EDIS: Flash flood watch - Northern California burn areas

Flash Flood Watch, Possible Debris flows in Wildland Fire Burn Areas including Butte Lightning Complex and Humbolt Fire.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS EXTENDED THE * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR DEBRIS FLOWS FOR... NORTHEASTERN BUTTE COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PULGA...BRUSH CREEK RS... WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...QUINCY...CHESTER... EAST CENTRAL TEHAMA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA... * UNTIL 945 PM PST * AT 324 PM PST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE BURN AREAS... WHICH MAY TRIGGER DEBRIS FLOW OVER THE WARNED AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. * LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TWAIN... SENECA... PAXTON... MOCCASIN... MILL CREEK... LAKE ALMANOR... CARIBOU... BUTTE MEADOWS...BELDEN AND ALMANOR DEBRIS FLOWS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE VICINITY OF THESE BURN SCARS... INCLUDING THE BUTTE LIGHTNING COMPLEX ADJACENT TO HIGHWAY 70 NORTHEAST OF LAKE OROVILLE AND THE HUMBOLDT FIRES. THE DEBRIS FLOWS CAN IMPACT TRAVEL ALONG AREA ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY ALONG HIGHWAY 70...THE NORTH FORK FEATHER RIVER CANYON...AND THE MIDDLE FORK FEATHER RIVER CANYON. HIGHWAYS 32 AND 89 MAY ALSO BE IMPACTED BY DEBRIS FLOWS. DEBRIS FLOWS... INCLUDING MUD AND ROCK SLIDES ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS HEAVIER RAINFALL. DEBRIS FLOWS CAN POTENTIALLY TRAP AND KILL PEOPLE CAUGHT IN THEIR PATHS.

Area: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA

Affected Counties or parts of: Plumas, Butte, Tehama

Sent: 2009-03-02T18:13:23-08:00
------------------------------------------------
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED AN * URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR... STANISLAUS COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...SACRAMENTO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA... YUBA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA... NEVADA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...PLACER COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...TUOLUMNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...EL DORADO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...CALAVERAS COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA... AMADOR COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA... * UNTIL 615 PM PST * AT 1220 PM PST... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF HEAVY SHOWERS MOVING THROUGH THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND ACROSS THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. THE LINE WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR GRASS VALLEY... SOUTHWARD TO AUBURN... TO EAST OF CITRUS HEIGHTS AND ELK GROVE...TO GALT TO LODI. THE LINE WILL BE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 15 TO 20 MPH THROUGH THE MOTHERLODE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80... AND ACROSS EASTERN SACRAMENTO COUNTY THROUGH 1 TO 2 PM. HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON INTERSTATE 80... HIGHWAY 50... AND HIGHWAY 16 IN EASTERN SACRAMENTO COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE ELEVATED LEVELS ON SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS... AND PONDING OF WATER IN URBAN AREAS... HIGHWAYS... STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

Instruction:
IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OF SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

Affected Counties or parts of: Yuba, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Sacramento, Placer, Butte, El Dorado, Calaveras, Amador, San Joaquin, Nevada, Sierra

Sent: 2009-03-02T18:10:30-08:00

CA-RRU- Grande - Wildland Fire - 100 acres potential 500

CARRU-18891 - Brush Fire Burning In Riverside County.
IA reported at intersection of Vuelta Grande Road and Vuelta Chica Road, Temecula
escaped agriculture burn.
Road closures: All roads open - Hard closure lifted: Carrancho Road and Vuelte Grande until further notice.
Cause: Escaped Permitted Agricultural Burn - Avocado orchard burn pile

Update 03/03/2009 0900 : All roads are open.
Update 03/03/2009 0700 AM: Fire is holding at 77 acres with 80% containment. A day assignment consisting of six hand crews and three Type 3 engines (total of 102 firefighters) are assigned to the incident for containment line improvement and mop-up/patrol.
Problems: Road closures at Carrancho Road and Vuelte Grande until further notice.
Update 20300 - Fire is 77 acres and 50% contained. Firefighters will remain at the scene throughout the night and tomorrow.
Full containment is expected by 06:00 AM 03/03/2009,
Full control expected by 6:00 PM on 03/03/2009.
Update 1800 - Fire is approximately 100 acres and is being mapped for more accurate acreage. Fire personnel will remain on scene throughout the night and tomorrow to contain and control the fire. No evacuations, no structure threats and no injuries reported.
Update: 1630 - 70 Acres 0% Containment.
Update: 1530 - Wildland fire is now approximately 50+ acres; near the county line of San Diego and Riverside, area of Carrancho rd. Large header, heavy brush, slow ROS
Update: 1333 - Vegetation fire in the 44800 block of Vuelta Grande Road
Arriving crews reported smoke and flames burning between five and 10 acres of the orange grove, Hagemann said.

