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The 2003 Fire Season - Chronology & Related News Articles |
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From the Oct. 9th update: Fires have still been occurring in areas near to ours: last week, a 10,000-acre fire occurred over on the California coast near Eureka (we received a noticeable amount of widespread smoke from this fire, as some of you observed). The fire was 90% contained by Monday evening of Sept. 29th. Another 1,900-acre fire burned concurrently near the Salmon River. Although these fires were contained relatively quickly, the burned acreage of both is substantial, and the rate of spread reflects late summer conditions. Local Update During the past week and a half, we received rain with cooler temperatures. So far, despite lightning and thunderstorm activity in much of southern Oregon and northern California, no fires have occurred or been reported in our district. Yesterday's late afternoon storm delivered a hefty amount of rainfall during its windy blast through our valley, and while we are on the lookout for delayed fires from possible lightning hits, no fires appear to have resulted. Local residents may see our firefighters out on patrol with our trucks, scouting for fires for the next few days after the storms, when fires may become more visible. The ODF received numerous calls regionally, and has responded to a number of snag-hits and small grass fires, which have been contained. The ODF also is scouting for delayed lightning-caused fires with reconnaissance flights. See under Regional & State fires for further info. Despite recent rain and cooling, the current fire restrictions will remain in effect. All restrictions on public activities must be observed. 2003 Fire Season Notes The 2003 Fire Season began on Friday, June 6th. On July 1st, the Fire Danger went up to 'High', and on Sunday, July 20th, it went up to "Extreme." In accord with this level, the Oregon Dept. of Forestry notified us of increased Fire Danger Restrictions on public activities, becoming effective as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, July 22nd. (The Mail Tribune's notice printed this date as Thurs. July 24th.) The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland reported that there were more than 8,000 dry lightning strikes across south-central Oregon on the night of July 24th, centered in Klamath and Lake counties. We received a moderate-to-substantial amount of precipitation that day, during the height of the storms, which occured between 4 and 5 pm. Scattered lightning continued from the early evening through the night, primarily to our south / southeast. Regional & State Fires in the news: Lightning continues to cause fires regionally. 300 lightning hits were recorded during late-afternoon lightning on Sun., Aug. 3rd, which ignited a path of small fires around the Rogue Valley. At least 7 fires were discovered on the 3rd and addressed by the ODF, including the Wagner Gap Fire southwest of Ashland and south of Talent; fires near Soda Mountain, Lost Creek Lake, and Howard Prairie; and 2 north of Sams Valley, the Cleveland Ridge and Morrison Ridge Fires, each less than one-quarter acre. Several involved snags hits that did not spread. The largest became a quarter-acre. Lightning storms with rain occurred again on Mon., Aug. 4th, resulting from the same storm pattern coming from the south, and 12 lightning strikes in Jackson County were recorded. On Wed. Aug. 6th., another system hit late in the afternoon, and over 1,000 strikes were recorded regionally, across southern Oregon and northern California. The Rogue Valley area experienced flooding and power outages from this storm system, prompting the National Weather Service to issue severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. Read more on this in today's (Thurs. Aug. 7) Mail Tribune (front page story). The half-acre Camp Creek Fire about 2 miles south of the Soda Mountain Lookout was contained by ODF and U.S.F.S. crews soon after discovery on Tues., Aug. 5th. The fire was sparked by lightning on Sun., Aug. 3rd, but smoldered for 2 days before igniting. Due to the inaccessible remote terrain, helicopters dropped water, and firefighters had to rappel in to reach the ground from the Merlin Rappel Base to begin initial attack. Other firefighters were airlifted into the region nearby to hike in. The burn was limited partly because the fire burned downhill instead of uphill, and therefore was slower and had less intensity. A 6-acre grass fire in the Applegate area that began on the afternoon of Wed., July 30th consumed a barn on Upper Applegate Road. Due to the extremely high temperatures and windy conditions at that time, numerous agencies responded and many resources were used, effectively containing and controlling the fire within an hour. Read more. The Kelsay Complex: 5 small wildfires started by lightning in Oregon's Umpqua National Forest are being fought as a complex instead of as separate blazes. The 1,185-acre complex is burning in flat lodgepole pine terrain in the area of Lemolo, Diamond Lakes and Mount Bailey. Lemolo is a resort area with homes, businesses, and other structures. At its peak, the Kelsay Complex had 753 firefighters on it. It is now fully contained. The 300-acre Cherry Creek Complex that began on the night of Mon., July 28th, burning in grass about 2 miles east of the Owyhee Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border, was fully contained by August 2nd, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The cause is unknown. The 752-acre lightning-caused Frog Hollow Fire about 8 miles east of Mitchell, in Central Oregon, is burning in sage, juniper, and timber, several miles from a home. 283 firefighters have now fully contained it. A footnote (as it were): We received smoke on the evening of Tuesday, July 22nd from a fire to our northwest in the Foot's Creek region, about 6 miles southwest of Rogue River. 