire growth. 12. Elizabeth fire 3,258 acres; 0% contained; no personnel; $5,000 > The fire is 33 miles northeast of Pierce. The fire is being moni- tored by U.S. Forest Service per- sonnel. 13. Hidden Creek fire 1,724 acres; 0% contained; 1 personnel; $130,000 > The fire is 12 miles southeast of Powell. The fire received .17 inch of rain. % r - W i t h a l i t t l e h e l p f r o m w e a t h e r , o c r e w s m a k e p r o g r e s s o n w i l d f i r e s T h e A s s o c i a t e d P r e s s F i r e c r e w s c o n t a i n e d t h e 1 7 , 2 6 0 - a c r e Y e l l o w P i n e C o m - p l e x 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 , 2 0 m i l e s e a s t o f M c C a l l , l o w - e r i n g t h e n u m b e r o f l a r g e f i r e s i n I d a h o t o s i x . C o n t a i n m e n t o n Y e l l o w P i n e c a m e a s P a y e t t e f o r e s t f i r e m a n - a g e r s s c a l e d b a c k t h e n u m b e r o f c r e w s a n d o t h e r p e r s o n n e l o n t h e l i n e s . " I t h i n k i t ' s l i k e l y t h a t f i r e s e a - s o n i s n o t o v e r y e t , " s a i d P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l 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 i n a n e w s r e - l e a s e . " H o w e v e r , w i t h t h e w e a t h e r s y s t e m w e ' v e j u s t s e e n . . . I t h i n k i t ' s u n l i k e l y t h a t f i r e s w i l l h a v e t h e s a m e i n t e n s i t y , s a m e d r a m a t i c l e v e l s o f a c t i v i t y o r e x t r e m e b e h a v i o r . " F o r e s t o f f i c i a l s r e t a i n e d o n e s m o k e j u m p e r u n i t a n d t w o h e l i - r a p p e l l e r u n i t s , a s w e l l a s a n a i r t a n k e r a n d h e l i c o p t e r i n c a s e o f f l a r e - u p s . C r e w s k e p t a n e y e o n w i l d e r n e s s f i r e s w h i l e s t a r t i n g r e h a b i l i t a t i o n o f b u r n e d a r e a s . F i r e a c t i v i t y a r o u n d t h e s t a t e r e m a i n e d l o w o n F r i d a y . J u s t m o r e t h a n 6 3 3 , 0 0 0 a c r e s w e r e o n f i r e . T h e B u r g d o r f J u n c t i o n b l a z e 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 r e a c h e d 9 0 p e r c e n t c o n - t a i n m e n t , a n d t h e C l e a r C r e e k C o m p l e x i n t h e S a l m o n - C h a l l i s N a t i o n a l F o r e s t h o v e r e d a t 7 5 p e r c e n t c o n t a i n m e n t . F i r e r e s t r i c t i o n s w e r e r e l a x e d i n t h e S a l m o n - C h a l l i s N a t i o n a l F o r e s t a s l o w e r t e m p e r a t u r e s a n d w e t c o n d i t i o n s c o n t i n u e d . T h e c h a n g e m e a n t o p e n f i r e s w e r e a l l o w e d i n d e v e l o p e d r e c r e a t i o n s i t e s a n d s m o k i n g p e r m i t t e d i n b u i l d i n g s , v e h i c l e s , d e v e l o p e d r e c r e a t i o n s p o t s a n d a r e a s l a c k i n g b u r n a b l e m a t e r i - a l . I n r e l a t e d n e w s , t h e U . S . S m a l l B u s i n e s s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n w i l l o p e n d i s a s t e r o f f i c e s i n S a l m o n a n d M e r i d i a n w h e r e r e s i d e n t s c a n a p p l y f o r l o w - i n - C O N T I N U I N G W I L D F I R E S B u r g d o r f J u n c t i o n 6 4 , 4 9 6 a c r e s ; 9 0 % c o n - t a i n e d ; 3 8 2 p e r s o n n e l ; $ 2 3 . 4 m i l l i o n > P a y e t t e N a t i o n a l F o r e s t . T h e f i r e i s 2 3 m i l e s n o r t h o f M c C a l l . C r e w s h a v e m a d e s t e a d y p r o g r e s s o n f i r e l i n e c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d s u p p r e s s i o n o f h o t s p o t s . S C F W i l d e r n e s s 1 8 0 , 6 0 0 a c r e s ; 0 % c o n - t a i n e d ; 1 7 p e r s o n n e l ; $ 1 6 7 , 0 0 0 > S a l m o n - C h a l l i s N a t i o n a l F o r e s t . E l e v e n w i l d l a n d f i r e s a r e c u r r e n t l y b u r n i n g w i t h i n t h e S a l m o n C h a l l i s W i l d e r n e s s C o m p l e x : L i t t l e P i s t o l , I n d i a n C r e e k , F i l l y , B u t t s , P a p o o s e , P a r k e r , P a c k e r M e a d o w , S h e l l R o c k , W i l s o n C r e e k , J a c k a s s a n d J a c k C r e e k . O b s e r v e d f i r e b e h a v i o r i s l o w . A n o t h e r b u r n e d s t r u c t u r e h a s b e e n d i s - c o v e r e d a t T r a p p e r C r e e k . A e r i a l r e c o n n a i s s a n c e i s b e i n g p e r f o r m e d d a i l y . C l e a r C r e e k 2 0 6 , 3 7 9 a c r e s ; 7 5 % c o n - t a i n e d ; 1 , 5 0 2 p e r s o n n e l ; $ 4 9 . 6 m i l l i o n > T h i s c o m p l e x c o n s i s t s o f t h e C l e a r C r e e k , M a r l i n S p r i n g s , F u l l C i r c l e a n d S i s t e r s f i r e s . T h e 3 r d B a t t a l i o n , 2 n d M a r i n e s f r o m C a m p L e j e u n e , t e r e s t f e d e r a l d i s a s t e r l o a n s . P r e s i d e n t C l i n t o n r e c e n t l y d e c l a r e d I d a h o a d i s a s t e r a r e a . " S B A w i l l a n s w e r s p e c i f i c q u e s t i o n s a b o u t h o w a d i s a s t e r l o a n m a y h e l p e a c h v i c t i m r e - c o v e r f r o m t h e d i s a s t e r a n d w i l l p r o v i d e o n e - o n - o n e a s s i s t a n c e i n c o m p l e t i n g t h e i r l o a n a p p l i - c a t i o n s , " s a i d A l f r e d E . J u d d , d i s a s t e r a r e a d i r e c t o r . T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n m a y o p e n a d d i t i o n a l o f f i c e s . D i s a s t e r l o a n s o f u p t o $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e t o h o m e o w n e r s t o r e p a i r o r r e - p l a c e d a m a g e d o r d e s t r o y e d r e a l e s t a t e . H o m e o w n e r s a n d r e n t e r s a r e e l i g i b l e f o r u p t o $ 4 0 , 0 0 0 . N o n - f a r m b u s i n e s s e s c a n b o r r o w u p t o $ 1 . 5 m i l l i o n . N . C . , i s c o m m i t t e d . S o m e t r e e t o r c h i n g i s o c c u r r i n g a s w e a t h - e r t u r n s w a r m e r a n d d r i e r . S i g - n i f i c a n t m o p - u p e f f o r t s a r e b e - i n g a c c o m p l i s h e d . R e h a b i l i t a - t i o n w o r k i s i n c r e a s i n g a s r e - s o u r c e s b e c o m e a v a i l a b l e . F E M A O F F I C E S T h e F e d e r a l E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e m e n t A g e n c y s e t u p a n o f f i c e i n B o i s e o n T h u r s d a y t o a d m i n i s t e r a s s i s t a n c e f o r p e o p l e w h o h a v e s u f f e r e d l o s s e s f r o m t h e w i l d f i r e s t h i s s e a s o n . T h e o f f i c e i s a t 3 2 1 0 E l d e r S t . P e o p l e w h o i n c u r r e d l o s s e s o r d a m a g e s s h o u l d s t a r t t h e r e c o v e r y p r o c e s s b y c a l l i n g 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 6 2 - 9 0 2 9 . c/ Military Colonel tells Kempthorne they're ready After touching down in a Blackhawk helicopter in the field next to the Burgdorf Guard Station, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and Forest Service Region 4 Supervisor Jack Blackwell were given a briefing on the histo- ry of the forests in the area of the fire by PNF Supervisor Dave Alexander. Kempthorne asked Alexander about the basic ecology of the area, as well as what restrictions the Forest Service had to abide by in regards to the Endangered Species Act. He also asked whether or not roadless des- ignation had any detrimental affects on fire activity or suppression and seemed amazed at the expense of the fire fighting effort to date ($380,00 per day said one CICT official). Kempthorne was also introduced to the Forest Service's Incident Command Team from California, Team Commander Scott Vail on through to the firecrew Planning Officer, Steve Ryberg, all of whom briefed Kempthorne on current conditions of thefire relating to their depart- ments. Lt. Colonel Darryl Williams, of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery from Fort Hood, Texas, then briefed Kempthorne on the readiness of his troops to begin being deployed as Vail had earlier explained — "spiked out" along the burned out sections of the fireline "mopping UP. After just three days of "field" training, Williams reported that troop morale was high, but admitted that ... "our dogs (feet) are hurting us a little from climbing these Idaho hills." "Do you feel your troops have had adequate training ?" Kempthorne asked. "`We are used to this type of hard work and the chow is good." Williams answered. "It is our goal to become the very best Type 2 firecrew. We have had good support from state and federal agencies and we are happy to be here." Slopes reborn after devastating wildfires L OWER SALMON GORGE —The slopes overlooking the Lower Salmon River in north -cen- tral Idaho look like a velvet - green carpet in the late after - noonsun. It's startling. It takes you by surprise. How can a place, which was burned so black last summer comeback so green? Amazing when you think that wildfires swept across 74,000 acres in the Lower Salmon Gorge and the Snake River in Hells Canyon. It's difficult to imagine that last fall when I was in the same canyon on afloat trip, that the slopes were black as basalt. Smoke was still rising off the ridges where the fire was smoldering. Smoke still per- meated the floor of the canyon and along the river. Wind was sweeping gray dust in whirlwinds. The dirt under the burned plants was a grayish- white, indi- cating it had burned white hot. Nothing was left. It looked sterile. But this spring, wow, it is far from sterile. My hiking shoes were stepping on a soft carpet of4 -inch tall velvety grass. The slopes that burned along the Lower Gorge are actually greener than the areas that didn't burn. Looking at it closely, the fresh grass in the burned ar- eas was a rich green. The grass in the non - burned ar- eas was a lighter green be- cause last season's old, dead grass diluted the color. Groves of yellow biscuit - root were spreading out across the hillsides, right in the rocks and among the sage. Some buttercups were blooming. Yellow bells spiced the rocky cliffs. How e PETE ZIMOWSKY did these plants sur- vive the ecological firebomb? As the sun started to settle below one of the ridges and cast a purple light across the mountainsides, canyon wrens were singing their songs. What a sweet song of rebirth. On another day, I saw 20 wild turkeys along the river making their way up a mountain draw with the toms looking for the hens. White- tailed deer grazed on the slopes just above the riv- er. Chukars were all over the place, cackling and creating a ruckus. Let's hope that's an indication of how next fall's hunting season will be. And let's hope when the game birds nest and have young, the spring weather is favorable for the hatch. Cold, wet spring weather can kill young birds. But that's another story, how everything is tied to na- ture. I was just glad that Ihiked up from the river during our float trip last week and got up close and personal with the burned area. It was neat to see all the minute plants sprouting in the nuked zone. Even some of the cactus that was burned seemed to be hanging on and would comeback. It was a new canyon re- born from wildfire. Let's hope the same thing is happening all across Idaho this spring where wildfires left devastation. ,;fides Maw 7- ,Z8 -O! agcy 7-'.3© -o! Banks b laze closes highway By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman A 100 -acre wildfire ignit- ed near Banks on Friday evening, prompting the tem- porary closure of Idaho 55. Idaho Department of Lands and U.S. Forest Ser- vice firefighters responded to the Fleming Creek Fire at 5:40 p.m. Fire officials said a boat trailer ignited the fire. The fire started after one of the wheels fell off the trailer, causing sparks to shoot from the vehicle. The fire burned in steep terrain on the east side of Ida- ho 55 in Gardena, just south of Banks. Traffic on Idaho 55 was snarled for miles in both directions as crews battled the blaze. The fire prompted Idaho Transportation Department officials to close sections of the road for about two hours as firefighting crews shuffled equipment and water to the fire. One lane of the road was re- opened around 8 p.m., ac- cording to Idaho State Police dispatchers. Three water - dropping he- licopters and two air tankers assisted the ground crews working the fire. Near Ketchum, firefight- ers were kept busy Friday as high winds fueled a 300 -acre wildfire. Fire bosses have delayed calling the Sage Fire con- trolled because of gusty winds near Adams Gulch. "Mere was still enough heat in the burned timber that we are being tested by the wind, and we will be tested further tomorrow," said incident com- mander Dennis Pratt. A cold front is supposed to move into the area, bringing more wind, Pratt said. The fire is burning in the Warms Springs area, just west of Ketchum. Firefight- ers have contained the blaze and expect to have it under control at 6 p.m. today. The 140 -acre Snowshoe Fire in the Salmon - Challis Na- tional Forest is 30 percent con- tained. The fire is burning in the wilderness about 25 miles northwest of Stanley. Traffic lanes reopen near Firefighters eye full containment by this evening By Charles Etlinger The Idaho Statesman Both lanes of Idaho 55 in the vicinity of a wildfire north of Horseshoe Bend were reopened Sunday in time for traffic returning to Boise from the mountains. The 450 -acre Fleming Fire burning halfway be- tween Horseshoe Bend and Banks had caused the clo- sure of one lane for two days, snarling weekend traf- fic. The fire, burning in brush and timber in steep, rocky terrain off Idaho 55, is expected to be contained at 6 p.m. today. -7 -29-01 r7- 30 -di Both lanes were re- opened about noon Sunday, said Arnold Hartigan, a spokesman for the Boise In- teragency Logistics Center. He emphasized that dri- vers should slow down in the area of the fire because rocks may roll down canyon slopes and fire- fighting vehicles are turn- ing onto and off the high- way from side roads. The vehicles may not be easily visible around the road's Many blind turns. The blaze is being fought by nearly 350 people. Two helicopters and three air tankers are aiding the bat- tle. Lower temperatures and calmer winds helped fire- fighting efforts Sunday. In addition, a brush fire burning 7,000 acres in the Twin Falls area is expect- ed to be controlled by 6 p.m. today. The Doe Flat Fire started on Friday west of Rogerson. On Sunday, firefighters controlled the 2,924 -acre Owyhee Fire, which burned in brush just north of Rome, Ore. IA—"-- 11-1-a //,) . a-' -/ - Blaze still slowing traffic on 55 Winds work against crews near Banks By Jeffrey McKinnie The Idaho Statesman Fire crews partially contained a 500 -acre wild- fire near Banks on Satur- day, but unfavorable weather conditions were making it tough for fire- fighters. Fire officials said crews were able to get 30 per- cent containment of the Fleming Fire, despite high afternoon winds. "The winds reached up to 40 miles per hour, which increased the ac- tivity of the fire and trig- gered some spotting," said Arnold Hartigan of the National Interagency Fire Center. "But the crews were able to keep a han- dle on it." More than 250 fire- fighters from the Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Forest Service are battling the blaze as it burns through grass, dry brush and timber in steep terrain alongside Idaho 55. The fire has caused ma- jor delays on Idaho 55, as crews are using the road to shuttle equipment to the fire. The road has been reduced to single -lane traffic, and the Idaho Transportation Department is ad- vising motorists to find alternate routes, including U.S. 95. The road will remain single -lane at least until today. Water- dropping helicopters also are using water from the Payette River to fight the blaze. Fire officials said the blaze is currently Idaho's largest forest fire. Crews are hoping to have it contained by Monday evening. The fire started on Friday af- ter a boat trailer lost a wheel, causing sparks that ignited the blaze. The incident caused the tem- porary closure of Idaho 55, snarling traffic in both directions for miles. Near Mountain Home, a range fire broke out on Saturday, just off Interstate 84. The 200 -acre fire was report- ed at 4:30 p.m. about 7 miles west of Mountain Home. Crews from the Bureau of Land Management and the Mountain Home Fire Department battled the fire as it burned through grass and dry brush. Crews expect to have the fire contained today. officials are still investigating the cause. In Ketchum, the 300 -acre Sage Fire in the Sawtooth National For- est is 100 percent controlled. Firefighters will continue mop- ping up the fire and checking for hotspots, fire officials said. The fire burned in the Warm Springs area, just west of Ketchum. It initially threatened homes and caused the tempo- rary closure of a popular hiking trail. Near Twin Falls, lightning sparked the Green Canyon Fires at the southern end of the Black Pine District. The two fires cover a total of about 4 acres. In the Salmon - Challis Nation- al Forest, crews are still trying to get leverage on the 300 -acre Snowshoe Fire, 25 miles north- west of Stanley. Fire officials said high winds fanned the forest fire as it ripped through timber in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness. Crews also are trying to pro- tect two historic cabins in the area. Unfavorable weather condi- tions today, including a cold front in the area, could pose a problem for firefighters, according to fire officials. To offer story ideas or comments, contact reporter Jeffrey McKinnie at jmckinnie@ idahostatesman.com or 373 -6617. Kandy Hell nuKbui1 / ivCNLui is —1-1- 1 v — i�. Pilot Gordon Koenig, right, and his co- pilot, Paul Yedinak, stand beside their Lockheed P -2V5 plane Tuesday at Neptune Aviation Services headquarters in Missoula, Mont. In the 12 years Koenig has been f lying tankers to battle wildfires,hesays, he has lost 14 friends to crashes. Tanker pilots take on wildfires P -2V5 plane can weather the harsh fire conditions By Peter Boltz Idaho Mountain Express KETCHUM — Gordon Koenig may or may not have been play- ing his guitar while he was on standby for Neptune Aviation in Missoula, Mont. But there is no doubt he had a purple guitar pick with him — his good -luck piece. At 11:30 that morning, a voice came over the loudspeaker and ordered the crew to load his Lock- heed P -2V5 with 11 tons of retar- dant and for Koenig and his co- pilot Paul Yedinak to take off within 15 minutes. At the same time, someone was rushing a "resource order" to Koenig that would tell him where he was going and who he would need to call on the radio once in range of the Sage Fire burning re- cently on the outskirts of Ketchum. As stirring as that sounds, Koenig downplayed the call to ac- tion. "It's not that dramatic," he said. He also downplayed the dan- ger in his work with a matter -of- fact manner. He said that during the 1990s, es of air tankers was one' in 40. "There were 40 air tankers in service during the 1990s, and we were losing one air crew a year." In the 12 years he's been flying tankers to battle wildfires, Koenig has lost 14 friends to crashes. He had high praise for his air- plane, a P -2V5 built in 1952, mod- ified by adding tanks for retardant that empty through six bomb bay doors, which can be opened one at a time. His P -2V5 can make sev- eral drops, rationing the 2,350 gal- lons of retardant. The plane is powered by two radial engines and two jet engines, but the jets are only used in take- off and climbing. The radial engines are the most powerful made, he said, but since the plane, originally built to pa- trol shorelines for submarines, is "extremely heavy," the jets were put onto the P -2V5s as an after- thought. Despite the plane's age and weight, Koenig said, it is "built like a bridge, is extremely tough and has enormous power." Airplanes falling apart in flight is a real concern for tanker pilots. "This kind of work is hard on airplanes," he said. "They take a beating each time they go out." Koenig described the turbu- lence around a fire as being like water that slams the aircraft around instead of just air. But the air buffets tankers with sufficient force to blow an engine or the hy- draulics, or to tear a plane apart: One aircraft, the Fairchild C- 119 Flying Boxcar, is no longer used as a tanker, he said. "The wings kept falling off — literally departing the plane," he said. He said the P -2V5 was built with an alloy no longer used. Newer planes that are used as tankers, like the Lockheed P -3 Ori- on and the Lockheed Martin C- 130 Hercules, are more prone to metal corrosion and cracking in the wing spars because the alloy is not as strong. Koenig paid homage to the fire- fighters on the ground, saying, "We don't put fires out on our own. We're there for just a brief time. We're there to support the ground troops on the line." For everyone's safety, a lead spotter plane flies low to a fire zone to see where the flames and the firefighters are located. The pilot of that plane shows tanker pilots the way in and out of their target, alerting them to ground hazards such as power lines, and controlling traffic with other planes and helicopters. Knowing the entry and exit route over a target is especially important for flying through smoke, which, Koenig said, is like a thick fog. "You can't see anything," he said, "and you don't want to be surprised by a mountainside once you're through." Not at the 120 knots Koenig was flying at Ketchum. That speed is equivalent to 180 mph. Dropping the retardant — a mixture of the fertilizer disodium phosphate and iron oxide for col- oring — is the critical moment for a tanker. "We want to put it where the guys need it," Koenig said. "We don't risk our necks to get it there to miss the target, so we fly low. The optimal altitude is 150 feet. Any higher, and it's difficult to pre- dict where the retardant will go." If he drops his entire load at once, his P -2V5 becomes 11 tons lighter in seconds, giving the plane "tremendous lift." The retardant, described as a sludge or mud, slams into the ground with enough force to kill or gravely injure firefighters if they should accidentally be un- derneath. If a tanker is empty after a drop, the pilot is directed to an airport for refilling, and he goes through the routine of finding a safe way in and out of the drop zone again. Koenig said he has fought as many as 12 fires in one day, which, because of Federal Aviation Ad- ministration rules, cannot exceed eight hours of flying time. He said he couldn't estimate the average number of dispatch- es he gets in a season since it varies so widely, but he remem- bers last year as his busiest with 985,000 gallons of retardant. ACl Gh0 S�1 /(�.S/�14K .�/,2.� � - -�QDI 1 600 troops leave Burgdorf Photos by Kim Hughes / The Idaho Statesman and Lt. Roger Brown carries his clothes bag and boots down the hill toward the shower early Sunday morning as he and the other 600 soldiers from Hood, Texas, broke camp and prepared to head home. Although Brown is eager to get home, he said he may return to Idaho for a vacation. "When kind of consider Idaho, you think of potatoes," Brown said, "But when you get here, when you see the mountains, it's like, `Wow!. "' J.S. Forest Service officials thank Guard personnel or their service along Burgdorf Junction firelines V� Jeffrey McKinnie e Idaho Statesman MCCALL — Members of e Idaho Army and Air Na- onal Guard have spent the 30 days delivering sup - 'es and nearly 15,000 troops d firefighters on rugged ter - in in the Payette National In recognition of their serv- e on the 59,000 -acre urgdorf Junction fire near t Call, U.S. Forest Service of- a, on Sunday presented e Guard personnel — sta- ved in Boise — with certifi- tes, plaques and commemo- five coins. "I can't thank you enough r your logistical and ground pport," Payette National rest Supervisor David Special report on page 6A > Quotes from firefighters Online www.IdahoStatesman, com > Links to fire agencies > Previous coverage > Satellite images of fires Alexander said. "We couldn't have done this without you." Meanwhile, less than a mile away, 600 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, eagerly turned in firefighting equipment, packed up personal gear and said goodbye to fellow fire- fighters and servicemen. "Idaho's OK," Sgt. Darrell Reed said early Sunday after stuffing clothes into his duffel bag. "but I can't wait to get outta here." The soldiers were honored for their service at a ceremony Saturday. k -d on Sunday, Forest Ser- vice , ; Acials and firefighters together praised the Guard personnel for their support and safety record. "Not one vehicle accident," fire information officer Char- lie Johnson said. "Now that's pretty impressive, especially since this place is ripe for those kind of accidents." Fire officials have request- ed additional fire crews to re- place the soldiers as the Burgdorf Junction fire contin- ues to burn near the Salmon river. "Each operations unit was Payette National Forest Supervisor David Alexander com- mends members of the Idaho Army and Air National Guard at a ceremony Sunday morning. The Guard transported nearly 15,000 troops and firefighters over rugged terrain for the last month without one vehicle accident. instructed to place orders for additional support," Johnson said. "When will we get them? I don't know." Fire officials said no towns were in immediate danger from the fire, but with the im- pending absence of the sol- diers from the firelines, offi- cials are concerned about /i,� (cla�eb maintaining current containment. "Right now, we have it 60 percent contained," Johnson said. "But since they're leaving, it'll be difficult to maintain. All of the Guard personnel volun- teered for the month-long mission. "In fact, only about 30 of us are going home," Command Sgt. David Lerner said. "The rest will stay and continue transporting civilian fire- fighters, and others will go to other fires. "This just proves that the total Army can and will work." More than 100 members of the 124th Wing of the Air National Guard and a combined unit of the Army National Guard also were re- sponsible for assembling the base camp that housed the 600 troops. "They were just a tremendous help throughout this whole thing," Sgt. Lou Mattson said as he watched members of the Guard work with soldiers who were dis- mantling tents at the Echo base camp in Secesh. "We needed a place to sleep, and they gave us one. We needed a ride, and they gave it to us." Alexander said the Guard's role was just as important as the role of the firefighters. "If we can't get people to the fire - lines safely, then we can't fight the fire," Alexander said. "And these guys did just that — got them there safely." The Guard used a fleet of military vehicles. "They put an enormous amount of miles on those vehicles the past 30 days," Mattson said. Specialist Ronald Shaw of the Army Guard, who helped trans- port the soldiers, said the experi- ence allowed him to develop team- work relationships with fellow servicemen. "You had guys working this fire from everywhere," Shaw said as he and other Guardsmen prepared to help tear down the soldiers' camp. "I thought it was good to have us all here together." PFC Greg Washington, left, PFC Cortez Dye, center, and Sgt. Al Green huddle around the heater Sun- day morning to get warm. Photos by Kim Hughes/ The Idaho Statesman Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, spend Sunday morning taking down tents, folding up cots, and turning in their fire gear in preparation for the trip home. Part of the group was scheduled to fly out of Boise ear- ly this morning and the rest are scheduled to leave around mid -morn- ing today. While the long work hours on the fire and the separate campsites pre- vented most of the military person- nel from developing friendships, Sgt. Wally Peppersack of the Air Guard said he was more than happy to transport the soldiers. "I just want those guys to know how much we appreciate them coming here in our back yard and helping on the fire." Mattson said credit belongs to the firefighters and members of the Guard. "When we got here, we didn't know anything about firefighting," he said. "And when we finally learned, the Guard took us to the firelines to put those skills to use." Those skills developed the troops into a force able to cut many miles of firelines. Fire officials said the soldiers re- cently put out a section of the fire that started to flare up. "After two weeks, that spot decid- ed to came back to life, and they put it right out," Johnson said. "We are definitely going to miss having them around." ��- a 4 ' r s T y r a 1 7 F i r e f i g h t e r s u s e a v a r i e t y o f m e t h o d s C u t t i n g o f f o x y g e n , r e m o v i n g f u e l c a n s t o p t h e f l a m e s B y J e f f r e y M c K i n n i e T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n F i g h t i n g f i r e s t a r t s w i t h u n d e r - s t a n d i n g t h e b a s i c c o n c e p t s o f f i r e . B i g o r s m a l l , f i r e i s a c h e m i c a l r e - a c t i o n f r o m t h r e e s o u r c e s : f u e l , h e a t a n d o x y g e n . W h e n e n o u g h h e a t i s a p p l i e d t o a f u e l s o u r c e i n t h e p r e s e n c e o f o x y g e n , t h e r e i s a r a p i d r e l e a s e o f e n e r g y . W i l d l a n d f i r e s , w h i c h t y p i c a l l y s t a r t f r o m a n a t u r a l i g n i t i o n s o u r c e s u c h a s l i g h t n i n g o r s o m e t i m e s t h e b u i l d u p o f h e a t i n t i g h t l y c o m p a c t e d m a t e r i a l s , t h r i v e i n f o r e s t s b e c a u s e o f t h e l a r g e a m o u n t s o f f u e l . R e d u c i n g o r r e m o v i n g o n e o f t h e t h r e e e l e m e n t s n e c e s s a r y f o r a f i r e i s c r i t i c a l t o f i g h t i n g f i r e s . U p o n a r r i v i n g a t a w i l d l a n d f i r e , F o r e s t S e r v i c e a n d f i r e o f f i c i a l s i m m e - d i a t e l y t r y t o d e t e r m i n e w h i c h e l e - m e n t o f a f i r e i s t h e e a s i e s t t o r e m o v e . " C l e a r l y , t h e f i r s t t h i n g w e t r y t o r e - m o v e i s t h e f u e l , " s a i d J i m S h e l l , i n c i - d e n t c o m m a n d e r o n t h e T r a i l C r e e k f i r e n e a r A t l a n t a . " I f y o u d o n ' t d o t h a t , y o u c a n ' t c o n t a i n i t . " P a u l C h r i s t e n s e n , f i r e i n f o r m a t i o n o f f i c e r a t t h e m o r e - t h a n - 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 - a c r e C l e a r C r e e k F i r e i n S a l m o n , a g r e e d . " W i t h s i t u a t i o n s l i k e t h i s f i r e , w h e r e t h e a c r e a g e i s s o i m m e n s e , i t ' s i m p o s - s i b l e t o c u t o f f t h e o x y g e n , " C h r i s - t e n s e n s a i d . " I t ' s j u s t e a s i e r t o r e m o v e t h e f u e l . " T h e r e a r e m a n y t y p e s o f f u e l s i n w i l d l a n d a n d r a n g e l a n d f i r e s , i n c l u d - i n g p o n d e r o s a p i n e , s a g e b r u s h , c h e a t g r a s s a n d j u n i p e r . A n d o f f i c i a l s s a i d f i r e m o v e m e n t i n f o r e s t s v a r i e s , d e p e n d i n g o n t h e f u e l s . " S o m e f u e l s w i l l a l l o w a f i r e t o m o v e m o r e q u i c k l y t h a n o t h e r s , " s a i d K a t h y J o P o l l o c k , a f o r m e r f i r e f i g h t e r w o r k i n g a t t h e B u r g d o r f J u n c t i o n F i r e . " Y o u a l s o h a v e t o r e m e m b e r t h a t t h e r e i s g r a s s a n d d e a d t i m b e r o n t h e f o r e s t f l o o r . " C h r i s t e n s e n s a i d c u t t i n g o f f o x y g e n u s u a l l y i s a g o o d m e t h o d t o a p p l y t o s m a l l f i r e s , b u t n o t a w i l d l a n d f i r e . " Y o u c a n s t o p a s m a l l g r e a s e f i r e s o m e t i m e s b y j u s t c o v e r i n g i t w i t h a l i d , w h i c h c u t s o f f t h e o x y g e n . Y o u j u s t c a n ' t d o t h a t o u t i n a f o r e s t . " F i r e f i g h t e r s a l s o u s e a n u m b e r o f t o o l s t o r e m o v e f u e l , i n c l u d i n g s h o v - K i m H u g h e s / T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n S h o w i n g t h e w a y : T r a i l C r e e k f i r e i n c i d e n t c o m m a n d e r J i m S h e l l b r i e f s I d a h o G o v . D i r k K e m p t h o r n e o n t h e f i r e A u g . 