California Fire News

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 11:37 PM CDT

Judge rebuffs fire boards, attorney says

By Nick Casey [ nick@hmbbreview.com ]

A judge has ordered both the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara fire protection districts to halt their planned contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and accept signatures gathered for a referendum on the question, an attorney representing the firefighters union said Thursday.

The recent decision came as a result of two lawsuits filed Thursday by Local 2400, the union representing firefighters.

According to union attorney Alan Davis, the district was ordered to temporarily stop its proceedings with CDF until the suit is resolved. Additionally, the court ordered the two districts to certify signatures, gathered by firefighters, in favor of a referendum that could overturn the contract decision, said Davis.

In February, firefighters gathered about 2,000 signatures for the referendum. After closed proceedings, the two districts' boards moved to reject the signatures, saying that they had been obtained in a misleading fashion and failed to meet the letter of the law in several ways.

"(The governing boards) need to accept full responsibility for what has happened here," said Davis. "They have known for six months that voters wanted this election. This is on their backs."

Jean Savaree, legal counsel for the district, did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

Gary Burke, president of the Half Moon Bay fire board, said he was aware that a meeting with the judge had taken place but that he had not yet been briefed on the result.

Davis said that a May 4 hearing has been scheduled to reconsider today's orders which are meant as a temporary measure while the suit is resolved.

80-Year-Old Missing In Yosemite

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 11:30 PM CDT

80-Year-Old Missing In Yosemite

Search and rescue crews are actively looking for a missing 80-year-old woman who is believed to have disappeared in Yosemite.

Investigators said that Ottorrina Bonaventura was out hiking with a club near Emerick Lake when she disappeared. Apparently, Bonaventura had left her group to head back to the their cabin, because she was concerned with food storage.

She was last seen on the afternoon of July 30th.

A massive search, including over a hundred people, is now underway for the missing hiker, including ground crews, 2 helicopters, spotters, crew shuttles and 4 dog teams.

Authorities are calling on people who may have been in the area of the back country between July 30th and now to call them with any information they may have at (209) 372-0778. Authorities say that time is crucial, because Bonaventura has a history of memory loss. Searchers say that they will continue their search through the night to find Bonaventura."

Out of state: Incredible photographs from local resident of the Freeway bridge collapse

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 09:39 PM CDT

EMERGENCY INCIDENT:

Incredible photographs from local resident of the Freeway bridge collapse over the Mississippi River

Photos submitted by Mark LaCroix, Minneapolis

Incredible photographs from local resident of the Freeway bridge collaps

Freeway bridge collapse over the Mississippi River
Photos submitted by Mark LaCroix, Minneapolis

Photos from the scene: Here
Incredible photographs from local resident of the Freeway bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Photos from the scene: Here
Incredible photographs from local resident of the Freeway bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis."

News: Hwy. 178 reopens after firefighters douse brush fire - Bakersfield, CA

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 08:48 PM CDT

Hwy. 178 reopens after firefighters douse brush fire - KBAK CBS 29 - Bakersfield:

Hwy. 178 reopens after firefighters douse brush fire

CHP officers reopened Highway 178 through the canyon about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. Officers shut it down about 12:15 p.m. because of two brush fires.

The highway will remain open until 5:30 p.m. or so and then close again for at least another 45 minutes so firefighters can clear their equipment from the area that burned.

California Highway Patrol decided to close the canyon to traffic while firefighters try to douse the flames. There are also reports of falling rocks in the canyon along Highway 178.

Hwy. 178 was closed at the mouth on the Bakersfield side through to the area near Miracle Hot Springs."

New contract, big pay boost for S.F. firefighters

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 08:33 PM CDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - San Francisco firefighters are set to receive a 24 percent salary pay raise over a four-year period, according to new contract terms.

The contract gives the 1,726 members of the San Francisco Fire Fighters Union — which includes such commanding ranks as captain — an increase similar to the 23 percent pay hike recently approved for San Francisco police officers. The contract for firefighters expired June 30.

The base pay for a firefighter ranges from $61,438 to $86,008, according to the Fire Department's Web site. With the 25 percent increase, by 2011, salaries will have jumped an additional $15,359 to $21,502, pushing many firefighters' wages over $100,000 — without overtime.

The Fire Department spends approximately $139 million on salaries — not including benefits — for firefighters. The new Memorandum of Understanding would increase that amount by $6.1 million this new fiscal year and — with an effective increase of about 6 percent each year — add $44 million to the department's budget by fiscal year 2010-11, according to the City Controller's Office.

Whole story here: New contract, big pay boost for S.F. firefighters - Examiner.com:

News: Two fires, one arsonist keep crews active

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 08:16 PM CDT

Amador Ledger Dispatch:

CAL FIRE Investigator Tom Oldag caught an arsonist in the act in Plymouth Friday afternoon on his way to an unrelated fire that burned 19 acres near Jackson earlier that day.

According to Oldag, the arsonist, Juan Antonio Cardona, had just started the grass fire on Highway 49 a half mile north of town when Oldag drove by in a marked truck. Calling in fire crews, Oldag turned around and, after a brief interview, took Cardona into custody.

"He seemed pretty unaware of the seriousness of what he had done," said Oldag. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Fortunately (the fire) didn't get big."

