Fire Claims First Casualty

NULL beats HAPPY Willits Friday INDEPENDENCE DAY! ..........Page A-6 July 4, 2008 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Saturday: Sunny H 93º L 57º 7 58551 69301 0 Sunday: Mostly sunny H 92º L 56º 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 38 pages, Volume 150 Number 86 email: [email protected] Measure Fire claims first casualty B on hold Flags fly at half-staff for court locally and at Capitol decisions to honor AV firefighter By BEN BROWN By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal The Daily Journal ‘He was a hugely enthusiastic A tangle of lawsuits have Flags at the state Capitol brought enforcement of Measure and at the Anderson Valley volunteer. He didn’t care what B to a temporary halt while Volunteer Fire Department he did, he wanted to be of county law enforcement officials flew at half-staff Thursday in await court rulings. honor of volunteer service.’ Mendocino County Sheriff Firefighter Bob Roland, who Tom Allman said the Sheriff’s died early Thursday morning Office would be delaying at Ukiah Valley Medical Fire Chief COLIN WILSON enforcement of Measure B’s Center, becoming the first new medical marijuana plant casualty in the Mendocino limits until Mendocino County Lightning Complex fire. ‘We are forever indebted to Superior Court Judge John Anderson Valley Fire Bob’s extraordinary and heroic Behnke rules on the lawsuit filed Chief Colin Wilson said the by county residents George 63-year-old Roland was act- service..’ Hanamoto and Paula Laguna. ing as a spotter on the Oso “County counsel asked that fire north of Boonville when we hold off until the next hear- he started feeling fatigue and Gov. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ing date,” Allman said. had difficulty breathing Behnke is scheduled to hear Wednesday night. the case July 25. He dismissed A paramedic checked out extraordinary and heroic ser- Hanamoto and Laguna’s first Roland and determined he vice.” complaint on April 23, ruling needed to go to a hospital. “He was a hugely enthusi- that Measure B did not violate Roland was driven into astic volunteer,” Wilson said. the Compassionate Use Act, Boonville, where an ambu- “He didn’t care what he did, which set California’s state med- he wanted to be of service.” lance took him on to UVMC. See MEASURE B, Page A-10 He was treated in the Roland had been a volun- emergency room before teer with the Anderson Valley being moved into the inten- department for two months; FIRE UPDATE sive care unit, where he died he and his wife had moved to Anderson Valley from San about 4 a.m. Thursday. The Diego in January. cause of Roland’s death had Spread of Roland had worked in San not been determined at press Diego at an aeronautical firm time. and before that he flew an F4 “California has the bravest fighter jet for the military fire slows and most dedicated firefight- from 1967 until 1977. The Daily Journal ers in the world that selfless- All Anderson Valley fire- Fires continued to spread, but ly put their lives on the line fighters were pulled off the at a slower rate, as additional every day to keep us safe,” firelines Thursday for a 24- resources were dispatched to the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hour stand down because of Mendocino Lightning Complex said in a statement Thursday. the death. Wilson said fire- Thursday. “I am deeply saddened to fighters were using the time The fire spread to 38,500 learn of the passing of to clean and prep their acres Thursday burning in 43 Volunteer Firefighter Recruit engines for a continued fire- uncontrolled fires. The entire Bob Roland, who coura- fighting effort. incident was reported as 40 per- geously lost his life while “We will be back to work Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal cent contained. protecting his community tomorrow,” he said. The flag at the Anderson Valley Fire Department in Boonville flies at half-staff Additional resources were from the threat of fire. We are Ben Brown can be reached at Thursday in honor of an area volunteer firefighter who died early Thursday dispatched to the area bringing forever indebted to Bob’s [email protected]. morning. the total number of firefighters to 1,687, supported by 140 engines, 60 water tenders, 50 EVACUATION WARNINGS bulldozers, 17 helicopters and three air tankers. Let freedom ring! Some aircraft were scheduled Areas under evacuation warning as of 9 p.m. Thursday to be mapping the fires over the weekend, and county residents -Montgomery Woods between Orr Thoughts from the front line on this 4th of July were told to expect to see some Springs Road and Running Springs By K.C. MEADOWS Road. The Daily Journal See