2 0 . S h e l l h a d t o b e c a r e f u l w i t h t h e p l a c e m e n t o f h i s f i r e c r e w s b e c a u s e o f t h e i n t e n s i t y o f t h e f i r e . e l s , a x e s a n d P u l a s k i s . C h r i s t e n s e n s a i d f i r e f i g h t e r s i n S a l m o n a r e u s i n g t h e s e t o o l s , p l u s b u l l d o z e r s , t o c l e a r a w a y b r u s h a n d d r y v e g e t a t i o n . " W e t r y t o d o a s l i t t l e d a m a g e t o t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a s p o s s i b l e , " h e s a i d . M e t h o d s o f r e m o v i n g f u e l a l s o i n - c l u d e c u t t i n g f i r e l i n e s a n d s e t t i n g s m a l l f i r e s ( b a c k - b u r n s ) i n t h e p a t h o f a n a d v a n c i n g f i r e . O f f i c i a l s a t t h e N a t i o n a l F i r e I n t e r - a g e n c y C e n t e r i n B o i s e s a i d b a c k - b u r n s a r e e f f e c t i v e w a y s t o c r e a t e f i r e b r e a k s . " T h e s i t u a t i o n h a s t o m e e t s p e c i f i c c r i t e r i a , a n d i t ' s u s u a l l y o n l y u s e d i n c e r t a i n c o n d i t i o n s , " s a i d J a n e l l e S m i t h , a n N I F C s p o k e s w o m a n . F i r e f i g h t e r s o n t h e g r o u n d r e l y m o s t l y o n h e a v y e q u i p m e n t a n d h a n d t o o l s t o r e m o v e v e g e t a t i o n . I n s o m e i n s t a n c e s , l a r g e t r e e s m a y b e c u t a n d l e f t i n p l a c e s o t h e f i r e w i l l b u r n a t g r o u n d l e v e l , a l l o w i n g f i r e f i g h t e r s t o b a t t l e i t m o r e e a s i l y . W h e n f i r e r e a c h e s t h e t o p o f a t r e e , a s i t u a t i o n k n o w n a s " c r o w n i n g , " i t c a n m o v e f a s t e r t h r o u g h a f o r e s t , s o m e t i m e s e v e n l e a p i n g o r " s p o t t i n g " m i l e s a h e a d o f t h e m a i n f i r e . " T h i s i s o n e o f t h i n g s w e r e a l l y d o n ' t l i k e t o s e e i n a f i r e , " P o l l o c k s a i d . " W h e n i t g e t s t o t h e t o p o f a t r e e , i t c a n r e a l l y t a k e o f f . A n d t h e s p o t t i n g c a n s t a r t o t h e r f i r e s i n a d i f f e r e n t p a r t o f t h e f o r e s t . " W a t e r a n d f i r e r e t a r d a n t s a l s o a r e i m p o r t a n t e l e m e n t s i n f i r e f i g h t i n g e f - f o r t s . F i r e o f f i c i a l s s a i d t h e b e s t w a y t o e x - t i n g u i s h a f l a m e w i t h w a t e r i s t o a p p l y t h e w a t e r a t t h e b a s e o f t h e f i r e . " T h a t ' s w h e r e t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e f i r e i s l o c a t e d , " J o h n s o n s a i d . H e s a i d r e t a r d a n t d r o p s a r e v e r y e f - f e c t i v e w h e n a f i r e s t a r t s c r o w n i n g i n t r e e s . " A n a i r a t t a c k i s r e a l l y t h e b e s t w a y t o s l o w a f i r e w h e n t h i s h a p p e n s , " J o h n s o n s a i d , " b e c a u s e i t ' s j u s t t o o d a n g e r o u s t o p u t g u y s o u t i n f r o n t o f a f a s t - m o v i n g f i r e . " R e t a r d a n t d r o p s a r e m a d e d i r e c t l y o n t o t h e f i r e a n d o n t o f u e l s a h e a d o f t h e f i r e t o p r e v e n t i t f r o m r e a c h i n g o t h e r a r e a s o f t h e f o r e s t . " O u r r e s o u r c e s h a v e b e e n s o t h i n ( a n B u r g d o r f ) t h a t w e ' v e b e e n d o i n g m a n y h e l i c o p t e r d r o p s , " J o h n s o n s a i d . O v e r a l l , f i r e o f f i c i a l s c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e b e s t m e t h o d o f f i g h t i n g w i l d l a n d f i r e s i s b y r e m o v i n g t h e f u e l . B u t i n o r d e r t o a c h i e v e t h e o b j e c t i v e o f t o t a l f i r e s u p p r e s s i o n , e a c h f i r e - f i g h t i n g t e c h n i q u e i s d e p e n d e n t o n t h e o t h e r s . " I t ' s a c o m b i n a t i o n o f a i r s u p p o r t a n d g r o u n d s u p p o r t , " s a i d T e r r y T e e t e r , f i r s t i n c i d e n t c o m m a n d e r a t t h e T r a i l C r e e k F i r e . " B o t h a r e v e r y i m p o r t a n t . " J o h n s o n a g r e e d . " F i r s t y o u w a n t t o s l o w i t s p a c e t h e n k n o c k i t t o t h e g r o u n d , " h e s a i d , " a n d t h e o n l y w a y ' t o d o t h a t i s t o u s e a l l o f y o u r t o o l s . " Printed from ktvb.com Inmate escapees from fire camp arrested in Spokane 09:29 PM MDT on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 Associated Press Page 1 of 1 OROFINO -- Two prison inmates who walked away from their firefighting base camp near Nezperce are back in custody. Brandon Spurway and Terry Canup are inmates at the Idaho Correctional Institution - Orofino. They were on the Milepost 59 fire yesterday when they walked away. A Spokane County, Washington sheriffs officer captured the two after being directed to a Safeway parking lot last night. Authorities received information that a stolen truck was in the lot and the inmates might be in the store. Spurway was serving 18 months to three years for burglary and grand theft. Canup was serving two to five years for grand theft and injury to a child. Online at: http: / /www ktvb com/ news /localnews/ ktvbn- aug2603- inmates.468a3820.htmi http: / /www.ktvb .com/cgi- bin/bi /gold _print.cgi 8/26/2003 Printed from ktvb.com Oregon mourns firefighters killed in van crash 06:14 PM MDT on Monday, August 25, 2003 By kgw.com and AP Staff Page 1 of 4 VALE, Ore. - Flags are flying at half staff in Oregon following the tragic deaths of eight firefighters. A van full of firefighters on their way home from a wildfire collided with a tractor - trailer and exploded in flames Sunday, killing all eight inside and injuring the two people in the truck. The dead include two men from Portland, four from Roseburg and two from Myrtle Creek. Authorities said Portland residents Richard B. Moore II, 21, and David Hammer, 38, died in the crash. Roseburg firefighters Ricardo "Ricky" Ruiz, 19; Jeff Hengel, 21; Jesse James, 22; and Leland Price Jr., 27 were also killed. And the final two victims - Paul Gibson, 25, and Mark Ransdell, 23 - were from Myrtle Creek, Oregon. KGW The firefighters were killed in a head -on collision Sunday on Highway 20 near Vail, Ore. The firefighters were returning to Oregon from an Idaho wildfire late Sunday morning, when the van crashed on a remote eastern Oregon highway about 15 miles west of the town of Vale, Malheur County Sheriff Andy Bentz said. The van apparently tried to pass another truck on a curve and crossed the double - yellow line before it collided head -on with the truck, Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said. Investigators were looking into whether the van was in a passing zone when it started to pass but failed to get back into its lane before entering the no -pass zone. The occupants of the Swift Co. tractor - trailer, Steven Anthony Nicholson, 37, and Joy Nicholson, 39, were able to free themselves and were taken to an Ontario hospital with dislocations and burns, Wolfe said. Their conditions were not available Sunday night, but Wolfe said their injuries were not life - threatening. The couple is from Ogden, Utah. Witnesses said the collision ignited an immediate fire that burned the van down to its frame and melded it to the remains of the truck. On Monday, eight American flags stood in the charred earth where the http: / /www.ktvb .com/cgi- bin/bi /gold _print.cgi 8/26/2003 Printed from ktvb.com Page 2 of 4 collision occurred, along with a small stone on which someone had written, "Firefighters, rest in peace." "We're just working together," said Robert Krueger, president of First Strike Environmental. "This is like losing your own child.... We're hanging together." It took more than seven hours for the highway to reopen, once authorities recovered the bodies and highway crews shoveled ash and debris onto trucks. The firefighters worked for First Strike Environmental, a Roseburg -based contract firefighting company. Eight flags also stood outside the company's headquarters, one for each firefighter killed in the crash. Earlier Monday, Roseburg Mayor Larry Rich told NBC's Today Show that "so many of our residents will know at least one or two of those individuals. "I just know that when the names come out, it's going to be a very difficult time," he added. Friends recall victim as "big, gentle giant" xI VE, Investigators examine the mangled wreckage of the van in which eight firefighters were riding. One of the victims was identified as Jeff Hengel, 21, of Roseburg. Hengel, a 2001 graduate of Roseburg High School, stood 6- foot -6 and 265 pounds, and was described as a "big, gentle giant," by his friend, Ken Smith. "He was always there when you needed him," Smith told a Portland newspaper. Related Stories ► Van crash kills eight Ore. - based firefighters •---------- - - - - -- Hengel's father, Brian Hengel, said his son spent his first summer after graduation working as a firefighter before enrolling at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland. "He loved it," the elder Hengel said. "He was doing it to make money to pay off his school bills and to pay off the truck I got for him." He said he talked with is son about 9 a.m. Sunday, shortly after the crew had crossed into Oregon. "He asked me to go buy him a new tent and sleeping bag," Brian Hengel said. Firefighters returning from two -week contract The van had been traveling with a First Strike van and a truck. Both those vehicles were about six miles ahead and did not see the crash, Habetler said. The vehicles came back to discover the crash after they lost radio contract with the van and saw smoke rising behind them. First Strike's Web page said it has been in business for more than 15 years, deals with a wide variety http: / /www.ktvb .com/cgi - bin/bi /gold _print.cgi 8/26/2003 Printed from ktvb.com M The Mayor of Roseburg said the accident would hit the town hard. these brave young firefighters." Page 3 of 4 of emergency environmental situations in the West and keeps about 200 firefighters on call during forest fire season. The crash is being investigated by the Malheur County Sheriffs Office and the Oregon State Police, Wolfe said. "I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the Douglas County community and especially to the families and friends of the eight firefighters who lost their lives in today's tragic traffic accident," said Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. "I know that I speak for all Oregonians when I say that my thoughts and prayers go out to families of Fire coordinators said the van was coming back from a wildfire in the Boise National Forest about 25 miles northeast of the town of Cascade, Idaho. Wildfires have erupted in many parts of the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest this summer, but recent rains have helped firefighters gain ground on many of the blazes. The men were on their way home after completing a 14 -day work contract, Habetler said. Most of the men had two or three years of firefighting experience, she said, though there were a few new crew members. KING Eight small flags were placed in front of First Strike Environmental's headquarters in Roseburg, Ore. fell on his tent. Previous firefighter tragedies "We are now in the height of this year's fire season, with fires threatening forests and communities across the west - and in this difficult time, we depend upon the courage and selfless dedication of brave young men and women like the firefighters we lost today," Gov. Kulongoski added. "Their commitment to protecting their fellow citizens makes them true heroes, and their loss will be felt deeply across Oregon." Before Sunday, 19 firefighters assigned to wildfires had died on duty this year, according to Tracey Powers, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Nine died in motor vehicle or aviation accidents, three died in fires, six died of illnesses and one died when a tree In June 2002, five firefighters in an Oregon -based contract crew were killed when their van overturned and rolled four times on a freeway near Parachute, Colorado on the way to the 137,000 -acre Hayman fire near Denver. Six others were injured in that crash. The firefighters were part of a La Grande -based contract crew, Grayback Forestry. http: / /www.ktvb .com/cgi- bin/bi /gold _print.cgi 8/26/2003 Printed from ktvb.com Page 4 of 4 About a month later, three Oregon firefighters died when the engine truck they were riding in rolled off a steep, dirt Forest Service road in the Klamath National Forest and tumbled about 800 feet into a ravine. In 1994, nine Oregon firefighters were among the 14 killed when fast - moving flames overtook them on Storm King Mountain in western Colorado. Online at: http: / /www.ktvb.com /news /regional /stories /NW 082503ORNvan_fatalPL_ 3fca4761.html http: / /www.ktvb .com/cgi- bin/bi /gold _print.cgi 8/26/2003 Statesman 7/17/2004 Fire Still growing near Donnelly OtGcials Old fire sites nearby may help corral blaze. By Chereen Langrill The Idaho Statesman A wildfire east of Donnel- ly nearly doubled in size Fri- day. The Dollar Fire is now 625 acres, but Boise National For- est officials are encouraged because the blaze is burning near the sites of two former Wires. Those sites have less Burnable material and will rovide fuel breaks to help suppress the fire, forest spokesman Dave Olson said. The fire was spotted late Wednesday morning about 13 miles east of Donnelly. Olson said it's been difficult to fight because it's burning on a steep ridge in remote, roadless wilderness. There is plenty of fuel for the fire because of sub - alpine fir and numerous dead trees and downed timber. On Friday officials called the blaze 5 percent contained and estimated it would be ful- ly contained by July 24. "What's helpful is the his- toric large fires in the area," Olson said. The Dollar Creek Fire burned in 1989 and the Big Fire prevention tips Campers and recreation- al users can accidentally start a forest fire if they aren't extra careful during the summer. Forest off i- cials offer these fire pre- vention tips. > Don't park or drive on dry vegetation such as grass or weeds. A vehicle exhaust system can easily ignite grass. Guy Fire scorched the same area in 2002. Fuel breaks from former fires helped suppress the South Fork Fire last year, > If you operate an all - terrain vehicle, make sure it has a spark arrester, which prevents sparks from bouncing off the exhaust system and into nearby vegetation. Remember to stay on maintained trails. > Don't toss cigarettes out of car windows. Use an ashtray or even an empty soda can to safely dispose of cigarette butts. he said. That fire burned near- ly 7,000 acres east of Cascade. Olson said the Dollar Fire won't affect recreational use > Make sure your camp- fire is out before you leave the site. Douse the fire with water until it is cool to the touch. Covering the camp - fire with dirt can trap heat inside. If a wind picks up, it can blow embers into near - by vegetation. Remember to start campfires in a de- veloped ringor pit to safely contain them. > If you spot a fire, call the local sheriff's dispatch. because it's in a remote loca- tion. Smoke is visible from Cascade and Donnelly and from Idaho 55, however, and business has been slower at nearby Gold Fork Hot Springs, he said. But the hot springs area is not in .danger, and visitors there are safe, he said. Forest managers can't just let the fire burn — a tactic sometimes used as a resource - management tool — because it is near the south fork of the Salmon River. Large fires in- crease sedimentation and ero- sion and could further en- danger salmon, he said. IThe Idaho Statesman • IdahoStatesman.com K �4 State editor Jennifer Swindell Phone: 377 -6417 IDAHO i' E -mail: local @idahastatesman.com 1 ai1 honors forest fire hero Ed Pulaski saved 39 firefighters during `Big Blowup' of 1910 The Associated Press WALLACE — The mine shaft that made Ed Pulaski a firefight- ing legend 95 years ago will soon be reached by a renovated hiking trail, a project led by a high school guidance counselor and financed with money from Congress and private donors. At a dedication ceremony Sat- urday — the anniversary of the 1910 "Big Blowup" fire — a white - gloved Forest Service honor guard carried chrome- plated versions of the combination ax and hoe tool named for Pulaski. "History was made here," said Sen. Larry Craig, R- Idaho, who helped secure $300,000 from Con- gress to pay for the trail. Another $147,000 in private funds was raised for the project. The Big Blowup killed at least 85 people, destroyed entire towns and burned 3 million acres along the Montana -Idaho border. It prompted the U.S. Forest Service to begin aggressively fighting wild- fires for the rest of the 20th cen- tury. Pulaski, an early Forest Service ranger, is celebrated for leading his crew to the abandoned mine shaft, saving 39 of the 45 firefight- ers as raging flames swept over the creek valley. The tool he in- vented eventually become stan- dard equipment for wildland fire- fighters across the country. The trail to the mine starts about a half -mile south of Wallace. Con- struction won't be completed un- til early October, but project lead- ers wanted to dedicate the site on the anniversary of the fire. A narrow, steep path once led to the mine shaft, but the path crossed private land and danger- ous slopes. The Forest Service stopped maintaining it about five years ago. The new trail is safer, flatter and follows the creek valley, said Jack Dorrell, who helped design the new route for the Forest Service. "It's going to be a nice trail, a pret- ty walking trail." The mine shaft where Pulaski and his men took refuge is now blocked with steel bars, but the trail runs past trees charred in the fire. The dedication ceremony fea- tured a massive cedar stump burned in that 1910 inferno. A green ribbon circling the stump was cut with Pulaski's own pulaski tool Sat- urday. Jim See, the Mullan High School guidance counselor who spear- headed the three -year effort to build a new trail to the site, said the project honors the firefighters who died nearly a century ago. "We honor them with this trail," he said. "We honor all wildland firefighters past, present and fu- ture with this trail." The trail is central to the histo- ry of the Forest Service, which was founded in 1905, said Mark Rey, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary. "The 1910 fires gave the new agency a defining purpose: To demonstrate that destructive wild- fire could be controlled and pre- vented," he said. S�„ Star -News Photo by Tecla Markosky The Zena Creek Fire surged over a ridgeline near Zena Creek Ranch on Lick Creek Road on Monday. The Zena Creek Fire is one of three that make up the East Zone Complex. All of the East Zone Complex fires are being actively managed for suppression. 08te '07 HIGH LOW NORMAL PREC. '08 HIGH LOW PREC. 07/14 64A, a,,q 7//g/°7 Loon Lake Fire marches toward vacation homes tr . Fire causes Secesh residents closure of Lick advised to evacuate Creek Road BY TECLA MARKOSKY Lick Creek Road The Star-News _inside the Payette Residents of Secesh Mead- National Forest was ows northeast of McCall were closed to public traf advised to evacuate their homes sic on Tuesday due to on Wednesday in the face of the clangers - posed; by the growing Loon Lake Fire. 'Zeno Creek fire. Fire managers advised the Lick Creek Road Idaho County Sheriff's Office of was closed from the the voluntary evacuation order )unction of Forest Ser- and offered assistance in getting vice Road 387 to the the word to residents of the vaca- confluence of the East tion home area. Fork of the Salmon The Loon Lake Fire was the River. South Fork of most dangerous of wild fires the Salmon River and burning on the Payette National Lick Creek Road. Forest, having reached 3,000 acres by Wednesday morning. The road was closed because As of Wednesday night, the rolling debris near and across the road fire was two miles south of Secesh posed hazard to traffic, Meadows. About 80people attended a com- a news release said. Warren Wctgon munity meeting Tuesday night. Estimates says between 40 and 50 remained open on buildings are in the area occupied Wednesday through Se- cesh Meadows and into by between 50 and 100 part -time residents. Warren despite avolun- The atmosphere was congenial Lary evacuation order issued Wednesday by at the beginning of the meeting but immediately switched when the fire commander the fire management team began on the Loon Lake Fire it its presentation. e threatning the c See FIRE, Page A -14 nnnnt S�„ Star -News Photo by Tecla Markosky The Zena Creek Fire surged over a ridgeline near Zena Creek Ranch on Lick Creek Road on Monday. The Zena Creek Fire is one of three that make up the East Zone Complex. All of the East Zone Complex fires are being actively managed for suppression. 08te '07 HIGH LOW NORMAL PREC. '08 HIGH LOW PREC. 07/14 91 52 80143 tr 83 41 00 07/15 88 48 80/43 00 87 45 00 07/16 86 48 80/43 tr 86 47 00 07/17 84 54 80/43 00 87 48 00 Fire "IMi° -7 54,- 614 (Continued from Page A -1) "The fire was very active in the afternoon and the evening," said Pat McKelvey, public information officer. "It moved and gave a pretty good push as far as gaining size," McKelvey said. "The way the weather is acting will multiply the effects. The community of Secesh is at more risk, and we're making Preparations for the protection of those structures." During the presentation, com- munity members expressed most concern over protecting their cabins and other buildings from the approaching flames. Bob Frye of the fire manage- ment team said firefighters can work to protect a home from ignit- ing, but do not have the training to fight a house fire. "If a house is on fire, it's gone," Frye said. The Loon Lake Fire was one of three fires forming the East Zone Complex. The Zena Creek Fire covered 3,100 acres on Wednesday, and the Raines Fire had burned 50 acres by Wednesday. All three fires are being aggres- sively fought and are considered especially dangerous due to steep and rugged terrain. Trails that enterthe Loon Lake area from the Chinook Camp- ground were closed, and steps were taken to protect bridges along those trails. Firefighters were also using protection techniques at Zena Creek Ranch, including a complex irrigation system taking the water out of a nearby reserve to soak anything in the vicinity of nearby buildings. Seven thousand feet of hose was being used to keep the fire away from private property staffed by 31 crew members. Total cost for the East Zone Complex as of Tuesday was $505,000. Krassel Complex Elsewhere on the Payette, the Krassel Complex includes four lightning fires being allowed to burn through the forest where they can improve forest health, managers said. These fires started on June 17 and may burn throughout the fires season as long as they continue to be beneficial, said Jack Horner, public information officer for the California team watching those fires. "The two that we're concen- trating our efforts on are the two largest, the Tag and Goat fires," he said. The Tag Fire is located be- tween Lantz Bar and as of Wednesday reached 5,213 acres. The Goat Fire is located at the Snowslide drainage and reached 3,670 acres as of Wednesday. Two smallerfires, the McCalla and the Buckhorn, were small and fairly inactive. Total cost of the Krassel Com- plex as of Tuesday was estimated at $35,000. Both the Krassel Complex and the East Zone Complex have information available online at http: /iniciweb.org. Fires that were being fought last week by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association were declared out as of Tuesday, Shannon Henggeler of the Mc- Call SITPA office said. Five additional fires on land protected by SITPA were added to the eight reported last week. Total acreage of the 13 fires was just over an acre. Fires continue to spread, firefighters kept busy The Monumental Fire was part of the Cascade Complex, which had burned a total of 11,000 acres by Tuesday. The other large fire in the complex is the Riordan Lake fire located 10 miles south of Yellow Pine and had. grown by 9,079 acres by Tuesday. A voluntary evacuation order was in place for residents along Johnson Creek Road. Zena Creek The Zena Creek firehad grown to 13,800 acres by Tuesday. The fire islocatednortheastof Lick Creek Road, which has been littered with debris from the fire. Crews have been successful holding the southeast flank of the blaze. Here is a summary of ma- jor fires burning in the region from various fire management sources: North Fork The North Fork fire, which started Friday on private land southeast of Donnelly had grown to 800 acres by Tuesday. . The fire was spotted when it was about one acre but quickly grew, with flames jumping be- tween tree tops and embers thrown out up to one -half fire in advance of the blaze. The fire was being fought by the Southern Idaho Timber Pro- tective Association even though it burned into the Boise National Forest. The fire was burning eastward and has started spot fires into the South Fork of the Salmon River drainage. The North Fork fire was started by a lightning strike that smoldered until Friday. As of Tuesday, there were 34 people working on the fire, a combination of SITPA, Idaho Department of Lands and Forest Service personnel with two SIT - PA engines and aerial retardant drops by the Payette Forest. Trapper Ridge Two firefighters were injured Tuesday on the Trapper Ridge fire on the Boise National Forest when a dead tree fell on them. Both firefighters, who were not identified, were taken by Life Flight to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. The firefighters were not seriously injured and one was released from the hospital quick- ly. "Working in steep terrain along Tenmile Ridge, exposure to snags cannot be avoided," fire information officer Bill Kight said. "Firefighters were not con- ducting operations in the timber at the time of the accident." The Trapper Ridge fire had reached 11,000 acres by Tues- day. Monumental Fire Campers in the Stolle Mead- ows area near Warm Lake were askedto leave Sundaymorningby fire and police officials because of the threat from the Monumental Fire. himselfde e"di 'esfina's w x'11 toll feylChi proper rid O� his sy home to Seee hls has S am knt wnlghbolrsna es in the f TE S The outed in h - spike cam Il ember a of a maior O • he $tAr- said Wlld After MARKOgSy is host carne backyard, p to be blu d he is fire. d Vl After man t to as like,3 U t but in res reluctant sarY steps to avo e defe Y as.:.: .w h' S Sacs of espousing 75 it s gone , if a structure bureas Sece einberes has d b disaster isaster. has fo tiOn Andrend smart fire n 1' mult. a str ns� c sh cOmrnunit ° served ow and hiinselfw Lemberes portable tole t town to Structure ignites, we in turns V1 Y taking pthee n advice. takin and a toilets ti'yand pertie go n make seriousl Le g his nightl not stop the sand WO crewjob s his ' Y, which of the Beres, his catered b Y . have the Vrea k easie Job an Dist r Le uffet ` structur resOurc d We do Sortie r. d the rict IC C, Fire fire chief Once mberes'a3 e fire,, es to fi than prepay All nshhasb ene rust o \a e mingespae�i kneu,i his ghta tUregf changed vO aUrmstac ws, w abin in Protection ser is and ° n a me. 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The copter was getting ready to dip a large water bucket into Steamboat Lake about five miles southeast of Secesh when the pilot lost control for an unknown reason, Forest Service public information officer George Broyles said. The copter made an emer- gency landing about 8 p.m. on July 25. There was no fire. The pilot and a mechanic escaped the wreckage, radioed for help and were quickly picked up by another helicopter. The two were taken to McCall Memorial Hospital, where the Pilot was admitted with lower back injuries and released on Sunday, a hospital spokes- man said. The mechanic was treated and released from the h fighting Loon Lake fire crashes Photo by Larry Wright, California IMT3 Photo shows wreckage of the helicopter that crashed - landed southeast of Secesh Meadows on Julv 25. The owner of the helicopter ospital. requested that the name of his The helicopter was privately company and the names of the owned and on contract to the crew members not be released, Forest Service, Broyles said. he said. The helicopter was heavily damaged and will be airlifted later to a place where it can be safely hauled out, Broyles said. An investigation into the cause of the crash was begun by the Forest Service and the National Transportation Safety Board. Empty benches fill empty streets in Yellow Pine on Saturday. What is usually this community's iargest evcut — diminished to a fraction of its size due to weekend road closures. The show did go on, however, as a band took the stage. Yellow Pine business owners ponder the future after fire closures cancel harmonica festival BY TECLA MARKOSKY The Star -News Standing on the front porch of the Corner Bar in Yellow Pine, owner Vicki Martineau looked over at the eight bartenders she hired special as they sat idly on a picnic bench in front of her bar, noshing on tacos provided by a nearby vendor. Inside, her walk -in cooler was stacked to the ceiling with cases of beer. Untapped kegs stand chilled in the corner. Nobody but a few regulars spun on her bar stools. "This was supposed to be the biggest weekend of my year," she said. Martineau and the rest of the business owners in Yellow Pine were expecting large crowds for the 2007 version of the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival. Instead, the last- minute closure of Warm Lake Road in the face of oncoming forest fires shut down the festival. The crowd, which usually hovers around 3,500, amounted to just 250 last weekend, composed of those who already were in town when the road was closed. Star -News Photo by Teda Markosky Corner Bar owner Vicki Martineau shows her excess inventory Saturday. Local busi- nesses lost thousands of dollars when Val- ley County decided to shut off all roads into Yellow Pine and effectively snuff out the harmonica festival. Instead of the expected sound of rollicking music, the streets of Yellow Pine were nearly silent on Saturday save for ajukeboxperched on the bandstand piping out a CD of harmonica music. All the harmonica contests were cancelled due to the inability of judges and contestants to get through the roadblock. Benches were set up but empty. The only real crowd around the vendors was a pack of neighborhood dogs, hoping for a dropped taco or two. `It's like we don't exist' The threat of fire is old hat for Yellow Pine. Every summer, the community bears at least ere was not ev Martineau en n th sl slightest smoke n the irony that on this day, sky. "I don't know why whoever closed the roads did this," she said. "It's like we don't exist." The road closures effectively snuffed out what would've been the 18th consecutive festival. "Everyone's stuck in Cascade," she said. "Those campgrounds down there are completely full. They are not letting anyone through." The decisionto close Warm Lake Roadwas devastating, said Willie Sullivan, Yellow Pine resident and local volunteer. "Thousands of dollars are literally up in smoke," Sullivan said. "It's not just us but our vendors as well." See FESTIVAL, Page B -5 Festival S1whou �64fa r were r ,Ue make the cLs e could and. e irk. — Valley County Commission Chair Jerry Winkle (Continued from Page B -1) "I lent my business $5,000 out of my personal checking to buy beer and pay my bartenders, hoping to recoup. I'm not sure what I'm go- ing to do now," Martineau said. Steve Holloway, theharmonica festival chairman and local prop- erty owner, is wondering how he was going to pay his property insurance this year. "I don't own my store and restaurant for the money," Hol- loway said. "There are days in the winter whenthe Silver Dollar Cafe makes five dollars from five cups of coffee, but I don't care. I love it here. But my insurance on these buildings is $5,000 a year a piece. I rely on this festival to make it." Robbie Capp, a musician from Ogden, Utah, and his clan make an annual pilgrimage to the festival that doubles as a family reunion. "Other years, we would jam every opportunity we got, late into the night," Capp said. "Every- where you looked, there would be music. This year is so different." Without cell phone reception, the member of the Capps family that got in by the time the roads were sealed off couldn't warn the others. As a result, many other members of the clan were stranded in Cascade and forced I ..................... to turn around. Those interviewed said they would have never found out about the road closure had someone with a police scanner not tipped them off. "What's so heartbreaking is that nobody told us," said Dennis Heck, vice chairman of the Vil- lage of Yellow Pine Association. "We had multiple meetings with the various agencies work- ing on these fires and we were assured it was a go- ahead," Heck said. "I went on the radio in Boise and told people to come," Hollo- way said. "They lied to us and it's going to cost us thousands." Making the best of it Those who could make it through the road block showed their support for the community by making donations and wear- ing buttons reading "I survived Harmonica'07." An auction was held where local pies and crafts were sold. The few festival -go- ers present enthusiastically bid more than $100 on rhubarb and huckleberry pies. "Everyone's making the best of it," said Sue Matlock, who works in the Yellow Pine General Store. "But theses road closures hurt these businesses so bad." Darlene Rosenbaum, owner of the Yellow Pine Lodge, usu- ally stays up all night to make dozens of homemade cinnamon rolls, pies and ice creams for the festival. "I was right in the middle of the pies when I heard they closed the roads," she said. "So I said `forget Wand tried to get in touch with my guests." Rosenbaum had 15 guests confirmed but expected more drop -in guests this weekend. She lost every single one of her reservations over the weekend. At $65 per room, per night, it was a serious blow. "I pay oodles of taxes and I should have the same respect and consideration as the rest of the county," she said. "It's a constant fight. I'm not sure of the necessity of shutting off all three roads." But the spirit of the festival was not completely lost. During the heat of the day, festival -go- ers scattered to local swimming holes but reconvened at nightfor outdoor dance parties and a little live music. Capp and his clan performed and the community welcomed and applauded the fewfirefighters, all decked in yellow and green, who came up for a brief moment to take in some of the tunes. Later that evening, at the Corner Bar, seemingly the entire town packed in for beer, frozen margaritas, jokes and karaoke. Martineau, famous in town for her singing, belted out Bonnie Valley officials def ndd-7 decision to close road 13Y MICHAEL WELLS and TECLA MARKOSKY The Sta,News Safety and the potential for a disaster led Valley County commissioners to vote last Thursday to close Warm Lake Road and cancel the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival. Commissioners voted unanimously in an emergency meeting to close the road due to approaching wildfires. The commissioners considered dif- ferent options, but concluded the safest decision would be to close the road and to keep Lick Creek Road closed as well, Valley County Sheriff Patti Bolen said. Opening Lick Creek Road was consid- ered, but was decided against for safety concerns, Bolen said. See CLOSURE, Page B -5 Closure (Continued from Page B -1) The commissioners made their decision after meeting with fire managers of the East Zone and Cascade Complex