California Fire News

Redding man caught tampering with vehicle, truck fights back : Local : Redding Record Searchlight Posted: 12 Jun 2007 07:39 PM CDT Redding man caught tampering with vehicle, truck fights back : Local : Redding Record Searchlight: " EDITORS QUESTION?: The editor is of the opinion that this could of been accomplished with a small strip of plastic and no vehicle damage...Thoughts please leave a comment? Redding man caught tampering with vehicle, truck fights back Firefighters cut into pickup to free stuck finger By Jim Schultz (Contact) Saturday, June 9, 2007 Photo courtesy of the Redding Fire Department TO THE RESCUE:Redding firefighters use a reciprocating saw to help free Mark James Gugin, whose finger got stuck Friday in the gas-tank opening of a truck parked at a boat ramp off Bonnyview Road. A Redding man who got his left index finger caught Friday in the gas-tank opening of a truck that doesn't belong to him has a lot of explaining to do. And one can only imagine the reaction of the truck's owner, who was blissfully unaware as emergency crews carefully cut a big hole in the side of his newer-model Ford F-150 to free the man, when he, or she, finally returned from an afternoon of boating or fishing. Mark James Gugin, 30, who had his finger tightly trapped for at least 1½ hours, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle tampering after Redding firefighters, some of whom had to labor beneath the truck, finally freed him from the viselike filler tube that leads into its gas tank, police said. Apparently, Gugin got his finger stuck in a hole above the filler tube's collapsible flange. "Kind of like a raccoon trap," said Redding Fire Department Battalion Chief Jared "Shane" Lauderdale. Or a child's Chinese finger trap. Those who appreciate trucks could not help but cringe as a reciprocating saw was used to take out a big chunk of the expensive vehicle in a step that was necessary to eventually help free Gugin. It wasn't pretty. "Thank you, guys," Gugin said after firefighters, who used the saw as well as a hacksaw and a bolt cutter, were finally able to release him from the gas filler tube's tight grip. Although Redding police investigator Al Mellon said he hadn't yet spoken with Gugin about what his finger was doing in the gas tank, three plastic gas containers were in Gugin's car. His car was next to the truck in the parking lot of a boat ramp off Bonnyview Road. Mellon said boating safety officers came upon the trapped Gugin about 4 p.m., and he was finally freed about 5:30 p.m. But he wasn't free for long as Mellon handcuffed Gugin and placed him in his patrol car. According to Mellon, the truck's registered owner lives in Cottonwood. He placed his business card on the truck's windshield so the owner could contact him once that person returned from what was supposed to have been an enjoyable day on the Sacramento River. CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

News: Logging and replanting after fire makes next fire worse Posted: 12 Jun 2007 02:16 PM CDT Yreka's Siskiyou Daily News - News: GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Contrary to the conventional wisdom, scientists have found that logging big dead trees after a wildfire and planting young ones makes future fires worse, at least for the first 10 or 20 years while the young trees create a volatile new source of fuel. The findings by scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University raise questions about the long-standing practice of salvage logging on national forests at a time when global warming is expected to increase the size and numbers of wildfires and the annual cost of fighting them is running around $1 billion. In the first study of its kind, scientists examined satellite images, aerial photographs, and records of logging and replanting to look at areas that burned in the 1987 Silver fire in southwestern Oregon and again in the 2002 Biscuit fire. "It was the conventional wisdom that salvage logging and planting could reduce the risk of high-severity fires," said Jonathan R. Thompson, a doctoral candidate in forest science at Oregon State, who was lead author of the study appearing this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Our data suggests otherwise." They suggested that the large stands of closely packed young trees created by replanting are a much more volatile source of fuel for decades to come than the large dead trees that are cut down and hauled away in salvage logging operations. "This isn't the full story," added Thomas Spies, a research forester with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, who took part in the study. "It's one more piece of information to help inform the decision process." Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, who oversees the Forest Service, said the study's findings indicated that on national forests that burn frequently, it would be a good idea to plant young trees farther apart and keep the lower branches pruned to reduce fire danger _ something the Forest Service is starting to do. Overall, whether to salvage log continues to be a complex decision based on both the economics and the ecology of a specific site, he said. Greg Aplet, staff scientist for The Wilderness Society, said a recent review of scientific evidence showed that economics _ the value of timber logged after a fire and the jobs that go along with it _ is the only real benefit of salvage logging. "There is no fuel reduction benefit. There is no ecological benefit to salvage logging," he said from Denver. Recent studies suggest that as the climate warms and drought persists across the West, wildfire will become more common, that even the most severely burned forests will sprout plentiful seedlings on their own, and that salvage logging can increase future fire danger by leaving more dead fuel on the ground and delay regeneration by killing naturally sprouted seedlings. The largest wildfire in the nation in 2002 at 500,000 acres, the Biscuit fire has been a battleground between environmentalists and the Bush administration over harvesting trees after fire. Only 5 percent of the area burned was logged afterward. The political battle has waned with Democrats taking control of Congress. A bill to speed up salvage logging on national forests after wildfires died in Congress last year, and has not been reintroduced. CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

