Monday, November 12, 2007

California Fire News

California Fire News

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Inciweb: Jack Wildland Fire - 287 acres - 0%

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 08:24 PM CST

Jack Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 3 HRS. AGO
Retardant drops 11/08/07

Retardant Drops on Jack Fire 11/08/07
Credit: NPS

view pictures || view maps

Summary

The Jack Fire started on Oct. 29 from lightning associated with thunderstorms moving over the Park. Jack is located on Turner Ridge north of Wawona and originally was placed under wildland fire use management for resource benefits and public safety. On Nov. 8, the fire spread outside the fire use management zone causing a change in strategy. At this point, management actions were taken to stop the fire from spreading further south toward Wawona. Crews are constructing line just outside Wawona north to the fire's south and east sides. A significant turn in the weather is expected Sunday, bringing measurable precipitation to the fire area. Fire managers continue to assess fire activity and growth potential to determine future management actions.

Basic Information

Incident Type Wildland Fire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin 10/29/2007 at 1500 hrs.
Location 1.5 miles north of Wawona
Incident Commander Deron Mills

Current Situation

Total Personnel 133
Size 287 acres
Estimated Containment Date 11/20/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved

South half of the fire is in oak woodland, manzanita, and bear clover. this is the portion of the fire nearest Wawona. North half of the fire is heavy ponderosa pine and mixed conifer.

Fire Behavior

Creeping and smoldering. Some active fire on the northeast and northwest.

Significant Events

Crews continue working through thick brush to reach the heel of the fire. Others are working to identify and begin construction of control lines.

Outlook

Planned Actions

Continued work to implement line construction on the south side. Continued monitoring north side within the fire use zone.

Growth Potential

High

Terrain Difficulty

High

Remarks

Crews are having a difficult time engaging in direct line construction, due to dense brush fuels and steep terrain. Precipitation expected Sunday may aid control efforts.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions Not available
Current Temperature Not available
Current Humidity Not available

LAFD blog: The LAFD Asks You: What is a Vet?

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 11:26 AM CST


WHAT IS A VET?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in their eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: a soul forged in the refinery of adversity.

Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a Vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another -or- didn't come back at all.

He is the Quantico drill instructor that has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being, a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".

Remember, November 11th is Veterans Day.

Yosemite Fire Information – Update # 7

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 10:12 AM CST

November 9, 2007

Fire activity moderated today when predicted cool, moist, cloudy conditions occurred in Yosemite National Park. The Jack Fire north of Wawona is 326 acres and the Devil Wildland Fire Use Fire east of Tamarack Flat Campground is 160 acres. With reduced fire behavior and spread, personnel on the ground were able to accurately map the perimeter of the fires.

Fourteen fires were started by lightning October 29, 2007; ten were quickly contained and controlled. Three fires (Devil, Cotton and Johnson) located in the wilderness are being managed under a wildland fire use management response, while aggressive actions are being taken on the Jack Fire which spread into the Park's suppression zone on Thursday.

Jack Fire – There are 106 personnel and three helicopters dedicated to the Jack Fire. Steep, brushy terrain is hampering efforts to construct line south and east of the fire. The helicopters were unable to fly today due to low cloud cover but will be available Saturday to drop water on hot spots and transport personnel and equipment if the weather cooperates.

Devil Fire – The Devil is located east of the Tamarack Trail, between Tamarack Flat Campground and the Tamarack Trail footbridge crossing at Cascade Creek. Fourteen personnel are assigned and are working south of the fire to ensure it remains within the fire use boundary. The fire continues to work its way west, reducing fuels and maintaining a natural role in the ecosystem.

Cotton Fire – The Cotton is one quarter acre and has not shown any growth in two days. It is approximately 3.5 miles east of the Hetch Hetchy Ranger Station, near Cottonwood Meadow. It is inside the Ackerson Fire of 1996.

Johnson – The fire is in Madera County, 4 miles northeast of Wawona, near Crescent Lake. It is 0.1 acre and consists of a single snag burning with low growth potential.

Closures: Two trails have been closed for public safety. On the Jack Fire, the trail from the Wawona Ranger Office to the junction with the Alder Creek Trail is closed. On the Devil Fire, the trail between Tamarack Flat Campground and the top of El Capitan on the Valley Rim Trail is closed. Additional trail closures may be considered. Hikers are advised to call for current information and refer to posted updates for potentially changing conditions.

Partly sunny skies are predicted for Saturday. A chance of precipitation returns by Saturday night through Sunday. The outlook is calling for warmer, drier conditions early next week.

For more information, please call Fire Information at 209-375-9572.

Additional Information: The park website, www.nps.gov/yose/fire has information about fire activity and smoke effects in Yosemite.

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