fires and Bolen at the emergency meeting. "We listened to the sheriff and the fire people and the fire was a mile and a half from Warm Lake Road," commission chair Jerry Winkle said. "We had about 300 people back there already," Winkle said. "Can youimagineif wehad3,000people back there and we would have had to get them out ?" The North Fork Fire, a part of the East Zone Complex Fire on the Payette National Forest threatened Warm Lake Road at Big Creek Summit, Bolen said. "If it would have got there, it would have been a disaster," Winkle said. The commissioners consid- eredthe economic repercussions of their decision to Yellow Pine and its biggest event of the year, Winkle said. "Life comes before the dollar," Winkle said. "We were trying to make the best decision we could and we did." CommissionerFrankEldagreed it was not an easy decision. "We felt we had to based on the information we had," Eld said. "We understand the economic and social impact to Yellow Pine, we thought it was absolutely criti- cal. We didn't want to do it." Fire Conditions changed quickly prompting closure Yellow Pine business owners had ramped up their inventories in anticipation for the festival. They had received earlier as- surances that the roads were to remain open. However, that all changed when the North Fork Fire began to move toward Warm Lake Road, which sparked the emer- gency meeting on Thursday. Residents and business own- ers in Yellow Pine were surprised on Thursday when they first heard the road was closed over a police scanner. Steve Holloway, owner of the Yellow Pine General Store, Sil- ver Dollar Cafe and chair of the Harmonica Festival committee, spent $10,000 on merchandise in anticipation of the event. "They pulled the trigger too soon," Holloway said over the weekend. "It was a matter of taking the easy way out." "If it was a real danger and a real threat, then OK, those things happen," he said." But instead, we had to change everything for nothing." Bolen said she called a contact telephone number for Yellow Pine that her office was given as soon as the emergency meeting ended last Thursday and told the person who answered about the commis- sioners' decision. A meeting with fire manag- ers and Yellow Pine residents was held Sunday to explain the situation. "We have to err on the side of public safety," said Pete Jankows- ki, a spokespersonforthe Cascade Complex. `A mail truck driver not seeing flames does not mean there's a not a threat." "We can only control what we are asked to manage," said Rocky Opliger, incident commander for the Cascade Complex. Yellow Pine business owners were not impressed with the explanation. "You guys need to get a Ouija board or something," Holloway said of the management team's ability to predict fire behavior. "I don't have any confidence in you guys anymore." Festival planners estimated only 250 people made it into the town before the roads were closed. C61 x'01 Gov. Otter say fires the worst he has ever seew,---,- BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter said in McCall on Tuesday that this year's wildfires were the worst he has seen. Otter spoke to a McCall Area Chamberof Commerce luncheon attended by about 100 people at the North Fork Lodge. Otter spoke after flying over several of the wildfires raging in the Boise and Payette national forests. Otter recalled his firefighting days in the 1960s on an initial attack Hotshot crew. "We fought some fires and we thought those were big," Otter said. "The Sundance Fire was probably the granddaddy of them all in 1967 and that was a big fire, but it is nothing compared to what I saw this morning as we flew over several complexes that have all joined together." Otter described his knowledge of the area from past trips riding horses and snowmobiles through- out the Yellow Pine, Lick Creek, Johnson Creek and other areas ravaged by wildfires. "I knew what was down there, but I couldn't see what was down there because of 3,000 feet of heavy smoke," Otter said. "But we haven't lost a life, knock on wood. We have been very fortunate." Otter gave the Valley County Sheriff's Office the authority to evacuate residents in Yellow Pine on Tuesday morning, but about 40 residents resisted the order. "I've always resisted the gov- ernor doing anything from the state to tell the local folks who understand the situation more," he said. "If they (local authori- ties) told me that life and limb and some of our people would be put in danger because of the people who wanted to stay, I would be more forceful." Otter asked people to pray for early snow, rain, higher humidity andlowertemperatures. He asked for prayers for the safety of people fighting fires. He also jokingly suggested to the crowd that they should all wash their cars after the lun- cheon because it always rains after he washes his car. "We've mobilized every re- source we have," Otter said. "We are all part of the Idaho family, we will continue to deploy every resource that we have to mar- shal." Otter also said he was looking forward to the end of the fire season in about five to six weeks so that he could get to work on a plan that will limit the effects of future wildfires by working to thin the forests. Otter wants to have waivers for people to be able to go into the wildfire areas to salvage the tim- ber within two years before the wood is no longer marketable. "I think we ought to be more liberal about thinning lodgepole pines," Otter said. "It's only go- ing to burn up. First, we have to get people to agree to grant us a waiver. Then we've got to mobilize people to do it." The governor said lodgepole pine was the primary tree that sprouted in the forests after they were ravaged by the large wildfires of 1910. Lodgepole pines have a life expectancy of 90 to 110 years, and those trees are nearing the end of their life cycle, he said. �Fl lGla-7 �54 /4,V4 Star -News Photo by Lucia V. Knudson A member of an engine crew cools down a part of the advancing edge of the Monument Fire at Stolle Meadows around noon Monday. North Fork Fire enters camp, burns five historic buildings la(S�x6#'Mats: HK�i'Y?A'(pe'�'x»s�1�dCC3u*'dR At;>.:!' BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON The Star -News The North Fork Fire leaped the South Fork of the Salmon River late Monday afternoon and entered the base camp for the Cascade Complex fires at Knox Ranch, burning five historic buildings to the ground. The North Fork Fire is located about 20 miles east of Cascadeon the Boise National Forest and is one of three fires in the Cascade Complex. Other fires are the Monu- mental, which is threatening the Warm Lake resort area, and the Sandy Fire, located east of Warm Lake in the vicinity of Landmark. Fire officials transferred management of the Sandy Fire from the Landmark Complex to the Cascade Complex Wednesday morning. Warm Lake Road is closed to all vehicles except those involved with the firefighting effort, and work on paving sections of the road has halted. Warm Lake was empty this week, as the last residents and visitors had left due to an evacu- ation on Saturday. See N. FORK, Page A -13 N. Fork (Continued from Page A -1) burned cabins not used AtKnox Ranch Monday, flames destroyed a barn, a ranch house and small cabins which were not occupied in many years, said David Eaker, afire public informa- tion officer. Hoses with sprinklers encircled the camp, but none of the buildings were protected with a fire -proof wrap. . A yurt and five firefighter tents at the fire camp were also lost to flames. A pickup truck sustained mi- nor damage, but the rest of the camp was not harmed and no one was injured. The camp rode out the attack and operations have returned to normal, Eaker said Wednesday. Flames also damaged 21 power poles in the vicinity. "Spotting" has spread fires rapidly. Spotting is a process where winds carry embers some- times miles from their point of origin to start new fires. Combined acreage burned has almost doubled since Mon- day morning. Total acreage was 58,228 acres Monday morning and sprang to 99,433 acres by Wednes- day morning. Engine crews held the Monu- mental Fire at bay as it edged toward cabins at Stolle Meadows and along the north shore of Warm lake. They were assisted by water drops from helicop- ters. The Youth With a Mission camp located at the northeast corner of Warm Lake was also protected with a sprinkler sys- tem. Wind dumped embers across the camp, but crews knocked down the spot fires. The corner of a cabin roof was charred, but the rest of the structure was not harmed. Firefighting strategy has taken a mixed approach due to the fires' erratic nature. "We use the best management response we can for the particu- lar area of the fire," Eaker said. That means different strategies are used depending on terrain, weather conditions and fire behavior. One strategy is "herding" flames, or directing them to where fire bosses want them to go. The others are suppression, which is directly combating the blaze, or protection of threatened buildings. V? G /Q -7 For example, at the Juniper Outfitters establishment at Stolle Meadows, buildings and the firewood pile were wrapped in shiny protective shields and crews installed a system of sprinklers connected with fire hoses. The Forest Service guard station to the east was protected in like fashion. Whenthe morning's inversion lifted shortly before noon and winds kicked up, the sprinklers were turned on as soon as fire in the meadow sprang to life. Small trees and brush along Warm Lake Road were felled to deprive flames of fuel should they move toward the road. During the cool morning calm Monday, crews lit a "burnout" in vegetation along the road, a tactic also meant to starve flames. Vegetation near cabins on the west shore of Warm Lake was likewise burned. To protect power lines along the road, fire -proof material was wrapped around the bases of poles. In addition to Stolle Mead- ows, protective measures were installed at Warm Lake lodge and vicinity and at structures along Deadwood Road. Crews began setting up sprin- klers and other protection at the lodge area Monday. Fire managers aim to ensure the public's safety factoring in the amountof risk involved based on fire behavior, public information officer Mary Rasmussen said. The fires confronting fire bosses in the 21st century are a "different animal," Rasmussen said. Drought, lower snow pack and a longer warm season have combined to create drier condi- tions which have altered fire behavior, she said. "All of the folks in the fire management organizations are saying this year up in Idaho is just a phenomenal year in what we're seeing in fire behavior," she said. On Sunday, Cascade Complex fires burned through old burns that were five to 10 years old as if there had been no fire previ- ously. Typically, old burns can be counted upon to stop flames and past strategy has been based on that fact. "Everyone was really watch- ing yesterday and were scratching their heads. We haven't seen this ever," Rasmussen said Monday. Even the traditional safety zones - wet meadows, wetlands and lake edges - have burned. In years past, those areas were looked to for refuge. On Monday afternoon, Ras- mussen headed west on Warm Lake Road to the check point at the boundary of the Boise Na- tional Forest. She leaned out of her SUV to talk with a security staffer who stared wide -eyed at the spectacle of a column of flames belching smoke up hill on the north side of of the road. A gusty wind whipped through a side canyon and had stoked a cluster of trees into a flaming torch. 511,41 v ,t'j II -;?- 12. F/,41(1 She warned the staffer to leave should the flames approach the road. Minutes later, the fire crossed the road, forcing officials to ban all travel by fire and sup- port vehicles for the rest of the day, but the staffer managed to escape. "We are in uncharted territory with some of this fire behavior," Rasmussen said. "It's trying to figure out this new beast; this new character of fire in the 21st century." Star-News 8/16/07 Fires burn two Warren cabins, threaten Secesh Residents prepare for long battle with Zena Loon fire BY TOM GROTE and TECLA MARKOSKY The Star -News Flames as high as 200 feet from forest fires loomed over the backcountry communities of Secesh and Warren north of McCall on Sunday. The inferno burned two cabins on the out- skirts of Warren, but no other buildings were damaged. The communities, made up largely of vacation homes, braced this week for more assaults from the Zena Loon fire, which was steadily surrounding the two areas along Warren Wagon Road and which had grown to 110,921 acres by Wednesday. The force of the blaze was so strong that firefighters found and extinguished a spot fire five miles away from the fire's southeast flank where an ember had been tossed by the firestorm. The two cabins destroyed were about three miles north of the main town of Warren in the area known as the dredge ponds. One of the cabins belonged to Tom Kerr of McCall, who recently stepped down as a Valley County commissioner. Kerr said firefighters made a good effort to save the 18 -by- 32 -foot cabin, but the flames were too intense. "They worked their butts off," he said. "They cleared trees, wrapped the cabin (in flame - reflecting foil), they did everything they could." Kerr said he had recently returned to finishing the cabin now that he is retired from public service, and he was look- ing forward to spending more time there. "I,hope I didn't lose my Monarch stove; god, it was good at cooking hot cakes," he said. The second cabin, located near Kerr's cabin, belonged to Mike Wallace of McCall, who said Monday he managed to salvage an antique table from the 21 -by -23 -foot cabin last Friday. "I think the Forest Service did a marvelous job, but you can only do so much with a 200 -foot wall of flame coming in," Wallace said. See FIRES, Page A -12 Fires (Continued from Page A -1) Embers fall in Secesh In Secesh Meadows, the fire flared up from the southwest and began burning near 15 cabins early Sunday evening. "By 6:30 p.m., it was very ob- vious that we were in trouble," property owner Becky Johnstone of McCall said. "Trees were torch- ing right next to our cabins. The flames were at least a hundred feet up in the air. It sounded like jets taking off overhead." Hot embers were falling out of the sky, and Johnstone had to put on a jacket to keep them from burning her skin. Then a fleet of helicopters arrived and dropped water on the fire, preventing a catastrophe. About 100 people remained in Secesh to man their own genera- tors that powered pumps to feed sprinklers, she said. "We are afraid that if no one is there the fire crews will leave too," John- stone said. Homeowners in Warren had similar feelings. "The federal government has no vested interest in this property," said Rod McDow- ell, a third generation Warren resident and the owner of eight structures. "We cannot depend on the government. We have to take responsibility for ourselves." Ken and Jeanette Davis evacu- ated their property before it was mandatory. They set up camp in the "safe zone" in their daughter's RV. They took their dog and cat, a few valuables and perishables but were forced to leave upwards of 80 pounds of meat in their freezer. "Out here, you really have to stock up groceries and plan ahead," Ken Davis said. Theodore's Tree saved Warren residents took solace in the fact that alocal landmark called Theodore's Tree had been saved. A man known as Old Theodore used to regularly hike to the tree to sit and meditate until he died in the 1960s when he was in his 90s, according to residents. Charlotte Coombs, a long- time Warren resident and local historian, grew up listening to Theodore talk about bis tree and the lessons it provided. "He was a mild, peaceful, sen- timental man," she said. "It's the closest thing we've ever had to a church," said Butch Cooper, owner of the Winter Inn. "That tree will put you in your place." The tree has been dead a long time and its bare limbs stand out among the live conifers, but residents convinced fire manag- ers to send in a helicopter with a fire bucket to drop water around the snag's base. Later, a crew was deployed to dig a fire line around the tree. "We gave them (firefighters) applause atyesterday's meeting," Cooper said. "They did a, damn good job." PAGE B -16 - THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2007 NASA Photo FIRES FROM SPACE - The crew aboard the International Space Station took this photo on Aug. 13 of the forest fires raging in the Boise and Payette national forests in Valley County. Lake Cascade and Payette Lake are highlighted at lower left. Rain and cooler temperatures over the weekend aided firefighters, but the blazes were expected to resume their march by this weekend. See story on Page A -1. Iy� Photo courtesy Boise National Forest A firefighter stands in front of burning trees last Friday at the Sandy Fire, which is part of the Cascade Complex of fires. Flames still threaten Warren, Warm Lake Property owners, campers told to leave in face of fires BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Homes and other buildings at Warm Lake and Warren remained in danger on Wednesday from the relentless spread of forest fires, of- ficials said. On Sunday, the ZenaandLoon Lake fires burned together at Bear and Blue lakes northeast of McCall and were renamed the Zena /Loon Fire. The fire had grown to 46,900 acres by Wednesday and was active on Tues- day due to gusting southwest winds and low humidity, officials said. The fire pushed toward the his- toric mining town of Warren with trees exploding in flames several at a time and embers being thrown out in front of the main fire, causing spot fires. fh131 s�.5,f� sAJ On Sunday, the fire crossed the Steamboat drainage, burning into Pony Meadows, officials said. Atonepoint, it was thoughtthe fire might reach Warren by Wednesday, but the fire had not progressed that far by press time. Firefighters were doing what they couldto protect structures in Warren in case flying embers from the fire begin to fall. The East Zone Complex of fires, of which the Zena /Loon fire is a part, was estimated to be 15 percent contained on Wednesday. To the south, vacation homes around Warm Lake were threatened by the North Fork Fire, which grew to 7,102 acres by Wednesday, and by the Cascade Complex, which had grown to 66,201 acres. Last Thursday, homeowners in the area of Warm Lake were told the Monumental and Yellow Fires, which arepart of the Cascade Complex, were headed toward Big Creek Summit. Boise National Forest personnel went to about 50 summer homes on the south end of Warm Lake and to the Paradise Valley residential area east of the lake to advise evacuation, Valley County Sheriff .Patti Bolen said. A note was left on the site if no one was home, Bolen said. Forest Service law enforcement of- ficers and other employees patrolled the area to prevent break -ins of the unoccupied homes. The WarmLake Campwas ordered evacuated, with about 100 youths and 15 to 20 staff members were given until noon Friday to leave. The Cascade Complex was 27 per- cent contained by Wednesday. Another fast - moving fire was the Horton Fire, which started Aug. 1 about 15 miles north of McCall. The spread of the fire caused the evacuation of campers from Upper Payette Lake Campground. Also, War- ren Wagon Road was closed at North Beach for part of Saturday because of the fire danger. See FIRES, Page A -15 Star-News 9/6/07 Star-News 9/6/07 Grays Creek Fire drowns McCall area in smoke, ash, Holy Smoke! Flames roar 4 miles from Tamarack Resort BY TOM GROTE Licks Hot Springs. and LUCIA V. KNIIDSON Main roads into the area have been blocked to keep hunters and other visi Heath hazard tl'Om McCall -area residents endured tors out of the area , choking smoke and raining ash follow_ The cost of battlingthe Grays Creek F ing the explosive growth of the Grays fire was estimated to be $3.1 million as smoke peaks on Creek Fire last week near Indian Valley of Wednesday. Sunday, Monday in Adams County. Fighting the fire were 23 crews of BY TOM GROTE The fire, which was started by light- 20 persons each, six helicopters, 19 fire engines, and five bullaozersfor a total' ' '1e sa` -News ning on Aug. 30, had grown to 24,082 of 722 workers. Air quality from the acres by Wednesday. The ns,rtheast edge of the fire had closed to wi','iin Tamarack takes C Grays Creek Fire has suf four miles of Tamarack Resort. precaution fered since the fire began A cabin owned by Tom Green of The first line of defense against last Thursday, according to Council was burned the first day (, f the fire entering 'Tamarack Resort is an air- quality monitoring the fire, officials said. an ATV trail that is being widened station in McCall operated Fire crews made considerable, along the entire length of the resort's by the Idaho Department of progress early in the week, and had boundary, said Ken Rider, director of Environmental Quality declared the fire 45 percent contained marketing and sales. Air quality due to par - by Wednesday. ticulates was at its worst See FIRE, Page A-]] Between one- third totwo- thirds inch between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. of rain fell on the fire area overnight Fire Management Team Sunday, according to read- Tuesday, aiding crews as they built fire Only One of Two in the ings taken at the station, lines on the south and east sides of fire Nation -Page A -2 located at the Krassel Rang- and burn out areas as needed, accordi ng Progression er District officeonMission to official reports. g ession of Zena -Loon Street. Many structures in Middle Fork of Fire Tracked Page A -5 During that period, the he Weiser, Fall Creek and Cottonwood + Map of Fires - Page A -12 one -hour Air Quality Index �leekremainedthreatenedWednesday, peaked at 361 at 3 p.m., ac- as did the Cabin Creek Campground, * What Stage 2 Fire cordingto the readings. The Corral Creek Guard Station and White Restrictions Mean - Page B -5 DEQ considers any reading _ over 300 to be "hazardous " meaning the entire popula- tion is likely to be affected. A similar spike in poor air quality happened be- tween 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday, when the one -hour air quality index peaked at 350. Plume Photo by Lucia V. Knudson /Back Burn Photo courtesy Lightning Ridge At top, smoke from the Grays Creek Fire billows over Long Valley in a photo taken on Monday. Above: fire crews watch smoke rise from a back burn started last Thurday at the Landmark Airstrip east of Warm Lake. The airstrip was being threatened by the Monumental Fire. I055 reopens to one lane after fire threat One lane of Idaho 55 north of Horseshoe Bend reopened at 1 p.m. on Wednesday with pilot cars guiding vehicles, the Idaho Transportation Depart- ment announced. Northbound and southbound vehicles, guided by the pilot cars, will take turns driving on the section of Idaho 55 that is north of Horseshoe Bend and just south of the Banks to Lowman route, which is Idaho 17. Both lanes in that section of Idaho 55 closed Tues- day at about 12:30 p.m. because of the Chief Parrish Fire, which is burning close to the highway. Rolling debris and falling trees were reported across the highway on Tuesday. The fire started at about 5 p.m. Monday evening. It had burned at least 2,500 acres as of Wednesday at noon. No time had been set to reopen both lanes of Idaho 55. For current driving conditions on Idaho high- ways, call 5 -1 -1 or visit 511.idaho.gov. However, the DEQ measures air quality over 24 -hour periods as far as health effects, and the 24- hour air - quality index in McCall rangedfrom about 50 to about 80 between the start of the fire last Thursday and Monday. Any reading between 51 and 100 is con- sidered to be "moderate" air quality by he DEQ. The 24 -hour index began to rise toward mid -week, however, with the mark breaking 100 Tuesday af- ternoon, which was when the latest readings were available. An index over 100 is considered unhealthy for children, the elderly and those withhealth conditions affected by air quality, ac- cording to the DEQ. NEW YORK CITY FIREFIGHTERS COME TO THE MOUNTAINS BY MICHAEL WELLS The star -News A group of firefighters have traveled from the con- crete canyons of New York City to the canyons of central Idaho to learn about fighting wildifres. There are 30 firefighters from New York City working on the East Zone Complex Fire, which includes fires burning around Warren and Secesh Meadows north of McCall. The crew arrived on Aug. 20 and returned to New York this week to apply what they have learned hereto fires large and small there. The New York firefighters first became interested in the incident command manage- ment style used on forest fires soon after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The 9 -11 Commission also recommended the department learn and use the incident command system on future terrorist attacks and disasters. They have been training ever since. See FIGHTERS, Page A -I1 4 /fro Fire: Flames roar 4 miles from Tamarack Resort (Continued from Page A -1) T:'.ie resort is especially wor- ried about the 13,000 square -foot Mid - Mountain Lodge now under construction half -way up the ski area slopes, Rider said. Water cannons and sprinklers have been moved into place around the unfinished lodge, but construc- tion work was not halted. The resort cancelled other ac- tivities on the mountain, including two groups that planned to visit the resort's zip -line course. Mountain bikers and hikers also have been asked to stay off the upper trails and keep to the lower meadows, Rider said. The resort has seen no ash and little smoke from the fire, as prevailing winds have pushed the smoke plume to the north and east, he said. Guests who have registered to visit Tamarack in the coming days are being advised of the fire but are not beingdiscouraged from making the trip. Meanwhile, all 320 employees and 200 construction workers re- mained on the job. Fire managers praised resort operators for the thinning and limbing of trees around buildings in the resort, Rider said. "As with any wildfire, there is some anxiety, but it is out of our hands and in Mother Nature's hands," he said. Think about the worst case Valley County Sheriff Patti Bolen told a community meeting in Donnelly Monday night that resi- dents ought to start thinking about what items they would pack up in case an evacuation is ordered. Bolen advised those attending to make arrangements to remove their livestock and pets. There is a possibility if weather conditions continue to be windy and dry that the fire could move over West Mountain and endanger people and property in the valley below, Bolen said. Grays Creek Fire Incident Com- mander Rich Harvey said he and his crews would do all they can to get the fire under control, but that they are battling historic conditions driven by low humidity and lack of moisture in fuels brought about by prolonged drought and heat. The Grays Creek Fire is the nation's number one firefighting priority, and Harvey is confident he will get the crews and equipment he requests. "Nobody has everything they want, everything they need that we'd have in an ideal world, he said. "Heck, if it was an ideal world I would not order firefighters, I'd order rainstorms." Update on Other Fires The roadblock on Warren Wagon Road at Secesh Summit was moved back to the Burgdorf Junction on Wednesday. Burgdorf Hot Springs and Jea- nette Campground are now open, but everything else on the east side of the Burgdorf Road, including all trails and other campgrounds, will remain closed. French Creek Road into the Salmon River area also reopened Wednesday. The roads are in the vicinity of the East Zone Complex, in which the Zena Loon and Raines fires continue to burn. The Zena Loon fire, which has burned around Secesh Meadows and Warren, had grown to 169,369 acres by Wednesday, while the Raines fire, burningalongthe Salm- on River, had grown to 75,374. On Tuesday, the west side of the complex saw between one - quarter to one -half inch of rain. The east side, nearthe Warrenarea, received little rain, but higher humidities kept fire growth to a minimum, reports said. Burnout operations around structures along the South Fork of the Salmon River continued this week. The Cascade Complex burn- ing around Warm Lake reached 238,334 acres by Wednesday and was declared 30 percent contained. The Monumentaland Riordanfires burned together at the head of Pistol Creek. The blaze was being battled by 653 workers, including 14 crews of 20 persons each, 10 aircraft and 30 fire engines. Cost of Fighting the blaze had reached $42.2 million by Wednesday. Power lines between Warm Lake and Yellow Pine that had been damaged by the fire were repaired last Thursday, Idaho Power Co. spokesman Russ Jones said. A generator that had provided power to Yellow Pine since the poles were damaged was pulled out, Jones said. However, flames flared back up again Monday and burned two more poles, forcing another blackout, Jones said. Star-News 9/13/07 No end in sight Tinder-dry conditions will fuel forest fires until snow flies =aa� v�a.ac► ulu W ag IL 15 J Ub L gUing to Tame Some patience, said Paul Broyles, incident commander for the East Zone Fire Complex. Record low dryness measurements continue to encourage the flames and frustrate firefighting efforts. "The reality is, the fire's there, it's beyond what we can do going out and just pounding out fire line," he said. "We have to be in it for the long - haul." As a result, firefighters and equip- ment are being kept at high numbers because of the potential danger, said Mike Whalen, who is the incident com- mander for the Cascade Complex, the other large fire complex burning east of Long Valley. "It's pretty incredible this late in the season," Whalen said. "This stuff is burning like it was mid - July." One problem is that college -age firefighters are leaving their crews and returning to school. Also, fire experts assigned to fire management teams from urban fire department are getting weary after two months of duty, he said. However, Whalen and Broyles said they have had no problem marshaling the men and equipment they need. Here is a summary of the two fire complexes: I Cascade Complex The Cascade Complex, which has been burning around Warm Lake since July 17, reached 286,205 acres by Wednesday. Firefighters set a burnout along Johnson Creek south of Yellow Pine and continued to set up sprinklers and hoses around homes and other build- ings, Whalen said. The area previously was thinned, but the burn provides an added layer of protection he said. "It just creates some defensive black space," Whalen said. Electrical power was restored to Warm Lake and Yellow Pine on Wednesday, 10 days after the line was shut down after flames burned two sets of poles. A total of 912 people were assigned to the fire by mid -week. That included 22 crews of 20 persons each, nine helicopters, 43 fire engines, 14 water tankers, and 229 support people. Cost for the Cascade Complex was set at more than $46.2 million. East Zone Complex The East Zone Complex, which has been burning around Warren and Secesh Meadows since July 7, reached 274,594 acres by mid -week. Firefighters were workingto ensure fire does not move toward Burgdorf on the west side of the fire and ranches along the South Fork of the Salmon River on the east side, Broyles said. Some areas around Warren still have not burned, and firefighters are watching those spots, he said. A total of 586 people were working on the fire complex at mid -week. See FIRES, Page A-10 Fires (Continued from Page A -1) That included 11 crews of 20 persons each, six helicopters, 23 fire engines and 11 water tankers. Cost of battling the East Zone Complex had reached $29.3 mil. lion by Wednesday Idaho 55 Reopens A burnout was set on Saturday along Idaho 55 south of Banks to combat the Chief Parrish Fire. Normal traffic flow was re- stored to Idaho 55 between Horseshoe Bend and Banks, with two lanes open and no restric- tions. The Chief Parrish Fire forced a total closure of the highway for 24 hours early last week, followed by one -lane traffic with pilot cars throughout the week. Fire managers warned that smoke rolling debris and fire crews could still be in the area. �1 Z Protect (Continued from Page A -1) The tactic was considered more efficient that the difficult and expensive chore of building fire lines, and it worked.