170 firefighters responded to this blaze, which began as a grass fire in the wildland. An air tanker could not be used during the initial attack because of widespread area smoke, but crews have used heavy equipment on the ground, and helicopters dumping water from the Rogue River. The fire was declared contained by July 23rd. About 6 acres burned in the left fork of the Foots Creek drainage. Mop-up operations continue. The cause is still not known, and remains under investigation. The Clark Fire north of here in Lane County southwest of Eugene has burned 4,964 acres on the Willamette National Forest since beginning on July 13th. It has been fully contained. An email from a Lane County resident across the lake from Lowell, where the fire was most intense, said the temperatures there were hotter than nearby areas because of the air "cap" or inversion caused by the fire. Her description: "[T]he strangest thing is the light ... often sort of an orangey-pink cast to everything..." A 4,000-acre wildfire is raging near Tulelake, Ca., just south of the Oregon border in the Modoc National Forest, which was reported Saturday, July 26th. Out of control in remote territory and driven by erratic winds, this fire has consumed grassland, sage and juniper in walls of flame. Although the source has not been officially identified, its likely cause is one of the more than 7,000 lightning strikes in that region in the days preceeding the breakout of the fire. A fire in the mountains of far Northern California has burned about 50 acres of old-growth forest in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. The Horn Gap Fire that started July 11th in Talent's Wagner Creek watershed (about 3 miles southwest of Ashland in the Rogue River National Forest) has been mopped up. The cause according to investigators was a smoldering lightning hit. Read more on initial reports of this fire. "Fire 18" south of Bend in the Deschutes National Forest has burned just over 3,800 acres. This fast moving fire, which began on Wed. July 23rd, is burning in dry pine. The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center reported it has been fully contained as of Sat. July 26th, due to more favorable weather and lighter winds. Crews contained the 60-acre Hootman Fire southwest of Coos Bay, as of July 29th. The fire burned small trees within the Coos County Forest. The cause is under investigation. The smaller, 50-plus acre Canyonville Fire in Douglas County has been controlled. On the night of July 24th alone, there were 3,456 lightning strikes, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, causing 42 new fires. Those fires have all been contained. In Glacier National Park, in West Glacier, Montana, 3 major fires have now burned a total of more than 60,000 acres. One of these, the Robert Fire, is over 21,000 acres and is still only 10 percent contained. Most of the western half of the more than 1 million-acre national park was closed during the last week of July, and thousands of people had evacuated the park. Fire officials have begun letting town residents and park visitors return, after crews backburned miles of forest to prevent the fires from reaching West Glacier and 50 or more houses there, near park headquarters. Six houses previously burned when a blaze blew up along the western edge of the park. On July 29th, the Robert Fire made a dangerous run, threatening to block a U.S. highway being used as an escape route. More than 400 homes and businesses in nearby Flathead County were ordered to evacuate, in addition to the West Glacier area, the Lake Five area outside the park, and other areas along that highway. Weather indications are for even hotter, dryer weather, with no break in sight. The ferocity of the fires is unprecedented, according to fire officials, who say that fire season there may extend into October. More recent news. In Colorado, wildfires have burned a total of 11,925 acres. In Idaho, the Hot Creek Fire has burned 26,560 acres and is halfway contained. Roughly 6 other fires are burning in central Idaho, including the 600-acre Hunt Creek Fire, which is contained. In Montana, near the Canadian border, the 25,000-acre Wedge Canyon Fire jumped a major fire line on Sat. Aug. 2nd, but has been subdued by cooler weather and rain since then. In Washington, the 75,555-acre Farewell Creek Fire, also near the Canadian border, is more than halfway contained. Increased humidity and cooler temperatures have helped containment recently. The fire was started on June 29th by a lightning hit, and has already cost over $31 million to fight. In Wyoming, southwest of Buffalo, the 3,085-acre Big Spring Fire is near containment. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that as of the end of July, 41 large fires were burning in the West. Fires this season have charred some 1.8 million acres so far, compared to an average of 2.3 million acres as of the end of July. In Oregon, fires burning during the last week of July alone totaled approximately 7,000 acres. (Source: an AP wire report.) Fuel for thought: The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have already spent nearly $300 million fighting fires this season, and have run out of money from their own seasonal firefighting funding allocations. Funds are now being appropriated from other accounts, including fire prevention projects designed to reduce fuel loads to prevent future fires. Congress recently rejected a $289 million request in emergency spending to fight wildfires. This would have supplemented the $578 million already allocated for firefighting by the Forest Service and BLM. The Forest Service stated on Aug. 4th that it expects to spend at least $773 million on firefighting this year, about $355 million more than is allocated in the current budget. Last year, one of the worst fire seasons on record, the Forest Service spent a record $1.4 billion. For more current fire news, see our fire websites - links & info page.
