California Fire News

Blast at desert spaceport kills 2, injures 4 Posted: 27 Jul 2007 12:48 AM CDT Blast at desert spaceport kills 2, injures 4 - CNN.com: LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- An explosion at an airport home to Scaled Composites -- the builder of the first private manned rocket to reach space -- killed two people and left four seriously hurt Thursday, a Kern County Fire Department official says. A bird's eye view of the scene in Mojave, California, shows charred wreckage and large pieces of debris It happened at the Mojave Air and Space Port during a test of a new rocket motor for SpaceShipTwo -- a spaceship being built for Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism company, a source said. The motor uses nitrous oxide, the source said. A spokeswoman for the spaceport, about 80 miles north of Los Angeles, said the blast was on a remote pad. Aerial video of the blast aftermath showed a charred and twisted flatbed trailer attached to a truck cab with a large silver tank next to it. Large pieces of debris appeared to be strewn for hundreds of yards from the center. Watch the aftermath of the explosion » About 200 yards away was a bunker with a truck owned by Scaled Composites, the aerospace development company founded 25 years ago by Burt Rutan, the aerospace engineer who designed the first plane to fly nonstop around the world without refueling. An employee answering the phone at Scaled Composites would not answer questions when CNN called about an hour after the explosion. Rutan told CNN he was not at the spaceport at the time of the explosion, which he said happened during a "cold fire test."

A Celebration of Life - Contra Costa firefighters Memorial services Posted: 26 Jul 2007 10:24 PM CDT Update: Update Press Release Firefighters honored this Friday "To be on time, arrive by 9" A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held for firefighters Matt Burton and Scott Desmond at 11:00 AM on Friday July 27th at the Sleep Train Pavilion, 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord, CA 94521. The public is asked to arrive by 9 a.m. for general seating. The service will begin at 11:00 am. The ceremony will be preceded by an apparatus procession to the site involving over 100 fire departments. Vehicles outside the Pavilion when the fire department procession arrives at approximately 9 am will not be able to enter until at least 10 am due to road closures. This is a dynamic situation, but sometime after 10 am the entrance to the Pavilion should re open for civilian vehicles to enter. Captain Matt Burton and Engineer Scott Desmond, died early Saturday morning while attempting to rescue two people from a destructive house fire in San Pablo. Maps, procession details, and program information will be posted at: www.cpf.org and www.cccfpd.org/LODD CONTACT: Battalion Chief Dave George Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 925-383-5011 LODD - A Celebration of Life - Contra Costa firefighters Memorial services Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Line of Duty Deaths Fire Captain Matt C. Burton, 34 12-27-1972 - 7-21-2007 Fire Engineer Scott P. Desmond, 37 2-16-1970 - 7-21-2007 A Celebration of Life A Celebration of Life honoring the memory of Captain Burton and Engineer Desmond is set for Friday, July 27th in Concord. The memorial with full firefighter honors will be held at the Concord's Sleeptrain Pavilion on Friday, July 27, 2007. An apparatus procession (fire engines) begins at 8:30 a.m. from Sunvalley Mall. Intersections along the procession route will be closed as more than 100 engines from the Bay Area and California pass through city streets to the Pavilion, arriving there at 10 a.m. The service will begin at 11:00am. and attendees are asked to arrive and be seated by 9:00 a.m. Sunvalley Mall is at One Sunvalley Mall Concord, CA 94520. Sleeptrain Pavilion at Concord is at 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord, CA 94521. For News Media News media interested in coverage, a technical walk through us set for Thursday, July 26 at 11 a.m. at the Pavilion backstage. Please contact Battalion Chief Dave George, 925-383-5011, and return here for updates. Apparatus Procession Information Fire apparatus (fire trucks, fire engines) from local and out-of-district agencies will proceed to the Concord Pavilion from Sunvalley Mall in Concord starting at 8:30 a.m.. For Fire Service Agencies Please RSVP to John Viera at jviera@srvfire.ca.gov, tel. 925-567-6996 with the following information -- Agency Name and Address -- Number and type of apparatus -- Number of personnel Honor Guards from all agencies are invited to participate in the ceremony. Please bring department or union colors and tools.Honor Guard Contact: Please RSVP to Thomas Jay with Riverside City Firefighters, 951-515-2194 and provide: -- Agency Name and Address -- Number of Personnel Volunteers from fire and law enforcement agencies who wish to offer their assistance may contact Jaad Ajlouny at 707-495-5223. Email: firecapjad@aol.com. See more information at California Professional Firefighters. For Contra Costa County Fire Personnel All Contra Costa Fire Uniformed Personnel will be seated as a group directly behind the families.Non-uniformed personnel will be in the sections adjacent to our uniformed personnel. Uniformed personnel will enter the services as a group following the seating of outside agencies. Please remain outside near the front gate until the Contra Costa Fire Procession arrives at approximately 10:15 am. Please also check e-mail and visit our Intranet site. For the Families People who wish to send flowers for the Celebration of Life service should have delivery made to the Concord Pavilion by Thursday, July 26. Sympathy cards for our fire service family, including Station #70 and the Desmond and Burton can be sent to: CCCFPD Headquarters, 2010 Geary Road, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. A Memorial Fund has been established to benefit the families of the two fallen firefighters. Contributions can be made to the Local 1230 Widows and Orphans Fund, 112 Blue Ridge Drive, Martinez, CA 94553. Please return for updated information. Click on the name of each firefighter above for more information about each.