View Larger Map
Incident Name: Grande Incident Number: CARRU-18891
Date Reported: 03/02/2009 Time Reported: 1:33 PM
Incident Type: Vegetation Fire
Incident Location: Vuelte Grande Road X Vuelte Chica Road (TB 976-G3) City: De Luz area of Temecula
Size/Type of Fuel/etc.: Avocado Grove and Vegetation
Cause: Escaped Permitted Agricultural Burn
Resources Assigned
Engines: 13 Breathing Supp.: 0 Helicopters: 2
Truck Co: 0 Squad: 0 Air Attack: 0
Firefighters: 280 RVC Medics: 0 Air Tankers: 0
Overhead Personnel: 7 AMB's: 0 Fire Crews: 13
Haz. Mat: No Co. Health: No County OES: No Fire Prev.: Yes Water Tenders: 2
Electrical Co: No Gas Co: No Water Co: No Bulldozers: 1
Misc. Equip: San Diego County Fire Department Sheriff's Office: No CHP: Yes Office: San Diego
Cooperating Agencies: CAL FIRE/Riverside, CAL FIRE/San Diego, California Highway Patrol – San Diego, Orange County Fire Authority, Pechanga FD, Riverside County Fire Dept
Supplemental Comments: CAL FIRE and Riverside County Firefighters are on scene of a vegetation fire in the De Luz area of Temecula. First arriving units reported smoke and flames visible from an orange grove, 5-10 acres burning in heavy fuels at a medium rate of spread. 2:09 p.m.: fire is now 20 acres burning in heavy fuels at a slow rate of spread. No structures threatened, no injuries reported. Potential for 500 acres. Updates will be posted as information becomes available or significant events occur. UPDATE 03/02/2009 3:30 PM: Fire is now approximately 50 acres with 0% containment. No evacuations, no immediate structure threat and no injuries reported. UPDATE 03/02/2009 4:30 PM: Fire is now approximately 70 acres with 0% containment. Updates will be posted as information becomes available. Update 03/02/2009 6:00 PM: Fire is approximately 100 acres and is being mapped for more accurate acreage. Fire personnel will remain on scene throughout the night and tomorrow to contain and control the fire. No evacuations, no structure threats and no injuries reported. Updates will be posted throughout the evening as significant events occur.
Problems: Road closures at Carrancho Road and Vuelte Grande until further notice.
Evacuations: No Evacuation Comments:
Information Center: 951-940-6985 OR:
Prepared By: Jody Hagemann Prepared Date/Time: 03/02/2009 1757

Florida: SAR Gulf Coast Search - Overturned Boat w/ 1 survivor located

The Coast Guard says it has found a person clinging to an overturned boat off Florida's Gulf Coast. Three still missing, Boat overturned in stormy weather.

Update: 3-3-09 PM - No Joy - Coast Guard To End Search For NFL Players
Three souls remain missing off the Florida coast.

Update: 3-3-09 AM - Reports of some clothing found floating this morning in search area.

The Coast Guard has secured former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler, who was clinging to the boat and the search continues for the others.

Corey Smith, a free-agent defensive end who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and Marquis Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, are two of the four people aboard the boat that didn't return from a fishing trip Saturday.

Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen says searchers located an overturned boat Monday but provided no further details.

The Coast Guard said Cooper, Detroit Lions free agent Corey Smith and another former USF player, William Bleakley, remained missing. TV footage showed Schuyler being helped from a Coast Guard helicopter at Tampa General Hospital. He appeared conscious and talking.

The men were reported missing Sunday. The Coast Guard has searched about 16,000 square miles of ocean for the 21-foot boat.

The reports, citing Coast Guard officials, say that the four people left the Clearwater, Fla., area on a 21-foot fishing boat around 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

Chemical Fire: t-butyl lithium and Pentane + No PPE = Deadly accident

"Two months earlier, UCLA safety inspectors found more than a dozen safety deficiencies in the same lab"

Deadly UCLA lab fire leaves haunting questions

Federal and state safety agencies investigate after university officials failed to address lapses before a Dec. 29 chemical accident left a research assistant with fatal burns.

By Kim Christensen
March 1, 2009

UCLA's Molecular Sciences Building was mostly closed for the holidays on Dec. 29 as research assistant Sheri Sangji worked on an organic chemistry experiment.

Only three months into her job in the lab, the 23-year-old Pomona College graduate was using a plastic syringe to extract from a sealed container a small quantity of t-butyl lithium -- a chemical compound that ignites instantly when exposed to air.

