This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some coverage of summer wildfires throughout the region
Idaho
Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuations issued for Gwen Fire near Juliaetta. JWR’s Comments: That long sloping valley was where the late Carla Emery lived, back in the 1980s. She was the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living which has often been mentioned in SurvivalBlog. The Emerys lived closer to Kendrick, which is now threatened by the same fire.
An update from another news outlet: Idaho State Police shuts down Highway 12 due to wildfire.
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Team Idaho in the Paris Olympics: Who and when to watch.
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At Redoubt News: Interview with Cornel Rasor owner of Army Surplus Sandpoint.
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And speaking of surplus stores, see this video: Idaho Is Fun, Take A Road Trip! (Idaho’s largest surplus store, in Idaho Falls, can be seen in a 24-minute video tour, starting at the 11:55 mark.)
Montana
Missoula’s wind gusts Wednesday night don’t compare to these records across the state.
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How to watch Montanans competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Helicopter rescue team recovers body of missing hiker from East Rosebud Creek rapids.
Central & Eastern Oregon
Search underway for missing single-engine air tanker, pilot helping on Eastern Oregon wildfires.
An update: Pilot killed in crash of single-engine air tanker while working on new Eastern Oregon blaze.
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I-84 closures between Pendleton and Ontario nightly for fire management.
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Snake Fire merges with Monkey Creek, scorching 50,000 acres in Oregon. A quote:
“Fire leaders say on Monday the Snake Fire has merged with the Monkey Creek Fire burning near north-fork John Day in Umatilla and Grant counties in Oregon.
The now-merged fires have burned almost 50,000 acres. Fire leaders say gusts through the river corridor, steep terrain, low visibility and continued high temperatures are complicating fire suppression in the area.”
Central & Eastern Washington
Level 3 evacuations due to Columbia Basin Fire.
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Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders for Cougar Creek Fire in Asotin County.
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Benton County Sheriff’s Deputies investigating death of 16 year old hit by train.
Wyoming
Man Suspected of Robbing Two Cheyenne Banks Now in Custody.
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This news story made national news: Northern Wyoming plane crash causes fatalities, sparks wildfire. Here is an excerpt:
“A plane crash in a remote area of northeastern Wyoming caused an unspecified number of fatalities and sparked a wildfire, authorities said Friday.
The plane crashed at about 1 p.m. north of the town of Gillette near the Wyoming state line, Campbell County officials said in a social media post. The number of fatalities was not immediately released.
A distress signal was sent out by the plane before the crash, Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds told the Gillette News Record. Callers later reported seeing smoke columns rising into the air near the suspected crash site, he said.
The wildfire that resulted from the crash was being suppressed using aircraft, heavy equipment and engine crews, officials said.”
We later learned that it was a 2010 Pilatus PC-12 (a maker and model mentioned in my novel Land of Promise) with seven souls on board including three members of the Nelon Family gospel band.
JWR’s Comments: A loss of control like that at altitude and cruising on autopilot while transiting a weather front makes me suspect heavy wing icing. Any experienced pilot would have repeatedly popped his de-icing boots. But in heavy icing conditions, the plane still could have lost lift and any meaningful control surface actuation.
A Prayer Request: Please pray for the extended Nelon family, and the families of everyone else on board, who perished. The crash victims are now in God’s hands.
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Year of the Cowgirl at Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.
Send Your News Tips
Please send your American Redoubt region news tips, event announcements, and American Redoubt-based companies worthy of a mention to JWR. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.