Out of State - Idaho: Murphy Complex Fire - Wildland Fire - 649,131 acres with a 37 % containment. Posted: 26 Jul 2007 09:12 PM CDT Murphy Complex Fire Update July 26, 2007 649,131 acresMurphy Complex fire map click to enlarge Incident Information Announcements News Pictures Maps Incident: Murphy Complex Released: 9 hrs. ago Murphy Complex Fire Update July 26, 2007 9:00 a.m. MST www.inciweb.org Start Date: 07/16/2007 7:12 p.m. Cause: Lightning Location: 30 miles southwest of Twin Falls, Idaho Fuel model: Model 5 with a mix of Juniper. Current Information: Current Size: 649,131 acres Fire Containment: 37 % Expected Containment: 08/04/07 Cost to date: $3,800,000 Total Personnel: 651 Persons Injuries to date: 2 Resources Available: 15 Hand Crews, 93 Engines, 11 Helicopters, 7 Water Tenders, 13 dozers, 2 Camp Crews Threatened: 350 residences, 50 commercial properties, 200 outbuildings Fire Activity: Fire behavior was moderated by higher humidity and rainfall (1/4"-1/2") on a lot of the fire area. The fire perimeter is active primarily in the southern divisions, to the south end of Copper Mountains across private lands north of Charleston, NV. Air support was very effective. Fire activity was low to absent elsewhere on the Murphy Complex. The Murphy Complex was divided into two zones and will be managed by two incident management teams beginning this morning. Castleford Zone is the northeast portion including the Scott Creek Fire and most of the fire on BLM Idaho lands. The Wild Horse Zone is the southwest portion primarily on National Forest lands. Today's Actions: Operations will include patrol and mop-up (150' to 200'), direct and indirect fire line construction, and surveying the dozer lines for effective rehabilitation. Also, firefighting resources will be immediately available for initial attack, should the need arise. Aircraft with infrared technology will fly over the fire today, mapping the hot spots within the fire area and looking for any new fires caused by lightning. The fire is expected to be most active today in the south and southeast possibly moving towards the Charleston Reservoir and Jarbidge Wilderness Area. Evacuations, Closures and Restrictions: Evacuations have been lifted for residents in all areas. Many roads in the area remain closed to the public. Idaho Power has restored power to Jarbidge and Murphy residents. Emergency generators have been installed in Owyhee, Mountain City, and Duck Valley. Raft River Electric Company has begun repairs to Duck Valley Indian Reservation. Stage 2 fire restrictions have gone into effect today. More fire information can be obtained by calling fire information officers: 208-537-6561 Castleford Information Center; Castleford, Idaho 866-744-6199 Wild Horse Information Center; Wild Horse, Nevada 775-748-4141 Joint Information Center; Elko, Nevada 208-735-2060 BLM Twin Falls District Office; Twin Falls, Idaho (Fire Restrictions Info)

InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire - Acres: 31,000 Acres Percent Containment: 80 percent Posted: 26 Jul 2007 08:58 PM CDT Zaca Wildland Fire Incident Information Announcements News Pictures Maps INCIDENT UPDATED 5 HRS. AGO ANNOUNCEMENT Forest Service Reduces Zaca Fire Closure Date: July 26, 2007 Forest Service Reduces Zaca Fire Closure GOLETA, CA...With the Zaca Fire nearing containment, the area of Los Padres National Forest closed to public entry has been reduced signifi... more Zaca Fire Progression Map July 26, 2007 view pictures || view maps Summary NOTE: With the Zaca Fire status relatively stable, one fire information update will be published each morning unless conditions change. Location: 15 miles Northeast of Buellton, Santa Barbara County Unified Command Team: Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Start Date & Report Time: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 AM Acres: 31,000 Acres Percent Containment: 80 percentEstimated Containment: August 3, 2007 Resources: Hand Crews: 15; Dozers: 4; Engines: 12; Air Tankers: 2; Helicopters: 19; Water Tenders: 27; Overhead Personnel: 155; Total Personnel: 604; Injuries: 8; Structures Threatened: 0; Fireline-to-Build: 5 miles; Estimated Cost-to-Date: $34.6 million Current Forest and Road Closures: Santa Barbara County Fire Officials have ordered the following road closures: Happy Canyon Road closed to the east at Baseline Road. Figueroa Mountain road closed to the east at Highway 154. Los Padres National Forest Officials have ordered the following forest closures: The Los Padres National Forest closure remains in effect from Hwy. 166 on the north to Hwy. 33 in Ventura County on the south. This closure will limit access to the San Rafael and Dick Smith Wilderness areas in order to insure the safety of citizens and fire personnel. Significant Events: With a warming and drying trend, expect interior islands to continue to burn out during the peak burning period, with no real threats to the line. The area burned by the 1993 Marre fire continues to act as a partial barrier to fire spread even during times of active burning. Please visit www.inciweb.org for maps, photos and more information on the Zaca Fire. Current Situation: The fire continues to threaten fire lines, but firefighters have been able to keep the fire from spreading beyond McKinley Ridge. Firefighters are using aerial infrared technology to locate hotspots. Today firefighters will continue to construct fire line on the open southeast flank and mop-up remaining hot spots. West and northern areas of the fire are being patrolled by aircraft. Despite rugged terrain, poor access, and extremely low fuel moistures, hand crews along with helicopters continue to make significant progress on the fire. Suppression rehab is nearly completed on the west side of the fire. All efforts are being made to protect natural and cultural resources. Public and firefighter safety remain the top priority. Safety Message: Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Additional Information: Depending on fire behavior and wind conditions, smoke from the Zaca Fire may be visible over a wide area with occasional drift smoke as far away as Santa Barbara, Goleta or other areas of the county. Approved By Unified Incident Commanders: Basic Information Incident Type Wildland Fire Cause Human Caused Date of Origin 07/04/2007 at 1053 hrs. Location 15 miles north east of Buellton, CA. Incident Commander Aaron Gelobter / Rick Tod Current Situation Total Personnel 604 Size 31,000 acres Percent Contained 80% Estimated Containment Date 08/03/2007 at hrs. Fuels Involved Chaparral and oak woodlands. North and east flanks of fire are burning in heavy, 40 year old fuels with high dead to live ratio. Fuel moisture levels are extremely low, at levels normally seen in late summer. Fire Behavior Fire continued small runs in interior islands and slow progression toward the Division I and U break. Significant Events Line construction and holding continued in Divisions I and U. Spot fire in Division X secured and mopped up. Additional Santa Barbara Co resources checked and secured interior hot spots in western flank detected by Infra Red. Outlook Planned Actions Continue construction and securing of lines in I and U. Reconnaissance and rehabilitation of contingency dozer lines and other suppression related resource concerns under way. Projected Movement Moderate to high potential for the fire to grow in the next 12 to 24 hours to the east and south. Growth Potential Medium Terrain Difficulty Extreme Containment Target North and west flanks are in patrol status. Good progress is being made in I and U Remarks All evacuation warnings have been lifted. Los Padres National Forest closure remains in effect. Happy Canyon Road is closed to the east at Baseline Road. Figuerora Mountain Road is closed to the east at Hwy 154. All Los Padres NF lands are closed from Hwy. 166 on the north roughly to Hwy. 33 in Ventura County on the south, including San Rafael, Dick Smith and Matilija Wilderness areas. Unified Command with Santa Barbara County. Weather Current Wind Conditions 4-16 mph W Current Temperature 84 degrees Current Humidity 32 %

