The Santa Fe New Mexican from Santa Fe, New Mexico • 14

Firefighting costs hit $300 million and rising 8-4 THE NEW MEXICAN Friday August 30 190 Fire season is worst since TIm Associated Press Tha Associated Pres rior Department was spending $1 million a day on fire suppression and the Forest Service could be expending twice that amount Hi said he intends to recommend that President Clinton seek tens of millions of dollars in emer? gency firefighting funds The Interior Department composed of the Bureau of Indian Affairs National Park Serw vice Fish and Wildlife Service and the BLM had spent about $75 million as of July 31 to fight-this fires The UR Forest Service partf of the UR Department of Agriculture spent about $385 million? according to the National gency Fire Center in Boise -Idaho Those numbers include the firefighting costs for August when most of the 570000 acres- of land charred in Oregon -burned Officials estimate the costs for battling fires in Oregon at about $47 million Similarly an estK mated $20 million has been spenf on two California fires in the Stanislaus National Forest ana costs could go up an additional $13 million said Ken Palmrose fire information officer Precise total costs b6 known until later in the year when all the bills from credit card charges for fuel to rentals for helicopter equipment come in And then the swapping of bills and reimbursements begin we put it out then we try to figure out who pays for Bright-Taylor said "Afterwards like pay for it' you pay for you pay for it' The Associated Press The cost of fighting fires in the West has topped $300 million and continues to climb with at least two months of bills to be turned in And while blazes continue to rage three issues remain as hazy as the smoke-filled skies: How much higher will the costs rise? IWho will end up footing the bill? How can crews control firefighting costs in forested areas where more people are building homes? sure it is a nationwide issue we are seeing such rapid population said Jo Dana Bright-Taylor spokeswoman with the Oregon Department of Forest fBut people want to get away into the pristine areas It makes (fighting fires) very tricky" And costly although not yet as expensive as 1994 when fire crews saw one of their busiest years and bills topped $845 million Gardner Ferry a chief fire of- ficial with the UR Bureau of Land Management said it takes more resources and more money to battle blazes when fires get near residential structures Also boosting costs are the requirements for firefighters to handle the fires differently when certain wildlife habitat is at stake or if an area contains cultural or historical features Ferry said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said this week that the Inte- A San Diego County firefighter protects his engine from a backfire that got out of control in Castale Calif i Wildfires burning across the nation this year have exceeded 5 million acres but are still a long way from the worst years on record Here are the five worst according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise Idaho 1924 28822 735 acres hi ifnaH 1925 26518715 acres burned 1923 26135177 acres hnfnA1 18710751 acres burned 1916 12699485 acres burned The Associated Press GRANTS PASS A battalion of Marines began packing their gear Thursday to join the Firefighters stretched to the limit by the worst wildfire season in 27 years Wildfires across the country this year have surpassed million acres eclipsing the total of 1988 the year Yellowstone National Park burned They are growing at the fastest rate since 1969 when 569 million acres burned according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise Idaho The worst season on record was 1924 when 288 million acres burned An 80000-acre range fire was contained 24 miles east of Ther-mopolis Wyo but 46 major fires covering 654586 acres were still burning Thursday in Oregon California Idaho Nevada Montana Washington and Utah Crews rotated back into action after much-needed rest boosted the number of firefighters around the country by more than 3000 to 21355 getting ready to boost it fire center spokesman Mike Brown said The 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton Calif was briefed Thursday and set to begin classroom training Friday Hie 550 Marines plan to fly to northeastern Oregon Saturday evening or DA to drop homicide charge in car crash ers fighting the Bull Summit and Tower fires which have burned more than 90000 acres of largely dead and dying timber on the Umatilla and Malheur national forests In Idaho authorities said the 14000-acre Eighth Street Fire which burned a luxury home on the outskirts of Boise was accidentally started by an off-duty police officer shooting tracer bullets from his M-16 rifle at a firing range Seventy fires sparked by a lightning storm on Monday have burned through 243000 aces in northern Nevada Some have been contained while others had to be ignored for lack of people to send to them In Oregon Gov John Kitzhaber toured facilities in Redmond where Oregon