(From tho Forest Service, U. 3. Department of Agriculture, 



San Francisco Office) 



172-F 



DANGEROUS FIRE 



SEASON FORESEEN 



Two National Forest Bla2es in 

 January and Snow is Reported 

 Beltw Normal 



Washington ----- : The possibility of a dan.ce r- 

 ous spring and summer fire season in the national forests 

 in the west is presaged by reports that two forest fires 

 occurred in January and that the snowfall in much if the 

 Rocky l.Iountain region and in the foothills has been much 

 below normal. January fires are almost unheard of in the 

 national forests, and the snow reports are regarded as es- 

 ^ec icily significant as they indicate that unless the de- 

 ficiency is made up the forests will be dry earlier in the 

 spring than usual, ^ith a consequent increas e of the fire 

 menace . 



The fires occurred in the Pike Forest, in Colorado, 

 and the Black Hills Forest, in South Dakota; uhe latter be- 

 lieved to have been of incendiary origin, according to the 

 District Forester at Denver. About 75 acres was burned over, 

 all t^ld. -hey were Vie -nly national forest fires report- 

 ed for January. 



The District Forester at O^den, Utah, in charge 

 of the nation-:! forests in Nevada, Utah, and southern Idaho, 

 reported that the snow in this region also is far below normrl. 



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