Strong winds
hampered efforts to fight California fires, Yacolt burn
The death and destruction caused over the last two weeks by fires in several counties in southern California give rise to thoughts about fires in north Clark County that changed life in the area forever.
The 1902 Yacolt Burn was the first of several fires that raced through Skamania and Clark counties, taking human lives, animals, and literally billions of board feet of standing timber.
What is now called the Yacolt Burn is believed to have started near Stevenson in Skamania County, and was fanned by east winds to the vicinity of Ariel, a distance of more than 40 miles as the wind blows.
The fire surrounded, but did not burn, the town of Yacolt.
Before it was over, about a week later, 38 people had died and more than 12 billion board feet of lumber had been destroyed on 238,900 burned acres.
The fire burned 148,000 acres in one 48-hour period. The area burned was more than twice the size of the blast zone from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, and destroyed five times the volume of timber.
Strong east winds complicated firefighting, just as they have done in southern California. The winds were blamed for the dry conditions and speed with which the fire traveled.
Fred Pickering, retired fire prevention forester with the state Department of Natural Resources, said the last moisture fell in April prior to the September 1902 Yacolt Burn.
As the story goes, a man named Monroe Vallett cut slash on Nelson Creek east of Stevenson. Despite a strong east wind, Vallett set the slash on fire. The fire soon spread from the slash to adjoining timber.
At that time, a large crew would have been required to stop the blaze, but Vallett refused to put on a crew and the forest ranger on duty, Horace Wetherell, was not inclined to bring in a crew as he had recently been admonished over the hiring of a crew to fight another fire.
The fire burned the top of Stevenson Ridge where the wind from the east drove it west to the Yacolt Valley.
Vallett was arrested and taken to Walla Walla for trial, but was not convicted. Wetherell resigned in 1904 at age 83.
The Yacolt fire traveled so fast that people were not able to escape and horses were not able to outrun it. Cinders fell a half inch deep in Portland. It was dark as night at noon on Sept. 13, 1902.
The fire produced clouds of smoke that darkened the sky from Portland to Seattle. Some residents escaped the disaster by finding safety in culverts, creeks, rivers, mill ponds and open fields. Some people did not know where to turn to escape. The smoke was thick and there was no assurance that roads ahead were not blocked with fallen and burning snags. It is said that babies were prematurely born and the elderly succumbed to the smoke.
Rains came on Sept. 20, 1902.
Pickering said the 1902 Yacolt Burn may have been started in various locations, not just the reported Vallett slash burn.
The 1902 fire charred the forest and left considerable dry wood and snags that contributed to subsequent fires. Cutbacks in logging activities contributed to the absence of roads in the burned area which complicated firefighting. Unfelled Douglas fir snags from the 1902 fire still stand today, said Pickering.
As a result, the area burned 24 more times into the 1950s, including a 227,500 acre fire in the Dole Valley area in 1929, the Sunset Fire of 1919 that consumed 26,900 acres, and the 48,000 acre Rock Creek Fire of 1927.
Weather conditions contributed to an estimated 110 northwest fires in the fall of 1902, from Enumclaw, Elma, Hoquiam and Barberton in Washington, to Wendling, Coburg, Astoria and Tillamook, Oregon.
The weather and topography have not changed since 1902, nor has the frequency of east winds. Pickering said winds from the east blow through Clark County almost one a month.
Pickering said that during the 1929 Yacolt Burn, a plane flew over the blaze and determined that the fire had a four-mile wide front and was advancing about one mile per hour toward the northwest.
In the 1950s, honor camps were created in wooded areas, leading to the construction of fire breaks and water holes, and new tree plantings.
From the 1950s through the early 1980s, over 779,000 snags were felled, 4,500 acres of slash were disposed of, 118 miles of roads were built, and almost 11 millions trees planted.
There has not been a serious fire in the area since November 1952. Pickering said, however, that weather conditions in 1967 were similar to those in 1902, but no major fires took place.
Residents of forested areas can defend themselves against fires by avoiding wood roofs and keeping vegetation away from homes. A 30-foot defensible area around a home is recommended, said Pickering.
Pickering said a repeat of the 1902 fire would kill hundreds of people because of population increases. “There is no effective way to fight a fire driven by high winds,” said Pickering, a resident of Yacolt.
“Had the Yacolt Burn not taken place,” said Pickering, “we would have had vast timber resources near a port and mills. We would have been the timber capital of the northwest, even more so than Seattle.”
Pickering estimates that the timber destroyed in the 1902 fire alone was enough to construct 2.5 million homes which is a city about the size of Los Angeles.
