Rim Fire Update Stanislaus NF (Yosemite Fire) Tuolumne County - 257,314 (402 square miles), 100% containment. #CaFire

RIM FIRE, CA-STF Rim Fire - CA-STF-002857 - Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF

Expected containment Sunday October 27th, 2013 approx. 12:00 AM

Evacuation advisories in Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville, and Willow Springs lifted. 

Evergreen Road was opened to Evergreen Lodge

Aspen Valley opened to residents 9/22/13 at 0800 hours.

Rim Fire CA-STF-002857 Stanislaus NF (Yosemite Fire) Tuolumne County

Update:
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM
Location Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF
Current Situation
Total Personnel 42
Size 257,314 acres
Percent Contained 100%
Estimated Containment Date Thursday October 24th, 2013 approx. 04:00 AM
Fuels Involved Brush, Oaks, and Pine, conifer stands
Outlook/Growth Potential Low
Terrain Difficulty Extreme
Incident InformationApproximate Location
37.857 latitude, -120.086 longitude
Incident Overview


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Incident StatisticsAcres Burned: 257 314 (402 square miles) Structures Threatened: 0
Containment: 100% Residences Destroyed: 11
Fire Start Date: August 17 2013 Commercial Property Destroyed: 3
Fire Cause: Under Investigation

Outbuildings Destroyed: 98
Cost to date: $127.350 million

Injuries: 10

Fire Update The Rim fire is now being managed by the Groveland and Mi-Wok Ranger Districts on the Stanislaus National Forest. Minimal fire spread is expected over the next week. There is one 800-1000 acre pocket of vegetation near Kibbie Lake that remains with a potential to burn. Resources will continue to patrol and mop-up while continuing to implement the suppression repair plan. Commercial recreation along the Tuolumne and Clavey Rivers continues to be impacted. The developed areas of Hetch-Hetchy remain evacuated.

Park and Forest Closures:
Evergreen Road is open only to Evergreen Lodge. Hetch Hetchy and surrounding facilities in Yosemite Park remain closed to public access due to hazardous trees. Aspen Valley is open to residents only. Tuolumne Grove and Hodgdon Meadow Campground remain closed. The Stanislaus National Forest issued an updated Rim Fire Area Closure (dated September 12 2013) for the Groveland and Mi-Wok Ranger Districts. Cherry Lake Road is closed at Hwy 120. Old Yosemite and Harden Flat Roads are closed. Some secondary roads within the fire area remain closed to non-residents. Merced Grove and Tamarack Flat are open.

Additional Information:Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor's Office 209-532-3671; Mi-Wok Ranger Station 209-586-3234; Summit Ranger Station 209-965-3434; and Groveland Ranger Station 209-962-7825; and Yosemite National Park 209-372-0200.
For more information please contact the Veronica Garcia at 209-532-3671 ext 243

The Tuolumne County Supervisors have extended the local State of Emergency related to the Rim Fire.

RIM FIRE PERIMETER AND HOT SPOT MAP 9-12-13 EVENING

Rim Fire 08.21.13
Credit: Rose Aguilar

The Rim Fire has destroyed 111 structures, including 11 homes, and poses a threat to ancient giant sequoias.

Incident Statistics

Acres Burned: 257 171 (402 square miles) Structures Threatened: 0

Containment: 95% Residences Destroyed: 11

Fire Start Date: August 17 2013 Commercial Property Destroyed: 3

Fire Cause: Under Investigation Outbuildings Destroyed: 98

Cost to date: $127.345 million Injuries: 10

Total Personnel 42

CA-STF Rim Fire Updates

Update 10-19 0900:

The Rim fire is now being managed by the Groveland and Mi-Wok Ranger Districts on the Stanislaus National Forest. Minimal fire spread is expected over the next week. There is one 800-1000 acre pocket of vegetation near Kibbie Lake that remains with a potential to burn. Resources will continue to patrol and mop-up while continuing to implement the suppression repair plan. Commercial recreation along the Tuolumne and Clavey Rivers continues to be impacted. The developed areas of Hetch-Hetchy remain evacuated.

