Kindgo
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Cliff dwellings, human remains threatened by flames
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Firefighter Josh Porter looks up to see helicopters making warer drops on the Cache Mountain fire.
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, Colorado (AP) -- A 2,600-acre wildfire charred the mesa above one of this park's signature cliff dwellings Tuesday and fire workers scrambled to protect scores of archaeological sites.
Officials said none of Mesa Verde's treasures had been damaged, despite the flames close to the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling.
To the north, a helicopter dropping water on remaining hotspots of a wildfire near Rocky Mountain National Park crashed Tuesday night, killing one person, authorities said.
It was the second fatal crash this month involving aerial crews battling the fire, which burned 4,400 acres northwest of Denver before it was contained Friday. A PB4Y-2 Privateer fire tanker broke apart July 18, killing two people.
The blaze in southwestern Colorado shut down the park on Monday, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 visitors and employees. The park also was without drinking water because the top was burned off a million-gallon tank, contaminating the contents, and the fire had destroyed a sewage treatment plant and two park-owned employee residences and at least 70 other buildings were threatened.
"The vegetation is extremely dry," fire manager Justin Dombrowski said as temperatures reached the upper-80s and winds gusted to 20 mph.
Four million acres charred
Elsewhere, two wildfires that have charred almost 170,000 acres of southwestern Oregon threatened to unite Tuesday as they marched toward a string of towns. All 17,000 residents of the Illinois Valley had been urged to prepare for an evacuation.
Wildfires around the nation have burned more than 4 million acres so far this year, double the average, the National Interagency Fire Center reported Tuesday.
Mesa Verde, 240 miles southwest of Denver, has an estimated 25,000 archaeological sites left by the Pueblo Indian civilization that vanished more than 700 years ago. Its cliff dwellings date to the 1200s and pit houses date to the 500s.
Firefighters said their top priority was protecting a research center that holds artifacts and human remains, and park officials said they also were worried about archaeological sites.
The fast-moving blaze was believed to have been started by lightning.
Bulldozers build defenses
In Oregon, a fleet of bulldozers worked to build a 25-mile-long firebreak as flames came with three miles of communities in the Illinois Valley.
By Tuesday afternoon, authorities said the Florence fire had burned 141,600 acres and the Sour Biscuit fire was at 32,000 acres.
Winds were expected to diminish to 10 to 15 mph later Tuesday, but shift to the northwest, which could push flames closer to homes, said fire spokeswoman Pam Leschak.
Residents closest to the fire had been told to be ready to leave within 30 minutes, while others were under a 24-hour evacuation notice.
"There is a feeling of anxiety from residents, but a lot of us are saying we're going to wait until it gets closer" before leaving, said Bob Rodriguez, editor of the weekly newspaper The Illinois Valley News. "A lot of people have packed and either have their stuff right next to the door -- suitcases and medicines -- or they've got their stuff in their vehicles and are ready to go."
Fire crews from around Oregon went door to door in the area assessing which homes could be protected if the fire reached them.
In California, the wildfire raging near the giant sequoias grew to 80,000 acres on Tuesday and was only 35 percent contained, but the ancient redwoods seemed to be largely out of trouble.
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God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
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