• 

  Sheri Sangji -
  "She was brilliant, just so impressive,"

As she withdrew the liquid, the syringe came apart in her hands, spewing flaming chemicals, according to a UCLA accident report. A flash fire set her clothing ablaze and spread second- and third-degree burns over 43% of her body.

Eighteen excruciating days later, Sangji died in a hospital burn unit.

"It is horrifying," said her sister Naveen, 26, a Harvard medical student. "Sheri wasn't out doing something stupid. She was working in a lab at one of the largest universities in the world. She gets these horrific injuries and loses her life to these injuries and we still don't know how it happened or why it wasn't prevented."

Sangji's death was more than a tragic workplace accident. It also raised serious questions about the university's attention to laboratory safety.

"It was totally preventable," said Neal Langerman, a San Diego consultant and former head of the American Chemical Society's Division of Chemical Health and Safety, whose members were given a detailed account of the incident by a University of California safety official.

"Poor training, poor technique, lack of supervision and improper method. This was just not the right way to transfer these things," Langerman said. "She died, didn't she? It speaks for itself."

Two months earlier, UCLA safety inspectors found more than a dozen deficiencies in the same lab, Molecular Sciences Room 4221, according to internal investigative and inspection reports reviewed by The Times. Among the findings: Employees were not wearing requisite protective lab coats, and flammable liquids and volatile chemicals were stored improperly.

Chemical Safety Officer Michael Wheatley sent the inspection report to the researcher who oversees the lab, professor Patrick Harran, as well as to the head of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and a top UCLA safety official. The report directed that problems be fixed by Dec. 5.

But the required corrective action was not taken, records show, and on Dec. 29 all that stood between Sangji's torso and the fire that engulfed her was a highly flammable, synthetic sweater that fueled the flames.

Under scrutiny

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating, as are the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. A spokeswoman for Cal/OSHA, the lead agency, said she could not comment on the investigation.

UCLA officials say they are cooperating with all of the agencies.

"We consider this a profoundly tragic accident, and the campus community is still reeling from the loss of Sheri as a member of the Bruin family," said Kevin Reed, vice chancellor for legal affairs.

Harran, the organic chemistry professor for whom Sangji worked, said he could not comment on the accident because of the pending investigations. But he said he's heartbroken.

"Words cannot convey my grief or that of those who work in my lab, and our pain cannot possibly compare with the immeasurable anguish felt by Sheri's family," he wrote in an e-mail. "Sheri's death is a tragedy that has left her friends, colleagues and co-workers here in our department devastated."

UCLA has launched a comprehensive review of lab safety protocols and has stepped up inspections and shortened the time allowed to correct serious violations. Chancellor Gene Block also established a campuswide lab safety committee and ordered enhanced accountability measures.

Such efforts are of little comfort to Sangji's family. Her parents, Shaukat Sangji, a small-business owner who lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Maimoona, a Montessori schoolteacher, were too distraught to be interviewed, said Naveen, who relayed an e-mail message to The Times from her father.

"They say time will heal, but I know for sure nothing can heal this," he said. "This has completely destroyed our lives forever."

The experiment: She was trying to transfer up to 2 ounces of t-butyl lithium, which was dissolved in pentane, another highly flammable chemical, from one sealed container to another. It was the second time she had performed that procedure in Harran's lab, UCLA officials said.

"The barrel of the syringe was either ejected or pulled out of the syringe, causing liquid to be released," the UCLA accident report stated.

Sangji's rubber gloves caught fire, searing her hands. Her sweater, made of a synthetic material, was so flammable that Langerman, the chemical safety expert, compared it to "solid gasoline." It, too, was quickly engulfed.

The panicked young woman ran away from a nearby emergency shower instead of toward it, records state, costing her precious time.

"She might have been fine" had she quickly made it to the shower, said Russ Phifer, head of the American Chemical Society's safety division, who also reviewed the UC official's account of the accident.

A postdoctoral researcher, who UCLA officials say was just a few feet away, rushed to Sangji's aid and tried to smother the flames with a lab coat. Another ran in from an adjoining room, helped douse the fire, then called 911 and summoned Harran, Reed said.

"He said when he got there Sheri was sitting with her arms outstretched in front of her and someone was throwing water at her from a sink," said Naveen, who spoke with Harran later at the hospital. That account squares with the UCLA accident report.

From the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Sangji was transferred to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks.

It is unknown whether a typical cotton lab coat would have saved her. But even if it caught fire, it could have been removed much more easily than a burning synthetic sweater, safety expert Phifer said.

