pnwfire news

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mandatory evacuations lifted in Swanson Lake fire - www.krem.com

CRESTON, Wash. -- A second mandatory evacuation ordered Tuesday night was lifted Wednesday morning for
residents near the Swanson Lake Fire.

Residents again were forced to evacuate their homes again Tuesday
night in Lincoln County due to that 16,500-acre blaze.

Everyone who was evacuated Monday night, then allowed back at
home Tuesday, were again told to leave.

Despite the removal of the mandatory evac, residents have been
warned that they may have to flee again.

The wildfire is now threatening 45 structures.

The area of evacuation includes Hawk Creek Ranch Road extending North to the Hawk Creek Estates in the Dobbs
Canyon area.

One home, two seasonal cabins and several outbuildings have been burned.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mandatory evacuations lifted in Swanson Lake fire - www.yakima-herald.com

SPOKANE -- Ellreese Daniels, the incident commander charged
for the deaths of four Central Washington firefighters at the
Thirtymile fire, will not serve any time behind prison bars.

Instead, he will spend 90 days on work release and three years
on probation for making false statements to authorities.

Judge Fred Van Sickle sentenced Daniels this afternoon following
a full day of emotional testimony at U.S. District Court in Spokane. Van Sickle said he didn’t believe Daniels was
responsible for the deaths but was troubled by the crew boss’ false statements.

For his part, when it came for his turn to testify, Daniels told the judge he had nothing more to say.

Daniels faced a maximum standard sentence of six months in federal prison. Prosecutors asked for four months; his
defense attorney wanted probation.

Earlier in the day, Daniels’ attorney, public defender Tina Hunt of Spokane, said Ellreese Daniels, incident commander
charged with the deaths of four Central Washington firefighters, was the only one blamed in the U.S. Forest Service’s
chain of command. He shouldn’t be the only one to serve time, Hunt argued.

In arguing for a prison term, Assistant U.S. attorney Tom Hopkins said Daniels had believed the blaze would bypass
his crew at the deployment site. Daniels had also told his superiors at the U.S. Forest Service that he had been in
other “ugly” situations and never had to deploy emergency fire shelters.

However, Daniels’ assessment of the fire proved wrong and his attempt to save his reputation ended up with the
deaths of the four firefighters, Hopkins said.

Killed at Thirtymile were firefighters Tom Craven, Karen FitzPatrick, Jessica Johnson and Devin Weaver. Weaver, 21,
Johnson, 19, and FitzPatrick, 18, were from Yakima; Craven, 30, lived in Ellensburg.

Members of the FitzPatrick, Weaver, Johnson and Craven families spoke earlier in the morning.

Kathie FitzPatrick, Karen’s mother, has been one of the most vocal critics of Daniels and the Forest Service. She
asked the judge to sentence Daniels to two years in federal prison.

Will Craven, however, told the judge that Daniels should not spend a day behind bars. The father of Tom Craven said
the Forest Service is a good employer and that the job of fighting forest fires is inherently dangerous.

The four Central Washington firefighters died July 10, 2001, while battling a blaze ignited by an unattended campfire.
They were trapped by flames when an inferno swept over them on a dead-end road along the Chewuch River in the
Okanogan National Forest.

Another Yakima firefighter, Jason Emhoff, was burned, and a pair of Thorp campers, Bruce and Paula Hagemeyer,
were trapped with the crew.

Investigations by the U.S. Forest Service and the Yakima Herald-Republic found that a series of supervisors did not
take steps they should have, including selection of a safe escape route

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Busy season strains fire department budget
www.kxly.com

SPOKANE -- It's no secret it has been a busy fire
season for departments all over the area, but
Spokane's fire department has been especially
busy this last month.

In July alone, the City of Spokane Fire Department
had two "three alarm" structure fires. That's
something Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer
says is not only unusual but has taxed their
resources.

Schaeffer says they have $560,000 budgeted for
overtime pay for the entire year but in July they
spent $200,000 of that money, forcing the
department to make some tough decisions.

"We have to make reductions," Schaeffer said,
adding that July was a tough month for the
department.
First there was the Ugly Duck fire, which 14 of the department's 17 companies spent a day trying to get under control.
Later that same day they were called to help with the Valley View Fire, a wildfire in Spokane Valley that burned 11
homes to the ground.

Just one week later the Spokane Fire Department was dealing with another three alarm blaze at the Joel Building fire.

"It was pretty demanding, not only on the budget but also on the people," Schaeffer said.

Dealing with budget issues is not unusual, but having two three-alarm fires in the same month and several wildfires
they sent crews to is unusual.

"Our budget is finite, and if we have an increase in overtime, we have to absorb it in other areas of our budget,"
Schaeffer said.

That means cutback, mostly in travel and training.

"If its not state mandate, then we have virtually eliminated all those requests. We just don't have the money to do that,"
Schaeffer said.

Another money draining issue for the fire department this summer is diesel prices.

"If you just drive by any gas station and see how much fuel has been going up, specifically diesel, an incredible cost,"
Schaeffer said.

Shaeffer says it's a problem every year. The number of calls for service goes up and their resources go down. Their
goal remains the same, though, ensuring the safety of the community and the fire fighters.

"We're not going to cut cost there. We cut cost everywhere else," Schaeffer said.

One way they have cut back is eliminating all take home cars. Only the three executive chiefs or division chiefs have
those, and the fire marshall drives a hybrid.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Firefighters mourn a fallen friend
www.spotlightnews.net

Robert Hales died Sunday afternoon, Aug. 17, in a
single-car accident on Scappoose-Vernonia Road,
a half mile from his home in Chapman. The vehicle
left the road. He had completed a 12-hour shift
fighting wildfires with the Scappoose Fire
Department and returned home. He left again with
his middle daughter, Katie, who was with him at the
time of the accident.

