Western wildfires limited resources to fight Lost Cabin

Friday, July 19, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.

The number of wildland fires coast to coast, especially in the West, limited the resources that could be brought in during the early days of the Lost Cabin Fire.

Firefighters on the scene could do little but watch as the fire, driven by wind and ample dry fuel, grew from 350 acres in the Spring Mountains Sunday to 2,400 acres Tuesday, when reinforcements began to trickle in.

"If we cannot get more people here, the potential for more, very big, very fast fires grows day by day," Bureau of Land Management spokesman Phillip Guerrero said on Sunday.

When the fire began there were no hot shot crews -- specially trained firefighters who are airlifted into rugged areas to dig fire lines -- to even begin the hard work of containment in the steep terrain of the Lovell Canyon.

The small number of hand crews available were sent out to halt flare-ups around private property and light back fires where necessary in hopes of stopping the flames.

One light helicopter, used mostly for observation, worked the fire the first two days. It was joined by one heavy helicopter by Tuesday. Only one flyover was made by an air tanker before Wednesday.

The lion's share of air tankers, helicopters and crews were battling other fires in Nevada and the West.

"The resources are simply not available for fighting fires nationwide," said Chris Hanefield, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management in Ely.

The resources available depend on how many people and how much private property are being threatened by flames. There are as many as 9,700 firefighters available nationwide during the height of the fire season, according to the National Fire Information Center.

This summer those crews have been in high demand. The number of acres in the United States burned in a 10-year average is about 1.6 million, according to the National Fire Information Center. As of Thursday 3.5 million acres had burned this year.

Where those firefighters go is determined by a priority system. Fires of 100 acres or less are attacked by an initial team of 50 to 75 firefighters. As the acreage burning begins to climb, crews are brought in, with the number determined by the terrain.

Now about 1,600 firefighters are battling six major wildfires in Nevada, said Laura Williams, public affairs supervisor for the Forest Service's Humboldt-Toiyabe Division in Northern Nevada.

The largest blaze taking the most resources was the Gate Fire near Fallon, with 1,034 firefighters, Williams said. That fire was nearly 10,000 acres.

Wildland fires that burn nearest homes or resorts get top priority, fire officials said.

On Sunday, when smoke was first spotted in Lovell Canyon, firefighters were battling five fires in Nevada. Those ranged from 25 acres to 1,000 acres.

The Lost Cabin Fire was 40th on the priority list that first day in the Great Basin, which includes Nevada, Utah and Idaho. By Wednesday morning, with 3,600 acres charred, it had become a top priority.

"Where's the air support?" asked Las Vegas developer Brett Torino, owner of Torino Ranch, located only a few miles from the blaze, on Monday.

But by night the strategy to save homes first began to work in Torino's favor.

About 10 Clark County firefighters and four tankers with four crewmen each from the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the California and Nevada Divisions of Forestry spent 24 hours at the ranch as it became surrounded by a firestorm.

For several hours Tuesday afternoon and evening experienced firefighters battled the blaze, torching peaks of parched pinyon pine and juniper before the uncontrolled wildfire raced into the ranch.

They shepherded Torino, the ranch's caretaker and crew and a small contingent of the media who were trapped at the site into a concrete building and held their ground, prepared to foam down the building to save lives if the fire jumped the perimeter.

The next morning the ranch appeared as a green island in an ashen lake, intact and protected by a natural fire line.

By Wednesday several of the larger fires in the state were at least partially contained, making more resources available to send to Lovell Canyon. By the time many of the crews arrived, rain had begun to help the effort.

About 50 firefighters on the line at the Lost Cabin Fire had their first day off in three days on Wednesday as a result, Battalion Chief Doug Lannon of the California Division of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Four aircraft, including a National Guard ship, battled flames before the rains came Wednesday afternoon.

"There are so many fires burning," Fire Incident Commander Chuck Maner said. "The lack of available equipment is not because of where you live, but the available certified equipment."