InciWeb: Elk Complex Wildland Fire - 10,244 acres - 51% containment. Posted: 26 Jul 2007 08:45 PM CDT Elk Complex Wildland Fire Incident Information Announcements News Pictures Maps INCIDENT UPDATED 3 HRS. AGO Elk Complex Area Map Credit:InciWeb view pictures || view maps Summary ELK FIRE COMPLEX UPDATE July 26, 2007 Total Complex Acreage: 10,244 acres Incident Resources: 1,279 personnel Total Complex Containment: 51% Expected Full Containment: 7/29/2007 Cost to Date: $10,994,617 Injuries to Date (minor): 9 Structures Threatened: 550 Fatalities to Date: 1 Crews will continue patrolling and mopping up the perimeter of the Little Grider. Smoke will continue to be produced as fuels burn within the interior. Suppression efforts continue on the five remaining uncontained fires. The protection of Happy Camp and Elk Creek communities remains a top priority. Burnout and line construction activities continue on the Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 with excellent results on the north and northeast corner of the fire. These actions are considered critical in order to secure the northern and eastern portion of the fire. To date, a total of 62 miles of fireline has been constructed consisting of 27 miles of dozer line and 35 miles of handline and brushed roads. A six mile portion of the Klamath River will be used as a west flank containment line for the fires. Complex Fire Details Of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 25 are 100% contained. The fires will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as safety, resources and access permit. The remaining five fires are as follows: Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 (7,008 acres) 28% contained. Line construction continued on the fire. A recommended evacuation for homeowners and closure for campers and miners, from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on Elk Creek Road remains in place. Firelines have been constructed and burnouts continue. Elk Fire (1,144 acres) 96% contained Hummingbird Fire (80 acres) 0% contained. Evacuation Planning: The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department has prepared an evacuation plan in the event evacuation becomes necessary. Individuals with special needs, such as mobility assistance, should notify the Sheriff's Department ahead of time. Sources of info include: http://www.inciweb.org/ (including other fires) or the incident information office at (530) 841-4451. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/condition/ for information on fire restrictions and local closures. - # - Basic Information Incident Type Wildland Fire Cause Lightning Date of Origin 07/10/2007 at 00 hrs. Location Happy Camp Ranger District Incident Commander Mike Dietrich Current Situation Total Personnel 1,279 Size 10,244 acres Percent Contained 51% Estimated Containment Date 07/29/2007 at hrs. Fuels Involved Mature heavy timber overstory with brush understory, large quantities of dead fuels and snags. Fire Behavior Slow moving fire with isolated torching, creeping, smoldering and roll-out on steep slopes. Significant Events Burnout on he northern flank of the wingate fire completed down to the Klamath River and south to Windy Gap on the northeast perimeter.Continued burnout operation on the eastern flank of the Wingate fire moving south towards Titus fire Outlook Planned Actions Continue burn operation on eastern flank of the Titus fires in Branch I. Continues direct line construction on eastern perimeterwhere feasible to minimize fire size and reduce costs. Brush roads in southern portion of Branch I. Support Forest Service Accident Investigation Team on Norcross incident. Projected Movement 12 hours: Continued spread expected due to futher drying of fuels and potential bounout/backfire operations. 24 hours: Continued spread expected due to further drying of fuels and potential burnout/backfire operations 48 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previos rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread 72 hours:Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previos rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread. Growth Potential High Terrain Difficulty Extreme Containment Target Likely to meet objectives based on current weather projections. Remarks Expect an increase in containment as direct strategy and burnout continues. A total of sixty-two miles of fire line has been constructed to date. This includes twenty-seven miles of dozerline and thirty-five miles of handline and brushed roads. A six mile portion of the klamath River will be used as a west flank containment line for Wingate/Titus/King Creek2 fires. Fire acreage and containment: of the identified fires in the Elk Complex,25 fires are 100% contained. The remaining fires are as follows: Wingate/Titus/KingCreek2 7,008 acres-28%, Elk 1,144 acres-96%,Hummingbird 80 acres-0%. Elk fire and Hummingbird fire are in aerial patrol. Weather Current Wind Conditions Not available Current Temperature 60 degrees Current Humidity 80 %

News: World Trade Center rescue dog dies of cancer Posted: 26 Jul 2007 08:42 PM CDT Jake, the 9/11 rescue dog PHOTO CREDIT:Mary Flood / AP and of course Jake, the 9/11 rescue dog News: World Trade Center rescue dog dies of cancer PHOTO CREDIT: Mary Flood / AP and of course Jake, the 9/11 rescue dog NEW YORK (AP) - The Fire Rescue community is mourning the passing of Jake, the 9/11 rescue dog, Jake was adopted by Mary Flood as a 10-month-old puppy. He had been abandoned on a street with a broken leg and a dislocated hip. Flood eventually trained Jake to become one of fewer than 200 U.S. government-certified rescue dogs -- an animal on 24-hour call to tackle disasters such as building collapses, earthquakes, hurricanes and avalanches. The black Lab who burrowed through smoking debris at the World Trade Center site has died of cancer. Jake had been wracked with pain and fever and Mary Flood had the 12-year-old put to sleep after one last walk through the fields and a swim in the creek near their home in Oakley, Utah. No one can say whether the dog would have gotten sick if he hadn't been exposed to the toxic air in Lower Manhattan. But cancer in dogs Jake's age is common and so is premature death for Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers guess we will never know... The Labrador also searched for survivors after Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. 911 Rescue and Recovery workers:

Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Region 5 Posted: 26 Jul 2007 10:02 AM CDT Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship The Region 5 (California) Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program announcement is currently posted. A link to the announcement can be found at: http://www.wfap.net/recruitment.html . This announcement will close on August 27th. If you are interested please submit your application before then. Announcements for other regions should be coming out shortly.