Park and Forest Closures:

Evergreen Road is open only to Evergreen Lodge. Hetch Hetchy and surrounding facilities in Yosemite Park remain closed to public access due to hazardous trees. Aspen Valley is open to residents only. Tuolumne Grove and Hodgdon Meadow Campground remain closed. The Stanislaus National Forest issued an updated Rim Fire Area Closure (dated September 12 2013) for the Groveland and Mi-Wok Ranger Districts. Cherry Lake Road is closed at Hwy 120. Old Yosemite and Harden Flat Roads are closed. Some secondary roads within the fire area remain closed to non-residents. Merced Grove and Tamarack Flat are open.

Additional Information:

Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor's Office 209-532-3671; Mi-Wok Ranger Station 209-586-3234; Summit Ranger Station 209-965-3434; and Groveland Ranger Station 209-962-7825; and Yosemite National Park209-372-0200.

For more information please contact the Veronica Garcia at 209-532-3671 ext 243

Update 9-30 0900: #RimFire update: 257,135 acres, 95% contained, 139 total personnel assigned to the fire, and expected containment date on Oct. 6.
Update 9-30 0900: 257,135 acres, 92% Type 3 IC Otterson/Singer
Update 9/28 0900: 257,135 acres, 89%, Type 3 IC Otterson/Singer
Log trucks are operating on state highways 108 and 120 and motorists are advised to use caution. Resources continue to monitor the fire in the Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness areas.
Update 9/27/13 0900: 257,135 acres, 84% percent, At 0700 a transfer of command went from Cooper’s Type 2 team to two separate type 3 organization to manage portions of the fire. (Otterson and Singer)
Update 9/26/13 0900: 257,135 acres, 84% percent.CS ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/25/13 0900: 257,135 acres, 84% percent.CS ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/24/13 0900: 257,134 acres, 84% percent.CS ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/23/13 0900: 257,126 acres, 84% contained, ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/22/13 1730: 257,097 acres, 84% percent contained. ICT 2, Cooper

Aspen Valley opened to residents this morning at 0800 hours. Portions of the fire received 0.6” of rain yesterday.  Due to the wetting precipitation, overnight fire behavior was minimal.

Update 9/21/13 1730: 256,895 acres, 84% percent. ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/20/13 1730: 256,895 acres, 84% percent. ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/19/13 1730: 256,895 acres, 84% percent. ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/18/13 1730: 256,895 acres, 84% percent. ICT 2, Cooper
Update 9/17/13 1730: 256,895 acres, 84% percent. Cooper, CS ICT 2 will in-brief and start transition today on the Rim fire. 
He will be taking over for CIIMT1 (McGowan).
Update 9/16/13 1730: 256,169 acres, 84% contained. CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command.
Update 9/14/13 1730: 255,858 acres, 81% contained, CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command.
Update 9/14/13 0730: 255,858 acres, 80% contained
Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all areas of the fire perimeter. Implementation of the Suppression Repair Plan will continue.
Update 9/13/13 1730: 255,858 acres, 80% contained
Update 9/13/13 0730: 255,585 acres, 80% contained
Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all areas of the fire perimeter. Implementation of the Suppression Repair Plan will continue.
Damage assessments of destroyed or damaged structures, infrastructure, and developments interior of the containment lines continues as interior fire activity subsides.
Update 9/12/13 1730: 255,858 acres, 80%, CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command.
Update 9/12/13 0730: 255,560 acres, 80% contained, CIIMT1 McGowan

Update 9/11/13 1730: 255,146 acres, 80%

Update 9/10/13 1730: 255,146 acres, 80% contained, CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command. Evergreen Road was opened to Evergreen Lodge at noon today. 
Update 9/9/13 1700: 254,685 acres, 80% contained. Resources will continue to monitor and take action on any newly detected spot fires.
Update 9/9/13 1700: 253,332 acres, 80% contained, CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command. The Incident Command Post at Drew Meadow relocated to Tuolumne. Drew Meadow is now a Spike Camp. Day shift resources detected one new spot fire across Tioga Road outside the containment line. Resources have successfully contained that spot. Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all areas of the fire in addition to the developed areas interior of the fire perimeter and those adjacent to the fire area. Resources will continue to monitor and take action on any newly detected spot fires.
Update 9/9/13 0700: 253,332 acres, 80% contained. Implementation of the Suppression Damage Repair Plan will continue. Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all areas of the fire in addition to the developed areas interior of the fire perimeter and those adjacent to the fire area. Resources will continue to monitor for possible spot fires and mop-up yesterday’s new initial attack fires that were reported during day shift.