PBS's NOVA Public Television program on FIRE WARS: This week, if you have Dish satellite TV service, you can view "Fire Wars," a 2-hour special documentary. It was aired Wed. Aug. 6th and is scheduled to run again on August 10, Sunday evening, at 10:00 p.m. and will repeat at 1:00 a.m. This is an excellent program covering the history of fighting wildfire. See details.
PBS's NOVA Public Television program on FIRE WARS: This week, if you have Dish satellite TV service, you can view "Fire Wars," a 2-hour special documentary. It was aired Wed. Aug. 6th and is scheduled to run again on August 10, Sunday evening, at 10:00 p.m. and will repeat at 1:00 a.m. This program covers the history of fighting wildfire: nature's fire before fire prevention, Paiiute Native American "light burning" practices, the beginnings of fire prevention following the great fire in the Northern Rockies of the American West in 1910, the all-out war on fire during the decades that followed, the counter-reclamation movement that eventually gained recognition as the need for prescribed burning became clear, and fire prevention and firefighting safety policy changes that have been implemented in recent years, following the 1988 Yellowstone conflagrations, the Storm King Mountain Fire tragedies in 1994, and the implications of global warming for future fires and fire seasons. This is an excellent program well worth seeing. If you miss it, or cannot get it through your TV service company's public broadcasting station, it is available for purchase from www.pbs.org/nova, where you can find additional information about the documentary and its material as well.
The following is the text of an article published on July 31st, 2003 on the front page of The Daily Tidings newspaper in Ashland, OR. We are re-printing it here for its educational content in case it cannot be accessed through The Daily Tidings' online archives. Its points are well worth bearing in mind. Top Story:Fire danger at forefront of concernBy AMBER FOSSEN
In early spring, fire officials urged homeowners to remove brush, limbs and other fuels in preparation for the fire season. Now, however, removing burnables creates potential hazards and fire officials say residents should shift toward controlling ignitable substances. "There's a need for change in perspectives on the part of our citizens regarding fire danger," Ashland Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Woodley said. "Now we're in extreme fire danger so our attention goes to controlling sources of ignition. Property owner activity such as trying to cut grass or trying to remove brush is more hazardous than leaving it there." According to Woodley, the shift coincides with the weather. His staff changed its emphasis from removal to prevention on June 1. Fire restrictions currently prohibit the use of chain saws, campfires, vehicles on unimproved roads and spark emitting equipment to reduce fire potential. Woodley said the main cause of summer fires is human activity. "With the exception of lightning, 100 percent of fires are caused by inappropriate human activity," he said. In August 2002, AFR responded to a double house fire in the Oak Knoll neighborhood. The fire - which caused more than $400,000 in damage between the two homes - was caused by spontaneous heating of vegetation clippings stored near one of the homes. Bagging up grass clippings or other organic yard material could lead to spontaneous heating if stored in a tight container. However, it is possible to maintain landscape without contributing to fire danger. Lisa Black, recycling coordinator for Ashland Sanitary and Recycling Service, said more than 450 Ashland residents take advantage of the Yard Debris Recycling program, which removes and recycles yard debris at Dry Creek Landfill in White City. "Last year, we brought in over 873 tons (of yard debris)," Black said. Another option for disposing of yard waste - if done properly - is composting. Claudia Law, president of Oregon Master Gardener Association and master gardener for Oregon State University Extension service, said it's important to know what can and cannot be composted. "People do not have a clear understanding of what's compostable and what's not," Law said. "Anything non-organic does not belong." Proper composting requires a mixture of air, water, and carbon and nitrogen materials. Law said combustible materials, trash and plastic should be excluded from the mix. Law said composts can become fire hazards if residents let them become too dry. It's also a good idea to keep composts away from structures or fences. Residents can learn