FIRES, Page A-10 -Bell Springs Road from Hwy. 101 to Today begins a long the intersection of Red Mountain Road holiday weekend cele- and Bell Springs Road brated by all Americans, -The Community of Cummings mostly with picnics and Pollution -Town of Leggett BBQs, gatherings of fam- -De Haven Creek drainage north of ily and friends and some- again at Westport times, fireworks. -Howard Creek drainage north of This weekend will be Westport all work, however, for the ‘unhealthy’ -The Community of Rockport firefighters from both The Daily Journal -Red Mountain Road from the inter- here and around the state The Mendocino County Air section of Red Mountain Road and Bell who find themselves in Quality Management District Springs Road to 13600 Red Mountain Mendocino County. issued another day of air quality Road “Normally I’m in LA warnings Thursday after mea- either at the local fire sta- surements on Thursday morning All Red Cross shelters in Mendocino tion or enjoying a barbe- showed air pollution reaching County have been placed on standby, to cue at the beach with my the unhealthy level. be reopened as necessary. family, if I can,” said Air Quality levels were Capt. Mark Whaling of expected to fluctuate through the Los Angeles County Saturday depending on time of LIGHTNING FIRE STATS Fire Department, who has day and wind conditions. On been posted in Northern Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal Thursday afternoon, air quality Stats on the Lightning Complex Fire California since June 23, Mendocino County CDF firefighters discuss how they feel about this in Ukiah was also in the as of 9 p.m. Thursday first in Humboldt County year’s Fourth of July compared to other years celebrating the holiday. unhealthy range. Size - 38,500 acres and now here. Those who are especially sen- Fires - 43 Whaling said it was ing more than 100 fires in Southern California. share a love of country. sitive to air pollution, such as Contained - 40 percent rare to have big wildland Mendocino County “Now it’s our turn to “When we put on a those with cardiovascular and Injuries - 15 fires like the ones burn- alone, that it would be a help them,” he said. uniform,” he said of fire- lung ailments, are advised to Structures destroyed - 2 ing throughout Mendo- long haul. Reflecting on the July fighters, “we have a duty avoid going outside as much as Structures threatened - 680 cino County this early in And, he points out that 4 holiday, Whaling said and service to perform. possible. Commercial property threatened - 1 the summer season. But, Northern California fire- more than anything else it But behind that uniform Public Health officers do not Estimated cost - $14.55 million he said, firefighters knew fighters have always reminds him of the free- is an American” with var- recommend using masks unless Source: Cal Fire as soon as they heard rushed south when wind dom Americans have to ash is falling from the sky, and about the lightning spark- driven fires get going in be different. And yet we See FREEDOM, Page A-2 only masks rated n-95 or higher will provide any benefit, accord- visit http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com for the latest fire updates ing to air quality reports. A-2 – FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] FUNERAL NOTICES CORRECTIONS LOTTERY NUMBERS The Ukiah Daily Journal DAILY 3: night: 8, 3, 7. [\ four children of Haynes Mary was a woman of state of California reserves this space to correct afternoon: 0, 1, 1. and Thera Lankford. great intelligence and from the moment she errors or make clarifications DAILY 4: 0, 8, 3, 5. She worked at Ft. spirit who did so many arrived in 1947, and the to news articles. Significant FANTASY 5: 06, 11, 24, Campbell, Kentucky during things in life well! Few years spent raising her errors in obituary notices or 29, 33. World War II and later for women have relished being young family in the birth announcements will DAILY DERBY: 1st National Life and a wife, mother, Bay Area were surely the result in reprinting the entire Place: 05, California Accident Insurance Co. in grandmother and home- happiest of her life. article. Errors may be report- Classic. 2nd Place: 08, Nashville. Her maker more than she She always spoke highly of ed to the editor, 468-3526. Gorgeous George. 3rd sense of independence and did, and Mary served fami- Ukiah as a won- Place: 12, Lucky Charms. adventure led her ly and friends many derful community to spend Race time: 1:49.75. to the Bay Area in 1947. wonderful meals, including her last years. In San Francisco her fabulous des- She will be greatly missed she rented a flat around serts, over the years.

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