Pipe Bomb Threatens Crew While Fighting Brush Fire Posted: 12 Jun 2007 01:11 PM CDT Pipe Bomb Threatens Crew While Fighting Brush Fire Engine personnel responded to a reported brush fire. Upon arrival on scene, we found an area approximately 1/2 acre in diameter on fire with heavy brush and deep mulch involved. Personnel (2) immediately began extinguishing the outer perimeter to prevent spread utilizing a pre-connected booster line. Two witnesses on scene approached the incident commander and advised them that they were walking the perimeter prior to the engine's arrival on scene and that they heard an explosion in the immediate area of the fire. They also came upon what appeared to be a small pipe bomb on scene and then showed the area where the pipe bomb was found. Upon examining the suspected pipe bomb, the incident commander immediately abandoned all fire fighting activities and secured the area. The pipe bomb was placed in a broken tree sapling approximately knee level high. The incident commander advised dispatch of the new situation and requested assistance from the local Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Deputies arrived on scene and positively identified the item found as an actual pipe bomb that did not explode in the ensuing brush fire. A large area surrounding the brush fire was secured and the deputies secured the scene as a crime scene. Engine company personnel kept the surrounding perimeter in check to keep the area involved from spreading. Representatives from local, state and federal agencies arrived on scene to gather evidence and once the area was determined free of any further devices the original pipe bomb was eventually exploded where it was found. Once the scene was considered safe, fire department personnel were allowed back within the area to safely extinguish the fire. Lessons Learned Always be aware of your surrounding area and keep alert for anything out of the ordinary. I have responded to numerous brush fires throughout my 14 year career but never in my imagination would I believe that someone would place a pipe bomb within a brush fire situation. LINK TO ORIGINAL CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NIFC - National Incident Information Center (NIIC) Posted: 12 Jun 2007 12:44 PM CDT National Incident Information Center (NIIC): SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REPORT (website: gacc.nifc.gov/oscc/) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (website: gacc.nifc.gov/oscc/) Incident Name State Lead Agency Size (acres) Change (Acres) Percent Contained Estimate of Containment Personnel Change (Personnel) Structures Lost Goldledge CA FS 3,900 0 65 6/20 332 0 0 *Oak CA TIA 500 - 100 - 119 - 0 Goldledge is burning 10 miles north of Kernville, CA in brush, grass and timber. Residences and historic cabins remain threatened. Oak – This fire is 100% contained. CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

CA-TIA-STREET - Vegetation Fire Posted: 12 Jun 2007 12:36 PM CDT CA-TIA-STREET - Wildlandfire.com Hotlist Forum: CA-TIA-STREET New Fire- at least three starts anticipated to burn together. IC planning for 300-500 acre fire. Starts are above dozer line. Initial report at -0530 am. IC request 3 type I crews, 5 OC Blue Card type II crews, Air Attack, two tankers, copter 522 and a strike team of type 3 engines from TUU." CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

MORGAN HILL: FIRE LOOKOUT TO REOPEN Posted: 12 Jun 2007 11:42 AM CDT MORGAN HILL: FIRE LOOKOUT TO REOPEN THURSDAY MORGAN HILL A fire lookout in Santa Clara County that has been closed for 17 years will reopen this week, Cal Fire officials announced today. The Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit will reopen the Copernicus Peak Fire Lookout at noon Thursday. A 2-and-a-half-year-old volunteer project resurrected the lookout, which will not only preserve one of the Santa Clara Unit's historical places, but will recognize Cal Fire's 100-plus years of service. Volunteers will staff the lookout on an as-need basis during red flags, high winds, after lightning storms and on high-fire danger days. The Copernicus Peak Lookout is located a half-mile east of Lick Observatory. The lookout was constructed in 1938 and served as one of several fire lookouts within the Santa Clara Unit, a 1.4 million-acre stretch." CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

CA-TIA-Oak - Vegetation fire Posted: 12 Jun 2007 12:30 PM CDT CA-TIA-Oak - Vegetation fire 500 acre fire this morning on the Tule Indian Reservation in tall grass & brush Visalia Times-Delta - www.visaliatimesdelta.com -: "About 120 firefighters are battling a fire discovered this morning on the Tule River Indian Reservation. The fire in Gibbon Canyon, about 13 miles east of Porterville and south of Reservation Road, was discovered about 5:30 a.m., said Steve Phillips, who manages the National Forest Service-run dispatch center that provides emergency communications for the reservation. He said the fire, which had burned about 10 acres by 9:30 a.m., was in a steep, mountainous area with grass and brush. Fire crews from the reservation's fire department, the Forest Service and CAL FIRE were fighting the blaze on the ground while a helicopter and two airplanes were dropping water and fire-retardant material on the flames. Fire officials in Tulare County have said brush in the foothills is unusually dry, and the risk of fires spreading fast is high. Phillips said no structures on the reservation are threatened by the flames." CAL FIRE NEWS FROM http://calfire.blogspot.com/

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