Senator asks U.S. Army to explain the Stuart Creek 2 Fire
Alaska Senator Lisa Murskwski placed language in a Department of Defense appropriations bill on Thursday that would require the U.S. Army to explain their decision to conduct artillery training that may have started what became the massive Stuart Creek 2 Fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. Before the training began both the BLM and the Fort Wainwright Fire Department told the Army not to train that day because a Red Flag Warning was in effect for extreme wildland fire danger, but the artillery practice went on as planned.
Below is an excerpt from the Alaska Dispatch:
The fire is still smoldering in some areas, but does not threaten the road or any structures. BLM said it is now 71% contained. Everyone agrees the Stuart Creek 2 wildfire near Chena Hot Spring Road, east of Fairbanks — started on June 19, shortly after a Fort Wainwright artillery unit fired rounds into the woods and brush. The Army, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, and residents near the flames agree it flared up during strong winds in early July, forcing the evacuation of hundreds, and sending fire crews scrambling to keep it at bay. But the cause of the fire is now being debated — at least among Army officials.
“The official cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and we are working with BLM and the Fire Service to figure that out,” said Alaska Army spokesperson John Pennell.
On July 3, after the fire began growing rapidly, the commander of Fort Wainwright, Col. Ron Johnson, told a crowd of residents that live near the fire zone that the artillery training did, in fact, start the blaze.
“It was artillery training, it did start a fire,” Johnson said.
Evacuation warning scam?
In southern Oregon, Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson is investigating a case of someone going door to door on Hugo Road west of Interstate 5 telling residents they needed to evacuate because fires were getting close. It sounded like it could be true to some of the homeowners because fires had already caused some evacuations in the area. But there was no danger and the person was not authorized to evacuate residents. The Sheriff is working under the assumption that the resulting empty houses would make for easy pickings for a thief.
Fire fatality in Oregon identified
The person that was killed by a falling snag on Thursday has been identified as John Hammack, of Madras, Oregon. The incident occurred on a lightning-caused fire, the 398 Fire, north of Highway 242 near Dugout Lake outside of Sisters. Norman Crawford of Sisters was injured in the same incident. The two firefighters were contract personnel working as a tree falling team employed by R&K Water Services out of Bonney Lake, Washington.
New PIC of John Hammack, who died fighting a #wildfire near Sisters. He's w/ his granddaughter #liveonK2 pic.twitter.com/5q852Ajo9c
— Erica Nochlin (@EricaNochlin) August 2, 2013
Re: Stuart Creek 2 Fire
Video of Fort Wainwright commander, Col. Ron Johnson, addressing residents in a community meeting on July 6th, 2013 to discuss the cause of the fire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Lrpjfx0ec