the right way to compost through free classes provided by Ashland Sanitary and Recycling Service. The next class is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, August 16 at the Recycling Center on Water Street. As fire officials remain on alert, so do some Ashland residents. For Joan Ballenger, fire is a major concern. "What I'm seeing is people have really forgotten things like checking around their homes and along fences for dry materials and flammable brush," Ballenger said. A Harmony Lane resident, Ballenger knows the fire danger is real - even for inner-city residents. "We can burn up here in town," she said. "People have to have a wake-up call." Concerned resident and Ashland Community Emergency Response Team volunteer Diane Schaffer is taking fire prevention seriously by hosting a wildfire preparedness meeting in her home Sunday. Schaffer said the idea to host an informative meeting on how to prepare for and prevent fires was prompted by a CERT meeting in which AFR firefighter Rees Jones addressed ways to protect homes against fires. "We were thunderstruck at how badly prepared our neighborhood is and we're near the Watershed," Schaffer said. Schaffer hopes the meeting, which will be lead by Jones, will help her Timberline Terrace neighborhood become active in preparing and protecting their homes. She also said it will be a great way to connect with neighbors. "Other people can do this and the fire department is always delighted to send someone to come out and talk," she said. Woodley said it would be possible for other neighborhoods to host wildfire education meetings. However, he said it would need to be for a large gathering and preferably after the fire season. While it is unsafe to remove ignitable materials like small diameter trees, there are some steps area residents can take to protect themselves and their neighbors, Woodley said. Safely disposing of yard materials and clearing pine cones and needles off roofs is essential. Residents should also make sure their addresses are clearly visible and that driveways remain clear. "We need at least 10 feet of clear width but 12 feet is better," he said, noting fire engines and other response vehicles need quick access to effectively fight fires. Woodley urged residents to pay attention to fire restrictions. If residents don't abide by safe fire practices, they could end up with a hefty fine. "Fire protection agencies are going to recover costs from homeowners if it is discovered the cause was a blatant disregard for fire safety," he said. Residents interested in learning more on protecting their homes against fire can pick up "Living With Fire: A Guide for the Homeowner," at the AFR station.
We had 3 wildland fires in the district during the month of October. This includes 1 TC with an injury, and an Oregon State assist (illegal elk kill). The 3 wildland fires have been on the Mt. Ashland Ski Road, Nepal Road and Hilt. All three are suspected “intentional sets”. A transient seen in the area is suspected. There will be an increase in CDF, ODF, and State Patrol in the Colestin Valley in an attempt to apprehend the suspect. As of mid-November, CRFD also responded to l aircraft down (with one fatality) while operating under our automatic aid agreement with CDF; 1 vehicle fire, and l vehicle accident with injuries. Just outside of our district, a fire was discovered on the morning of November 17th at the north end of Tunnel 13. The 3,100-foot long railroad tunnel just north of the Siskiyou Summit was made famous by the "last great western train robbery" attempted at the tunnel's south end by the three D'Autremont brothers on October 11, 1923, that resulted in four deaths. The fire, involving oil in railroad ties and overhead timbers, was not able to be suppressed at the tunnel's north end due to smoke and fallen timbers blocking the opening. Attempts to reach the fire from the south end were likewise hampered by the smoke. The fire has continued to smolder, under the watch of Jackson County Fire District No. 5 members and managers of the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad Company. The tunnel remains partly blocked by falling debris from the walls and ceiling about 100 feet from the north end, and train traffic has been re-routed for the foreseeable future. The fire is believed to have been started by a transient tresspasser and remains under investigation.
Local Fire Log: Fires & related local news of 2003:
"Region's fire season hangs on tight" - Mail Tribune, Tues. Oct. 28th, 2003 (page 2A) "Fire season is still with us" - Mail Tribune, Wed., Oct. 22nd, 2003.