On the positive side, the fire sped up construction of the Vancouver to Yakima railroad, and gave rise to timber salvage operations for which Weyerhaeuser once established headquarters in Yacolt.
Recollections of the 1902 Yacolt Burn
Here are recorded anecdotes of the great Yacolt Burn of 1902.
** Mr. and Mrs. Ira Reid, Mr. and Mrs. C.A. McKeen and baby, and five other children were heading out for a picnic at Trout Lake with Uncle George Smith on Sept. 12, 1902. They were within two miles of the Yacolt post office when the fire came down in a draw in the hills. A month later, relatives reached their bodies by cutting through fallen timber to Speelai Creek. None had gotten more than 150 feet, and the two unhitched horses had gone little further.
** The family of Mrs. Newton Graves saw the fire coming and started to run for Speelyai Creek. Mrs. Graves said she would follow soon. Days later, they found Mrs. Graves in her yard, surrounded by the remains of her Singer sewing machine and 200 jars of fruit.
** W.E. Newhouse, the star route mailman, hitched his two horses into his mail buggy and away they went. A search party a week later found one horse on top of a felled log, the other nearby, and Newhouse, his clothes and skin burned away, still holding what remained of his buggy whip.
** Mrs. John Polly took her baby in her arms and her 12-year-old son by the hand and started running. That was the way they were found--all together.
** Near Kalama, Mrs. August Meyers and three children barely got out of their house and never got out of their yard.
** Walter Dugan and his timber estimating crew spent two days in an old mining tunnel near Washougal as the fire swept around them. They survived to be able to tell their stories. When they emerged from the tunnel, they found fish that had been poached in a nearby creek, and they feasted on poached fish--not the kind caught out of season.
** The late Phil Hanley remembered being a young boy in the 1902 fire, living with his family on a ridge between Yale and Speelyai. He and his brothers had dug a swimming hole on the family property. When the fire came, the family ran for the swimming hole. His sister dropped her Bible in a field on the way. The family survived the fire and, as Hanley told the story, the family home was gone, along with trees, crops, and fields. Only a one foot square area where the Bible lay was untouched by the flames.
Firefighters from several area fire districts and departments have responded to requests from officials in Southern California to help fight fires that have consumed hundreds of homes and caused mass evacuations.
Teams from Southwest Washington committed to two weeks plus travel time, or 16 or 18 days. Firefighters generally travel in teams of four and drove an engine to the fire area.
Officials in California requested assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual-aid agreement between all 50 states in the nation. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact will reimburse fire districts that send personnel and equipment. Districts remain fully staffed by recalling personnel to cover for absent firefighters.
Fueled by strong winds, the fires in California have consumed numerous homes and business, and burned thousands of acres of land. California officials requested 50 strike teams from neighboring states, 25 to fight structure fires and 25 to fight wildland fires. A strike team is made up of five engines with four firefighters each and a leader. Fire agencies in southwest Washington sent seven engines and a leader on Oct. 24.
As of Oct. 25, 232 firefighters and 60 engines from the state of Washington were deployed to fight the California fires.
Here are the names of firefighters who left for California last week:
Clark County
District 3: Captain Jason Mansfield, Josh Haldeman, Georgia Porter, Charlie Campbell.
District 6: Mike Lafter, Darren Bush, Bill Dunlap.
District 11: Captain Jesse Martin, Josh Wynand, Matt Woodford, Clint Granato, George Lingle.
District 12: Captain Brett Graham, Colby Gratzer, Jason Dement, Chief Tim Dawdy.
Cowlitz County
Woodland Fire: Joe Tone, Andrew Larsen, Jason Hamilton, Greg Pera, Nick Maunu.
District 1: Chief Eric Dehning, Brian Richardson.
George Lingle with Clark County Fire District 11 went with a team from Fire District 12, using a District 12 engine.
Nick Maunu with Woodland Fire traveled with a team from Cowlitz Fire District 1.
Chief Tim Dawdy from Fire District 12 will serve as a safety officer in the California firefighting effort.
Volunteers fighting Harris fire
Several Clark County crews are serving at the Harris Fire, located near the Mexican border. The fire has already swept through the area where they are located.
Ray Steiger, spokesman with Fire District 3, said he spoke with Mike Senchyna of Vancouver Fire who said the fire area has rural roads and small acreages. Some homes have been destroyed. Crews are protecting the remaining homes and putting out “hot spots” as they find them.
Crews are also assisting residents as they return to their homes.