"I can't imagine why she didn't have protective clothing if she knew she was working with chemicals that dangerous," Sheri's friend Bruce said.

- On Jan. 16, she succumbed to respiratory failure, infection and other complications, according to a coroner's report.

Whole story at: LA Times - Link - Deadly UCLA lab fire leaves haunting questions

National Situation Update: Monday, March 2, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Winter storm warnings, watches, and advisories are in effect from South Carolina northeastward through the mid Atlantic and New England. See www.nws.noaa.gov for the latest information.

Northeast:
The storm low is tracking rapidly up the East Coast toward the Canadian Maritimes. The snow will end in Virginia, the eastern half of Maryland, Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania with accumulations of two to 10 inches. Southeast New York including New York City and western Long Island will receive six inches to a foot of snow. Southern New England, southeast Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will have snow through tonight and Boston could get as much as 15 inches. A wintry mix of sleet and rain will depress snowfall amounts on Cape Cod, Nantucket and the eastern tip of Maine. The storm will produce gusty north to northeast winds up to 40 mph as it tracks along the coast.

South:
As the storm moves rapidly northeast, the last of the snow will end over North Carolina this morning. Some areas could end up with six inches of snow. Gusty winds across the Southeast will gradually subside through the day. Under a ridge of high pressure, the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley will be dry. From the Mississippi Valley eastward, temperatures will be a chilly 10 to 25 degrees below average. Across the Southern Plains, temperatures will be a very warm 10 to 20 degrees above average.

Midwest:
Under high pressure, the region will be mostly dry. However, several weak disturbances over the north-central states will produce some minor snowfall. High temperatures will be 5 to 20 degrees below average from the Missouri Valley eastward, but 10 to 20 degrees above average in the central High Plains.

West:
With a large low pressure area off the Pacific Northwest, precipitation will continue for the coast north of Los Angles and the intermountain west. Snow levels will range from 3,500 feet in the Washington Cascades, 5,000 feet in the Siskiyou and Mount Shasta to 7,500 feet and lowering in the Sierra. Northern California will still see the heaviest rain. An additional foot or more of snow will fall in the highest elevations of the Sierra and gusty winds will continue to the lee of the Cascades and Sierra and across the Great Basin. Low pressure is forecast to remain off the Pacific Northwest Coast through mid-week with additional precipitation expected across the northern two-thirds of California, Oregon and Washington and eastward into the northern and central Rockies. (NOAA, National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Winter Storm Response

FEMA NRCC is at Watch/Steady State - 24/7: The NRCC has contacted FEMA Regions I, II, III, and IV to determine their respective state's level of activation/readiness, any anticipated actions, and any existing problems associated with the storm.

Region I:

• RRCC - Monitoring Storm, Watch/Steady State, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST
  
• State Issues: None

Region II:

• RRCC - Monitoring Storm, Watch/Steady State, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST
  
• State Issues:

New York

• State EOC not activated
  
• Minimal and sporadic power outages
  
• No request for Federal assistance at this time

New Jersey

• State EOC at Level II
  
• Minimal and sporadic power outages
  
• No request for Federal assistance at this time

Region III:

• RRCC - Monitoring Storm, Watch/Steady State, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST
  
• State Issues:

Delaware

• State EOC has a small planning and operations cell
  
• Minimal and sporadic power outages
  
• No request for Federal assistance at this time

Maryland

• State EOC Level II
  
• Minimal and sporadic power outages
  
• No request for Federal assistance

Virginia

• State EOC is not activated
  
• Power outages: preliminary reports indicate 125,039 customers without power
  
• No request for Federal assistance

Pennsylvania

• State EOC Level II
  
• Minimal power outages
  
• No request for Federal assistance

Region IV:

• RRCC - Monitoring Storm, Watch/Steady State, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST
  
• State Issues:

Georgia

• State EOC is not activated
  
• Power outages: preliminary reports indicate approximately 50,000 customers without power in the northeast part of the state
  
• No request for Federal assistance at this time

North Carolina

• State EOC is not activated
  
• Power outages: preliminary reports indicate 79,696 customers without power
  
• No request for federal assistance at this time

South Carolina

• State EOC is not activated
  
• Power outages: preliminary reports indicate 100,954 customers without power
  
• No request for federal assistance at this time (FEMA NRCC, FEMA Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, Duke Power, Media Sources)

Texas Wildfires

Nail Ranch Complex (Shackelford County): 1,304 acres; 80% contained; no structures were reported to be involved.
Panther Ranch Fire (Caldwell County): 704 acres; 100% contained.
Rhodes Ranch Fire (Taylor County): 3,026 acres; 59% contained; numerous residences and buildings damaged.
West Fork Fire (Jack County): 2,400 acres; 80% contained.
Wilderness Ridge (Bastrop County): 400 acres; 10% contained; 28 structures destroyed and 200 homes threatened. (Southern Area Coordination Center Report, Mar 1)