Update 9/8/13 0700: 253,332 acres, 80% contained. CIIMT1 McGowan remains in Command.
Update 9/7/13 1700: 252,521 acres, 80% contained, Hotter and drier weather, coupled with lower than seasonal average live and dead fuel moistures present opportunities for continued burning of interior unburned islands and re-burning of partially consumed interior islands. This activity continues to threaten containment due to short and long range spotting exterior of the existing containment lines.Air quality continues to be defined as unhealthy in the vicinity of the fire area and as far north as Bear Valley in Calaveras County.
Update 9/7/13 0700: 252,156 acres, 80% contained. CIIMT1 McGowan remains in command.
Resources will continue to patrol, mop-up, and monitor all contained areas of the fire and developed areas near and adjacent to the fire area. Resources will implement firing operations in the interior of the existing containment lines in order to further consume unburned fuels and strengthen containment of the northwestern portion of the fire perimeter. Burnout operations will continue along the Tioga Road and along handline north of Tioga Road in if conditions are favorable.
Fire suppression damage repair will occur in the western and southern areas of the fire.

Update 9/6/13 1700:  246,350 acres, 80% contained, As of 9/6 #CALFIRE no longer in Unified Command with the forest.
Update 9/6/13 0700: 246,350 acres, 80% contained, McGowan CIIMT1; continued Unified Command with CALFIRE (Smith). The #RimFire has replaced the 2007 Zaca fire in Santa Barbara Co. as California’s third largest ever at 246,350 acres Increase in reported acres due to more thorough mapping, fire backing into existing containment lines, and minor acreage increase associated with new spot fires.

Update 9/5/13 0900: The Forest Service released the following statement this morning:
Investigators from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement & Investigations and Tuolumne County District Attorney's Office have determined the Rim Fire began when a hunter allowed an illegal fire to escape. There is no indication the hunter was involved with illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands and no marijuana cultivation sites were located near the origin of the fire. No arrests have been made at this time and the hunter's name is being withheld pending further investigation.

Update 9/5/13 0900:  237,341 acres, 80% contained. Hwy 120 from Ferretti Road to Buck Meadows is open to residents and businesses only. Hwy 120 will remain closed at Buck Meadows and beyond. Cherry Creek Road also remains closed at the junction of Highway 120. Evergreen Road and Old Yosemite road continues to be closed. Community of Evergreen continues to be evacuated. Tioga Road west of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area remains closed.

Update 9/4/13 1900: 237,341 acres, 80% contained Transition from IMT1 (Wilkins) to IMT1 (McGowan/Smith) occurred today at 0600.

Update 9/4/13 0900:  McGowan IMT1; continued Unified Command with CALFIRE (Lawshe). 237,341 acres, 80% contained Transition from IMT1 (Wilkins) to IMT1 (McGowan) occurred today at 0600.

Update 9/3/13 1900: Wilkins NC IMT1; continued Unified Command with CALFIRE (Lawshe) 235,841 acres, 80% contained. Team 1 (McGowan) will shadow Wilkins NC IMT1 and transfer command September 4th.

Update 9/3/13 0900: 235,841 acres, 70% contained

Update 9/2/13 1900: 235,841 acres, 70% contained

Update 9/1/13 0900: 228,670 acres, 60% contained

Wilkins NC IMT1; continued Unified Command with CALFIRE (Lawshe)

Update 9/1/13 1900: Wilkins NC IMT1; continued Unified Command with CALFIRE (Lawshe)

224,777 acres, 45% contained

Update 9/1/13 0900: 222,777 acres, 40% contained

California Interagency Incident management team 1 (McGowan) will tentatively in brief September 2 1000 hrs. Team 1 will shadow Wilkins NC IMT1 and transfer command September 4^th

Update 8/30/13 1900:  222,777 acres, 40% contained #CaFire Wilkins NC IMT1, continued unified command with CAL FIRE (Lawshe), now fourth largest wildfire in California History.