-No build- ings in the Trail End Subdivision were burned as the Zena Loon Fire passed. Month of preparation On Friday, Madonna Leng- erich, a 27 -year veteran wildland firefighter, explained to Cross that the Forest Service was doing what it could with the money and people it had. "It's not really a let -burn thing," Lengerich said. "They fi- nally realized that we can'tspend $100 million to put a fire out." "We have to protect struc- tures," she said. `A decision was made that we cannot physically build a fire line around every fire. We are going to pullback and ,protect structures." During the Labor Day fire ad- vance, firefighters cranked open the irrigation sprinkler systems they set in place in Augu st to begin soaking all the structures in the subdivision. During the month of prepara- tion time, firefighters also cleared brush from the area in prepara- tion of the fire's approach. "They assessed each home in the subdivision and came up with a plan," said wildland firefighter Dan Gustafson, 33, of Reno, Nev. "We had a lot of time to pretreat these houses and clear away brush." Jim and Jeri Kelly were build- ing their home in Trails End in 1994 when the Chicken Fire blew threw. The Kelly home was saved by firefighters who battled the firestorm then. "We were really fortunate," Jim Kelly said. This summer, a back burn at exactly the right time saved the Kelly home again from a creep- ing fire. The fire first appeared on top of the hill at about 7:20 p.m. on Labor Day, Jim Kelly said. The wind died down long enough for firefighters to initiate a back burn. When the wind returned, it sent the back burn up the hill to meet the fire coming down. "It was nice to see something like that (back burn) work like it was supposed to work," he said. While the fires are gone, the subdivision still has numerous hazards facing it. Tumbling rocks and trees present the immediate danger, Gustafson said. One rock damaged a home in the subdivision, he said. Should the area receive a significant amount of rain, then mudslides could follow. Spot fires could also ignite areas near the subdivision that did not burn on Labor Day. Q4,h, gl,�3/o1 residents avoid repeat of 1994 firestorm BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Dwight and Linda Cross had seen their home in the remote Trails End Subdivi- sion survive a firestorm in 1994, but they weren't sure if the result would be the same this summer with the approaching Zena Loon Fire. The Crosses are 20 -year residents of Trails End, which is located on the South Fork of the Salmon River east of Warren. Dwight Cross andhis neighbor Jim Kelly became alarmed when the Zena Loon Fire made a creeping run down the mountain late Labor Day evening. The flames stirred memories of the 1994 Chicken Fire, which swept in with 200 -foot flames and tornado -force winds. The fire- storm uprooted 100 -foot trees and burned five buildings, but heroic efforts by firefight- ers saved an additional 20 buildings. There was more fuel in the forest to burn in 1994, but it was not as dry as this year, Cross said. The response to the fires by firefight- ers in 1994 seemed better to Dwight than this year's response, leading to fears that a rumored "let it burn" policy would g9 badly for them. What Cross learned was that firefighters had decided to devote scarce money, man- power and equipment to "point protection," or defending buildings against fires. See PROTECT, Page A -9 Grays (Continued from Page A -1) Newsof thecontainmentcanhe as a relief to Donnelly Fire and EMS Chief Juan Bonilla, who was Placed in charge of protecting buildings if the fire had come over the ridge into Long Valley. "We were always ahead of it, we fought it. pretty hard," said Bonilla, who had been officially assigned to the fire management team fora week startingonLabor Day. Favorable weather and ag- gressive firefighting over the past several days soon lessened the threat to the valley, he said. "My concerns were eased rapidly," Bonilla said. Now that the fire has been contained, the Forest Service will move into the burned area to plot future strategies. One team will look at risks from unstable soil'and burned o'ut trees, while another team will look at restoration, salvage. timber sales, reforestation and preventing noxious weeds from Star-News 9/20/07 Aerial photo taken on Sept. 10 shows the Zena Loon r nu "u- - .... 6 - -- Van Meter Ridge near Yellow Pine during an active day of burning. The Pullout Begins Rain and cold weather to allow hundreds of firefighters to be sent home BY TOM GROTE The Star -News undreds of firefighters who have battled forest fires east of Long Valley since July are expected to be head- ing home this week. Colder- than - normal temperatures earlier this week combined with rain in the valleys and snow above 6,500 feet have allowed managers of the East Zone Com- plex and the Cascade Complex fires to begin winding down the 2007 fire season. As of Wednesday, the two complexes had burned an estimated 518,000 acres on both the Payette and Boise national forests at a cost of $83 million. The 427 firefighters and support personnel that were fighting the East Zone Complex burn- ing around Warren and Secesh Meadows at mid - week should be reduced to between 100 and 150 by week's end, said Aaron Gelobter, the latest of a series of commanders to oversee the complex since it was started by lightning July 7. The East Zone fire camp, that has been oper- ating on East Lake Fork Road since shortly after the fires started, could be dismantled as early as this weekend, Gelobter said Wednesday. As they pull out, firefighters will take with vnoto oy v,ac -, Crew members from Snake River Valley Crew No. 9 move to put out burning trees near Warren last week on the front lines of the Zena Loon Fire. 514.1 P them the miles of hoses, hundreds of sprinklers and nozzles, and acres of heat - reflective foil that had been put into place around buildings at War- ren, Secesh, Burgdorf and communities along the South Fork of the Salmon River, he said. Firefighters will still be present in those areas but only as patrols to watch for increasing fire danger, Gelobter said. "We plan to be focused, and have agility and speed where we need it," he said. Fire crews will remain in place on the 4,566 -acre Profile Fire between the backcoun- try communities of Yellow Pine and Big Creek. That fire is still active and could pose a threat to cabins and other buildings in the area, Gelobter said. Other crews will work along major roads such as Lick Creek Road and Warren Wagon Road to cut burned trees near the roads before they fall on their own. The work is in advance of an expected decision to open the roads to the general public in the next few days. Those roads, as well as Warm Lake Road and other roads into the burned areas, could reopen to general traffic soon if cooler, wetter conditions continue, Val- ley County Sheriff's Capt: John Coombs said Wednesday. See PULLOUT, Page A -12 1994, 2000 FIRE SEASONS ALSO LONG, INTENSE BY MICHAEL WELLS The Slar -News This year's record forest fires onl� the Payette and Boise nationalforest` have recalled images of fire years ir,; 1994 and 2000 that once topped thei< record books. Acreage figures from 1994 and 2000 pale in comparison to this`; year's fires. However, fires are not only measured by acreage, but by loss and intensity. 1994 Fires As firefighters fought off 200 -foot' flames in Secesh Meadows this year,',; echoes of the 1994 Chicken Fire' at Trail's End Subdivision were evoked. In the 1994 firestorm, five buildings along the South Fork of the Salmon River were destroyed by tornado force winds that uprooted trees. The 1994 fire season in the Payette forest was the record - setting year at the time. At the time, the forest was suf- fering through the 10th year of a drought. The bone -dry, conditions,' were ripe for devastating fires. See HISTORY, Page A -12 Below, spectators settled into lawn chairs at Rotary Park beach in Mc- Call to watch the early hours of the Blackwell Fire in August 1994. At top, President Bill Clinton visited firefighters battling the Burgdorf Junction Fire in 2000. Star -News File Photos Pullout (Continued from Page A -1) Cascade Complex Similar work to break down sprinkler networks, restore fire lines, and cut snags near roads has already been underway for several days on the Cascade Com- plex, which has burned alarge area around Warm Lake, Landmark, Johnson Creek and Yellow Pine since a lightning storm on July 17, fire commander Mike Whalen said Wednesday. Whalen was not yet ready to commit to sending home some of the 725 personnel who were fighting the complex on Wednesday from their base on Warm Lake Road near Cascade. Work still needs to be done to ensure the edge of the Monu- mental Fire does not continue its march onto homes and vacation cabins along Johnson Creek Road, he said. "There is still some active burn- ing under the canopy, and we want to make sure that if it does dry out it doesn't go any further," Whalen said as he prepared to hand off command to a new management team on Wednesday. s�x� g1:�vvla P / �3 Star-News 9/20/07 Acres burned year blow away previous records BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News This year's forest fire season has shat- tered previous record years for both the Payette and Boise national forests. Fires have burned 394,313 acres on the Payette forest as of Tuesday, Payette forest spokesperson Denise Cobb said. The previous record on the Payette forest was 343,347 burned acres in 2000. Fires have burned 243,316 on the Boise forest this year, Boise forest spokesperson David Olson said. The previous record on the Boise forest was 207,000 acres in 1992. This year's burned area represents 16 percent of the Payette forest's 2.3 million acres and 9 percent of the Boise forest's 2.6 million acres. ` The 10 -year average forfires onthe Boise forest was increased almost 10- foldfrom the 26,000 -acre average, Olson said. There were as many as 1,332 firefighters on the Cascade Complex Fire at its peak. As of this week, 856 firefighters were managing the blaze. The fire has claimed 302,177 acres to date, most of that in the Boise forest. It was started by lightning on July 17. Firefighters from 45 states have spent time fighting the fires in the Cascade Com- plex at a cost of $51 million by Tuesday. The fires have not respected arbitrary forest boundaries as large complexes have burned into adjacent forests. The Cascade Complex has burned 34,223 acres in the Payette forest and 60,698 acres in the Salmon - Challis National Forest. It also burned an additional 272 acres of private land. See RECORD, Page A -12 Record (Continued from Page A -1) The East Zone Complex Fire has claimed 13 structures, includ- ing two cabins at Warren and two cabins at Copenhaver Subdivision along the South Fork. The fire has cost $31.6 million to date. The 'fire has claimed 300,022 acres so far. There are currently 503 firefighters fighting the fire this week. There have been 13 injuries to firefighters battling the massive fire. Fires fought on the Payette for- est this year include the Zena Loon Fire at 209,000 acres, the Raines Fire at 76,000 acres, Tag Fire at 47,000 acres, Goat Fire at 24,500 acres, Cottonwood Fire at 14,000 acres, Grays Creek Fire at 24,900 acres and the Warm Springs Fire at 23,760 acres. On the Payette forest alone, about 850,000 gallons of fire retar- dant were dropped from 766 loads from various aircraft flying 500 hours of flight time. All of the acreage in the Warm Springs Fire occurred on Bureau of Land Management and private lands. About half of the Grays Creek Fire burned BLM and pri- vate lands east of Indian Valley, Cobb said. Fires close off 9�/47 hunting areas; F &G extends some seasons BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Raging forest fires in the Payette and Boise national forests have more than likely ruined a three -week hunting trip by Luther White of Florida and his party of six. White, 62, has been hunting in the Mid- dle Fork zone since 1964. His hunting party traveled from Florida in early September in hopes of shooting elk in the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. While no fires are raging in the hunting zone that White had planned to hunt, there is no way for White and his party to get to the area due to road closures. The East Zone Complex and the Cascade Complex fires burning north and east of Long Valley have closed off access to most of the eight hunting units in the area. White lives about 40 miles west of Gainesville, Fla., on the banks of the Su- wannee River. He and his partytransported 21 mules and horses in two trailers from Florida to property he owns near Lake Fork. Since arriving in Valley County, White said he has not done much more than "twiddle his thumbs." "It's kind of got us fouled up," White said. "I don't guess it's anybody's fault." The McCall Elk Zone (Game Manage- ment Units 19A, 23, 24, and 25) and Middle Fork Elk Zone (Game Management Units 20A, 26, and 27) are those most affected by the fires. Due to the forest fire closures, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has decided to extend several hunting seasons to give hunters an opportunity to bag game when area closures lift later this fall. The B -tag season for antlered elk in hunting units 20A and 26 in the Middle Fork Zone, which was scheduled to close on Sept. 30 and reopen from Nov 1 to Nov 18, will now run through October until the Nov 18 closing date. The A -tag season for any elk in the two units, which was scheduled to end on Oct. 31, is now extended to Nov 18. Unit 27, south of Stibnite, has an ex- tended season until Nov 18 for A tags on antlerless or brow -tined bulls only and for B tags on brow -tined and larger bulls only. See HUNTING, Page A-12 ♦ Campfire restrictions eased back —Page A -11 ♦ Forest to Fuel Trees cut to clear fire safety zones are recycled to fire Council school boiler. —High Country Week, Page B -1 Power cut to Yellow gh� Pine for third time since fires began For the third time in five weeks, the Riordan Fire in the Cascade Complex has taken out the power line that serves resi- dents in Yellow Pine, an Idaho Power Co. news release said. On Sept. 12, the fire burned three structures, and on Saturday four more structures were destroyed when a large tree fell into them. Forest Service fire managers said fire danger was too great over the weekend and wouldn't allow Idaho Power personnel in to assess damage until Monday. All seven of the structures are two -pole H -frame structures on the line that comes from the substation in Warm Lake to serve customers in Yellow Pine. They are located in the vicinity of the lee Hole Campground about five miles south of Yellow Pine. "Unfortunately, there is still potential to lose more structures on the single -pole section the last few miles into Yellow Pine," Regional Manager Keith Kolar said. "We certainly empathize with our cus- tomers in this area; the power has been off and on; our crews have been in and See POWER, Page A -12 Power (Continued from Page A -1) out of this hazardous area; fire- fighters are working in tough conditions," Kolar said. "It's been a challenging fire season for many of us up here." Kolar saidtree crews began re- moving hazard trees early in the week. An Idaho Power road crew began reclaiming old roads to ac- cess the structure sites, and two line construction crews moved their equipment into the area to replace the three structures burned last week. Two more crews will join the effort today, hopingto have access by then to replace the other four structures. Crews expect to have the line back in service by Friday. Fof the following three to four days, power will be on at night, but off during the day so crews can continue with repair work. "We're hoping this initial schedule will allow customers to run freezers and refrigerators during the night," Kolar said. "The day -time outages allow our crews to work safely and uninterrupted on the line, get- ting permanent power restored as quickly as possible." I2-7 V-5 Star -News Photo by Michael Wells (camp), LACK ouyc .•.••. At right, Robert Lucei, left, and Roger Smith of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Ore., roll up miles of fire hose used on the East Zone Complex Fire at the base camp east of Lake Fork last week. Above, photo taken on Sunday shows snow covering trees near Landmark, east of Warm Lake, snuffing out flames in the Cascade Complex of forest fires. ROADS REOPEN, FIRE RESTRICTIONS LIFTED IN BURNED AREAS Roads into national forests east of . Long Valley reopened this week, and restrictions on campfires were lifted as snow and rain doused the East Zone and Cascade fire complexes that had been burning since Julv. '�� nt'o The Cascade Complex Fire Camp on Warm Lake Road just east of Cascade was dismantled, and respon- sibility for what was left of the fires was turned over the Cascade Ranger District of the Boise National Forest. Orders to fold up camp were a sharp contrast to conditions just two weeks ago, when fire managers said there was no end in sight for the fires. Dry conditions had allowed the two complexes to burn 600,000 acres combined on the Boise and Payette national forests. That all changed with colder, wetter weather last week topped by a heavy storm over the weekend. A weather station at Johnson Creek near Yellow Pine recorded 1 -1/2 inches of rain overnight Saturday, and four inches of snow fell at Landmark east of Warm Lake. South Fork Road closed All closures into the forests were lifted on Tuesday except for the South Fork Salmon River Road, which See ROADS, Page A-12 Roads (Continued from Page A -1) was closed on Wednesday after forest officials said the road was unsafe for public travel due to fire - damaged culverts under the road. A private contractor will be replacing 150 culverts, most of which are between Poverty Flats and Warm Lake Road with a few between Reed Ranch and East Fork South Fork Salmon River Road. The culverts were made of hig'.i density polyethylene that were ignited by the wildfires. They will be replaced with gal - vF nized steel culverts. The road is expected to be reopened in time to provide winter access to Yellow Pine and surrounding areas. Even though roads into the forest are open, warnings were given to travelers to watch for falling snags, burned stump holes and unstable slopes. Other advisories include: • Stay away from trees that have been burned at the base. If the root system has been weakened, they can easily fall. Use caution when traveling and when locating camping spots in and around burned areas. • During heavy rain, run -off may be sudden and hunters should be aware of flash flood potential in low -lying areas. • Burned areas become slip- pery when wet. • Roads and trails may be obstructed by fallen trees, rocks and other debris. • Road culverts may have been damaged or burned. Burn permits still needed On Friday, Stage 1 fire restric- tions were removed from all public and private lands in the region due to improving condi- tions. The fire restrictions had been downgraded to Stage 1 from Stage 2 on Sept. 18. However, burning permits are still required until Oct. 20 for small piles of slash and other waste, said Mark Woods, fire warden for the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. Idaho Power Co. crews re- stored power to Yellow Pine customers last Thursday after the Cascade Complexfires burned through the line athird time since the fires began in early August. On Sept. 12, the fire burned three structures, and on Sept. 15, four more structures were destroyed when a large tree fell into them. Two line crews and a road crew worked all week to replace the structures and getthe line back in service, a news release said. All seven of the structures were two -pole H -frame structures on the line that comes from the substation in Warm Lake to serve customers in Yellow Pine. The structures are located near the Ice Hole Campground about five miles south of Yellow Pine. si44 r44j y ,, Over '��iEu East Zone Complex camp packs up, hundreds of weary firefighters ship out after 10 weeks BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Within a matter of days last week, the East Zone Complex Fire base camp east of Lake Fork went from a bustling tent city to three empty trailers await- ing pick up. The fire thatmade the campnecessary began on July 7. Most of the personnel and support services left camp for good last Friday in the wake of snow and rain that doused the fires around Warren and Secesh Meadows that camp residents had battled for 10 weeks. A smaller crew of less than 100 remained over the weekend but had relocated to area motels. By Tuesday, all but one crew of 20 "The neat thing about firefighters and an engine had left the W East Zone Complex Fire, which burned 300,000 acres in the Payette National For- put lip a City that Can est this summer, Boise National Incident Management Organization spokesper- sepve 2,000 people in son Mike Ferris said. The final firefighting crew will be aboUt 48 NO& Then patrolling roads from Secesh to Yellow Pine removing any new fallen trees or 111 a couple of days, we boulders blocking the reopened roads. Dismantling of the camp that served �8 � 1 down as headquarters for the fire that pro- duced 19 spike camps throughout the _ Boise NIMO team logistics section chief Brent forest began last week. See SHOW, Page A -12 Spencer Show: East Complex wraps up, firefighters go home (Continued from Page A -1) "The neat thing about my job is we basically put up a city that can serve 2,000 people in about 48 hours," Boise NIMO team logis- tics section chief Brent Spencer said. "Then in a couple of days, we break it down." Most of the $4.8 million of equipment was transported to the Great Basin fire cache located at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Fifteen 48 -foot- long semi - trailers moved the equipment to be cleaned, account- ed for, and stored in Boise. Miles of fire hose About five smaller trucks brought equipment and supplies back to the Payette forest in McCall, said Spencer, a 38 -year veteran of the Forest Service. A camp crew from the Confed- erated Tribes near Warm Springs, Ore., was taking down yurts and rolling up miles of fire hose to be shipped back to Boise for use at future fires. A crew of San Juan Hotshots from Durango, Colo., worked under the Boise NIMO team last week, training and assisting with the breakdown of the camp. A small number of firefighters from the Salt Lake City area were hired as temporary employees of the Payette forest to help break Star -News Photo by Michael Wells Camp crews break down the supply tent at the East Zone Complex Fire base camp east of Lake Fork last week down the camp as well. Many truck drivers were also at work moving equipment last week. Camp served more than 1,000 people at its peak It took 56 people to take down the camp that at its peak served more than 1,000 firefighters. In all, the camp served 171,000 meals during the 76- day -long fire. The total cost to fight the East Zone Complex was $32.5 million. About $7.5 million of that went toward personnel, $6.5 million went toward camp support, and about $4.9 million went toward firefighting crews. About $5.9 million was spent on aircraft and another $7.2 mil- lion was spent on equipment and supplies. The decision to provide struc- ture protection rather than to build fire lines around the fire likely saved at least $65 million from the total bill, Ferris said. Had firefighters tried to sup- press thefire and contain it within a fire line, Ferris estimated that 936 miles of fire line would have had to be built. "Management has been more responsible for their strategies that they have used on this fire than fires in the past," San Juan hotshot superintendent Shawna Legarza said. "I think we saved a lot for the future of the forest. I think a lot of it needed to burn." "The Payette area has been great," Legarza, a 19 -year vet- eran of forest firefighting, said. "They've been through a lot, and the people have been very patient putting up with the poli- tics of it." The fire claimed four cabins - two at Warren and two at Copenhaver Subdivision along the South Fork of the Salmon River - and nine outbuildings. There were 13 injuries related to the fire. PAYETTE OFFICIALS SAID LOON FIRE MOVED TOO FAST TO BE STOPPED BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star-Nev- Suppression, the plicy ofthe Payette National Forest in the East Zone Complex that threatened Secesh Meadows and War- ren, McCall District Ranger Shane Jeffries said. The Loon Fire was a cluster of six fires started by lightning during a storm on July 13. The Payetteforest was already fighting the Zena and Raines fires that had ignited the week before, Jeffries said. "We went after the thing and it just beat us," Payette dispatch manager Gary Murphy said. An aerial attack was ordered for the six lightning starts that commenced on July 14. The forest used three helicop. ters and four air tankers to try to put the fire out immediately, Murphy said. On July 14, the air attack used four air tankers to drop about 27,000 gallons See LOON, Page A -12 Loon (Continued from Page A -1) of retardant on the fires and spent about $79,000. The three helicopters dumped water on the fires and employed a rappelling team on July 14, but the efforts to snuff out the fire failed, Murphy said. The efforts failed as burning condition indicators used by forest firefighters to predict fire behavior were at record highs that day. Driest Year on Record Payette fuels program man- ager Gary Phillips said the forest weather conditions were setting records most days this year. "There was a huge moisture deficit, the rivers were at record low levels and we had record tempera- tures that all affect fire behavior," Phillips said. There were about 100 fire starts on the forest this year, and firefight- ing efforts caught 90 of those fires in the initial attack, he said. "Beyond initial attack, you fall back to point protection," Phillips said. "We gave the best we could." Firefighting personnel and equipment was limitedthroughout the western states due to several large fires raging at the same time, Phillips said. "We were strapped regionally and nationally, he said. "There was a lot going on in the forest at the time," Jeffries said. "We were looking at it as a suppression fire. The notion to just let everything burn is probably j ust frustration over our inability to get the fire out." After initial efforts failed, the firefighting effort went toward protecting structures in the com- munities in the area. The 300,000 -acre East Zone Complex Fire consumed 13 struc- tures, two cabins near Warren and two cabins in the Coperhaven Subdivision along the South Fork of the Salmon River. It cost about $32 million to fight. Efforts are underway to assess the damage. A team made up of 10 Payette forest employees, is in the area assessing the damage. They are investigating what needs to be done to protect life and property first, team member Dave Kennel said. The team has identified 150 culverts on the South Fork Road and 300 fallen trees that either have blocked the road or threaten to block it. Estimates say repair of the road will cost up to $1 million. The team is also assessing properties in the burned areas and are planning to place mulch and reestablish vegetation to stabilize the soil. In addition, the team is checking trail safety and bridge conditions in the area. A long -term rehabilitation plan for the forest has already begun, Kennel said. The long -term plan will replace trail bridges, fences on the forest boundary and forest service build- ings destroyed by fire, he said. The long -term plan will also include replanting timber. Timber salvage operations will also be a part of the plan to restore the forest, Kennel said. ��h,w 16 � Y /07 - THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008 Photo courtesy Idaho Department of Fish and Game SAGEBRUSH PLANTING PLANNED - Photo shows students from Midvale, Weiser and Payette planting 10,000 sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in late March on public land burned by last year's Indian Valley Fire. Volunteers are needed on Saturday to plant seedlings on the site of the Cherry Creek Fire two years ago about five miles north of Sweet. Call the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's volunteer coordinator's office in Boise at (208) 327 -7099 for directions and more information. Residents near fire told to be ready to leave Fire managers fear high winds today will fan Hurd Fire BY TOM GROTE and MICHAEL WELLS For The Star -News Residents of Tamarack Resort and subdi- visions south of Tamarack were advised on Wednesday they may need to leave their homes if the Hurd Fire heads their way today. Homes in Tamarack as well as the God's Acres and Royal Scott subdivisions along West Mountain Road on the west side of Lake Cascade were in the path of the fire, which had burned more than 360 acres by Wednesday. Fire managers are fearing winds predicted to be gusting up to 30 miles per hour today will fan the flames, which had burned to within one -half mile of some homes by Wednesday. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Wednesday de- clared a state of disaster for the area, which orders the Idaho Department of Lands to move in state firefighting equipment and firefighters to protect homes in the fire's path. The Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security will direct the state's efforts. "We're in Residents are being warned to prepare to not to startle evacuate if conditions worsen, and people with people, bUt this health conditions are C ©Ul(f e8sll already being relocated y as a precaution, Valley spot into those County Sheriff Patti Bolen said Wednesday. areas." Pets, livestock and other —Valley County property that can be Sheriff Patti Bolen moved are also being relocated, Bolen said. "If conditions change every attempt will be made to notify residents and businesses," she said. "We're trying not to startle people, but this could easily spot into those areas." See FIRE, Page A -8 Photo courtesy Boise National Forest/Star -News Graphic by Tom! Grote Aerial photo of the Hurd Fire taken on Sunday shows its location near the shore of Lake Cascade. Map shows the location of the Hurd Fire that was threatening homes near Lake Cascade this week. Fire: Residents told to be ready to leave (Continued from Page A -1) The fire was burning subal- pine fir and can throw embers as far as a half-mile away from the fire front to cause new fires, firefighters said. Residents and homeowners can receive updates on the fire at www.inciweb.org or from several west side campground kiosks on Lake Cascade where Forest Service personnel are regularly posting information. West Mountain Road remained open on Wednesday. The cause of the fire, which started Saturday night, was still under investigation Wednes- day. All sides of the Hurd Fire had firefighters stationed on them Wednesday. Almost 600 people were assigned to the fire with operations being directed from a base camp set up three miles south of Cascade. In addition to ground crews digging out fire lines, the fire was being assaulted by air. He- licopters with buckets dropped water on the flames while single- engine tanker planes dropped larger loads. Large air tankers also were used to drop loads of fire retar- dant in the path of the blaze. Firefighters on the southeast and northwest sections of the fire burned out pockets Tuesday afternoon and evening to safely remove fuel in case winds pick up today. Twenty ground crews each consistingof 20peoplewereput on the 550 -acre perimeter and had the fire 20 percent contained by Wednesday night. If the fire spreads to prede- termined points, those living in the fire's path will be told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, Bolen said. If the fire gets too close, the sheriff's office will ask people to evacuate, but they will not be required to do so. However, those who stay behind will do so at their own risk, she said. Hurd Fire L C�7i S� f, "It was daunting to see all that personnel. We were thankful they were here." —Margo Flaherty Tamarack Resort homeowners evacuated as Hurd Fire approaches Blaze moved to within one - quarter mile of ski runs Star -News Margo Flaherty feared the worst last .�ursday as the Hurd Fire marched rectly toward Tamarack Resort south. Est of Donnelly. "If the weather had done what they id it would, it would have been hor- )le," said Flaherty, a homeowner in e resort. Forecasts for hot weather and strong, sting winds led to an evacuation order 11 a.m. last Thursday. When the order came, Tamarack Mu- ,ipal Association security personnel tde sure the 31 families at the resort left an orderly fashion, Flaherty said. Of those evacuated, 27 were hom- vners and four were renting while rationing at the resort. See TAMARACK, Page A -8 John Angell prepares to leave his home of 34 years on Christie Road in the Royal Scot Subdivision north of Tamarack Resort Thursday after an evacuation was ordered due to the advance of the Hurd Fire. Smoke from the Hurd Fire billows bed a h io a National Forest Tamarack Resort ski area. Tamarack (Continued, from Page A -I) The Hurd Fire tripled in size on Thursday from about 360 acres to about 1,300 acres, but did not burn onto resort Property or lands leased by the resort. It did get to within a quarter mile south of the resort near the Heritage and Tripod ski runs. Snowmakers Turned On The Hurd Fire was apartic- ularly difficult fire to contain, due to the subalpine fir that sent out embers up to a quar- ter -mile away from the fire front. Hundreds of firefight. ers working to contain the fire could not be seen from Tamarack Resort, but planes dropping fire retardant and helicopters dropping water from buckets and hoses could be seen flying sorties. "I could see black smoke coming over the mountain," Flaherty said. "It was an im- pressive show from 9 (a.m.) to 1(p.m.) watching people come out to help." Firefighter "strike teams" from Emmett, Star, Weiser and Donnelly helped with some of the evacuation by moving belongings from homes to ve- hicles and trailers, she said. The resort was completely evacuated by 1 P.M. except for security personnel, TMA Director Tim Flaherty and a few resort staffers who helped Put snowmaking machines in place high on the Tamarack ski hill, Margo Flaherty said. It was the first time in 16 months, since the resort was closed due to financial prob- c air i at the lems, that the snowmaking machines were turned on. This time, the machines were firing water in an arc to dampen the trees and ground in an effort to slow any fire that came onto the resort. Most of the families came out together, packing up what they thought would be irre- placeable if a firestorm swept through the resort. Flaherty packed her com- puter, desk files, photos, a safe with important papers, pottery and Scotch whisky. She also helped other homeowners load art works. Thankful for Firefighters About 20 families stopped at the parking lot near the Tamarack entrance on West Mountain Road to watch the fire personnel staged there. Most of the families went to rental homes in McCall and Donnelly, while some families went back to their full-time homes in Boise. "It was daunting to see all that personnel there," Fla- herty said. "We were thankful they were here." By Friday morning, the evacuation order was lifted andhomeowners wereallowed to come back to their homes. But many delayed their return because all propane tanks at the homes were turned off as a precaution, Flaherty said. The evacuation was one of a string of hardships the ho- meowners have had to endure since late 2007, when the resort began having serious financial trouble that led to a foreclosure trial and bankruptcy. "I think this is going to make us an even stronger com- munity," Flaherty said. Weather shift, massive firefighting effort keeps wildfire away from homes BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Subdued weather and a massive fire- fighting effort corralled the Hurd Fire last week, keeping the blaze from damaging homes on the west side of Lake Cascade, including Tamarack Resort. Thefire, which was started bylightning Aug. 21, was declared 80percent contained Wednesday morning after burning 1,331 acres in steep, hard -to- access terrain and dense subalpine fir trees. A total of 480 firefighters were battling the blaze on Wednesday, down from apeak force of 830 firefighters who were man- ning the fire lines or providing support on Saturday. Three helicopters, one fire engine and four water tenders were aiding in the battle on Wednesday. That was also much reduced from the fleet of fire trucks that stood watch at Tamarack Resort and Hurd (Continued from Page A -1) Winds calmed on Friday, allowing crews to make other subdivisions along West Mountain Road and an intense aerial assault of helicopters and airplanes dropping water and fire retardant. At the effort's peak, there were 22 fire engines, 10 helicopters, six water tenders and one bulldozer assigned to the fire. Last Thursday, officials ordered an evacuation of homes along several miles of West Mountain Road, includ- ing Tamarack Resort, as predictions of strong, gusting winds led to fears the blaze would march quickly into Populated area. Winds Less Severe Strong winds did blow during the day last Thursday and fanned the fire to twice its size at 1,297 acres, but the winds Thursday night turned out to be less severe than predicted. See HURD, Page A-8 Progress containing the fire. The mandatory evacuation order was lifted at noon Friday. Rain began falling on the fire Saturday night and Sun- day, leading fire managers to declare the situation under control and in a "mop -up" status. Four "spike camps" were set up along West Mountain, with between 50 and more than 100 firefighters living at each spike camp. Spike camps eliminate the time spent driving or flying back and forth to the base camp and fire site. Once the fire was deemed under control, helicopters spent Tuesday afternoon shuttling pumps, thousands of feet of hose and other equipment from the fire line and spike camps back to the base camp located south of Cascade. The area burned was still closed to public access on Wednesday while firefight- ing operations wrapped up. Here is a list of some of the closed areas: • The West Mountain area from the Anderson Creek Road to the private land boundary at Tamarack Resort. • Jeep Trail No. 763 across the top of West Mountain from the junction with the Anderson Creek Road to the junction with the No Busi- ness Road • The Poison Creek Road and associated spurs. 