Members of the Plymouth fire department contained the fire in five minutes, according to Oldag.

Garrett Simmons, Oldag's partner, came in on his day off to investigate the wildland fire that torched the south side of Highway 88 four miles west of Jackson. Burn patterns on the ground led to hot products from a car that were determined to have started the fire, according to Simmons.

"People are always saying that cigarettes start these fires, but you need specific conditions for that to happen," said Simmons. "Chunks of catalytic converter (shot out the tail pipe) can reach 1,300 degrees. That's more than sufficient to start a grass fire."

Highway 88 was closed for half an hour while CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, and wards from the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, among others, worked to put out the fire.

The fires are the latest in a series of relatively manageable ones in Amador County while other counties have been experiencing worse fires than normal, according to multiple fire officials.

"It's just been mellow," said John Fracchia, a fire captain at Sutter Hill. "We're still catching them and keeping them small."

The spike in fires elsewhere is due to historically low levels of moisture in the brush, caused by a short, dry winter, according to CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Brian Kirk. Amador County has been lucky this season, Kirk said, in having little wind and few fire starts, such as the catalytic converter fragments.

Cardona, 18, faces a sentence of two to six years in jail, unless he proves unusual circumstances, according to District Attorney Todd Riebe. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Cardona lives with his mother in downtown Jackson, according to his father Antonio Hernandez Cardona.

He was appointed a public defender on Monday and will remain in jail until a second hearing on Aug. 16

CA-AEU- Salmon IC - Vegetation Fire

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 04:08 PM CDT

Salmon IC - Vegetation Fire

Location: 290 Salmon Falls Rd, El Dorado Hills - located just east of Folsom
lake.

Sizeup: 2 acres Rapid ROS, high wildland response

Additional: Tac 9

InciWeb: Elk Complex Wildland Fire - 15,149 acres - 79% containment.

Posted: 01 Aug 2007 03:31 PM CDT

Elk Complex Update 8/1/07

Incident: Elk Complex
Released: 10:00 hrs

Total Complex Acreage: 15,149 acres Incident Resources: 839 personnel

Total Complex Containment: 79% Cost to Date: $16,800,000 Injuries to Date (minor): 15 Fatalities to Date: 1

Expected Full Containment: 8/05/2007

Siskiyou County Public Health Officer, Stephan Perlman, M.D. advises residents throughout Siskiyou County to be aware that air quality may be extremely poor in many areas due to severe smoke. In areas with visibility less than 2 miles, residents are advised to remain indoors and refrain from physical exertion. An incremental increase in fire behavior is occurring each day. Slow moving surface fire with short runs, isolated torching, creeping and rolling out of burning materials was observed yesterday.

Firefighters plan to use aerial ignition to burn portions of the interior of the fire on the King Creek 2/Wingate/Titus Fires. This involves releasing ping pong ball size incendiaries (PSD's) as the helicopter flies over the area to be burned. Crews continue to secure established fireline. Patrol and mop up the Little Grider Fire will continue.

Complex Fire Details

Of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 25 are 100% contained. The contained fires will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as necessary. The remaining five fires are as follows:

Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 Fires is 11,581 acres (increase in acreage due to limited burning of interior) and 66% contained. Firelines have been constructed and limited burning of interior areas will continue. A closure for campers and miners, from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on Elk Creek Road remains in place.
Elk Fire (1,144 acres) 96% contained and remains in aerial patrol.

Hummingbird Fire (80 acres) 0% contained. The fire remains in aerial patrol.

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.

The Forest Service, in cooperation with the Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control District, has installed an air quality monitoring station in Happy Camp. Real-time data may be viewed online at http://www.satguard.com/usfs/Chart new.asp Get=4&UnitID=36&CustID=2&sDate=7/29/2007.

Elk Complex Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED

ELK COMPLEX FIRE PROGRESSION MAP
Credit: Elk Complex GIS

view pictures || view maps

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	07/10/2007 at 00 hrs.
Location	Happy Camp Ranger District
Incident Commander	Kent Swartzlander

Current Situation

Total Personnel	839
Size	15,149 acres
Percent Contained	79%
Estimated Containment Date	08/05/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Mature heavy timber overstory with brush understory, large quantities of dead fuels and snags.
Fire Behavior	Slow moving surface fire with short runs on aligned slopes with isolated torching, creeping and roll-out on steep slopes, during the night.
Significant Events	Continued to secure line burned on previous days. Patrolled and mop-up.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Assess opportunities to apply interior aerial ignitions on the Western portion of the fire. Evaluate further burn operations on the Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 fire. Secure the line burned on previous days.
Projected Movement	12 hours: Continued spread expected due to further drying of fuels and potential burnout/backfire operations. 24 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread. 48 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread. 72 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous 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 seventy-seven miles of fireline has been constructed to date. This includes twenty-eight miles of dozer line and forty-nine 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 Wingate/Titus/KingCreek2 fires. Fire acreage and containment: of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 25 fires are 100% contained. The remaining fires are as follows: King Creek 2/Wingate/ Titus 11,681 acres-66%(increase in acreage due to burn operations); Elk 1,144 acres-96%; Hummingbird 80 acres-0%. Elk fire and Hummingbird fire is in aerial patrol.