The Hilt Fire: on Thursday afternoon, October 23rd, a 10-acre fire occurred just to the east of the Interstate-5 Hilt, Calif., overpass. The fast-burning blaze, on steep, hilly terrain involving mostly grass and oak trees, was reported shortly after 3:00 p.m. The Hilt VFD responded, as did Colestin RFD, Hornbrook VFD, the Oregon and California Departments of Forestry, and the U.S. Forest Service. The multi-agency response to this relatively small fire was due to its location near the Oregon-California border, where all of the above agencies have mutual aid or automatic aid agreements. Although several homes were briefly threatened, no buildings were damaged before firefighters knocked the fire back and established wetlines in the area. By about 5 p.m. the fire was considered controlled. The cause of the fire was unknown, and is currently under investigation. Photo below.
A ten-acre fire burned the hillsides east of the I-5 Hilt, Calif., overpass in mid-afternoon on Thursday, October 23rd, underscoring our continued 'High' fire danger level. Sections of the burned area and surrounding firelines established by firefighters and dozers, shown here at mid-center, were visible two days later. Photo © crfd.org webmaster. For more info, see "Crews halt Hilt blaze" - Mail Tribune, Fri. Oct. 24th, 2003
"Fire danger at forefront of concern" - Ashland Daily Tidings, July 31st, 2003 (Front page) "Heat, wind fuel Applegate fire" - Mail Tribune, July 31st, 2003 "Watershed fire reaches 20 acres: some Ashland-area forest roads are closed, but no buildings are in danger" - Mail Tribune, July 13th, 2003 "Residents of areas burned by fires wait — and hope they're well prepared this year" - Mail Tribune, July 13th, 2003 "Dry spring, heat, lightning fueled 2002 fires" - Mail Tribune, July 13th, 2003 "Fire danger: in a word, it's 'bad'" ("We're about four weeks ahead of a 'normal summer' ... It's deceptive in that it looks like we got a good rainfall ... but it really didn't buy us much with the larger fuels ... In another couple of weeks, all that grass we have now will be cured out and we'll be way ahead of where we were a year ago as far as fire danger...") - Mail Tribune, July 13th, 2003 "Emergency Services: Fire Calls" (scroll to the bottom - 2 fires) - Mail Tribune, July 13th, 2003
On Tuesday, July 29th, the ODF acquired a new air tanker, a DC-6B plane used to drop retardant, for its Medford base. It was commissioned to be stationed there at least through mid-September. Air tankers are an effective initial attack tool in wildland firefighting, helping to prevent fires hard-to-reach fires in rugged, steep terrain from blowing up into larger fires. After last year's fire season, due to funding cutbacks, our closest air tanker support was re-stationed in Klamath Falls, an extra 30 minutes away. Since then, the Medford base has been used only as a refueling station. This tanker comes from the state of Alaskawhere the fire season is already winding down. Its cost will be covered by "fire severity" fund set up by the Oregon legislature. For recent news and history of this issue, see The Mail Tribune's archived articles: July
29, 2003 - (article no longer available online)
Fall, 2003, California fires in the news: Raging wildfires, burning in extreme-dry conditions in the San Bernardino mountains east of L.A. and San Diego in Southern California, and fanned by forceful Santa Ana winds, scorched over 743,000 total acres, roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island. These fires destroyed over 3,570 homes. Over 80,000 residents were evacuated from their homes. Despite evacuation efforts, 22 people, including several firefighters, were killed since the fires began on October 21st. Many thousands of those with homes to return to are still unable to return yet. At least 10 separate fires were originally involved, although some of these later merged. The 210,000-acre Cedar Fire, the largest, merged last week with the 37,000-acre Escondido fire. The total burned acreage of these fires vastly exceeds the totals for the B & B Complex and other central Oregon fires this past season. During the peak of fighting these blazes, over 12,000 firefighters were involved, including several hot shot crews from Southern Oregon. The costs of what is being called the "costliest disaster California has ever faced" has been estimated at over $2 billion, prompting the State of California to apply for federal emergency disaster relief funds.
For media coverage of fires and related news in the Pacific Northwest, see KGW Northwest News Channel 8's website, which has current and seasonal news, fire prevention info, and an extensive list of related links to further resources, fire photos & interactive media displays.
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