'There was still consider- able traffic reported along roads on the west side of the Lake Cascade on Wednes- day, particularly on West Mountain Road from south of Tamarack Resort to the fire camp. Ste. &404 9�y� /o Evacuees take �y valuables, hope for the best Hold -out planned to jump in lake if flames came near BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Lois Angell pondered what she should take with her as she paused at a dresser in her bedroom last Thursday. Angell and her husband, John, had just been told to evacuate their home of 34 years in the Royal Scot subdivision off West Mountain Road Thursday due to the Hurd Fire that raged a few miles south on West Mountain. The elderly couple packed up clothes, keepsakes, one -of -a -kind beadwork and woodworks. They also took prescription medi- cine bottles and oxygen tanks and lingered a couple of hours longer before leaving their home. "We're not in a rush to leave be- cause they won't let us back in and we might forget something," John Angell said. They did not believe the Hurd Fire would find its way to their home, but they decided to leave. After all, a late June windstorm did damage to trees in their yard and an early June flood also caused damage. No Humor in Leaving Down on West Mountain Road to the east of the Angell's home, Bruce and Sheila Thomson cut down trees in the back of their property as a fire break. They were assisted by their son -in- law, Steve Yoest, and grandson, Jeremy Buttram, at the home they have owned for 10 years. "I would have left 40 minutes ago and left the tractor," Sheila Thomson said noting the fire worried her. Bruce Thomson took the evacua- tion with a little humor. "I'm glad she loves me," Thomson said. "I'm glad we came up here, I had no idea the fire was only three miles away." Dave and Karen Cadotte were evacuating as well from their home on Little Lane. The Cadottes were not too worried about their home because it was made with steel siding and a steel roof, and their yard was mostly clear of trees. See EVACUEES, Page A-6 Evacuees (Continued from Page A -1) Further north on West Mountain Road, Peter Bolz was hitching up his boat to his truck at his vacation home of 39 years This was the first time Bolz had ever been evacuated, but he said it was the price that must be paid to live in the mountains. "You just deal with it," Bolz said. "As long as your family is safe, this is just stuff." Renter Would not Leave On Highland Road, David Richardson, a renter, said he was not going to evacuate. "Don't worry about me, worry about the women and children," Richardson said. "I'm an old Boy Scout hanging out in the woods all my life." Richardson sat at a table in the yard in front of his trailer on Highland Road with Lake Cascade in view to his left. A backpack laid next to him on a concrete pad, a life vest lay farther away on the ground, and a Pulaski fire- fighting tool lay in between. "When the embers come into the yard, I'm going to grab my backpack, that life jacket and jump into the lake," Richardson said. He said he was staying because he believed the fire- fighters would never allow the Tamarack Resort to burn. "If she's coming, it's a big beast waiting to come down on us," he said. The beast never materi- alized. Cold, wet weather over the weekend allowed firefighters to get control of the blaze. v 0- f�q,t, 9fyl�o Fire crews compare themselves to families BY CARISSA SINDON For The Star -News Wil Haines and Zach Ford had just arrived in Cascade last Friday from the Banner Fire near Stanley and were enjoying a few minutes of respite before getting briefed on their new firefighting assignment. Haines and Ford are members of the Lewis and Clark Hotshot crew based in Great Falls, Mont. They werejusttwoof thehundredsof firefighters battling the Hurd Fire near Tamarack Resort last week who relied on each other to get the job done. "(Camaraderie) helps you get your job done bet- ter and more safely and efficiently," Haines said. "We Crews help everybody get their tasks done and we make sure everybody has the supplies they need." The camaraderie has much to do with the fact that the crew spends most of their time in the summer eating, sleeping and working together, Ford said. "We're pretty much like family toward mid - season," he said. Strenuous Conditions The struggle of strenuous working conditions also brings the crews together, said Jodi Plocher, a member of the Green River fire crew based in Rawlins, Wyo. See CREWS, Page A -6 (Continued }from Page A -1) "You break yourself down with the struggles, the hard work of digging line like we did for about 16 hours the other day and you suffer together and that brings you together as a group," Plocher said. Trust plays a large factor in the camaraderie because of the dangerous nature of their work, firefighters said. "If you don't trust who you're working with then I don't think it'd be possible to do what we do," Ford said. "I wouldn't want to be on the mountain with somebody I don't trust because your life depends on the person you're next to," said Chris Grillo, a firefighter with Kodiak Wild- land Fire Management out of Boise. "We look out for each other, we're there for each other and take care of each other." "Everybody has a real sense of protecting one an- other," said Adam Silvas, a member of the Sho -Ban fire crew based in Fort Hall. "Nobody wants anybody to get hurt." Plocher's fellow crew mem- ber, Crystal Kaufman, said that they had a "dance off " on fire line last Thursday which helped them bond. "We had some pretty good times today," Kaufman said. "Sometimes you just need to be able to get that mesh with your crew" "If you don't trust who you're working with then 1 don't think it'd be possible to do what we do." - Zach Ford Contractors work together to bring food, showers to firefighters INSIDE ♦ Safety is first when fighting fire ♦ Cascade gets small, but welcome, boost from Hurd Fire ♦ McCall tanker base sets record for number of retardant drops —Page A -8 BY CARISSA SINDON For The Star -News Ronn Alexander and his co- workers were busy last Thursday preparing and serving up meals for the hundreds of hungry and tired firefighters who returned to camp from the mountain after another grueling day of fight- ing the Hurd Fire near Tamarack Resort. Alexander works for Big Sky Catering based in Missoula, Mont., which is one of the contractors who took care of the firefighters' needs last week by providing them with food, water, showers and supplies. Alexander said there was a camaraderie be- tween the different people who work to support the firefighters so they can do their job. Contractors "There's great camaraderie between all participants, from management to contrac- tors," he said. "It's a great mix of people with a common goal." Everybody in this camp supports each other one way or another," said Lee Debaeke who is vice president of shower's for Action Sanitary out of Boise which provided the washing facilities for the firefighters. "Everybody depends on each other to put these fires out." Working the Same Fires Greg Watkiss, owner of Big Sky Catering, said they often see the same contractors and fire management teams as they travel from fire to fire. See CONTRACTORS, Page A -6 Sam Runs Through provid- ed ice, water, and sack lunches to the firefighters as a member Of the Southern Paiute Agency camp crew based in St. George, Utah. The camaraderie helps with homesickness when they are gone from home for long periods of time, he said. "It's therapeutic to talk to people who are going through the same stuff and many of these people have been through similar situations," Runs Through said. "We're talking to each other and try- ing to connect." Varian Allen of Emery, Utah, is the leader de t of that he ground support responsible for transporting food, supplies and people back and forth from the moun- tain. Many team members have been working together for 15 years, Allen said. h to (Continued from Page A -1) "We look forward to work- ing with some of the other teams that are out here," Wat- kiss said. "It's fun when people le see some of the same p p and get to work with them." "We all work toget er get the job done," he said. "We're like family and we help each other through the tough times. We do our job and we work hard, but we have fun doing it." Photo courtesy Boise National horest A tanker plane drops fire retardant on ski runs near the Tamarack Resort base area. McCall tanker base sets record for number of retardant drops Aircraft made 82 runs to various fires last Thursday BY MICHAEL WELLS The Star -News Patty Jacobsen said she hardly came up for air last Thursday as the McCall Tank- er Base set a new record for forest fire retardant drops. Jacobsen, the base records keeper, said 82 retardant drops totaling about 84,000 gallons originated last Thursday at the base, which islocatednearthe McCall Smokejumper Base at the McCall airport. That shattered the previous one -day record of 57 retardant drops set on Aug. 7, 1989. Most of last Thursday's drops were on the Hurd Fire south of Tamarack Resort on West Mountain, said Payette National Forest Aviation Program Manager Matt Shad - dle. The Hurd Fire received about 60,000 gallons of retar- dant from 58 flights, Shaddle said. The North Ridge fire near Fruitvale in the Payette also received retardant drops from the base Thursday. The Fitness Fire on the Nez Perce Forest and the Wilderness Ranch Fire on the Boise Forest also had retar- dant drops from the McCall base Thursday, Shaddle said. The retardant dropped on Thursday cost $97,000, while the flying time of the aircraft used cost $166,000. 11 Planes Used There were 11 planes at the base Thursday making the runs. Nine of those planes were smaller, single- engine air tankers, known as SEATS, aided by two larger P -3A heavy tankers, Shaddle said. Thursday also saw the third - largest amount of re- tardant dropped in a day from the base, he said. The largest amount of retardant was 114,000 gallons on Aug. 7,1989. That day, the forest was dealing with two large fires on the Payette, the Steamboat Fire and the Eagle's Nest Fire, Shaddle said. The larger amount of re- tardant was due to only using the larger heavy air tankers in 1989, Payette Fire and Aviation Management Branch Chief Gary Brown said. The SEATS have a capacity of 899 gallons, but are only filled to 750 gallons for safety reasons, Shaddle said. The larger tankers hold up to 3,000 gallons, but are only filled to 2,500 gallons per flight, he said. The McCall base normally has two SEATS and one heavy tanker assigned to it, though the heavy tankers go where the fires are burning, Brown said. Extra SEATS came to the base last week from Couer d'Alene, Boise and Ontario, Ore. A large tanker arrived from Chico, Calif., to help battle the blazes, Shaddle said. The planes began op- erations around 9:30 a.m. Thursday ,and did not stop until about 8:20p.m., known as "pumpkin time" by pilots. In the base tower on Thurs- day were Jacobsen and retired tanker base manager Kay Jones, who was called in to as- sist due to the severe weather warning. On the ramp were crews from ICL Performance Prod- ucts, called "hose draggers," who pumped retardant mixed with water into the planes as they came in. Also on the ramp was tanker base crew member David Lee, who helped keep track of the planes. One to Five Minute Intervals The planes were taking off in intervals of one to five min- utes throughout the day, with the longest stretch between takeoffs onlybeing 15minutes, Lee said. If the day was not hectic enough, a national review team from Boise, Montana and California was on hand to evaluate the base that day, Brown said. "We fared really well," he said. The base had used only 78,000 gallons of retardant for the season before the Hurd Fire, Lee said. The base pumped about 203,000 gallons of retardant during the first six days of the Hurd Fire, he said. Trucks delivering retar- dantfrom the Phos -Chek plant in Blackfoot were busy refill- ing groundtanks on Thursday and Friday, Shaddle said. Safety is first when fighting fire Team coordinates effort to protect lives, buildings BY CARISSA SINDON For The Star -News John Kidd may have been in charge of fighting the Hurd Fire near Tamarack Resort, but he knew the battle was a coordinated efforts among many agencies. "Our goal is to keep this fire from burning homes, try to contain the fire to as small an acreage as we can, make sure that we do it safely and without losing any life or property," said Kidd, the leader of the team of about 50 people from different parts of the country who had the job of managing the fire. The safety of the firefight- ers and public is the number one concern, he said. "It's not just the people that we have out on the fire, but it's the public in general, too," Kidd said. "We don't want to hurt anybody out there." The team primarily works inthe Great Basin area, which includes Nevada, Idaho, Utah and parts of Arizona and Wyoming, he said. It consists of people who have regular jobs in a variety of fields, but who leave those jobs behind to work on fires, Kidd said. The team has four different sections that coordinate the firefighting effort, including finance, operations, logistics and planning. There is more that goes into putting out a forest fire than just the fire crews who are working on the mountain, he said. "It's a little more compli- cated than just going out and going on a fire," Kidd said. "There's a lot of support that goes along with fighting fire." For every five people out on the lines, there are three people there to support them in different capacities, which include medics, public infor- mation officers and fire safety officers, he said. After working hard during the day, the section chiefs met at 5 p.m. every evening for a planning meeting where they discussed howthe firefighting effort went for the day and made a plan for the next day. The meetings were also attended by the members of the Donnelly Fire Department and Valley County Sheriff's Office. At 6:30 a.m. the following day the fire crews were briefed on where they would be work- ing that day. Difficulties in fighting the Hurd Fire included terrain with deep brush that had to be cut out and steep slopes that brought the possibility of falling rocks, Kidd said. There were also access problems because of the lack of roads, which forced fire- fighters to hike longdistances, he said. 444./ /14rj Vyj /o Sunday lightning storm sparks 18 fires on Payette ria `o rl to The Payette National Forest was watching a small fire on Black Tip Peak east of Fisher Creek Saddle this week. The fire was one of 18 fires reported across the Payette following Sunday night's lightning storm. The Black Tip Peak fire was discovered on Tuesday and had burned about two acres by Wednesday in sub - alpine fir, white bark pine and lodgepole pine. The Payette will allow the fire to be contained by natural barriers because of the steep and rugged terrain in the area, a news release said. Trails that could be affected if the fire continues to grow are No. 308 along French Creek and No. 114 along Cougar Creek. A map with information on the fire is posted at each trailhead. Recreationists should continue to utilize the area but be mindful of their surroundings and always remember safety first. Strong initial attack by firefighters kept the fires from Sunday's storm less than two acres, the Payette said. A 20 acre fire in the Mackay Bar area within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness was declared out earlier this week. The Trout Fire, also in the Frank Church wilderness, was being monitored. This fire is located between Hida Point and Trout Park. The Cottonwood fire which was discovered south of Cold Meadows in the Wilderness last Thursday, grew to 30 acres this week and was also being watched by firefighters_ The Payette issues some reminders to visitors to the forest during the Labor Day weekend: • Ensure that all campfires are completely extinguished before going to sleep or leaving camp. Drown campfires with water until it is cool to the touch. • Although no fire restrictions are currently in place, be careful with all ignition sources. • No fireworks are allowed on the National Forest. Careless campers cause 3 fires at Herrick Reservoir A group of campers are costing the Cascade Rural Fire District time and money as they have had to go on three occasions to campsites at Herrick Reservoir to put out campfires that were left to bum, fire chief Jim Hass said. "Not only were these campfires not put out, but there was an extra log piled on them and an old stump placed on the other," Hass said. "These campsites were left in a mess with beer cans and garbage just left for somebody to clean up." Hass warned this kind of negligence could lead to fires in the area that could destroy nearby homes or at least move property owners in the area to petition to have the campsites closed. "I do not know how to get the point across that this is to be used and left in good shape for the next l Vr Wilderness fire near Chamberlain grows to 420 acres The Burnt Knob Fire in the Frank Church River of No Return wilderness had grown to 420 acres this week, according to the Payette National Forest. The lightning - caused fire, detected on Sept. 4, is about three miles northwest of Chamberlain Guard Station. The fire was burning on the ground through mature timber and was being monitored by regular airplane flights. The Payette forest has closed some areas for safety and for possible firefighting if the blaze exceeds expected growth. The closure includes a portion of Chamberlain Trail No. 001 and associated trails in the area. The trail is closed from Campbell's Ferry to the Chamberlain Airstrip /Guard Station, but the portion from the Chamberlain trailhead to Tumbledown Bridge is open to allow access to Trail No. 025 and the Meadow of Doubt. Other wilderness fires are the Cottonwood Fire, a 65 -acre fire located about 1 -1/2 miles southwest of Cold Meadows Guard Station, and The Trout Fire, a five -acres fire located about two miles south of Yellow Pine Bar. Both blazes are being monitored by aircraft and lookouts. Elsewhere on the Payette, fire crews were battling a lightning- caused fire two miles west of Reed Ranch airstrip. Smokejumpers, helitack crew members and firefighters from the Krassel Ranger District were working on the fire. Aircraft were being used to make bucket and retardant drops on the fire, and crews were constructing lines around the fire. No structures were threatened this week, but Myers Peak Lookout, Reed Ranch airstrip and the Salmon River Road are in the area. For more information about the fires, call Todd Baumer, assistant fire management officer, at 634- 0611. s Page—Lead Story Page 1 of 1 FIRE DESTROYS CABIN .lpnssi; 7 wobiler took dus �boto of a cab�u binvu�g m Semsh l kado«s, locn[ed 3� uules north of McCall., m uadnoon on t londm-. llw o— of the mbm Vem Petasou, ivas u-ae ivl —the bLiw occuaed but escaped i jmvd No other utformxuon —m:vlable IVeduesdm- http:// www. mccallstamews .com /pages/lead _page.php 2/23/2012 This week's front page stories Fire season begins on Payette, Boise forests Lightning sparks blazes, mobilizes efforts BY TOM GROTE The %—W N— Fire season began on the Payette and Boise national forest this week following fighting storms that moved through the area. Because of the high fire danger, McCall Fire and EMS will not issue any more burn permits inside the McCall city limits until conditions change, Chief Mark Billmire said. Recreational campfires in approved campsites and fire pits are still allowed but must be monitored at all tines Bilknire said Five fires were berg fought on the Boise National Forest with the largest being the 100 -acre C Fire about 10 miles southeast of Donnelly The C Fie was burning in timber, but no structures were threatened as of mid -week. Observers said the fire was torching the tops of trees and throwing out }laming embers in advance of the fine tine About 25 firefighters were dispatched to the blaze and a heavy ktt helicopter made repeated water drops four specialty trained "hotshot crews of 20 persons each were due to arrive to help battle the blaze. A special management team was ordered to help battle the fire and replace a smaller management team from the Payette National Forest The C Fire is located within the area protected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, but is located on the Boise National Forest. "L' the o;, ^.c; fir; bum: g „ the °v se forest were less than two acres and mostly within the Deadwood and Bear Valley areas. They were being "tit with a combination of hand crews, engines and aicraft. PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST Firefighters were responding to 11 fire starts across the Payette forest due to lightning from scattered thunderstorms that brought little moisture across the area. The Little Sainon Fie was the largest fire at 59 acres located on private property near Pmehurst but within the Payette National Forest protection area The Sheep Rock Fie was located on the Council Ranger District in the Hens Canyon Seven Devils National Scenic Area, about 2 miles southeast of the Hells Canyon Dam, and grew to about 30 acres. The remaining fines were scattered across the forest and ranged from 1/10 of an acre to three acres. Fire detection fights were being Ibwn as 'smokes' continued to pop up across the forest. 'The forest has now dried out enough to carry fire' said Gary Brown, the Payette's fire management staff officer 'Although there are currently no fire restrictions in place, they are being evaluated' Brown said. 'Be extremely careful with fire as you recreate across the forest.' Page 1 of l http: iiwww. mccalistamews .comipagesifp_stones _page.ptip fit 1 2%1U 12 This week's front page stories Fire season begins on Payette, Boise forests Lightning sparb blazes, mob dkes efforka BY TOM GROTE The S -Nr Fire season began on the Payette and Boise national forest this week following lighting storms that moved through the area. Because of the high fire danger, McCall Fire and EMS wig not issue any more burn permits inside the McCall city limits until conditions change, Chief Mark Billmire said Recreational campfires in approved campsites and fire pits are std allowed but must be monitored at all times, Billrmire said Five fires were being fought on the Boise National Forest with the largest being the 100 -acre C Fire about 10 miles southeast of Donnelly The C Fire was burning in timber, but no structures were threatened as of mid -week. Observers said the fire was torching the tops of trees and throwing out flaming embers in advance of the fire line. About 25 firefighters were dispatched to the blaze and a heavy lift helicopter made repeated water drops Four specially trained 'hotshot crews of 20 persons each were due to arrive to help battle the blaze A special management team was ordered to help battle the fire and replace a smaller management team from the Payette National Forest The C Fire is located within the area prolected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, but is located an the Boise National Forest. A'.! `hC olha. F 1. tl M �- ,. a , ^ l :h- _ _ a-d m f.tly ,:.d h ^ the Deadwood and Bear Valley areas. They were being "M with a combination of hand crews, engines and aircrafL PAYETTE NATIONAL FOREST Firefighters were responding to t 1 fire starts across the Payette forest due to lightning from scattered thunderstorms that brought little moisture across the area The Little Salmon Fire was the largest fire at 59 acres located on private property near Pinehurst but within the Payette National Forest protection area. The Sheep Rock Fire was located on the Council Ranger District in the Hells Canyon Seven Devils National Scenic Area, about 2 miles southeast of the Hells Canyon Dam, and grew to about 30 acres. The remaining fires were scattered across the lorest and ranged from 1110 of an acre to three acres. Fire detection flights were being fit wn as `smokes' continued to pop up across the fo; est. 'The forest has now dried out enough to carry fire; said Gary Brown, the Payette's fire management staff officer. :lahough there are currently no fire restrictions in place, they are being evaluated,' Brown said "Be extremely careful with fire as you recreate across the forest.' Page 1 of 1 http: i/ N�,N,k, w. mccailstamews .com/page.s/*fp_stones page.php 7/12/2012 Eleanor Leonard From: Tomi Grote [tomig@citlink.net] Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 5:02 PM To: Undisclosed- recipients: Subject: Star -News Subscriber Alert: Fire Closes Idaho 55 at Banks The NEWS UPDATE Idaho 55 has been closed for a two mile stretch at Banks due to The Springs Fire. There is no prediction when the highway will be reopened to traffic. Here is a news release about The Springs Fire from the Boise National Forest. We will strive to alert you when the highway has been reopened. —Star -News staff Springs Fire Update - Fire Activity Has Increased BOISE, Idaho - The Springs Fire has rapidly increased in size this late morning and early afternoon. It is about 2 miles east of Banks along Highway 17 (Banks to Lowman highway). From that point it has moved into an area about 2 miles north of Banks on a ridge about one mile above State Highway 55. Currently there is not a good estimate of the total acreage involved. Highway 55 traffic flows are not affected at the current time, and the Valley County Sheriff is presently working with the Incident Commander and the Idaho Department of Transportation on highway traffic needs. The fireline is holding on the east flank, about 1/2 mile from the Frazier Creek rural subdivision and crews continue to work along that east flank which is a priority area. No other structures are threatened. There is no estimate of containment due to the quickly changing conditions. A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered due to the increasing complexities of the incident. Nearly 200 fire fighters are battling the blaze, with seven crews, five engines, three helicopters and air tankers as requested by the Incident Commander. Very hot temperatures and gusty canyon winds are challenging firefighters today. The highway between Banks and Garden Valley is currently open with traffic control from milepost 1.4 and 5.2. Traffic is one lane and is being escorted by a pilot car. Delays today are about 20 minutes. The fire is in extremely steep terrain with an elevation change of nearly 3000 feet from the bottom to the top of the fire. It is burning in a mixture of grass, brush and pockets of timber. Rafters on the South Fork Payette River will need to use caution traveling the river where the helicopters are dipping. The river is currently open. The entire Boise National Forest is very dry and citizens are reminded to be extremely careful with fire and other activities while enjoying the National Forests. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions will likely be expanded to include the entire Boise National Forest later in the week. Under Stage 1, campfires are only allowed in developed recreation sites and smoking restrictions apply. This week's front page stories Page Payette forest battles two new fires Tuesday Two wildfires flared up on Tuesday on the Payette National Forest. The Hillman Fire was reported about 6 p.m. Tuesday burning on private land in the Boulder Creek Drainage West of the Little Salmon River about 15 miles north of New Meadows. The fire was about 30 acres as of Wednesday, burning in grass and timber. About 40 people, four engines, and two helicopters were working on the fire with more people and equipment expected to arrive. There were multiple structures threatened but no evacuation orders had been issued as of Wednesday, Payette news release said. The fire could cause smoke in the Meadows Valley, along U.S. 95, and the Riggins area, the release said. The Fiatcreek Fire was reported about 3 p.m. Tuesday about 25 miles northeast of McCall near Secesh Meadows. The Secesh Rural Fire Department battled the fire along with Forest Service aircraft and fire engines, along with members of the public. The fire was contained Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at about one -half acre. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 8/2/2012 Eleanor Leonard From: Tomi Grote [tomig @citlink.net] Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 8:45 AM To: Undisclosed- recipients: Subject: Star -News Update: Idaho 55 reopened at 8 a.m. Thursday TAM NDWN NEWS UPDATE Idaho 55 reopened, delays still to be expected The Idaho Transportation Department announced that a four -mile portion of Idaho 55 closed since Tuesday near Banks reopened to traffic at 8 am. Thursday. Motorists can still expect delays as traffic will be led through the area by a pilot car. That potion of Idaho 55 has been closed because the 3,000 acre Springs Fire burning nearby destabilized the soil on the ridges above the highway and sent rocks down on the road. Fire crews are still battling the blaze. Motorists can also expect traffic delays on the Banks -to -Lowman Highway as a pilot car is moving traffic through the area where the fire was lit by Skinnydipper Hot Springs. This week's front page stories Rocks from fire shut down Idaho 55 to traffic BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Idaho 55 at Banks reopened at 8 a.m. Thursday, more than two days after the main link between Valley County and the Boise Valley was cut at Banks by The Springs Fire. The Idaho Department of Transportation warned motorists to expect delays since traffic must be directed by pilot car. Rocks loosened by the fire burning away vegetation tumbled onto the highway Tuesday afternoon, causing officials to shut down the road about 4:45 p.m. Motorists were advised to use U.S. 95 to get to their destinations. There was no prediction as of Wednesday when traffic would be reopened as continued hot and dry weather hampered efforts of firefighters. The Springs Fire had grown to about 3,100 acres as of Wednesday afternoon. The fire had burned along the highway for several miles and was burning heavily in higher areas above the road, a news release from the Boise National Forest said. The Sponge Fite flares up ou Tuesday u" Idaho a7, notth of 13,mb Highway eruct the North Fork or the Fayette River can be seen at bottom of photo The fire advanced mostly to the north on Wednesday, crossing Zimmer Creek about five miles north of Banks, the release said. Also on Wednesday, crews began to attack a 600 -acre fire that broke out late Tuesday night on the south side of the South Fork of the Payette River. The fire was burning about one -half mile east of Banks along the South Fork for about two miles. Fire crews removed brush and trees and set back -fires just southwest of Banks and Idaho 55 as a defensive measure if the fire moves towards that area. The fire led to precautionary evacuation notices for the Banks area, mostly properties in the Phillips Creek area. Residents were advised to be prepared to leave 9 conditions worsened. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 8/9/2012 This week's front page stories Springs fire near Banks grows to 6,150 acres Rocks from blaze closed Idaho SS twice last week BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Firefighters on Wednesday continued to battle the Springs fire near Banks that twice closed the main road between Boise and Valley County last week. The fire had grown to about 6,150 acres by Wednesday morning and was 65 percent contained, a news release from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said. The cause of the fire, which started Aug. 5, was still under investigation. "Good progress" on containment was reported at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday but warnings were issued for winds gusting from 25 to 35 miles per hour on the ridge tops. The fire caused headaches for travelers along Idaho 55 when rocks and debris unleashed by the fire began rolling onto the highway. The danger forced the Idaho Transportation Department to close the highway for about 40 hours between the afternoon of Aug. 7 and the morning of Aug. 9. The danger of rolling rocks returned early Friday morning, and the highway was again closed for about 12 hours, reopening about 5:30 p.m. Friday. Weekend travelers from the Boise Valley were forced to use U.S. 95 through Weiser and New Meadows to reach McCall and other Valley County destinations. PEam aluekry eai,e Nwavd Fe,e¢ - i5LLi4e'e11�W1P all. twkm drops fur retm&' tinadvauf of the Hamm of the 5)x11 p Fav ne" Banks last Frl"_. The surge caused a long line -up of cars along the main street of New Meadows as traffic paused at the three -way intersection of U.S. 95 and Idaho 55. Traffic was backed up all the way through town and up the hill at the west end of town, said Loretta Shively, manager of Turning Point Chevron and A &W All-American Food. The Chevron's gasoline pumps briefly ran out of fuel and the A &W had to order an emergency shipment of chicken strips and cheese from its supplier, Shively said. A total of 593 firefighters and other personnel were battling the Springs Fire on Wednesday. Plans called for a focus on the remaining uncontained fire perimeter with bulldozers working to complete the remaining 1 -1t2 miles of fire line closest to the fire. Motorists were asked not to stop along Idaho 55 or the Banks - Lowman Road through the fire area, which might distract firefighters from their efforts, the news release said. Much of the smoke that residents were seeing in the area was not from the Springs Fire, but from other fires burning to the west, the release said. Equipment assigned to the Springs fire on Wednesday included 30 fire engines, 10 dozers, 11 water tenders and four helicopters. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_ stories _page.php 8/16/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Fire restrictions put into place for national forests Fire restrictions were imposed in central Idaho on Monday due to the expected continuation of hot, dry conditions and high fire danger, The restrictions apply to portions of the Payette and Boise national forests in Valley and Adams counties. Also covered are private lands outside city limits and lands owned by the state or protected by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The restrictions include: • Fires, campfires and stove fires except within a designated recreation site, on a person's own land or inside a building. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building or designated recreation site. Campfires are not permitted at sides that do not have a fire ring. For more information, go to ;ww.fs.usda.gov /payette, go to the Quick Links column and click on "Current Fire Conditions." http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fn tories�age.php 8/16/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Springs Fire declared contained on Sunday The Springs Fire near Banks was declared contained on Sunday by fire managers. The fire, which started Aug. 5 by an unknown cause, burned 6,150 acres, including areas along Idaho 55. The main highway link to Boise was closed twice due to rolling rocks loosened by the flames. Although the fire is contained, fire crews continue to work on rehabilitation and looking for smoldering areas that could flare up. Work includes repairing fence, replacing earth in areas cleared for safety zones and spreading rock and debris over dozer and hand - cleared lines in an effort to return the landscape back to its natural state. Straw waddles have been placed to prevent erosion. A Burned Area Emergency Response team will evaluate the land to help prevent damage to property, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories�age.php 8/23/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Ban on campfires lifted as crews gain control on wildfires BY TOM GROTE The Star -Nevvs A ban on campfires in the region will be lifted on Friday in time for general hunting season next week. The announcement came as firefighting crews continued to make progress containing two forest fires near New Meadows and Donnelly. However, no more permits for other kinds of open burning will be issued, said Mark Woods, chief fire warden for the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. "While cooler temperatures and shorter days have somewhat moderated fire danger, dry and windy conditions are expected to persist," Woods said. Burning permits will no longer be required after Oct. 20, but those who plan to do open buming after that day should be wary of conditions, he said. Hunters were also advised to check with their local Forest Service or Idaho Department of Fish and Game offices to make sure their favorite hunting area were not closed due to the fires. WESLEY FIRE The Wesley Fire, burning 12 miles northwest of New Meadows, was 71 percent contained as of Wednesday, fire officials said. The number of firefighters and support personnel had been cut back to 275 people by Wednesday after topping out at more than 800 people last week. The fire, which was started by lighting on Sept. 9, had burned about 15,300 acres and cost about $13 million to fight as of Wednesday. The northwest portion of the fire was still burning in the Rapid River drainage and was expected to slowly spread to the north, a news release said. Fire crews were on guard for possible windy conditions expected through tonight that could fan the flames beyond current containment lines. SHEEP FIRE The Sheep Fire, burning north of Riggins near Lucile, was 41 percent contained as of Wednesday. The fire had burned about 48,000 acres and cost $13.4 million. A total of 346 firefighters and support personnel were assigned to the fire as of Wednesday. The fire was started by a person on Sept. 6, but the exact cause has not been determined. Flames moved slowly on the northeast comer and east side of the fire on Tuesday, but were held in check with the assistance of helicopter water drops, a news release said The fire was more active in Nut Basin and West Fork of Allison Creek, but crews held the fire in place. Felling crews finished snag removal along Slate Creek Road. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories�age.php 10/4/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Wesley, Sheep fires continue to burn forests, money BY TOM GROTE The Star -Nd s The Wesley and Sheep fires continued to bum this week through difficult terrain, frustrating efforts by firefighters to contain the blazes. As of Wednesday, the two fires had cost a combined estimated total of $31.2 million since they were ignited a month ago. WESLEY FIRE Firefighting efforts continued to wind down on the Wesley fire, located 12 miles northwest of McCall, that had burned 15,300 acres by Wednesday. The main fire camp that was set up near the Evergreen Forest Products sawmill at Tamarack was broken down on Monday. The camp was moved back to the Adams County Fairgrounds in Council where 9 was first established after the fire was started by lightning on Sept. 9. A total of 57 people were assigned to the fire, a fraction of the more than 800 people who were battling the blaze at its peak. The cost of the fire was estimated at $14.5 million. No buildings have been burned but two firefighters have been injured so for. Containment was listed at 62 percent with the fire burning uncontained in the Rapid River drainage on the fire's north side. No fire crews are assigned to the Rapid River area due to the steep and remote terrain. The blaze is being watched by aircraft and fire lookouts as it bums naturally through the area, a Payette National Forest news release said. SHEEP FIRE The toll for the Sheep Fire burning near Lucile north of Riggins was estimated $16.7 million as of Wednesday. The fire had burned about 48,526 acres. Three firefighters have been injured and two buildings - a mining processing building and an outbuilding - have burned. About 200 firefighters and support crews were assigned to the blaze, which was started by an unknown person on Sept. 6. The fie was active this week between Patrol Point and North Fork of Slate Creek, with flames torching the tops of trees. Hunters are advised to contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to see if their favorite hunting spots have been closed due to the firefighting efforts for both the Wesley and Sheep fires. http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 10/11/2012 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Rain douses Wesley, Sheep fires; crews withdraw Fire crews were pulled off the Wesley Fire near New Meadows and the Sheep Fire near Riggins after weekend rains cooled the blazes. All crews were withdrawn this week from the Wesley Fire, which has grown to about 16,000 acres and cost $14.8 million. The fire was officially called 50 percent contained on Monday, and travel restrictions were lifted around the fire's perimeter. The northwest portion of the fire was still burning in the Lake Fork Creek and Rapid River drainages, where smoldering was expected to continue, a Payette National Forest news release said. On the Sheep Fire, a total 63 firefighters and support people were on the scene as of mid -week. The fire was officially set at about 48,626 acres and 68 percent contained. Flames were expected to creep and smolder on the fire's east flank and in deep draws, a news release said. Rehabilitation crews went to work to restore burned areas as well as fire breaks created by firefighters on both fires. The Wesley Fire was started by lightning on Sept. 9, while the Sheep Fire was started by an unknown person on Sept. 6. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 10/18/2012 IF This week's _ ont page stories Page 1 of 1 TOP NEWS STORIES — THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013 . Roseberry's Search Lightning sparks forest fires on Payette National Forest Engines: Volunteers 9 9 p Y Help visitors with questions about Valley County Lightning from passing thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon and evening ignited a series of small Museum wildfires on the Payette National Forest. Firefighters moved quickly on a cluster of six fires in the Back to Front Page Savage Point area about 10 air miles southwest of Big SERIOUS ACCIDENTS MAR WEEK Creek, with all six fires declared contained or controlled by Wednesday afternoon, a Payette fire bulletin said. The Ranger Fire located just west of Brundage Reservoir r tia grew to two acres Wednesday afternoon and declared 50 ' percent contained. y A fire was ignited Wednesday about four miles south of Lost Valle Reservoir west of New Meadows. Boise INJURED 11& IN WRECK icto Lsm Zmek.. ;9, of Y Boise. was ticking this moorncle 7UescLay afternoon when it crashed into a boat bang towed The fire, called the Lost Fire, was quickly contained, but byacardm-euby StephenBtarmem.59, ofMonsE investigators were working to determine if the fire was hays °Oabout police the a The accident caused by people, the bulletin said. nn ringf romIdaho53ontoPleasantAcresDrieat Lake Fork Zurek attempted to pass but ran into the The Papoose Fire, burning since July 8 in the Frank aambu�lmueto'A Luke's Zurek where hewass Church River of No Return Wilderness, was set at 4,420 treated and ieleasei acres by Wednesday. "We were fortunate to have a little rain from the thunderstorms that passed over the forest Tuesday," said Gary Brown, the Payette's fire management officer. r "But we are concemed about the fires that could pop-up over the next several days or even weeks,° Brown said. Dead trees and brush are d across the Payette, but live, s. Paul Vau-te of dry Y DOIiNELLl ti'OBL�N PIES - Capt Paul \ "writer of green trees and vegetation are keeping fires small so far, he Domt elh -Fire and EMS exwmies docivueuts from said. a car Hut rolled m-a- on Idaho _7,5 near Slauk Lane I Monday mght, killing Stefaur Priest. 43. of Dounelly A car chiren by Priest was headaig south That could change is hot, dry weather continues on the of Idaho;;nea Spu*l:aneabout6.5opm forest, Brown Said. Bior lm- when it left the road and came back onto theroad, HuCaReyCounty Sheriffs Office reported The diver o-erconected the stewing and No fire restriction were in effect as of Wednesday, but the car rolled sera:d times, throwing Priest from visitors are encouraged to check in at a ranger district office where the ca. the shmffa office said She was before heading out for camping trips, he said. taken by ambulance to St Luke's McCall,idtereshe was prouotatced dead The cause of the amdwrt was still undw nawstigatiot ou Wednesday "The public needs to err on the side of caution and keep their eyes open,' Brown said. Anyone who wants a -mail updates sent to them should send a note to payettefireinformation @gmail.com requesting their e-mail address to be added to the Payette's mailing list http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.phn 7/18/2013 This week's front page stories Firefighters battle two blazes near Stibnite, Yellow Pine Firefighters were battling two fires on Wednesday near Yellow Pine and the historic Stibnite Mining District in Valley County. The largest of the fires, the Thunder City Fire, located four miles northeast of Stibnite, had grown to 494 acres by Wednesday. The fire was started by lightning last Friday. A total of 259 people were assigned to the fire as of Wednesday, including four helicopters and six 20- person ground crews, a news release said. A fire base that was set up this week along East Lake Fork Road will be packed up and moved to the Cox Ranch along Johnson Creek Road closer to the fire, the release said. The fire was burning both within and outside of the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness. The most activity was on the east side with winds pushing the fire to the north and east as well as some slow backing towards Sugar Creek inside the wilderness. In addition, the fire threw embers over Rainbow Ridge to the east and started new spot fires. The plan for Wednesday was to dig and maintain fire lines on the west and east sides of the fire. Tanker planes dropping fire retardant and helicopter dropping water will be used as needed, the news release said. The second fire, also started last Friday, is called the Bear Lake Fire and is 10 miles northeast of Yellow Pine. The fire, which also was caused by lightning last Friday, had grown by 20 acres by Wednesday morning. Eight people were assigned to watch the fire and limit its spread. The fire was not expected to affect the Yellow Pine Harmonica and Music Festival scheduled for Aug. 2-4. A public meeting on the Bear Lake Fire will begin at 11 a.m. today at the Yellow Pine Community Center. BURNING PERMITS SUSPENDED In a related development, burning permits will not longer be issued by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective District until conditions improve, SITPA Fire Warden Mark Woods said. The area covered runs from the north end of Meadows Valley through Long Valley to below Smiths Ferry. Issuing of burning permits also has been suspended by the McCall Fire Protection District. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 7/25/2013 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Fire, smoking restrictions imposed in region starting today Restrictions on fires and smoking on public lands go into effect today with continuing hot, dry conditions and high fire danger. The rules, which will continue indefinitely, ban open burning, a campfire or a stove fire except within a designated recreation site. Fires are allowed on a private citizen's own land within a fire ring. Smoking is also banned on public lands except in a car, building or recreation site, or in an area that cannot burn within three feet of the smoker. Exceptions include those burning propane as long as they are used in area cleared of flammable material. Any land within a city is also an exception. Areas where the ban is in effect include the Payette and Boise national forests, state forests, and private lands protected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. For a detailed map and information, visit nwew idahofireinfo blm.gov. Meanwhile, firefighters continued this week to battle the Thunder City Fire near the Stibnite Mining District in Valley County. The fire, which was started by lightning on July 19, had grown to 1,262 acres by Wednesday and was 15 percent contained, a Payette forest news release said. A total of 179 firefighters and support crews were battling the blaze from a base camp at the Cox Rench along Johnson Creek. Favorable weather over the last few days has kept the fire from growing quickly, with spot fires reported on Tuesday on the northeast side near Rainbow Ridge, the release said. Travelers are asked to avoid going beyond Monumental Summit east of Stibnite because of the threat of the fire spreading. Also, the 54 -acre Bear Lake Fire located 10- miles of northeast of Yellow Pine was being watched but no firefighters were assigned to it. That fire also was started by lightning on July 19. http: //www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_ stories _page.php 8/1/2013 Star.NeWS NeWS Page Lead Story Wings & Rotors Aircraji of various types gather in McCall to fight forest fires BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News One quick glance around the McCall Airport and its clear to see that forest fire season has taken off. A variety of airplanes and all sizes of helicopters are occupying space along the west side of the airstrip. "We've got the whole gamut here," Assistant McCall Air Tanker Base Manager Stanley Bercovitz said. Weather forecasts and history are the two biggest reasons the Payette National Forest has a lot of firefighting aircraft stationed at the airport, Payette National Forest Public Information Officer Brian Harris said. To assist with all the air traffic, the Forest Service has brought in a temporary FAA tower and air traffic controllers based on the southeast side of the runway. "We know for this part of the country the fire season is pretty much July through August or September with large fires continuing to burn until the snow ffies," Harris said. In addition to the air tanker base, the Forest Service also operates the McCall Smokejumper Base and newly built McCall HeliBase on the west side of the airport. "We've had a lot of stuff rolling through, so we are just putting aircraft where there is space," Payette Aviation Officer Mett Shaddle said. The majority of the planes, helicopters and supporting personnel are considered "national resources," which means they can get an order to fight fire anywhere in the country at any time, Shaddie said. Here is a review of some of the firefighting aircraft assigned to McCall: FIREBOSS 861 AND TANKER 880 Fire Boss 851 and Tanker 880 are both Single Engine Air Tanker planes. The Fire Boss has pontoons and an automatic water scooper capable of picking up it own water from nearby lakes or rivers, said pilot Jesse Weaver, 47 of Lafayette, Louisiana. The Fire Boss is owned by Aero Spray of Appleton, Minn., and costs $4,000 per day to have on station and at least another $4,000 plus an hour to operate. Some aircraft such as the Fire Boss are here on an Idaho Department of Lands contract but the plane is shared with the Forest Service. Tanker 880 holds about 750 gallons of red fire retardant or water and costs about $2,300 dollars a day. HEAVY AIR CRANE Stationed on the north end of the runway is the massive orange - colored Air Crane owned by Erickson Aviation of Portland that can suck water from a long tube that hangs from its fuselage. The helicopter flies with a crew of three people plus a full support crew on the ground for maintenance. The Sky -Crane costs about $7,800 per hour to operate. ALPHA ALPHA Also currently stationed at McCall is the fixed wing Aero Commander reserved for air attack personnel. "They're our eye in the sky and fly at a higher elevation to control the air traffic and communicate with firefighters on the ground to let them know what the fire is doing," Harris said. The plane is owned by The Av Center in Pocatello, and can cost between $7,000 and $8,000 per day to fry. JUMPER 41, JUMPER 43, JUMPER 44 Three Twin Otter planes rotate the duties of carrying smokejumpers to remote fires and dropping supplies to firefighters on the ground. Jumper 41 and Jumper 43 are owned by the Forest Service. The planes spend the winter at a Forest Service hangar in Ogden, Utah, Both planes cost an average of $950 per hour to operate. Jumper 44 is a contract ship owned by Leading Edge Aviation of Missoula, Mont. HELITANKER 741, K -MAX 414, 4QS Helitanker 741, also owned by Erickson Aviation, is based in Minden, Nev. The sky cranes have just over a 2,000 - gallon tank that can be filled in less than a minute. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/lead_page.php Page 1 of 2 8/8/2013 Star -News New�age_Lead Story Page 1 of 1 Payette duty officers get the ball rolling when wildfires break out BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News When a wildfire breaks out on the Payette National Forest, one of the first persons to get a phone call is the duty officer. When a fire call comes to the Payette fire dispatch center, the call is transferred to the duty officer on either the West Zone (Council and Weiser ranger districts), the Central Zone (New Meadows and McCall districts) or the East Zone (Krassel district), Payette Fire Management Officer Gary Brown said. The duty officer then determines how many people and what kinds of equipment should be sent out to the fire scene. A typical response would be a helicopter, a fire engine and a 20-person hand crew, Brown said. When they arrive on the scene, a fire crew leader reports back to the duty officer to determine if more firefighters or equipment is needed, Brown said. Airborne observers flying above the tankers, helicopters and ground crews use iPads to take photographs and videos and collect information about fires. That data is then sent out using cellphone technology, Harris said. "It's technology we are using for the first time this season and it's really made a huge difference for the duty officers to actually see what's happening at a fire that may be miles away,' he said. hq:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages/lead_page.php 8/8/2013 This week's front page stories Lightning starts 2014 wildfire season 1 ! fires reported on Payette forest; open burning banned, campfires OK BY TOM GROTE The Star-News Fire managers had contained and controlled eight of the 11 wildfires started on the Payette National Forest by Sunday night's lightning storms, fire officials said Wednesday. Continuing hot, dry weather has let to the banning of open burning through the area. Three fires were being worked on Wednesday, with good progress being made on each of them, said Gary Brown, fire management officer for the Payette National Forest. "It really helped us in having firefighting resources available locally and within the region to quickly suppress these fires," Brown said. The Logan, Rush and Weasel Springs Fires were activity burning on Wednesday and were expected to burn for "a number of days" as hot and dry weather conditions were expected to continue, he said. LOGAN FIRE The Logan Fire on the Krassel Ranger District was four miles west of the Big Creek work station. It was 20 acres and 15 percent contained on Wednesday. The fire is near the communities of Big Creek and Edwardsburg, but no evacuations have been ordered and no structures have been lost. RUSH FIRE The Rush Fire is located on Idaho Department of Lands timber land protected by the Payette 12 miles west of Council. The fire was 70 acres and burning in mixed conifer on Wednesday. No structures were threatened by the fire, which was 5 percent contained. WEASEL SPRING FIRE The Weasel Springs Fire was on Council Ranger District 15 miles northwest of Council. It was 34 acres and 40 percent contained on Wednesday burning in mixed conifer tree stands, with no structures are threatened. Smoke seen in the valleys throughout the Payette forest is mostly a result of fires burning in Washington, British Columbia and from the 6,400 acres Pittsburg Fire within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Brown said. "The western part of the forest is getting some smoke from the fires in the Garden Valley area, but most of the smoke over the rest of the forest is coming from the west and northwest," he said. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality forecast smoke will likely remain in the valleys until early afternoons for the next several days, and may become thicker throughout the weekend. There are no fire restrictions in effect for the Payette forest. Camp fires are permitted, but campers need to be aware that fuel conditions are dry, Brown said. SITPA Battles Fires Sunday's lightning storm started four fires on lands protected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, Chief Fire Warden Mark Woods said. All were quickly controlled or put out, Woods said. The largest, the Little Mud fire was controlled at 2.2 acres and burned on Potlatch timber lands. The Brown, West Pine and Little Mud fires burned in the New Meadows area, and the Eagle fire was on federal land in the Gold Fork river drainage, he said. SITPA stopped issue permits for open burning on Monday under conditions improve. Permits are required by the state to burn yard debris and slash between May 10 and Oct. 20. Permits are not required for campfires, and there are no campfire restrictions in effect in the area. For questions, contact Woods at 634 -2268 or mwoods @sitpa.idaho.gov Fire departments in Donnelly and McCall joined with SITPA to suspend issuing burning permits within the cities of McCall and Donnelly. The city of Cascade never allows open burning within the city limits between May 10 and Oct. 20, Cascade Fire Chief Jim Hass said. New Meadows has no regulations requiring permits for open burning for any time of the year, city clerk Mac Qualls said. Page 1 of 1 http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_st.on*es _page.php 7/17/2014 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Fire burns 2.3 acres near YMCA camp at Horsethlef A wildfire burned about 2.3 acres last Friday at the YMCA camp near Horsethief Reservoir east of Cascade. Firefighters from the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association were called at about 4:30 p.m., Chief Fire Warden Mark Woods said. STIPA crews used four engines and two water tankers and were joined by a hot -shot crew and a Forest Service fire engine. Two helicopters also dropped water on the fire. The fire was pronounced under control at 8 a.m. Saturday. The blaze was believed to be person - caused but no cause had been announced as of Wednesday. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 7/24/2014 Star -News News Page—Lead Story Wildfire burns 63 acres, threatens McCall homes Helicopters, planes used to keep flames from spreading BY TOM GROTE The Star-News A wildfire sent billows of smoke into the air and threatened homes on the south end of McCall on Saturday. A total of 63 acres were burned, but no homes were lost and no one was injured. Firefighters from four different agencies battled the blaze, called the White Cloud Fire, from the ground and the air as worried residents of the Valley View and Falcon Crest subdivisions looked on. The fire was probably accidentally set, but the exact cause has not been determined, said Mark Woods, fire warden of the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. A fire investigator from the Nez Perce Tribe visited the fire scene but his findings had not been released as of Tuesday, Woods said. Emergency dispatch lines started ringing at several agencies about 12:30 p.m. Saturday as smoke become visible from the fire, which started near a gravel pit off West Mountain Road, McCall Fire & EMS Chief Mark Billmire said. Cheyenne Saunders and and Matt Fronk from the Krazsel Helitack Brew station in McCall take a break fmm battling the White Cloud Fire on Saturday as a tree erupts in flames behind them. The fire moved from dried grass and sagebrush into trees near the undeveloped White Cloud subdivision, Woods said Witnesses saw the tops of trees explode in flames with embers being thrown out, setting spot fires ahead of the main blaze. As the flames crept toward two homes on Chris Lane, the Payette National Forest was called to send two helicopters from the nearby McCall Smokejumper Base to drop up to 300 gallons of water at a time from buckets. Also, a single -engine air tanker made eight drops of 800 gallons each of red-colored retardant on the edge of the blaze. Flames Spread Halted The flames were stopped several hundred yards from the homes about 2:20 p.m. and no evacuations were necessary, Woods said. McCall firefighters are not trained to battle grass fires, so they parked fire trucks at the two houses, owned by Brent Richards and Bruce and Terri McLean, in case the blaze came closer. A water tanker from Donnelly Fire & EMS also responded to provide extra water to firefighters on Chris Lane, which has no fire hydrants. As many as 10 firefighters from SITPA were joined by about 45 Forest Service firefighters, smokejumpers and heli- repellers to assist with keeping the fire contained, Payette Fire Staff Officer Gary Brown said. Firefighters stayed on scene until nightfall putting out embers and smoldering trees to prevent flare - ups. The task resumed early Sunday and continued into the week. "It's 63 acres - you put out every single ember on this thing," Woods said. Both Woods and Brown reminded residents with adjoining pastures and stands of trees that fire danger is still high even with cooler fall nights. "They forget about how dry that ungrazed pasture land can be," Woods said. "People let their guard down, but after a frost, fuels dry out the most," Brown said. Rebecca Hurd, who lives on Chris Lane, said the fire has changed her daily routine. "My morning running route starts by heading west through the field that is now black and burnt," Hurd said. "Saturday morning I was out there, savoring the serenity and beauty all around me. How quickly things can change." Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /lead _page.php 9/11/2014 This week's front page stories Cause of White Cloud fire to stay under wraps Investigators will try to find persons responsible for Sept. 6 blaze BY TOM GROTE The Star -News A report on the likely cause of the Sept. 6 White Cloud Fire that threatened homes on the south side of McCall will not be made public "any time soon," a firefighting official said. The report on the fire, which burned 63 acres, will remain confidential while investigators try to find out who is responsible for the fire, said Mark Woods, fire warden with the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association in McCall. "If the report specifically identifies a responsible person or persons, the report would become part of a legal action by the state to recover suppression costs," Woods said. If that happens, the investigation would be sent to the Idaho Attorney General's Office to decide whether a civil action should be filed. If the report does not name a person responsible for the fire, then SITPA will continue to try to find out the persons responsible for starting the blaze, Woods said. Woods previously said the fire likely was accidental, but stressed a definite cause would not be known until the investigation was completed. s -?I. Pw ht_o- McCall Fie & EMS Capt. Brandon Swain on Monday explains how the White Cloud Fire was fought to fourth graders from Riverstone I nternational School in Boise who ate studying natural disasters. The report from the investigator, employed by the Nez Perce Tribe, had not been received by Woods as of Wednesday. The fire was reported about 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 when smoke became visible near a gravel pit off West Mountain Road. The fire moved from dried grass and sagebrush into trees near the undeveloped White Cloud subdivision, causing the tops of trees to explode in flames and throwing out embers that set more fires ahead of the main blaze. 50 Firefighters More than 50 firefighters from SITPA and the Payette National Forest battled the blaze with help from helicopters dropping buckets of water on the flames and a single- engine air tanker dropping fire retardant ahead of their path. The flames were stopped several hundred yards from two homes on Chris Lane that were closest to the edge of the fire. Firefighters stayed on the scene for the next four days to be sure any smoldering trees or brush did not flare up. Anyone with information on activity in the area of the fire the night Sept. 5 or the morning of Sept. 6 should contact Woods at mwoods @sitpa.idaho.gov or 634 -2268. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 9/18/2014 This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1 Fall forest fires burn near Cascade, Riggins Firefighter recovering after hit by falling tree BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Two late- season forest fires had burned 94 acres near Cascade and 3,570 acres near Riggins by Wednesday, fire officials reported. The Freezeout Ridge Fire, which began Sept. 5, was burning about 11 miles southwest of Riggins, according to Forest Service reports. An Oregon firefighter was reported in fair condition on Wednesday after a dead tree fell on him Sunday while he was fighting the fire. Richard (Wally) Ochoa Jr, 51, a member of the Winema Interagency Hotshot Crew, suffered a fractured skull, two broken arms, a broken jaw, and a broken thumb, as well as numerous lacerations, a news release said. Ochoa was taken by helicopter to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he remained on Wednesday. Expected high winds on Wednesday caused fire managers to remove all firefighters from the fire line. Sustained winds of 30 miles per hour with gusts to 45 mph were forecast through today. The cause of the Freezeout Ridge Fire was listed as unknown on Wednesday. Before the weather turned, firefighters mainly used helicopters equipped with buckets for dropping water on the fire due to the rugged terrain. The work was concentrated in the Granite and Rapid River drainages. A total of 219 people were assigned to the fire along with six helicopters. Part of the fire was burning in the wilderness of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, where its spread was being watched but not actively fought. Firefighting efforts were focused on the part of the fire located on the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forest. Several trails in the vicinity of the fire have been closed. Bull Fire The Bull Fire, which started last Thursday, had burned 94 acres about 14 miles southeast of Cascade by Wednesday. The cause was listed as unknown. Firefighters on Tuesday began mop -up operations, clearing smoldering hot pockets of embers in the ground and breaking off still- burning branches that were easily reached, a Boise National Forest news release said. Nearly all of the line dug around the fire had been mopped -up over 25 feet into the fire by Tuesday. Wednesday's goal was to continue to expand that operation up to 100 feet inside the fire line, the news release said. The fire is in an area between the Bull Creek drainage and Middle Fork Payette River, and was burning slowly in timber in a remote area. No structures were threatened but several trails in the area were closed. Four helicopters were operating from the Cascade Airport to shuttle supplies to 115 firefighters assigned to the Bull Fire. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 9/25/2014 Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1 Wildfire season comes early to Payette National Forest Fire season got started early this week on the Payette National Forest as firefighters responded to a 15 -acre wildfire near Council on Monday. "We are already experiencing burning conditions that are more like early to mid - summer," McCall Fire & EMS Chief Mark Billmire said. "People need to be aware that fire can get away from them and quickly become a threat to life and property." Payette firefighters responded to the Shingle Flat fire 3 miles northeast of Council on Monday afternoon. The fire was intentionally lit on private land by a private landowner, but quickly got of control and spread onto national forest land and through a ponderosa pine stand. "We saw active fire on the north side of the ridge, and flames eight to 10 feet high on the southern side," said Randy Skelton, deputy fire management officer for the Payette. "Our north slopes should still be covered in snow at this time of year," Shelton said. No structures where threatened in this fire. The Payette had 10 firefighters on site Tuesday to ensure the fire did not flare back up. People are not aware of the unseasonable dry burning conditions and are setting fires as they have traditionally done, said Greg Keller, assistant fire warden for the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association. "We have a lot of people that bring the entire family together to conduct traditional field and debris burning," Keller said. "The likelihood of fire getting away from them is very much a reality." The Payette and Ponderosa State Park plan controlled burns this spring, but those bums fires are done under controlled conditions with fuel breaks in place, he said. "Please don't think that because the agencies are burning, that it's safe for you to burn too," Keller said. Conditions across central Idaho are in what is termed as "pre -green up," where wildfires tend to bum more actively due to absence of green vegetation and the overabundance of dead vegetation, a Payette news release said. "We are in a unique situation where we have neither a heavy snow pack, nor have we received spring rains," said Gary Brown, fire management officer for the Payette. "The danger is that a fire that may not spread in the morning, but will actively spread in the afternoon," Brown said. Fire managers are asking people to use caution when burning, or better yet, postpone burning until conditions improve. An alternative to burning yard debris is to use collection programs organized by the McCall, Donnelly and Cascade fire districts. The programs will begin May 23 and run through June. "People have asked me if we are in for a severe fire year," Brown said. "My answer is that it's too early to tell, but right now, burning conditions are such that small yard or field burning projects can quickly become wildfires." http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups _page.php 3/12/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Fire near Gardena that closed Idaho 55 declared contained Fire managers on Monday made full containment of the Gardena Fire, which closed Idaho 55 on Sunday north of Horseshoe Bend. The Gardena Fire started around 5 p.m. Sunday and grew to 213 acres as it burned in grass and some brush. The fire closed a portion of Idaho 55 Sunday evening, but the highway was reopened Sunday night in both directions. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Gardena Fire is being managed by the Idaho Department of Lands Southwest Forest Protective District with assistance from the Horseshoe Bend Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, and federal Bureau of Land Management. With the upcoming Independence Day weekend and extreme fire conditions expected in the region, fire managers are asking the public to be extra cautious to not accidentally start a fire in the outdoors. Idahoans are also reminded that fireworks are prohibited on forest and range lands in Idaho. Also, Potlatch Corp. announced on Wednesday that no campfires or open burning will be allowed on its property due to extreme fire danger. The burning ban on Potlatch's Idaho properties will remain in effect until conditions improve. Additional information can be found at www.potiatchcorp.com. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 7/2/2015 Thursday JULY 2, 2015 PUBLISHED IN McCALL, IDAHO The Fires Last Time Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 The Fires Last Time If history is any guide, this summer should see wide - ranging forest fires BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News If the calendar is right, this summer should rank among the worse wildfire years on record. The prediction is not surprising given last winter's low snowpack and early high temperatures. But recent history also backs up the likelihood of a severe fire years. It has been eight years since the last big fire year, in 2007. It was seven years before that, in 2000, that the area was swept by devastating fires. The cycle kicked off in 1994, six years before 2000, when the Payette National Forest and surrounding areas were swept by fires of a staggering proportion. Here is retrospective of these previous severe fire years, which have occurred every six to seven years. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 7/2/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page 2000: Burgdorf fire leads to visit by President Clinton In August 2000, wildfires in McCall received worldwide attention as former President Bill Clinton visited firefighters battling the over 25,500 acres Burgdort Junction Fire 25 miles northeast of town. Nearly 700 army troops were called in to assist firefighters who had battled the blaze since nearly the end of June. "It was a morale boost," Swan said. "Regardless of your political beliefs, the president came to visit us at the fire camp that was at Three Creek in this meadow north of Burgdort." President Clinton flew over the fire and then sat down to have a sack lunch with fire officials before addressing hundreds of firefighters. #. President Bill Clinton visited firefighters battling "You have to remember by this time we had several large the BufgdorfJunction fire north of McCall in 2000. fires burning all over and it was a long grind for everyone on this forest and the resources being brought in," Swan said. "I can remember he was just as charismatic in person as he appeared to be on TV." The Yellow Pine Complex included the Nick Peak, the Indian and the Diamond Complex fires that burned close to 200,000 acres near the South Fore Salmon River drainage. "The large fires just wore you down," Swan said. "Everyone on the forest, even in other departments not related to fire, all stopped their projects and for months were assigned to help support fire." Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 7/2/2015 . Star -News News Lead Story Page 2007: Cascade Complex burns 250,000 acres near Yellow Pine The backcountry hamlet of Yellow Pine east of Cascade survived three massive fires during the summer of 2007. Firefighters battled the nearly 140,000 acres Zena Loon Fire and the Monumental and Riordan fires — both at 50,000 acres. Eventually called the Cascade Complex Fire, nearly 250,000 acres burned as firefighters fought to protect homes and cabins at Warm Lake and Yellow Pine. The Zena Loon Lake Fire became part of the East Zone Complex Fire and burned nearly 150,000 acres. With around 100 fires per year, the Payette National Forest bums an average of 54,000 acres during a normal fire year. Hot temperatures, heat and low humidity have forced fire officials to bring in an extra 20- person crew and aviation equipment, Deputy Fire Officer David Vining said. "For this date our burn index is higher than what we've seen over the past 20 years; Vining said. "I breathe easy we're done with fire season until about mid - October Stv -Neva fde FLow A ehaned sign that penionsly said "Entering National Forest Land" is shown in a photo taken during the 2007 Zem Loon Fire at Secesh Meadows north of McCall. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /lead _page.php 7/2/2015 , Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 1994: Payette Lake Homes Threatened, Smokejumpers Killed "I could see this big ball of fire and I knew we were in for a long day. —Larry Swan Larry Swan remembers the night his wife told him to go outside and look out across Payette Lake after an intense lighting storm hit the McCall area in August 1994. "The storm that had come through was incredible," said Swan, who was the McCall District Fire Management Officer when he retired from the Payette National Forest in 2004. "I looked out and could see this big ball of fire up there and I knew we were in for a long next day," Swan said. The storm started a series of small fires on the McCall and New Meadows districts that grew into two of the largest firestorms of the Payette National Forest. During the summer of 1994, the Blackwell Complex burned an estimated 42,300 acres and still today the scars from this fire can still be seen to the north, northeast of Payette Lake. The Corral Creek fire originated on the New Meadows District to the west and burned 32,000 acres encroaching to less than six miles west of Burgdorf Hot Springs above McCall. "I'll never forget the sound these two huge fires made when they eventually merged," Swan said. "When the Blackwell raced towards Secesh Summit and joined the Corral fire it sounded like a freight train." Adding to the already thick plumes of smoke, the Chicken Complex Fire eventually jumped the South Fork Salmon River near the old Smith Knob Lookout and burned an area of about 24,150 acres from Mackay Bar to almost the border of the Krassel Ranger District. Nearly 2,200 fire fighters, including army support units were deployed to help fight the Blackwell, Corral Creek and Chicken fires that lasted until weather helped put a stop to the endless smoke. "These all started as several smaller fires, but because of the conditions, crews struggled to contain them and it just became dangerous where we had to pull them off and re -group with more resources," Swan said. Across the west, wildfires in several states devastated communities and stretched resources. Two McCall smokejumpers died in the South Canyon Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo. Jim Thrash and Roger Roth were among those who were unable to outrun the fire and died when the blaze broke through the fire line below them raced up steep terrain. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /lead _page.php 7/2/2015 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Lightning sparks wildfires on forests around Valley County BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Lightning sparked numerous wildfires on Payette National Forest and Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association lands surrounding McCall this week. Two, 20- person specialized "hot shot" crews will be arriving in McCall today as more lightning and wind were predicted. Firefighters put out two of the fires and so far have kept most of the new fires small. "We have been successful with our initial attack efforts by utilizing aerial resources in support of ground based firefighters," Payette Deputy Fire Staff Officer Dave Vining said. About 20 firefighters including the 20- person Cedar City Hot Shots from Utah battled the Fish Lake Fire located about two miles west of Idaho 55 and the Little Ski Hill on Wednesday. Payette crews and SITPA firefighters were also battling the acre and a half sized blaze that started earlier this week from lightening, Fire Information Officer La Dawn Saxton said. Due to the fires proximity to homes on Rock Flat, a bulldozer, helicopter and small air tanker plane were also being used to contain the fire. A specialized management team was assigned to the West Fork Scriver Fire, located 13 miles north of Crouch near Smiths Ferry. The fire started Monday night and is burning in heavy, standing timber and had grown to more than 200 acres by Tuesday, Saxton said. On Tuesday, firefighters also were attacking the Smith Fire located on the west side of the South Fork of the Salmon River near Smith Knob. A helicopter crew was assisting two McCall smokejumpers and a 10 -person firefighting crew. The blaze that had grown to almost an acre in size in brush snags. Smaller Fires Fought Earlier this week, firefighters put out five small fires on the McCall Ranger District from Monday's lightning storm. The Sawpit Fire near Indian Peak Ridge, Warren Fire southeast of Warren Summit north of McCall, Summit Fire located southwest of Warren Summit, Loon Creek fire, south of Loon Mountain and Blue Fire south of Blue Lake and Pony Meadows were all contained to about a tenth of an acre, Saxton said. On the New Meadows Ranger District, a helicopter crew was tackling the one -tenth acre Teepee Fire burning in brush above Hazard Creek. On the Krassel Ranger District, two rappelers were fighting the one -tenth acre Buckhom Fire about a mile east of Buckhorn Summit. Five additional wildfires were burning in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The Mosquito Fire located about three miles southwest of Mosquito Springs was reported late Monday night and had burned a quarter of an acre by Tuesday. The Porophry Fire, Dillinger Fire and Oompaul Fire were all burning at under an acre. These fires are in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in difficult, steep rocky terrain and will be monitored by the Forest Service. The Paradise Creek fire near Split Creek was put out Tuesday. Two McCall smokejumpers extinguished the half -acre Boulder Fire that had been burning on SITPA lands near Boulder Summit. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 8/13/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page 2015 fire season underway Residents told to get ready to flee Teepee Springs Fire Blaze along U.S. 95 grows to 6,600 acres BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Boulder Creek Road resident Kathie Wright wasn't surprised when an Adams County Sheriffs deputy knocked on her door Monday and advised her to get ready to leave their homes because of the Teepee Springs Fire. "The lighting hit it last Wednesday and by the next day there was an enormous fire cloud," said Wright, who has lived in the area for 32 years. The Teepee Springs Fire is located about 20 miles south of Riggins and about 22 miles north west of McCall on the east side of U.S. 95. As of Wednesday the fire was estimated at over 6,600 acres with no containment lines completed. About 250 homes, 10 businesses and 375 other structures were in jeopardy from the fire, Public Information officer Julie Thomas said. Sheriffs deputies on Tuesday evacuated residents on the east side of U.S. 95 from north of Smokey Boulder Road to south of Hazard Creek Road. Homeowners on both sides of U.S. 95 in the Elk Lake Road, Circle C Road and the east side of U.S. 95 from Hazard Creek Road to Elk Lake Road were also notified they should get ready to leave. Leave and Watch "We just learned about the evacuations on Monday because we were coming through Riggins on a trip and stopped to talk to the local sheriffs deputy," Boulder Creek Road resident Eddie Heath said. Health and his wife Kris have owned a log home for over 10 years higher on the Boulder Creek Road. "We're going to go collect some of our personal things and go back to Emmett and watch," Health said. As of Wednesday 11 fire crews of 20 persons each from Arkansas, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and New Mexico are fighting the fire, Thomas said. Three helicopters based out of McCall and three bulldozers have been attacking the fire along with 13 engine crews mostly from throughout Idaho, Thomas said. Firefighting operations are headquartered in a base camp set up in Price Valley west of New Meadows. Hazard Springs campground remained closed and no public access was allowed past the junction of Brundage Reservoir and Goose Lake Road. All forest service land west of Brundage Road to the Forest Service boundary in the Meadows Valley area was closed because of the fire. A toll free telephone number has been set up for fire information. It is (877) 683 -1184. MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter in McCall is developing an emergency plan to help temporarily house animals from the mandatory evacuation areas of the Teepee Springs Fire. MCPAWS is asking for help with cat and dog food donations, cat litter donations and volunteer help for the emergency response. Donations may be dropped off during business hours at 831 S. 3rd St. in McCall or call (208) 634 -3647. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 8/20/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Fire restrictions to go into effect as wildfires grow In Payette, Boise forest BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Fire restrictions will go into effect on Friday for the Payette National Forest as firefighters battled several large and small wildfires on the Payette and Boise national forests. "No one is allowed to ignite, build, maintain, attend or use fire outside a fire structure that's provided by the Forest Service within designated areas," Public Information Officer Cheyenne Warner said. "This also prohibits smoking outside an enclosed vehicle or building on forest service lands," Warner said. RAPID FIRE The Rapid Fire 12 miles southeast of McCall had grown to nearly 1,500 acres by Wednesday and continued to expand to the southeast. The fire was burning south of Fogg Lake in the Kennally Lake and Green Mountain area, north of Paddy Flat Road. A forest closure order remained in effect for Forest Service lands east of Boulder Reservoir extending south to include Kennally Creek trailhead and horse camp. A total of 118 people were fighting the fire, including six engines from around the state, four 20- person crews and two bulldozers. The blaze was only 2 percent contained as of Wednesday. COUGAR FIRE N M. Foi Sue m.P Cwna> 6-1 General locations of nearby fires The 600 acre Cougar Fire was burning about 20 miles northeast of Cascade and was 27 percent contained as of Wednesday. Warm Lake Road was open but could be closed at any time due, officials said. A closure west of Warm Lake was still in effect. The fire was being fought by 300 people. West Scriver Fire The West Scriver Fire on Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association lands was 80 percent contained as of yesterday. The 607 acre fire was located 10 miles north of Crouch was not threatening any structures. About 300 firefighting personnel, including two 20- person hotshot crews, seven hand crews, two engines and three helicopters, continued to fight the fire. CAMPBELLS FIRE The Campbells Fire had grown to about 2,500 acres as of Wednesday and was burning in the Trout Creek, Moore Creek, Ruff Creek and Fall Creek areas of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Fire crews were in place to protect Campbells Ferry on the Salmon River. The Payette National Forest has set up a public information hotline at 634 -0820 Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 8/20/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Tepee Springs Fire marches toward Salmon River Steep terrain hampers efforts; evacuation area expanded BY TOM GROTE The Star-News The Tepee Springs fire continued its march north toward the Salmon River on Wednesday aided by high winds, hot temperatures and steep terrain. The fire, located 20 miles north of New Meadows, made a run on Tuesday that extended its northern flank to the Patrick Butte area, said Russ Bird, deputy commander on the fire. The fire was estimated to be within eight miles of the Ruby Rapids area of the Salmon River, Bird said. Authorities expanded evacuation notifications to all populated areas north to Riggins and along the Salmon River to French Creek Road. The Idaho County Sheriffs Office will notify residents that they need to gather their personal items and be prepared to leave in case of an evacuation order. An evacuation center was set up Wednesday at the Riggins Community Center. Lookouts on the Granite and Hershey Point fire lookouts were evacuated on Wednesday as a precaution, a Payette National Forest spokesperson said. The Tepee Springs fire was started by lightning on Aug. 12 and had grown to nearly 19,000 acres by Wednesday. The fire was 30 percent contained, but fire lines have been built mainly on the fire's south and west sides. Those lines stopped the spread of the fire toward homes in the Elk Lake Road and Hazard Creek Road areas. Firefighters have been hampered by steep terrain where the fire is burning, Bird said. Six "hot shot" crews, which are 20 -person team with specialized training, were being sent onto the fire to do initial work on fire lines that regular crews then follow and finish, he said. Aerial efforts have been vital is trying to stem the fire's progress, Bird said. Small single -engine tanker plane and helicopters have been called in to drop water and fire retardant where firefighters cannot reach, he said. The difficult terrain has fire managers worried about rescuing injured firefighters, so a Utah Army National Guard helicopter equipment with a hoist was brought into the McCall Airport on Monday, Bird said. The helicopter will be available on any fire where a firefighters is injured, but as of Tuesday no serious injuries had been reported, he said. More than 500 firefighters and support people were working on the Tepee Springs Fire as of Wednesday. That included a 120 - person detachment that is camping near Goose Lake, Bird said. The "spike camp," as it is known, has a shorter travel time to the fire lines than the fire's base camp located at Price Valley west of New Meadows, he said. Page 1 of 1 http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /lead _page.php 8/27/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page It Takes A Village To Fight A Fire Tepee Springs Fire camp has all that firefighters need BY KYLA SAWYER for The Star -News Jeremy Hitt had a few minutes to enjoy a hot meal at the Tepee Springs Fire base camp before going on another 16 -hour night shift in battling the stubborn fire north of New Meadows. "We start at 5 p.m. and end at 9 a.m.," said Hitt, who is a firefighter with the Lake Mead Fire Department based in Henderson. Nev. The base camp for the Tepee Springs fire is located in Price Valley off U.S. 95 about six miles west of New Meadows. It provides food, shelter and modern amenities to the scores of firefighters who spend their days and nights in dirty, smoky and dangerous conditions. "Our job at camp is to be flexible to what the firefighters needs are depending on what's happening out there on the fire line," said Logistics Chief Bob Harper. Dreydan Niemann and Kaylee Bushman help sort through clothing and gear at the Tepee Springs Fire base camp crest of New Meadows. The two are part of the Richfield, Utah, Inter Agency Youth Crew A typical day starts early at 4 a.m. when the catering crew assigned to help Mith base camp logistics. prepares breakfast for firefighters preparing to leave for their fire shift and for those crews just coming back in. Sack lunches are also prepared for all fire crews and "hot buckets" - containers of hot food - are ready to be delivered to those who are not able to come back to the base camp. Everyone attends the mandatory 6 a.m. briefing where Incident Commander Tony DeMasters gives an update on the fire's behavior and the goals for the day, public information officer Rhonda Bishop. "We have crews from almost every western state and then some on this fire," Bishop said. Crews from as far as Arkansas and New Mexico are assigned to the fire as well as local crews from the Payette National Forest, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah. Service Yurts At the heart of the base camp are several rows of tancoiored yurts called the Services Wing. Each yurt has a sign identifying the team of people inside working on various aspects of the camp and fire. The Situation Yuri is where the maps are created for teams and where all the personnel and equipment on the fire are tracked. The IC yurt houses DeMasters and his staff, which decides how to attack the fire. The Logistics yurt handles all the camp facilities from water supply to food, catering and ordering. Separate yurts are also assigned for firefighter check -in as well as communications, information and security. The Finance yurt keeps track of the cost of the fire and everyone's time sheets, and the Med Unit handles everything from solution for contact lenses and lip balm to ailments such as treating rashes, blisters, cuts and injuries, Bishop said. There is a catering trailer where meals are prepared and dished out, a catering tent, a trailer to supply Internet connection and a supply yurt for extra fire shirts, fire pants and helmets. The camp has a fueling station for vehicles as well as showers and bathrooms. Everyone at camp sleeps in tents that are scattered around the perimeter of the main camp. The camp is managed by members of Great Basin Incident Management Team 7. The team is composed of 50 people from around the region who have special training for their jobs and who regularly work together. The costs of fighting the Tepee Springs Fire was running at more than $410,000 per day as of last weekend. Youth Crew The base camp also has a youth crew of teens ages 16 to 18 assigned to help with camp logistics. Dreydan Niemann and Kaylee Bushman, both age 17, are part of the Richfield Inter Agency Crew No. 2 based out of south central Utah. "We come in to help at the big fire camps," Bushman said. "I like getting to see how big fire camps work and how much actually goes into making this like a little village." "We are up at 5 a.m. and help with taking out trash, passing out the sack lunches and supplies," Niemann said. "It's fun to be away from home and it's kind of like camping but you get paid." Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 8/27/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Firefighters make progress on blazes near McCall, Cascade BY TOM GROTE The Star-News Firefighters made good progress this week to contain forest fires on the Payette and Boise national forest near McCall and Cascade. COUGAR FIRE 7L g The Cougar Fire three miles southwest of Warm Lake was i 80 percent contained as of Wednesday. _aW =- ,i The blaze, located 20 miles northeast of Cascade, had grown to 1,230 acres by Wednesday. The fire was being Fire hoses d on the cougar Fire near warm fought by 330 firefighters and support crews from a base lake t tobeinspected and rolled, camp along Warm Lake Road just east of Cascade. Firefighters set back burns to clean out brush and trees on the southeast flank of the blaze to stall its progress. Crews were being aided by the fact the fire was burning in previously burned area and in types of vegetation that slowed its spread. The fire, which was started on Aug. 13 by lightning, could flare up again if winds and thunderstorms move into the area, fire managers said. RAPID FIRE Firefighters had the Rapid Fire 12 miles southeast of McCall 30 percent contained as of Wednesday. The fire had grown to 4,400 acres and had 341 firefighters and support personnel assigned to it. The fire, which was started by lightning on Aug. 14, grew about 350 acres on Tuesday. The growth happened mainly along the northeastern edge of the fire and away from areas that would threaten homes. Firefighters were hampered by steep terrain and high winds that led to tops of trees exploding in flames and embers thrown out ahead of the main fire. To assist with the effort, a CL-415 "Super Scooper" plane was used to drop water along the edges of the fire. The airplane was able to touch down on Lake Cascade and scoop up to 1,600 gallons of water to drop on the fire. The next public information meeting on the Rapid Fire will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Donnelly Fire Station. WEST SCRIVER FIRE The West Scriver Fire on the southern end of the Boise National Forest was completely contained this week and held to 576 acres. Personnel on the fire, which was started by lightning on Aug. 10, had been reduced to 62 people by Wednesday as small fires within the perimeter were extinguished. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/lead_page.php 8/27/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Tepee Springs fire roars across Salmon River Firefighters focus on protecting homes, keepmgJlames a» ay from U.S. 95 BY TOM GROTE The Star-News The Tepee Springs Fire surged to the Salmon River last Friday and jumped over the river along a five mile stretch of burning timber and brush on Saturday morning, according to fire officials. Only fall rains and previously burned areas will stop the spread of the fire to the north and east, said Paul Broyles, a deputy incident commander with the team of managers that is trying to control the blaze. Firefighters are devoting their energy and equipment to setting up sprinklers around homes that could be threatened by the fire as well as clearing firewood piles and other flammable materials around homes, Broyles said. The fire had grown to 93,100 acres of as Wednesday, but no homes had been burned, he said. There has been just one injury among the 922 firefighters and support personnel who were battling the blaze as of Tuesday. That injury happened last Saturday near Goose Lake when a 23- year -old firefighter hurt his foot while putting out spot fire and falling hazardous trees. EMTs at the scene noticed blisters on his foot and sent him to St. Luke's McCall, where he was treated and sent home, according to the Payette National Forest. The firefighter's name was not released. Embers Thrown The most tense moments of the past week came when the fire, which was started by lightning on Aug. 12, worked its way to the Salmon River across a broad front, Broyles said. "There were embers and ash, heavy smoke, heavy winds and fire jumping and running," he said. Winds were recorded at 76 miles per hours at a nearby fire lookout and the intense heat of the fire created its own wind Broyles said. One 114 -acre spot fire on the north side of the river grew to 100 acres within minutes, according to Payette forest reports. Firefighters labored to protect homes near the fire's path, and Broyles was pleased the effort resulted in no houses being lost. "When fires make a run like this nothing is guaranteed," he said. "We didn't expect to lose structures and we didn't. There was some very significant firefighting going on." Embers were thrown out two miles beyond the main fire front, which accelerated the spread of the blaze into the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forest on the north side of the river. As of Wednesday, an estimated 15,000 acres burned by the fire were on the north side of the river, according to a statement by the forest. FIRED UP "'b'Don 1". The Tepee Springs Fire bums to the Salmon Ri+er on Friday near the Manning Cre+ice Bridge about 13 miles east of Riggins. Nww b,SJmw Riw Pb,bi1mM41Cbbew Deputy Jonm• Wilson with Idaho County Sheriffs Office speaks to a gathering of people on Sunday morning whose float trips on the Salmon River were cut short due to the Tepee Springs Fire. The group was at Elk Horn Creek and about to travel in an escorted caravan to Riggins. "•'� it�'jt`�,s��k a� - ._, 7-- -r =vim.-* am,o ra in. sin -n.