Fire Management Assistance Grant

No significant activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Western Pacific:
There are no current tropical cyclone warnings. (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Amber Alert: Child abduction alert - CHILD SAFELY LOCATED

UPDATED: *** CANCEL AMBER ALERT - CHILD SAFELY LOCATED *** *** CANCEL AMBER ALERT - CHILD SAFELY LOCATED ***
Update: 1200 03/03/09 - Police say Yreka kidnap suspect sexually assaulted 3-year-old girl.
The Hornbrook man accused of abducting a three-year-old Yreka girl from her home early Monday is being held on suspicion of attempted murder and sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10.
Police said today Kody Lee Kaplon, 22, faces charges including felony false imprisonment, child stealing, burglary, kidnapping, felony willful cruelty to a child, attempted murder and sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
Update: 0900 03/03/09 - Father claims he is being treated as a criminal, Child is with a undisclosed secret rape crisis center....?
YREKA, Ca. -- The father of a kidnapped toddler who was found Monday afternoon says police won't let him see his daughter.

Three-year-old Francis Ann Collins was taken from her home around 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. After a multi-state Ambert Alert was issued, the California Highway Patrol(?) found her at 3:15 p.m., unclothed, walking on a road northwest of Yreka. She was immediately taken to the hospital to be examined.
Ryan Collins, Francis' father, says police are not letting him or his wife see Francis. They also say she is no longer in the hospital, but getting treatment for sexual assault. Police have not verified or denied these claims.
Meanwhile, police have 22- year-old Kody Lee Kaplon in custody as a suspect in the abduction. Police located his car and arrested him without the girl around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon.
Kaplon is believed to have been drinking before the abduction. The girl's parents say they knew Kaplon through a roomate living in their house. Kaplon is also a father himself.
Police are not saying exactly where they located Kaplon or Francis.
Ryan Collins says Monday morning, he awoke to the sound of Francis screaming. He thought she was having a bad dream, but when he went to her bed, she was gone. When he heard a car start up, he ran outside and says he saw Kaplon driving away with his daughter in the back seat.
CHP, the Siskiyou County Sheriffs Office, and the FBI all assisted Yreka Police in the search.
More at Source: kdrv.com - Link

Update: 0900 03/03/09 - Amber Alert brings Yreka 3-year-old home
Man who allegedly took her ends up calling police after hearing about alert

It began around 4:30 a.m. Monday when Kaplon allegedly broke into the Collins' apartment, where he attended a social gathering the night before, and made off with the 30-pound girl dressed in a tie-dye shirt, police said.

It ended when Kaplon made the Amber Alert call that led to his capture, Yreka police Lt. Dave Gamache said.

Kaplon, 22, of Hornbrook, noticed around 2 p.m. that police had issued an Amber Alert for the girl and listed him as a suspect, Gamache said.

Kaplon then telephoned the alert hotline, eventually speaking with police, Gamache said.

He was still on the telephone with authorities when police surrounded the Hornbrook house with Kaplon inside. Kaplon stepped outside and was taken into custody, Gamache said.

Investigators then learned that Kaplon may have been in the Hawkinsville area, a remote area 15 miles northwest of Yreka, police said.

Local citizens in the area discovered a nude and dirty Collins about 3 p.m. walking down a dirt roadway, Gamache said. They began driving her down from the forest, crossing paths with a California Highway Patrol officer who then took Collins to Yreka, police said.

Collins was taken to the Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka, where she was treated for what police late Monday called minor injuries.

In the same forest area where Collins was found, investigators later discovered the green 1992 Pontiac Grand Am listed in the Amber Alert as the possible getaway car, police said. The car was being processed Monday night as a crime scene, police said.

Gamache declined to say whether Kaplon cooperated with authorities before the girl's discovery.

No further details were available Monday night.
More at Source:
---------------------
Note: Yreka Police Department was made aware of the following::

Breaking news update: Myspace profiles of suspect: Both Profiles show suspect with very young children -
Kody Kaplon aka 'cocksucker' according to his inactive MySpace profile;
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endID=66953385

Active MySpace profile;
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndID=376499330
Originally Posted by Grande at Help find the missing
cocksucker's Details
Status: Swinger
Here for: Friends
Orientation: Gay
Hometown: yreka
Body type: Average
Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Religion: Catholic
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Smoke / Drink: Yes / Yes
Children: I don't want kids
Education: High school
Occupation: taco bell

UPDATED: Booking info: Jail Docket (no photo listed)

KAPLON, KODY LEE, Booking Date, 3/02/2009, Booking Number, 0900030971, DOB, 04/07/1986, Housing Unit, 1.