Senchyna told Steiger that crews are six miles north of the Mexican border and are enjoying their job. Area residents are happy to see firefighters from so far away (Clark County, WA). “We were both excited and nervous about the task we were going to be asked to do,” said Senchyna.
Steiger said Senchyna noted that fire service work is similar around the country.
Steiger said Jason Mansfield, a captain at Fire District 3, was also at the Harris Fire, assisting residents, controlling hot spots and mopping up.
Mansfield said homes with defensible space generally survived the fire.
Crews were based out of a San Diego County airport. The trip from Clark County to the Harris Fire took about 28 hours, said Mansfield.
“It’s a great opportunity to be down here and helping the people out,” said Mansfield. “The residents are extremely grateful for our presence. It is truly a learning experience for us.”
Police dog dies
in the incident
A Clark County sheriff’s office SWAT team arrested Ronald Chenette Oct. 23 after the man allegedly threatened to “kill a cop.” Chenette, 38, was reportedly armed with a .357 magnum handgun.
Authorities believe Chenette shot and killed a police dog; a second police dog apprehended Chenette in the Brush Prairie area.
Deputies were dispatched to a possible mental subject about 1:50 p.m. in the area of 16415 NE 137th Ave., Brush Prairie. A caller said Chenette was armed with a handgun and walking down the railroad tracks toward the Brush Prairie Market on Caples Road.
Deputies determined that Chenette had not arrived at the store. He was seen running along the railroad tracks, then fleeing into brush and trees adjacent to the tracks.
K-9 teams from both the sheriff’s office and Vancouver police arrived at the scene. About 5 p.m., the SWAT team reported one shot had been fired. About 5:30 p.m., a K-9 located the suspect and Chenette was taken into custody.
Dakota, a Vancouver police K-9, was later found dead with a gunshot to his head.
Chenette has been charged with harming a police dog which is a class C felony. Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Bieber said a firearms enhancement has been added to the charge of harming a police dog which will make that charge a “strike offense.” Chenette already has two “strikes” on his record; a third strike conviction would result in life in prison.
Chenette has also been charged with being an ex-convict in possession of a firearm which is a class B felony, and the unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Neighbors familiar with “The Creeper”
Neighbors of the Brush Prairie and Cedars area have reportedly seen Chenette over the last two years. One neighbor said Chenette has been seen crouching in ditches, walking on the railroad tracks, and elsewhere in the area.
Neighbor Max Peterson said some neighbors described Chenette as “creepy,” resulting in the nickname “The Creeper.”
Peterson said Chenette had been seen hiding in bushes, often wearing black leather clothing and chains. Some neighbors called him “Black Bart,” said Peterson. Chenette had not been observed driving a car, said Peterson, but may have used the railroad tracks to travel between Brush Prairie and Battle Ground.
Bieber said Chenette’s parents live in the Brush Prairie area at 16513 NE 137th Ave.
According to the Clark County sheriff’s office, Chenette has an extensive criminal history, including a 1991 conviction for second degree murder. In that case, he was sentenced to 168 months in prison. He has also been convicted of assault II. Officials said Chenette has several misdemeanor warrants for his arrest and is also a suspect in a stalking case.
Chenette was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center where he was treated for a dog bite. He appeared in court Oct. 24 where he reportedly said he should have shot the second dog. He also glorified mass murderer Charles Manson.
Chenette also appeared in court Oct. 25.
Dakota remembered
Dakota, a German Shepherd, was born in Slovakia in July 2002. He was put into full service at the Vancouver police department in July 2005. His handler was Officer Roger Evans. Dakota became a SWAT K-9 in July 2006 and in his career was responsible for 150 narcotics finds and over 100 suspect captures.
A memorial fund has been established at the Bank of Clark County for donations toward the purchase of another K-9. Donations may be delivered in person at the bank, 1400 Washington St., Vancouver, or mailed to the Bank of Clark County, P.O. Box 61725, Vancouver, WA 98666-1723, noting “Dakota Memorial Fund” on the outside of the envelope. Donations may also be made at any Vancouver police precinct.
Officials of the Vancouver police department said there are no finalized plans for a memorial service for Dakota, but such a service will be scheduled and announced.
The Clark County commissioners will hold a public hearing Tues., Nov. 6, 10 a.m., on a proposed “transfer of development rights” program.
The hearing will take place at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
The objective of the program is to pay those who are currently involved in agriculture in the non-urban areas of the county for their development rights, using money paid by owners of agricultural lands who are included in the new urban growth boundaries adopted with the comprehensive plan update Sept. 25.