National Guard troops are training to join firefighters battling blazes on nearly 190000 acres Sunday morning to begin on-the-job training mopping up cold fire lines spokeswoman LL Minique Suttles said Some seasonal crews will be breaking up as college students return to school but they make up only 10 percent of the firefighting force Brown said As those crews break up more military crews will be formed and people with firefighting experience can be activated from state and federal natural resources agencies do get through the Brown said not been one that we The Marines will be joined on the Umatilla National Forest over the weekend by about 500 Army troops from Fort Carson Colo already experienced from fighting fires in Northern California and the Park Meadow Fire outside Sisters in central Oregon They will join 2635 firefight 'MW pin 1 1 The following banks will be closed for LABOR DAY Monday September 2 Please take care of your banking business today! I By STEVE TERRELL The New Mexican I THfc SANTA Ffi Oi NEW MEXICAN Centuiy Same 100 Federal 1 790 Si MicKeeTt Drive Mmabv FDLC ftgS3 Free Information By Telephone: 24 Hours A Day CHARTER I I cz- 1881 St Michael's Drive Santa fe NM 87505 (505) 932-2534 member FDLC You must dial 620-4060 then do tar the four-digit Mloctlon from the Hot bdtowr THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN Espanola rw1 1 i wmw i -ww i i r'TTi Albuquerque CUTS2rj -Santa Fe LJCFtZe OsiaxIyGngDOX Member FDIC 3030 Weattieretrtppfcif 3031 Cablnate- Planning i 4660 Bmgo 4661 Video State 4662 Muaauma 4663 Tourtem Mormattan in Poioaqua Puable 4664 ReetaurardPoioaquo Pueblo 2700 CemtogsIGotogiCmndw 2705 WeeUyCetendw UtetagiOeadhia 2707 Concerto to Sadi Fa NkugiterOirt MOO Calendar Evarrta St Francis at San Mafao 882-6000 201 Washington Avenue ES 4S7S Aepectoe Culturalae 832-8050 Motto nxc 3032 Window Shedoe Bllnde 3033 Texturing 3034 Lighting Flxturaa 3035 Leaky ToM 3030 Deelgn Work Comgutar Poaiga Syiteia 3101 Tourler Tip tor Turquoiaa 3103 how to Complain Resolve Problem 31M Fighting Senior Fraud 310S Gamaa 1 Swaapttakaa 3107 Home Improvement! 310S Homenapam 3100 Landtord Tenant tesuaa 3110 How People Gel Taken 0002 FhalSoamhy Wiawbara 4803 Soard al Plractora Agenda 0004 ArcMtachnl Plana Prosecutors in Albuquerque have decided to drop a vehicular homicide charge against a Laguna man involved in a car crash that killed Sharon AmRhein 40 of Santa Fe Scott Bryant 21 had been facing up to four years in prison for the Aug 5 1995 accident west of Albuquerque However Pete Decker of the Second Judicial District Office in Albuquerque said Thursday that the vehicular homicide charge likely will be dropped because there is no evi- dence that alcohol or reckless driving caused the accident That means the most jail time he could receive is 90 days for careless driving and speeding Most first-time offenders are not given jail time for careless driving Decker said An accident investigator estimated Bryant's speed at 89 mph when his Mazda RX7 passed Am- Rhein's Ford Ranger pickup which was traveling about 61 tnph The Mazda clipped the Struck causing it to roll several I times Bryant who was not injured jn Jthe crash told investigators that jhe had misjudged the distance i between the two vehicles law makes it very clear that speed is not enough to constitute reckless Decker said brother Timothy iAmRhein of Phoenix said Tues-jday that he is upset that the felony charge of vehicular homi-Scide probably will be dropped "That means in this state you jcould drive 200 mph and not be considered he said In anticipation of a guilty plea Timothy AmRhein had written a letter to state District Judge Jjames Blackmer asking that be sentenced to at least three years in prison believe this man needs plenty of time to reflect on what he did and reduce the possibility he will kill the brother wrote Sharon AmRhein was an athlete who competed in triathlons She worked at The New Mexican newspaper tor nine years At the time of her death she was composing room night supervisor overseeing the paste-up of newspaper pages TPliii i 7 Convenient Locations! National af the CerriHos Road 4Slt Leant Spanish to 30 Seconde I Keep Via Culture ANvo 4577 Spantah Language Caaaettea lor Adufta ChMrm Alameda St Eldorado Offices from 9 Noon 4804 Wileetai Pachalartlaw Bank of Santa Fe 1W0 TlmiTTamperature 1010 Weather (Local Forecast) 140S 1996 Pleata Schedule 1 SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 104S Board Maednge 1060 Meee Dhedhw 1051 Inlonwabon 1052 hdonnactonee 1055 Calendar 1064 CalendariO 1056 Poeaque School Svante Calendar 10SS loo Xlamoo School Evento Calendar 1 Enter Category UOOi Than araar mmarc coda lor tot (char aymbol you ire isqusaeng (Please tee he oodt betaw) 3 Than prase la key 4 To ex toe Stock Quote Hodna preae Zero Idea to mhm to toe UFO-SOURCE mam man For mmrpe to gar toe Ox gx tor prase 4322 Than praaa toe key You ad bo quoted toe War cur-tent price end nd change of tod sloe 8804 EMerada Soccer Cluk rTr7T I I-! 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