� M cv y &m Waders in Payette Lake at Legacy Park in downtown McCall observe the smoke plume from the Tepee Springs Fire last Thursday. tt 1 The closure of the river and heavy smoke in the area has led to cancellation of river trip bookings, said Brenda Baugh of Mountain River Outfitters in Riggins. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead _page -php Page 1 of 2 9/3/2015 —for Theo, \'ens by Goy [— Floaters Stopped Jeremy Morris and Kaelin Ashley of the, Yellow Couch Teen Center in McCall give a yellow balloon to Jami Forgy of Accommodation Services on All residents along Salmon River Road were advised to Tuesday. The teen center distributed loo balloons evacuate by deputies of the Idaho County Sheriffs office, with messages written on them thanking firefighters battling wildfires around the area. The but most refused to leave, said Trudy Slagle, teens asked business owners to display the balloons communications supervisor for the sheriffs office. where firefighters could see them when passing through town Floaters coming down the Salmon River were forced to stop short of their destination and get out of the river. They were escorted in guided caravans to Riggins. The closure of the river and heavy smoke in the area has led to cancellation of river trip bookings, said Brenda Baugh of Mountain River Outfitters in Riggins. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead _page -php Page 1 of 2 9/3/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 2 of 2 Baugh was worried that the river would continue to be closed during steelhead fishing season, which started on Tuesday. Firefighters were focused on building fire lines along the west side of the fire to ensure there was no movement toward U.S. 95 and Riggins, which was three miles from the fire lines as of Wednesday. Fighting the fire on its leading edge to the north and west would be a waste of money and would put firefighters at unnecessary risk, Broyles said. Working in favor of the firefighters is that the area burned by the Corral Fire in 1994 lies to the west of the Tepee Fire and will serve as a natural fire break, he said. The ground crews were being supported by helicopters dropping water on the fire lines. Those helicopters were based in a makeshift landing zone along U.S. 95 north of New Meadows. The helicopters were backed up by airplanes flying out of McCall Airport dropping water and fire retardant. The main fire base is located near the Evergreen Forest sawmill west of New Meadows. Back To Index/Menu View latest fire updates http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 9/3/2015 Star-News News Lead Story Page OTHER VIEWS Lxicals submitted these xiews of the Tepee Springs fim this week: 07-4 Page I of I http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/3/2015 Star-News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Rapid Fire continues to grow, now 9,300 acres High winds Tuesday pushes fire north BY TOM GROTE The Star -News The Rapid Fire burning southeast of McCall continued to grow this week, with firefighters able to contain 40 percent of the fire by Tuesday. The fire, which was started by lightning on Aug. 14, is burning 12 miles southeast of McCall and east of Jughandle Mountain in the Payette National Forest. The fire had grown to 9,303 acres by Tuesday. About 167 firefighters and support people were fighting the fire, which has not burned any homes or buildings. The command post and main fire base for the Rapid Fire was moved this week from Smith Ferry to Valley County land on East Lake Fork Road. High winds on Tuesday pushed the fire north in the Buckhorn and South Buckhorn drainages and increased the size of the fire by 2,500 acres, according to fire reports. Firefighters this week were working along the southeast side of the fire to make sure retardant dropped earlier by aircrafts were holding the fire in check. COUGAR FIRE The Cougar Fire in the Boise National Forest three miles southwest of Warm Lake was nearly completely contained by Tuesday, according to fire report. A crew of 96 firefighters and support people were working the fire, which was started by lightning on Aug. 13. No homes or buildings had been burned by the fire. This week crews were expected to finish looking for small fires within the perimeter of the main fire and prepare to remove fire hoses from containment lines. HUNTING CHANGES The Idaho Department Idaho Fish and Game is extending the deadline to exchange tags for some early elk hunts that are about to start, or have already started, in the McCall areas that have been closed due to the wildfires, a news release said. Fish and Game will not refund tags, but hunters who bought the following tags have until Sept. 11 to decide if they want to keep their tags, exchange them for a different elk tag, or turn in their tags for a receipt they can redeem at no cost for another tag later this year, the release said. http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/lead_page.php 9/3/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Cold slows down Tepee Springs Fire Rain, cooler letups help with containment of massive blaze BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Rain and cooler weather slowed the progress of the Tepee Fire near Riggins last week, but fire managers were not ready to declare the fire under control. The lower temperatures, higher humidity and rain put a damper on the fire, which has burned nearly 150 square miles of forest since it was started by lightning on Aug. 12 deputy incident commander Paul Broyles said. The fire burned only 48 acres on Monday and 54 acres on Tuesday for a total of 94,757 acres, according to fire reports. That compared to a run of two miles that the fire spread on Aug. 25. The rain brought mixed blessings as firefighters were not able to set back burns to dear out fuel ahead of the fire's edge, Broyles said. Also, roads leading to the fire lines were too muddy and slick to safely carry firefighters in trucks and vans to the fire lines, he said. The fire could flare up again as weather in the area warms up this weekend with predicted highs in the 90s in lower elevations. That is why fire managers are keeping a full compliment of firefighters stationed at key areas around the fire, Broyles said. Crews to Stay Photo shows a section of melted fence at the Spring Bar Campground on the Salmon River after the Tepee Springs Fire burned through last week. Most of the facilities at the campground were not damaged The number of firefighters and support personnel peaked at 1,165 on Sunday but fell to 790 by Wednesday as crew members reached the end of their 14-day rotation and were not replaced. That number is not expected to go much lower as crews work to complete building fire lines to contain the leading edges of the blaze to the north and east and to restore the lines previously built on the southern and western edges along U.S. 95, Broyles said. There were only about 350 people camped on Wednesday at the main fire camp near the Evergreen Forest sawmill west of New Meadows. Between 300 and 350 firefighters and support crews were camped at Island Bar four miles east of Riggins to allow for faster access to the fire lines, Broyles said. Another satellite camp of 200 people were located along the Salmon River south of Slate Creek and a third camp of 200 people was based near the historic Florence mining district. About 19,000 acres of the fire are on the north side of the Salmon River, which the fire easily jumped on Aug. 29 while pushed by high winds. Assisting crews is the fact parts of the Tepee Springs Fire have burned into areas previously burned during the 1994 Corral fire, which has also slowed its progress, Broyles said. As of Wednesday, the Tepee Springs Fire was considered 70 percent contained with hopes for full containment by this weekend, he said. So far, the fire has burned no homes, but one barn and one outbuilding have burned, both located in the Allison Creek area of the Nez Perce- Clearwater National Forest, Broyles said. One firefighter suffered minor burns. Floaters were allowed to return last week to the five -mile stretch of river east of Riggins where the fire jumped over the water. Floater Shuttle Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 3, a total of 361 floaters were forced to get out of the water and be shuttled to Riggins in escorted caravans, according to Payette Forest reports. The improved weather has led fire managers to lift fire restrictions that had been in place on due to the high fire danger. Potlatch Corp. on Wednesday lifted the ban on user and campfires on its land that had been in effect since July 14. Even though the bum restrictions have been lifted, a ban on open - burning permits will remain in effect by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, SITPA Chief Fire Warden Mark Woods said. Page 1 of 2 http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead _page.php 9/10/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 2 of 2 In recent days, SITPA firefighters responded to an unattended illegal debris bum, a hunter - caused fire, and a fire caused by lightning that had been smoldering and flared up, Woods said. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead _page.php 9/10/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page 1 of 1 Geez, Smokeyl Bear bites firefighter sleeping at Rapid Fire base camp BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Smokey the Bear must not have gotten the memo that firefighters camped near McCall last week were on his side. A firefighter assigned to the Rapid Fire was rudely awakened last week by a black bear who bit him on his upper left thigh, according to reports. The firefighter, who was not identified, was sleeping in a small tent at the Rapid Fire base camp along East Lake Fork road when the bear visited him about 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 1. The firefighter along with several members of his crew scared the bear away. After the bear had been chased from camp the firefighter noticed he had been bitten, according to the Payette National Forest, A paramedic at the base camp found four bruised puncture marks on the firefighter and recommended he to go St. Luke's McCall, where he was treated and released back to his crew. Due to his injury he was placed on light duty for a few days and later decided to return home, the Payette forest said. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game did an inspection of the camp and made some recommendations. As a result, firefighters camped closer together, bear - resistant trash cans were placed, and firefighters removed food and toiletries from the sleeping area. F &G also placed a bear trap on the edge of the camping area. On the morning of Sept. 2, a black bear was found in the trap and euthanized. DNA results are pending to see if the same bear bit the firefighters. F &G previously had reports of a bear in the area raiding garages and causing property damage. A trap had been set prior to the bear biting the firefighter, but it had not been caught, according to a statement by F &G. Bear complaints are common in late summer and fall as the animals try to fatten up for winter. People can reduce bear conflicts by removing attractants, such as garbage, pet foods and bird feeders, the F &G said. "We have responded to several calls of bears in town in the McCall area, and most, if not all, can be attributed to the availability of food," F &G Southwest Region supervisor Scott Reinecker said. People are encouraged to keep the garbage and pet food secure inside garages and sheds, and to stop feeding birds if there are bears in their area. Campers and other outdoor recreationists should also keep coolers and other food storage containers safely away from bears, preferably inside a vehicle, the F &G said. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /lead _page.php 9/10/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Rain not the end of Tepee Springs Fire Firefighters make progress, but risks remain BY TOM GROTE The Star -News This week's rain over the Tepee Spring Fire brought welcome aid to firefighters fighting the blaze, but fire manager say the battle is far from over. Rainfall up to three - quarters of an inch fell on part of the fire on Monday, said Brook Chadwick, an incident commander at the command post for the fire west of New Meadows. The rain slowed the fire's progress on its leading edge to the north and east, allowing fire crews and bulldozers to make progress in digging fire lines to contain its growth, Chadwick said. "The rain is great, but rain doesn't put fires out, firefighters put fires out," he said. Crews on the ground must ensure the fire does not persist in the deep forest duff or large trees, he said. Since it was started by lightning in Aug. 12, the Tepee Springs Fire has spread to neatly 96,000 acres of the Payette and Nez Perce- Clearwater national forests by Wednesday with nearly 600 firefighters deployed on both sides of the Salmon River. The cost of the fire, which started 20 miles north of New Meadows, was estimated at $25.6 million as of Tuesday. No homes have been destroyed by the fire, but the Salmon River Road remains closed because the heavy firefighter traffic and the danger of trees and rocks loosened by the fire falling onto the road, fire managers said. The western edge of the fire was kept to three miles east of Riggins. An open house will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Riggins Community Center for residents to get updates on the fire as well as the rehabilitation efforts that will take place as the fire is controlled. Large groups of firefighters were stationed in satellite camps on both sides of the Salmon River this week to speed travel time to the fire lines. About 200 firefighters were moved this week from Island Bar on the river to near the historic Florence mining area to block the fire's path. Another 100 firefighters were camped near the Marshal Mountain mining area to try and stop the fire from moving toward vacation homes in the steep Carey Creek drainage, Chadwick said. 82% Contained An estimated 82 percent of the fire's perimeter had been surrounded by fire lines by Wednesday, and the fire's growth to the east has been slowed by spreading into areas burned by the Corral Fire in 1994. Meanwhile, helicopters from a temporary helibase north of New Meadows continue to drop water on the fire while airplanes based in McCall assisted by laying fire retardant in the path of the flames. The total of number of firefighters and support crews had dropped by Tuesday to about half of the 1,165 people deployed at the fire's peak on Sept. 6, but Chadwick did not see the number dropping much farther in the coming days. A large number of firefighters will be needed for rehabilitation work after the fire has been contained. Chadwick said. Work needs to be done to return the fire lines, helicopter landing zones and campsites back to a natural state as much as possible and prevent forest users from turning the lines into access roads, he said. RAPID FIRE Crews have been pulled off the Rapid Fire 12 miles southeast of McCall, which had grown to more than 10,000 acres as of Tuesday. Only six people were officially listed as assigned the blaze, and the fire base on East Lake Fork Road was dismantled this week. The progress of the blaze is being watched from the Payette's Krassel Ranger District office in McCall. The fire was started by lightning on Aug. 14 and was burning south of Nick Peak and east of the Rapid Creek drainage. Fire lines had been built around 50 percent of the blaze before the crews were pulled off due to the area's steep and inaccessible terrain. The cost of the Rapid Fire was set at $7.6 million as of Tuesday. Page 1 of 1 http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead_page.php 9/17/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Page I of 1 Drone to be used to measure size of Tepee Springs Fire Maker to demonstrate technology at no cost BY TOM GROTE The Star -News A small unmanned drone will be flown starting today over the Tepee Springs Fire burning northeast of McCall in a demonstration of the technology used by the small aircraft. The 75 -pound drone will use similar infrared sensors to measure the size of the fire that are used in airplanes. But the drones are cheaper to operate, and can be used at night and where there is poor visibility, a news release from the Payette National Forest said. The drone will only fly in airspace already restricted due to firefighting efforts and will not fly over populated areas, the Payette release said. The information gathered by the drone will measure fire growth, burn intensity, fuels and heat concentrations on the Tepee Springs Fire, which has burned across about 96,000 acres since it was started by lightning on Aug. 12 about 20 miles north of New Meadows. The drone is made by Textron, a company based in Providence, R.1., that also makes Bell helicopters, Jacobsen lawn mowers and E -Z -Go golf carts. Textron is providing all the equipment, services and support to allow the Forest Service to evaluate the use of the drones in firefighting, the Payette release said. Flights over several days will include long -range infrared spotting that can be conducted in areas of heavy smoke and clouds. The public can learn more about the drone flights during an open house on the Tepee Springs Fire to be held between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Riggins Community Center. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 9/17/2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Firefighters leave as Tepee Springs Fire winds down Sir- week -old fire has burned nearly 96,000 acres "It will move inches or feet per day, not acres or miles. " - Brook Chadwick BY TOM GROTE The Star-News Outside fire crews were scheduled to be packed up and on their way home today as the Tepee Springs Fire northwest of McCall was nearly contained this week. Four days of rain and cooler weather in the past week calmed the spread of the fire, which started with a lightning strike on Aug. 12. 1 The fire camp west of New Meadows that house up to ` 1,165 firefighters and support people was expected to be -� dismantled by today as well as the helicopter base along U.S. 95 north of New Meadows. Management of the fire was due to be turned over to " rnw =a. ar ene v ew row officials of the Payette and Nez Perce- Clearwater national T —hin— onfer a1 Carey 13—Lo kmt lag forests, where the fire burned, said Brook Chadwick, deputy P ty week wh le a d-- equipped with infiared- sots waits to be launched over the Tepee Springs Fire. incident commander for departing fire management team. The Tepee Spring Fire was declared to be 91 percent contained by Wednesday and had spread to 95,709 acres, or about 150 square miles. As of Tuesday, no homes had been burned by the fire but five "minor structures" had been lost, Chadwick said. Only one firefighter suffered an injury serious enough to be reported. The cost of the fire was listed at $30.4 million as of Tuesday. Two areas of the fire on the south side of the Salmon River were still considered active, but not nearly to the extent before last week's rain, Chadwick said. "It will move inches or feet per day, not acres or miles," he said. "There will be a tree here or there that will torch, so it is definitely not out." The areas where the fire is still creeping were between the French Creek Road and the Marshall Mountain mining district and near a private elk ranch east of Riggins, Chadwick said. Road Opened The fire danger eased enough last week that the Idaho County Sheriffs Office reopened the Salmon River Road to normal traffic on Friday. The road had been closed since the fire roared into the river canyon on Aug. 28 and jumped the river across a five -mile front on Aug. 29 All other areas of the Payette forest that had been closed due to the fire were reopened on Saturday except for the French Creek Road, which remained closed. By today, crews were scheduled to have restored the fire lines that were dug in order to contain the Tepee Springs Fire, Chadwick said. Meanwhile, an unmanned aircraft that had been brought in to test its ability to map the fire's extent completed four flights over four days, said Susan Ford, a public information officer assigned to the Tepee Springs Fire. The drone, equipped with infrared measuring devices, was launched from Carey Dome Lookout and flew four to five hours at a time, Ford said. The results of the flight were not know this week. The drone was provided at no cost to the Forest Service by its maker, Textron, as a demonstration. Page 1 of 1 http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /lead _page.php 9/24/2015 Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1 Patrick Butte trail closed due to Tepee Springs Fire A seven -mile stretch of Patrick Butte Trail No. 153 has been closed in the aftermath of the Tepee Springs Fire, the Payette National Forest announced. The trail has been closed starting at the intersection of Trail 151 and for seven miles to the south because fallen trees from the fire have made the trail impassable, a Payette news release aid. The area surrounding the trail remains open, but the public should avoid the area because of the risk of falling trees, the release said. "This trail definitely provides access to some very beautiful areas, and so will be a loss," said Michelle Reagan, secretary of the Central Idaho Mountain Bike Association. "Hopefully it won't be lost forever, but if the area needs time to recover, we can certainly respect that," Reagan said. The trail was not included in the tour by a representative of the International Mountain Bicycling Association this summer that led to McCall being designated as an IMBA Ride Center, Regan said. "They were more interested in mountain biking purpose -built trails," she said. The Tepee Springs Fire started north of New Meadows with a lightning strike on Aug. 12. It raged for six weeks, jumping the Salmon River east of Riggins and covering nearly 150 square miles. http: / /www.mccalistamews.com /pages /outdoors _page.php 10/8/2015 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Winds flare up flames Inside Tepee Spring Fire Payette supervisor defends early actions BY TOM GROTE The Star -News Strong winds rekindled fire within the boundaries of the Tepee Springs Fire south of Riggins last week, according to the Payette National Forest. Meanwhile, Payette Forest Supervisor Keith Lannom said firefighters did all they could to stop the spread of the fire, which burned across 150 square miles over six weeks. A passing cold front last Friday brought gusting winds to the lower elevations of the Payette, a news release said. The Tepee Springs fire burned about 200 acres in the head of Lake Creek as well as the head of the West Fork of Lake Creek on the south side of the Salmon River. The burning was within the existing containment line that is keeping the fire away from Riggins and from homes along U.S. 95, the news release said. The additional burning all took place on national forest land and did not threaten to escape the containment lines, the release said. Fire managers dispatched an airplane to observe the flare -up and two 20- person ground crews were assigned to the area. In a Viewpoint in this issue of The Star -News, Lannom said firefighters could not safely cut down the tree that was set on fire by lightning on Aug. 12. "The crew sawyer was unable to fall the tree, as is standard practice, because the terrain was too steep, and the tree was wedged between large rocks that created no safe way to fell the tree while providing for a safe egress route for the sawyer," Lannom said. The crew put water and dirt on the tree and planned to blast it with explosives the next morning, but overnight the tree fell over and slide down a hillside, igniting a large swath of land that quickly spread. The Tepee Springs Fire was one of eight fires reported on Aug. 12 -13, and crews and equipment were scarce due to other fires reported around the Northwest, Lannom said. "The notion that the forest allowed the Tepee Springs fire to burn and did not aggressively initial attack it is just plain false," he said. Continued dry conditions and unseasonably high fire danger statewide have prompted fire managers to extend the requirement for open burning permits. Normally, open burning is allow without a permit after Oct. 20. "Even though it's the middle of October, conditions are expected to be warm and dry enough across Idaho to ignite a wildfire that can easily escape initial attack," said State Forester David Groeschl of the Idaho Department of Lands. http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 10/15 /2015 Star -News News Lead Story Page Tepee Springs Fire manager loses job after complaints by firefighters Crew would not build line on private land near Riggins BY ROCKY BARKER The Idaho Statesman The former commander of the Tepee Springs Fire near Riggins has lost his leadership credentials after a team of firefighters left a line because of their fear of unhappy landowners. Chris Ourada has been taken off the Great Basin Type 1 Incident Management Team, one of 15 elite units used to manage large fires and other national emergencies, such as hurricanes. Ourada, of Idaho Falls, remains in his post with the Caribou - Targhee National Forest, but will not serve as an incident management team commander. Ourada declined to comment, but an email obtained by The Statesman confirmed that he lost the post. "This is going to be hard so I will just say it. Today my Type 1 qualifications were revoked so I will no longer be a part of Great Basin Team 2," he wrote to colleagues. 'If you have questions, you can probably contact your section chiefs and they can fill you in." Ourada was placed in charge of the firefighting efforts on the Tepee Springs Fire just after it roared to the Salmon River on Aug. 29 and jumped the river along a five -mile front. The fire caused floaters on the Salmon River to be taken out of the water and shuttled to Riggins and saw the Salmon River Road closed for a month. During Ourada's two-week watch, the number of firefighters and support people assigned to the fire grew to more than 1,100 and the fire covered about 150 square miles before being slowed by weather in early September. The latest move came after a regional Forest Service board reviewed Ourada's handling of an incident during fire. An unidentified firefighter filed a report on the National Interagency Fire Center's SAFENET page raising safety questions. The report was published in the Web magazine Wildfire Today, along with a response from the landowners of Mountain View Elk Ranch on the West Fork of Lake Creek east of Riggins. The incidents began Sept. 2 and ended four days later. Walked Off Line A specialized hot -shot crew had walked off the fire line after landowners and federal law enforcement officers had faced off with pistols on their hips. Ourada and other fire managers later met with the landowners and agreed to dig a "check line" to keep the fire from burning onto the private land. But the hot -shots who had originally said they felt threatened by the landowners refused to do the work, despite Ourada's direct order. Another crew built the line, but one of the original hot -shot members filed the report saying that Ourada had ordered them into an unsafe situation. The website is a place where firefighters can report safety issues anonymously; firefighters are permitted to decline to fight if they believe their safety is threatened. Forest Service officials declined specific comment. Sue Stewart, director of Fire and Aviation for the Forest Service in Ogden, Utah, said that safety is always the top priority for the U.S. Forest Service. "Professional firefighters review all reports in SAFENET and ensure that appropriate actions are taken to correct any behaviors, systems or communication issues that could put firefighters at risk," Stewart said. "The Tepee Springs incident was thoroughly reviewed and appropriate actions were taken." (Rocky Barker is the energy and environment reporter for The Idaho Statesman, where this story first appeared last Friday) Page 1 of 1 http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /lead _page.php 10/22 /2015 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 No Thinking Required: One telephone number now covers all wildfire calls BY TOM GROTE for The Star-News When someone sees a wildfire, the last thing Sean Johnson wants is for someone to wonder who to call. That's why Johnson, the chief fire officer for the Payette National Forest, is happy there is now a single number to S t call for any wildfire, whether it is on private, state or federal" land. ` The number - 634 -2757 - goes directly to the Payette'§ Interagency Dispatch center located at the McCall Smokejumper Base in McCall. ! ` S From there, dispatchers can assign firefighters and } equipment that is closest to the fire without worrying about Y whose name is painted on the door of the fire engine. emmr &sm -r".. n >G_rm� Scott Street, left, and Molly Booth monitor the The centralized dispatch system covers fires that break out Cmokej etedsBasispamhcente : attheMCcaB Pa Y Smokejumper ]lase. on private lands protected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association as well as lands administered by the Idaho Department of Lands, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Payette forest. The partnership will result in firefighters getting to the scene of a wildfire faster, Johnson said. "When we have a big lightning storm and have 15 or 20 fire starts at once, the priority goes to the closest firefighters, whether it technically is in their jurisdiction or not," Johnson said. Best Available At the dispatch center, manager Gary Murphy can see which crews and equipment are most available to fight a fire, and he can also call in aerial drops of water or fire retardant from helicopters and airplanes stationed at the smokejumper base. SITPA owns more bulldozers and excavators than the Forest Service, so it would not be unusual to see a SITPA dozer working on the fire line with a Payette forest fire crew, he said. "The initial response is more coordinated," Murphy said. "It allows us to manage the overall situation from the start." Local fire departments often are called first to fires such as open burning that has spread out of control. In those cases, those fire departments can call the central dispatch with the location and let Murphy and his crew decide who should respond. The new arrangement forces the various agencies to cooperate and set aside any claims along jurisdictional lines, said Ken Stump, chief fire warden for SITPA. "We all wear yellow shirts," Stump said. The need for coordination has become more urgent in recent years as dry seasons grow longer, more homes are built near forests and more people visit public lands and build campfires, Stump said. "It is a new world today," he said. Citizens who do not have a fire to report can still call the general fire information number at 634 -0820 for the latest advisories. http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 5/12/2016 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Payette National Forest predicts 'normal' season for wildfires BY TOM GROTE for The Stec -News A "normal" wildfire season is expected this summer across the Payette National Forest, fire officials said. The height of the fire season in central Idaho typically begins in mid to late July. "In a normal fire season we see as many as 100 wildfires," said Sean Johnson, the Payette Forest's fire management officer. "A normal fire season for us means that we will have wildfires across the forest." The danger for large wildfires is less this year than it was last year, Johnson said. "We had a good snow pack in the mountains this past winter, but the hot weather we had in early June quickly melted the snow in higher elevations," he said. Warm temperatures increased water runoff from the mountains during late May and early June, which is not good for keeping the forest wet as the heat of summer approaches, he said. The early runoff promoted the growth of grasses across the Payette, which can cause a wildfire to spread quickly, Johnson said. To report a wildfire, all Payette Interagency Dispatch at 634 -2757 The Payette's Fire Information Hotline recording can be heard at 634 -0820. The Payette also sends fire information daily via email using GovDelivery. To learn how to register, send an email request to payettefireinformation @gmail.com. Fire information is also available at http: / /inciweb.nwcg.gov for fires larger than 100 acres or fires burning in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Other information can be found at http: / /idahofireinfo.com by clicking on the "Payette Dispatch" link. The Payette National Forest uses Facebook and Twitter for posting fire information. For Information about smoke, visit http: / /deq.idaho.gov or http: / /airnow.gov. http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 7/7/2016 Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1 Fire near Deadwood Res. grows to 1,235 acres The Buck Fin= eight miles each of Deadwood Reservoir in Valley County has grown to 1,235 acres, the Boise National Forest reported on Wednesday. An outside management team has been called in to manage the fire, which was staffed with about 230 firefighters, including seven 20- person crews, six engines, five helicopters and air tankers dropping fire retardant, the Boise forest said. No lives or property were threatened as of Wednesday. Fire crews from the Lowman Ranger District discovered the Buck Fire at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. When firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was estimated at 7.5 acres. A firefighter was injured on Sunday by a falling snag while working on the fire. The firefighter, whose name was not released, was taken by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he was treated and released on Monday, the Boise Forest said. http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 7/7/2016