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VOL. 6 NO. 10
Warm Springs, OR 97761
WARM SPRINGS, OREGON 97761
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Fourth of July fireworks
enjoyed by many in the Warm
Springs community were the
cause of numerous fires this last
weekend. Combined with dry
grass the fireworks sparked off
17 fires between 6:30 and
midnight on July 4. One other
fire started because of lightning
during those hours.
The fire calls came in “fast
and furious,” according to Fire
and Safety officer Ray Rivero.
The Fire and Safety
department had two men on
duty, two men on call and two
volunteers to respond to the
almost continuous stream of
calls throughout the night.
At certain points more
volunteer help was necessary to
control various fires. Fire
Management-Officer at Fire
Control, Walt Sixkiiler said
they had a full crew on duty and
had to use all of the equipment
available.
A fire on Jackson Trail Road
near Ken Smith’s house
burning 60 acres began the
night’s rash of fires. The fire
was reported at 6:30 pm and
was controlled by 9:00 pm.
Warm Springs Fire and Safety
were the initial responders with
the Fire Control unit taking
over. A helicopter with a
bucket lifting water from the
Deschutes River was used to
extinguish the fire.
At 7:00 pm a fire was
reported on Schoolie Flats,
northeast of Eagle Butte. This
fire was caused by lightning. It
was ignited in rough terrain
according to Sixkiiler, being
contained in the evening and
The sensational fireworks display outside the Community Center then completely extinguished
in Warm Springs on July 4th ignited many blazes in the area. by helicopter the next day.
Small fires were reported
Spilyay Tymoo photo by Shewczyk
continuously throughout the
night. “They came in so fast
that the dispatcher didn’t have
time to put some of them into
the log,” says Rivero.-
At 7:26 pm Fire and Safety
responded to a fire at the trailer
Tribal flag contest
Fire up your imagination
and get those juices flowing
because the Confederated
Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation is sponsoring a
Tribal Flag Contest.
The Tribes have never had an
official' flag other than the
three-teepee design which most
people associate with Kah-Nee-
Ta. For that reason Tribal
Council has authorized the
contest which is to be for tribal
members^ only. Council is
looking for an inspired,
original flag that will be
identifiable as this reservation’s
official flag.
Cash prizes will be offered
'or first, second and third place
winners. The deadline for all
entries is Friday, July 24, at
1:00 p.m.
Tribal Council will make the
final selection of the flag they
feel best represents the
reservation. The new flag will
then be made up and will be
flown at all enterprises and at
the main office.
For details about size and
number of entries per person,
or for further information,
contact Orthelia Miller at 553-
1161, ext. 254, or contact
Maxine Clements at ext. 230.
court. At 7:40 p.m. there
occurred a fire in West Hills on
Tao-shuh Road. An 8:20 p.m.
fire occurred at Miller Heights.
At 8:26 a fire was reported near
the Utilities building beyond
the Community Center ball
field.
'
Between 8:26 pm and 8:28
pm three fires were reported in
the West Hills area. At 8:44 a
fire was kindled behind the
mill. Another fire near the
Utilities department occurred
at 9:08 pm. At 9:17 there was a
fire reported on Foster Road
and one at West Hills at 9:22
pm.
The large scale fireworks
display sponsored by the
Community Center and the
Fourth of July committee
began just before 9:30 pm and
immediately a blaze was setoff
at the baseball field. The
location of the fireworks was a
crucial factor in so many fires
being ignited by the display,
according to Rivero. The
fireworks were set off “at the
bottom of a draw in the field
where the wind picks up.”
Rivero felt this was not a good
place “ because the fireworks .
could only go into a dry grass
area. Some of the fireworks
didn’t explode high enough,”
he said.
Rivero also commented that
a simple sparkler burns over
1000 degrees and it doesn’t take
even 400 degrees to start grass
on fire.
The hillside above the
baseball park was ignited by
the Community Center display
at 9:52 pm. Both a Fire Control
unit and the Fire and Safety
department responded to the
call. The 16 acre fire was
controlled by 1:00 am.
Other small fires reported
and responded to throughout
the fourth of July night include:
10:13 pm at the elementary
school; 10:22 pm, north of the
elementary school past the
Catholic church; 10:25 pm,
near the Catholic church; 11:17
pm, on the flats above Uren
Leonard’s house; at 11:50 pm,
the hillside fire was rekindled;
11:56 pm, a fire was reported
just below Macy’s store.
The most extensive fire of the
night took place at Indian
Head Canyon near Kah-Nee-
Ta burning 220 acres. The
blaze,sparked off by fireworks
near the road, was not
controlled until 8:00am
Sunday morning. Thirty
people from Fire Control
responded along with the
volunteer fire department from
Kah-Nee-Ta. The main
problem with that fire came
when hotel, guests “who were
not properly clothed” had to be
removed by the police,
according to Sixkiiler.
Neither the Fire Control unit
nor the Warm Springs Fire and
Safety department anticipated
as many fires as there were.
“The conditions were perfect,”
says Rivero, along with
“indiscriminate use of
fireworks by kids.” He went on
to say, “What the fireworks
display didn’t start kids did.”
“Most of the fires . that
«occurred can't be defined in
dollar loss,’’states Rivero,
because juniper and grass were
burned. But every fire presents
the possibility of a structure
burning which would be a
significant loss. There is always
the possibility, too, that
someone could be injured.
“We want to prevent this
from happening next year,”
Rivero emphasized. He
suggested the banning of
private fireworks and the
coordination of a large display.
Prior to the Fourth of July a
weed abatement program
should be undertaken. The
numerous fires this Fourth of
July only “reinforces how
dangerous of a tinderbox this
area is in the summer.”
Tribes opposed steelhead legislation
during heated shouting match
by Sandy Rangila
In what was termed a
boisterous “shouting match,”
representatives and supporters
of the four Columbia River
treaty tribes presented
testimony in opposition to
proposed legislation that
would ban commercial fishing
for steelhead by Indians.
The hearing before a Senate
panel was held in Seattle on
Monday, June 29. Nelson
Wallulatum, Eugene Greene
and tribal attorney Howard
Arnett were there to represent
the Confederated Tribes of the
Warm Springs Reservation.
(The full text of Nelson
Wallulatum’s statement is on
page 3.)
Statements by the treaty
tribes and their supporters were
frequently interrupted by loud,
emotional outbursts from an
overflow crowd of about 600
people.
The controversial bills
(Senate Bill S.874 and the
House version, H.R. 2978) “are
not intended to protect
steelhead, but are soley aimed
at preventing tribes from
Continued on page 3