The new comprehensive plan will take effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart described the proposal as a “farm land mitigation program” similar in some ways to wetland mitigation. In order to develop agricultural lands in urban areas, developers would need to buy the development rights of agricultural lands in non-urban areas.
Those who sell their development rights would agree to remain in agriculture rather than convert to a different use. The owners/developers of lands that buy development rights could proceed with development.
If the program is adopted, the county would establish a “TDR Bank.” The TDR Bank would allow buyers to purchase development rights at a set rate without having to find a seller themselves. Fees would be collected by the Bank and then spent expressly for purchase of development rights on non-urban sites.
The TDR Bank would provide developers with a known cost for the acquisition of development rights.
Stuart said officials have not yet placed a price tag on development rights. “It will be market-driven,” said Stuart. He noted that a developer might not pay $1,000 per house for development rights, but might pay $1,000 an acre.
Stuart said those who sell development rights might not be locked in forever. He said he would prefer to see some flexibility in the program so that a future generation, for example, might not be bound by prior decisions.
Stuart said Pierce and Snohomish counties have similar programs, but Clark County has not yet acquired their “price lists.”
Some 4,218 acres of land zoned for agricultural uses were included in urban growth boundaries in the Sept. 25 plan. That is more than one-third of all additions to growth boundaries. Another 100 acres of forest land also became urban in the new comprehensive plan. The conversion of that land would require a transfer of development rights to forest lands elsewhere in the county.
Following the Nov. 6 public hearing, the board plans to hold another public hearing on Nov. 19, then consider whether to proceed with the plan on Nov. 20.
Further deliberations would take place in January 2008, leading to the possible adoption of the program in fall 2008.
Once resource lands inside urban growth boundaries are annexed into a city, that city would decide whether to adopt the development rights transfer program. County officials plan to discuss this matter with each jurisdiction, seeking their cooperation in collecting the TDR amounts and forwarding them to the TDR Bank.
More information about the Transfer of Development Rights program is available by calling Troy Rayburn, 397-2232, or commissioner Steve Stuart, 397-2232.
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Wal-Mart has been given a green light to begin developing a super store in Woodland.
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge James E. Warme ruled earlier this month that the retailer does not have to wait for the completion of a transportation study to begin development and does not have to take action to prevent flooding at the Dike Access Road underpass.
John Karpinski, who represented the citizens’ group Woodlanders Against the Wal, said that under Warme’s ruling, the responsibility for fixing the drainage at the interchange will fall on the shoulders of city taxpayers. Warme ruled that the drainage problem at the underpass existed before Wal-Mart applied to build a superstore and the retailer is not responsible for the problem.
Karpinski said his clients have not yet decided whether to appeal.
“The main loss was to the city taxpayers, as the court ruled it was the taxpayers, not Wal-Mart, that should pay the $640,000 or more to fix the area’s drainage,” Karpinski said.
Hearings Examiner Irv Bertig originally ruled that Wal-Mart must wait until a state study of the city’s transportation needs is written before beginning development. City Attorney Paul Brachvogel said Bertig later modified his original ruling to require that Wal-Mart make every effort to coordinate street development with agencies.
Hearings Officer Bertig’s original decision resulted in a moratorium against construction at the Wal-Mart site, Brachvogel said.
“The city asked the hearings officer to reconsider,” he said. “Only the city council can consider a moratorium, and this was a de facto moratorium.”
At the same time that the citizens’ group appealed the hearings officer’s decision, Wal-Mart sued the city.
“The issue was how the (hearings officer’s) decision was written,” said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jennifer Holder Oct. 22. “We were looking for clarification.”
The retailer did not seek monetary damages from the city.
The Port of Woodland and companies located within the city’s industrial park objected to the retailer’s planned east-side traffic circle, also known as a roundabout. They asked that either a signalized intersection or a larger circle on the west side of I-5 be considered.
Holder declined to answer questions directly about plans for a traffic circle, saying only, “We will coordinate with local agencies–33 agencies–we will do whatever is required.”
Karpinski said, however, that Wal-Mart has gone “on the record in saying that these conditions contain strong protections.”
If the way is cleared for Wal-Mart to move ahead with its store, construction could be more than a year away, said Nancy Malone, Woodland planning assistant. The retailer must provide a site review document that details the engineering of streets, shows the layout of the buildings on the property, and how the infrastructure will be addressed.
Malone said the state and Cowlitz County probably will be involved as the development moves through the required stages.
The Wal-Mart complex will be located on land along Dike Access and Robinson roads that is already zoned for commercial development.