UPDATED: KTVL reporting Kody Lee Kaplon called the Amber hotline and turned himself in, saying he did not abduct Frances.

Another local news report with more details on where Kody Lee Kaplon was located and where Frances was found. http://www.localnewscomesfirst.com/i...d=1&Itemid=271

UPDATED: A girl wanted in a statewide Amber Alert was found walking along a service road without clothes, Yreka police said Monday.
UPDATED: Apparently suspect attended a party at the victims home(Apt.) the night before. Suspect was previously unknown to parents.
Yreka Police Lt. Dave Gamache said Frances Ann Collins' parents met 22-year-old Kody Lee Kaplon during a party at their house Sunday night. The girl's father, Ryan Collins, was awakened around 4:30 a.m. by her screams and apparently saw Kaplon drive off with her.

UPDATED: Area: STATEWIDE: 2:54 PM Amber Alert suspect found; Victim - Francis Ann Collins whereabouts unclear

The man accused of abducting a 3-year-old Yreka girl has been taken into custody, but the whereabouts of the girl are unclear.

Kody Lee Kaplon has been previously charged in Siskiyou County for petty theft, driving without a valid license, drunken driving and driving on a suspended license, electronic superior court records show.

Kody Lee Kaplon was arrested this afternoon near his hometown of Hornbrook, California Highway Patrol spokesman Rick Landrum said.

Authorities are still searching for the car, Landrum said.

Landrum declined to say whether the girl had been found, and he referred questions about the girl to Yreka police.

Yreka police didn’t immediately return messages left at their office.

Last seen: Miner Street, Yreka
Victim: Francis Ann Collins - WFJ 3' 30lbs Brown/Brown
Vehicle: License Plate: 3WKA651 92' Green Pontiac Grand Am SE, Damage on drivers side
Suspect: Cody Lee Kaplon - DOB 04-07-1986 Brown/Hazel 5'7" 140 lbs

Headline:	ON MARCH 2, 2009, AT 04:37 AM, FRANCIS ANN COLLINS WAS ABDUCTED FROM YREKA, CALIFORNIA. THIS
Description:	ON MARCH 2, 2009, AT 04:37 AM, FRANCIS ANN COLLINS WAS ABDUCTED FROM YREKA, CALIFORNIA. THIS AMBER ALERT IS DIRECTED TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FRANCIS ANN COLLINS IS A 3 YEAR OLD, WHITE, FEMALE, 3 FEET TALL, 30 POUND, JUVENILE WITH BROWN HAIR, AND BROWN EYES, LAST SEEN WEARING TIE DYED T-SHIRT. SUSPECT IS CODY KAPLIN, A 22 YEAR OLD, WHITE, MALE, 5 FEET 7 INCHES TALL, WEIGHING 140 POUNDS, WITH BROWN HAIR, HAZEL EYES, LAST SEEN WEARING A BLACK AND WHITE FLANNEL SHIRT AND BLUE JEANS. OTHER SUSPECT INFORMATION INCLUDES: TATTOOS: AN IRON CROSS ON LEFT HAND, YOUNG SON ON LEFT ARM AND A MUD FLAP GIRL ON RIGHT ARM. THE SUSPECT WAS LAST SEEN DRIVING A GREEN PONTIAC GRAND AM, WITH A CA LICENSE PLATE OF 3WKA651. OTHER VEHICLE INFORMATION INCLUDES: DRIVER'S SIDE DAMAGE. IF SEEN CONTACT YREKA POLICE DEPARTMENT AT (530) 841-2623. CHP ENTAC/JEL
Target Area:	STATEWIDE

EDIS FLASH****Liscence PLATE #3WKA651*****
SUBJECT: CHILD ABDUCTION ALERT *************************** FRANCIS ANN COLLINS WFJ 3 FEET BRO AND BRO 30 LBS DOB/052505 LAST SEEN WEARING A TIE DYED TEE SHIRT. VICTIM WAS TAKEN FROM HER HOME BY SUSPECT IN BURGLARY OF SAME RESIDENCE AT APPROX 0437 HOURS THIS DATE.KAPLON,KODY LEE WM DOB/040786 BRO/HAZ507/140
UNK CLOTHING DESCRIPTION TAT OF IRON CROSS ON WEB OF LEFT HAND BETWEEN THUMB AND FINGER YOUNGSON ON L/ ARM AND MUD FLAP GIRL ON R/ARM ADDRESS 15516 KLAMATHON RD HORNBROOK CA SUSPECT NOT AT RESIDENCE NO WEAPON SEEN3WCA651 1992 GREEN PONTIAC GRAND AM SE DAMAGE TO DRIVERS SIDE LAST SEEN AT TIME OF ABDUCTION 0437 HOURS SUSPECT LAST SEEN EASTBOUND ON MINER ST FROM 905 W MINER ST APT 69.
YREKA POLICE DEPARTMENT 412 W MINER ST YREKA CA 96097530 841 2300