Vehicular-manslaughter charges dropped in fatal firetruck crash Posted: 26 Jul 2007 09:58 AM CDT Vehicular-manslaughter charges dropped in fatal firetruck crash Vehicular-manslaughter charges dropped in fatal firetruck crash 0:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 By JOHN ASBURY The Press-Enterprise RIVERSIDE - Prosecutors dropped vehicular manslaughter charges against Riverside County firefighter Michael Arizaga on Wednesday, saying he was not responsible for a 2005 fire-truck accident that killed a colleague. Arizaga, of Beaumont, was the first firefighter charged with manslaughter involving an on-duty accident in the 102-year history of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the agency Riverside County contracts with for fire services. The DA's office dropped charges against Arizaga after determining the accident was caused by weight-distribution factors in the truck's design that made it fishtail and overturn, said Assistant District Attorney Sara Danville. "This is a good day. It's something that should have happened quite a while ago," Arizaga said. The charges had been filed based on the initial accident investigation, but new information showed there was no criminal negligence involved, Danville said. That information came from a defense report by a physics expert at Cal State Northridge and the DA's separate analysis, attorneys from both sides said. Arizaga faced one charge of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence after the 1987 Spartan fire truck he was driving hydroplaned off Interstate 10 near Highway 60 on the way to a flooded home in Beaumont on Aug. 6, 2005. Firefighter Chris Kanton, 23, of Temecula, was killed in the accident. If convicted, Arizaga could have been sentenced to a year in jail. "After carefully reviewing all the facts, we decided we could not proceed with the case," Deputy District Attorney Nikolaus Peterson said. Arizaga was in the Riverside courtroom Wednesday with several firefighters, his fiancée, Lisa Cossette, and his father for what was supposed to be the start of jury selection. He stood in the middle of the courtroom and embraced a tearful Cossette after Peterson made the surprise announcement that charges were being dropped. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez dismissed the case. Afterward, outside the courthouse, friends and colleagues shouted "happy birthday" to Arizaga, who turned 48 Wednesday. "The last year has been a roller coaster after facing the trial of not being able to do my job and serve the public. I didn't think anything like this could happen." Arizaga said outside the courtroom. "We still mourn Chris Kanton. He died a hero that day and these court proceedings have kind of taken away from that." Arizaga, who was placed on paid leave after the charges were filed in August 2006, said he is working with the Riverside County Fire Department and the CDF Firefighters Union to return to his job. The union will seek state legislation to grant immunity to firefighters responding to calls, said Terry McHale, the union's public-policy director. He added that the Fire Department is seeking funding to replace outdated equipment and engines. "This was a freak accident," McHale said. "Firefighters were absolutely united that nothing in this case was deserving of any charges to be filed." On the day of the crash, the crew borrowed a reserve engine from another Moreno Valley station after discovering a faulty brake line in their regular truck. The reserve fire engine passed a safety inspection before the collision, according to a Cal Fire report. A California Highway Patrol report said the truck was speeding in sudden rainy conditions, going 45 mph, and an engine auxiliary brake was left in high gear, which may have contributed to the collision. A CHP report and a federal study said neither Arizaga nor Kanton were wearing seatbelts. CHP officials said Arizaga was responsible for making sure his crew wore seatbelts. Firefighter Danny Faulkner was on the first engine to arrive at the scene, one minute and 19 seconds after the collision. He had to crawl over the truck to get to the crew in the pouring rain and mud that was flowing down the hillside. Faulkner was subpoenaed to testify Wednesday, but said he's glad the case didn't go to trial. "It's hard enough to do our job without having to worry about someone second-guessing everything and facing prosecution," Faulkner said. "Chris (Kanton) would have never wanted to see this go to trial. You can't hold anyone accountable for any wrongdoing in this accident." Arizaga suffered head injuries after crashing through the truck's windshield during the accident and was hospitalized for about a week. Another firefighter suffered minor injuries. "We ran into hell that day and one vicious storm," Arizaga said Wednesday.

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