The company’s original plans show a store of 157,263 square feet of indoor retail space and another 6,385 square feet of covered outdoor retail space. Paved driving areas will cover 423,662 square feet and pedestrian walkways will include 23,673 square feet. A total of 615,674 square feet on 18.5 acres will be developed.
Woodland suspect now in custody
Jerrie Patrick Larsen, who Woodland police sought last week in connection with a robbery, has been arrested in Kennewick.
Woodland police believe that Larsen, 18, whose last known address was in Kelso, approached a Woodland resident Oct. 12, inquiring about buying a washing machine and dryer. The victim, age 90 and a longtime Woodland resident, pulled out his wallet to make change for the sale. The suspect reportedly grabbed the victim’s wallet and ran. Police said they identified the suspect as Larsen.
Woodland police asked for public help in locating Larsen who was believed to be a transient.
On Oct. 24, Woodland police say Larsen was in custody in Kennewick where he had been staying with relatives.
Larsen was transported to Woodland where police say he confessed to the robbery. He was taken to the Cowlitz County Jail where he was booked on a charge of second degree robbery. Bail was set at $75,000.
According to Woodland police, Larsen implicated two others in the robbery. Police arrested Daniel Glenn Berger and Nicole Ann Forbis. Police say Forbis drove her car with Larsen and Berger to Woodland so Larsen could do the robbery. Berger and Forbis waited for Larsen to do the robbery, police say, and then drove him from the area afterwards. The money from the robbery was split up among the three, according to police.
Berger and Forbis were booked into Cowlitz County Jail on charges of second degree robbery. Bail was set at $35,000 for Forbis and $50,000 for Berger.
Police said both Forbis and Berger admitted to being involved in the robbery. Berger also had outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Police expressed appreciation for the public’s help in locating Larsen.
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
A mother of four who has been attending Woodland School Board meetings for about a year wants to win a seat on the board.
Janice Watts has four children who are students in the Woodland School District.
“I don’t have any negative concerns,” she said. “Just a lot of interest. It’s nice to be part of that (decision-making), and not just complain.”
A graduate of Woodland High School, Watts moved away from the Woodland area for a time, but she and husband, Mike, returned 17 years ago.
She is concerned about the effect of Woodland’s rapid residential growth on school enrollment.
“During the last high school assembly when parents were invited, there was not enough room in the bleachers for all the students to sit,” she said.
Watts said she will support a bond issue to build a new high school.
“We’ve got the land,” she said. “Now we need to try to pass a bond.”
Two of Watts’s children are high school students. Marcus is a senior and Nicholas is a freshman. Daughter Jessica is in the eighth grade and Jonathan is a fifth grader.
A stay-at-home mom, Watts was the volunteer coordinator at the primary school. She said she worked with volunteers for field trips and school events.
“I like being involved with field trips and other events,” she said. “I’ve been lucky to be a stay-at-home mom.”
Before moving to Woodland, Watts worked in banking in Newberg, OR. She now is on call for Twin City Bank, filling in when employees are sick or on vacation.
Watts is seeking the seat for District 2 and is running against Jim Yount in the only contested race. Candidates Jim Bays of District 1 and Sandra Tone of District 3 are unopposed.
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
A former Woodland City Council member, seeking election to the Woodland School Board, says that growth is the most serious issue faced by the school district.
“We definitely need a new school,” said Jim Yount. “We now have 22 portables, with 20 in full use.”
Like his opponent for District 2, Janice Watts, Yount supports a proposed bond issue to build a new high school.
“I like to think it (bond approval) will be a slam dunk, but I don’t think it is,” he said. “We haven’t kept pace with the growth.”
Although school districts have little standing in zoning and plannng issues, Yount said the district should be made aware when large residential developments are planned.
“I’d try to use my experience to bring the growth issue to the attention of the city,” he said. “I’d make them aware of the status of the schools and ask for discussion every time a development is planned.”
Voters may not always be aware of the implications of the large residential developments now under construction in the city, he said.
“I believe there is a disconnect between the voters and the upcoming residential development,” he said.
Although he is seeking his first term on the board, Young, also vice chairman of the Woodland Planning Commission, said he has kept up with issues through his wife, Dottie, who has been on the board for about 20 years.
An environmental engineer for 30 years at Weyerhauser’s Longview plant, Yount and his family have lived in Woodland since 1978.
“My kids went through the school system,” he said. “They have been successful.”
The Younts’ four-year-old grandchild will enter Woodland schools in 2008, he said.
Despite the challenges of rapid growth, Woodland schools offer quality education, Yount said.
“The district is run well,” he said. “The quality of education is good. I’d like to maintain and improve what we have.”