Katie ran the half mile home to report the accident.
The accident call was made to 9-1-1, and Scappoose Fire Department first responders answered the call.

Hales started volunteering with the Scappoose Rural Fire Department in 2000. He was a responder at the Chapman
Fire Station. In 2001 he was named “Volunteer of the Year” by his fire department colleagues.

“He was wonderful,” said Cheryl Engstrom, Scappoose Fire Department public information officer.

“Quiet, gentle, kind,” said Ronda Melton, Scappoose Fire Department public information officer.

Both women had tears in their eyes as they spoke about Hales.

“Very reliable,” said Engstrom.

“Calm in any storm,” said Melton.

They said he was an even-tempered family man.

“We used to tease him about his zoo,” said Engstrom. “It seemed that his kids were always getting another animal to
take care of.”

“They had ducks, geese, chickens and other small animals,” said Melton.

Hales’ daughters Heather, Katie and Sandra are active in 4-H, and for their family that meant animals.

The Hales live a peaceful life in Chapman; except when a wildcat moseyed out of the forest and got some of their
chickens.

Hales volunteered for years at the Columbia County Fair.

“He was here way before I was,” said Ronda Courtney, Columbia County Fair and Event Complex manager.

“He was the camping superintendent for years,” Courtney said. “It’s a huge job, managing campsites, campers and
trying to keep all the comings and goings straight.”

This year, Hales volunteered at the fair, working until after midnight some nights to make sure everything was taken
care of. He could fix almost anything and everything. He willingly took ice and supplies to concession stands, and
helped out wherever an extra hand was needed.

“He was so reliable,” said Courtney.

Hales’ death leaves a big hole in the fabric of the community.

“Everybody liked him,” said Scappoose Fire Chief Mike Greisen.

Greisen, Melton and Engstrom all said Hales was liked by everyone. He never got mad or upset. He got along with
everyone.

“It’s very hard to loose him,” Greisen said.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Firefighter hurt fighting house fire
www.ktvb.com

BOISE - A fire broke out in a Boise basement Tuesday night and
three people escaped uninjured, but one firefighter wound up in
the hospital.

It happened just after 10:30 p.m. near Cole and Ustick roads on
North Cabarton Lane.

The Boise Fire Department tells us it started in the basement
utility room of the home.

They say the fire engulfed the basement and caused extensive
smoke damage through the rest of the home.

Three people were in the home at the time.

Two managed to escape on their own while another woman had to be rescued from the upstairs floor by a police
officer and firefighter.

The woman can be seen here sitting on the curb behind the firefighters.

"Actually it wasn't fully involved in flames,” Boise Fire Chief Jeff LaBour said. “The flames were contained to the place
of origin. But the house was completely charged with smoke. Matter of fact, with the weather conditions right now, it
was really hard to see the house, it was really hard to see what was going on."

One firefighter was injured in the process and he was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

He was struck by another firefighter and suffered a neck injury.

It took about 20 minutes to contain the fire.

Most of the house sustained some damage.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Family escapes fire that ravages San Ramon house
www.insidebayarea.com

A single-alarm fire severely damaged a home early Tuesday,
displacing a family of four and their dog, according to the
San Ramon Valley Fire District.

"The fire burned the roof off the house," fire Chief Craig
Bowen said. "The house is a total loss."

The blaze was reported at 4:18 a.m. at the home in the
9800 block of Del Mar Drive. Twenty-two firefighters went to the scene and contained the flames within an hour.

No other homes were threatened, "but there were embers floating around the neighborhood," Bowen said.

David Rouse, who lives at the house with his mother, brother and nephew, awoke at about 4 a.m. to a noise. At first,
he thought it was rain, he said. Then he saw the garage on fire, and he woke up everyone and got them out of the
house.

"We stampeded out of the house, ran across the street and called 911," said Rouse, 28. Rich Cameron, a neighbor
who lives across the street from the burned home, was awakened by his dog and his neighbors knocking on his door
and yelling for help. He called 911 and watched flames engulf the home.

"It was a very aggressive fire," Cameron said. "You could feel the heat."

Battalion Chief Jack Barton said the fire started in the garage and took out the attic of the single-story home, which is
across the street from Walt Disney Park, a block from Pine Valley Middle School.

The cause remained under investigation Tuesday evening, Bowen said.

"It appears to be accidental

August 08, 2008
Montana Wildfire Could Last All Summer
www.cbsnews.com

(CBS/AP) Firefighters did what little they could in warm, breezy weather
Tuesday to keep a large wildfire threatening about 1,500 homes away
from this northwestern Montana tourist town.

More than 15,000 acres, or 23 square miles, have burned since the blaze
started Friday. Firefighters were concerned that higher winds could force
the flames toward Seeley Lake, a town with about 5,000 residents in the
summer.

Fire commander Glen McNitt said the area usually doesn't see substantial rainfall until mid-September, adding it was
conceivable the fire could last until then.

"This country will burn, and it will burn fast and furious," he said.

From the air, the fire initially looked like a series of small campfires lapping at trees, but then a big swath of blackened
forest came into view, including the rubble of one home.

Another home, a commercial building and seven outbuildings also were damaged, authorities have said.

"We are prepared for the worst, and people should pray for the best," Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer said.

The fire was 10 percent contained Tuesday night. Residents remained in Seeley Lake, but hundreds of outlying
homes had been ordered evacuated. The National Weather Service was predicting winds as high as 20 mph.

Evacuation orders remained in effect for several other blazes in the state.