CA-RRU- Pinyon - SAR Hiker injured 2 mile hike out

RRU FIRE WEB - CARRU-18566 Link

Incident Name: Pinyon		Incident Number: CARRU-18566
Date Reported: 03/01/2009		Time Reported: 12:48 PM
Incident Type: Hiker Down
Incident Location: Sawmill Trail off of the Pinyon Trial Head			City: Pinyon
Size/Type of Fuel/etc.:		Cause:
Loss: $0	(STR): $0	(Contents): $0	Vehicle(s): $0
Save: $0	(STR): $0	(Contents): $0	Cost to Date: $0
Injuries:
Fatalities: 0	Critical: 0	Moderate: 0	Minor: 0	Non-Injury: 0
Transported Ground AMB: 0		Air AMB: 0
Containment Time:		Control Time:
Resources Assigned
Engines: 2		Breathing Supp.: 0		Helicopters: 0
Truck Co: 0		Squad: 1		Air Attack: 0
Firefighters: 6		RVC Medics: 0		Air Tankers: 0
Overhead Personnel: 1		AMB's: 1		Fire Crews: 0
Haz. Mat: No Co. Health: No County OES: No Fire Prev.: No Water Tenders: 0
Electrical Co: No Gas Co: No Water Co: No Bulldozers: 0
Red Cross: No	Chaplain: No	Displaced Persons: No	Adult: 0	Child: 0
Misc. Equip:	Sheriff's Office: No	CHP: No	Office:
Cooperating Agencies: American Medical Response, CAL FIRE/Riverside, Riverside County Fire Dept, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office
Supplemental
Comments:	Firefighters are at the scene of an injured hiker on the Sawmill Trail in the Pinyon area. The patient is in the process of being hiked out by firefighters and will then be airlifted via helicopter and transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.
Problems:
Evacuations: No		Evacuation Comments:
Information Center: 951-940-6985		OR:
Prepared By: Jody Hagemann		Prepared Date/Time: 03/01/2009 1456

Injured Santa Rosa Mountains hiker carried to safety

News article: PE News Link

Pinyon Pines — A hiker who got hurt today near the Sawmill Trail in the rugged northeast Santa Rosa Mountains was carried by firefighters for about 2 miles to safety, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said.

The hiker, whose gender was not provided, was reported injured shortly before 1 p.m., said Cal Fire-Riverside County spokeswoman Jody Hagemann.

Firefighters from the Pinyon Station on state Route 74 walked in more than 2 miles to reach the injured hiker, Hagemann said. They used a rigid litter basket or backboard to carry the hiker out, Hagemann said.

A rescue helicopter was canceled and the hiker was taken to a hospital by an ambulance shortly before 4 p.m., Hagemann said.

CAL FIRE - Arson investigation results in arrest

YouTube Dummy comes back to video tape his arson scene...
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Church reacts to arson fire on property

A church community in Paso Robles speaks out after arson ruins their church bus.

The Friday night fire destroyed the school bus and a church member's SUV at Living Waters Christian Fellowship.

The fire caused about $50,000 worth of damage. Sunday morning, Cal Fire law enforcement arrested 21 year old Dereck Bruenecke. He is being held on $25,000 bond.

The bus has been a part of the church for five years. Church members even named it: Barney the Bus.

Now, Barney, used for youth programs, is gone.

"First, it was shock and disbelief, and you get sick, you know--just wondering what happened to it ," said Pastor Steve Boggan.

Cal Fire investigators say Bruenecke had been drinking before the incident.

"He appeared that he was sorry to light the fire and that it wasn't his intention to burn the bus down. He was playing with a lighter he said," said Cal Fire Investigator, Captain Jane Schmitz.

The bus would pick up the kids to attend Sunday service.

"I like it when Hailey's there. I always get to sit by her and she's my best friend," said seven year old, Margarita Humphries. "i'm very, very sad and mad."

Pastor Boggan, who also served as the bus driver, sorted through all his emotions to give Sunday's sermon: a talk on understanding.

"We prayed and forgave him for what he did and that's a good lesson for them also. Even when somebody makes a bad mistake like this is that we can show forgiveness and love anyway," Pastor Boggan said.

Whether or not the legal system will give that same forgiveness is still unknown.

Cal Fire investigators say the suspect actually went back to the scene of the crime to take video of it. That made investigators suspicious of Bruenecke.

Pastor Boggan hopes they can buy a new bus, but they say at this point, insurance will not help cover the cost.

If you want to help out, Link to the Church's home page.
Source: KSBY - Link

Budget : Budget cuts could leave Butte County with vacant fire stations and up to 23 less firefighters

Budget calls for proposed county fire cuts

By ELIZABETH DE ALWIS - MediaNews Group

Several proposed budget cuts to Cal Fire-Butte County could leave Butte County with vacant fire stations and up to 23 less firefighters.

Proposed recommendations from the county administrative office reportedly include 11 immediate layoffs and the closure of up to eight fire stations, as well as 12 additional layoffs in coming months.

The county Board of Supervisors has yet to take action on this issue, but is expected to discuss it at its Tuesday meeting.

According to two Butte County fire captains and union officers, Mike Lopez and Jason Finney, the proposed cuts could erase fire protection at six stations during the winter months in addition to two stations that could be closed during any time of the year.

Fire stations in Paradise (Station No. 35), Stirling City, Jarbo Gap, Forest Ranch, Harts Mills and Robinson Mill would close immediately for winter months along with two stations anywhere in Butte County.

"This is paramount," Finney said.

The cuts are proposed to last two years. Eleven layoff notices were issued to firefighters earlier this week. In addition, 12 more firefighters, including battalion chiefs, prevention officers, captains and training officers as well as office personnel, could be laid off effective by July.

Lopez and Finney said these cuts would put the public at a huge risk. Firefighters respond to traffic accidents and medical emergencies as well as structure fires and wildland fires.

Darrel Wilson, chairman of the Butte County Fire Safe Council and vice chairman of the Upper Ridge Coordinating Council, agrees the cuts would be dangerous to the public.

"I think it's a criminal act," he said. "I think with all this budget chicanery, we should find at least enough money to supply fire needs and police needs."

The biggest budget in California history was passed and now the fire department has to be cut. "That doesn't make any sense," he said.

In Butte County, Wilson said, much of the population lives in rural area, where there have to be rural fire stations. Closing these stations will mean longer response times by firefighters to a fire.

The state keeps asking for more taxpayer money, but cuts back on services like fire and protection, Wilson said. Butte County just had one of the worst fire seasons in its history, "if not the worst & and it could happen again," he said.

"This is the wrong time to be cutting the fire department," he added, especially in a drought year.

Closed fire stations would also impact firefighters' ability to fight fires. They must adhere to a federal standard called "two in, two out," meaning if two firefighters go into a structure fire, two more must be outside to back them up. If one engine gets to a fire, they can't go in until the second engine arrives.

"We can't even go in to attack it," Finney said. "That's a federal policy and we can't violate that."

That is the immediate risk, but the proposed cuts also put firefighters at long-term risk, Lopez explained. With not enough firefighters employed, they will be on the job for longer hours and during summer fires, they experience extended exposure to all of the climate elements that go along with fighting fires.

Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Linda, agreed that these cuts would put the public at risk. He said the government has enough fraud and waste.

"The fire department is not the place to cut," he said.

There are a lot of programs with no benefit to the state and the legislature keeps mishandling the budget, he said.

"Punishing the fire department and public safety is really not the direction to go in."

For the 2008-09 fiscal year, the fire departments have had to cut $1.7 million. Nearly $1 million has already been cut, but an additional $800,000 must be cut before July. For the 2009-10 fiscal year, the departments must cut $3.8 million.

Elizabeth De Alwis is a writer for the Paradise Post.
Original article - Link

Magnitude 3.1 - Offshore Northern California - Petrolia

2009 March 01 11:20:15 UTC

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Earthquake Details

Magnitude	3.1
Date-Time	Sunday, March 01, 2009 at 11:20:15 UTC Sunday, March 01, 2009 at 03:20:15 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	40.309°N, 124.550°W
Depth	19.2 km (11.9 miles)
Region	OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances	23 km (14 miles) W (266°) from Petrolia, CA 39 km (24 miles) SW (219°) from Ferndale, CA 43 km (27 miles) WSW (241°) from Rio Dell, CA 63 km (39 miles) SSW (212°) from Eureka, CA 329 km (204 miles) NW (307°) from Sacramento, CA
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 1.5 km (0.9 miles); depth +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles)
Parameters	NST= 40, Nph= 40, Dmin=22 km, Rmss=0.05 sec, Gp=263°, M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	nc40232508