Update 8/30/13 0900:  219,277 acres, 35% contained, Wilkins NC IMT1, continued unified command with CAL FIRE (Lawshe)

Upper level winds can transport chemical matter (combustion products) emitted in a fire long distances, affecting air quality thousands of miles from the source. These model simulations of the transport of carbon monoxide from NASA, offer a clear illustration of the Rim Fire.

\ See 'A Blazing Tour from Earth and Space':http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/08/27/california-rim-fire-a-tour-from-earth-and-space/

Fire Behavior 8-29-13: Very active fire behavior into the late evening and continued active fire behavior overnight. Torching and passive crowning with considerable amounts of spotting. Moderate fire behavior with backing fire observed where fire was burning from ridgetops downslope. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Burnout operations were initiated South of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir inside Yosemite National Park. Burnout operations were completed between Big Oak Station to Hazel Green Ranch. Burnout operations were initiated between Hells Mountain to Clavey Meadow.
Outlook/Planned Actions - Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108. Burnout operations will continue South of HWY 120 on the southeastern edge of the fire from Pilot Ridge to Big Oak Flat Entrance Station. Continued direct and indirect line construction will take place, accompanied by burnout operations where accessibility and safety allow along the northern and eastern edges of the fire. There will be continued contingency line construction in advance of the communities of Tuolumne City, Twain Harte, and Long Barn. Mop Up and and contingency line construction will take place on the western and southern edges of the fire. Continued construction and improvement of contingency lines along Dodge Ridge will happen. A burnout operation is planned for the eastern edge of the fire in Yosemite National Park between Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Harden Lake when conditions become favorable. There will also be burnout operations on the northern edge of the fire between Hells Mountain and Clavey Meadows.

Growth Potential - Extreme
Terrain Difficulty - Extreme
Remarks: Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior continue to hamper suppression efforts. A significant utilization and reliance upon aerial resources with heavy air tankers including the VLAT DC-10 and MAFFS is occurring with reinforcement of control lines in advance of the fire's spread, control of spot fires, and slowing the fire's advancement through terrain inaccessible to ground resources to allow time for indirect line construction to be completed. Type 1 helicopters are providing point protection and cooling areas where direct line construction can be achieved safely. Approximately 4,500 structures remain threatened in advance of the fire on both the east and west sides. Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park, east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of HWY 120.

Due to inaccessible steep terrain and extreme fire behavior suppression efforts on active portions of the fire are being significantly challenged. Heavy reliance on aviation resources has been critical in an effort to slow the fire's progress to allow suppression resources to establish indirect control lines in areas where accessibility and safety can be achieved. The availability of heavy aircraft is pertinent to the success of suppression efforts.

Continued warmer and drier weather is forecasted for the next several days, which will elevate control concerns and slow burnout progress. Remotely piloted aircraft is providing real time visual and infrared intelligence on the fire. Continued unified command with CAL FIRE.

RIM FIRE PERIMETER AND HOT SPOT MAP 8-30-13 LATE MORNING

Update 8/29/13 1900: 213,414 acres, 35% contained

Update 8/29/13 1900: California Interagency Team 1 (McGowan) will be committed to the Rim Fire. Forest Falls is closed at SR38, open to residents only. Burnout operations continued overnight in the southeastern area of the fire. Fire crews continued construction of fire line along 3N01 Road to stop fire spread to the north. Structure defense continues in Pinecrest, Mi-Wuk Vilalge, Confidence, Cold Springs, and Hodgdon Meadow, and Big Oak Flat in Yosemite National Park. Today's plans are to continue the burnout in the Yosemite National Park south of Hetch Hetchy. If conditions allow, the Duckwall Mountain north of Fahey Meadow burnout will start. Air operations will support all firefighting efforts as needed.

Update 8/29/13 1900: 199,237 acres, 32% contained

Update 8/29/13 0900: 192,737 acres, 30% contained, Wilkins NC IMT1; Lawshe CA IMT1 Unified Command

Update 8/28/13 1900: 192,466 acres 30% contained. Structure defense around Aspen Valley by ground and aerial resources was occurring in the afternoon. An evacuation advisory continues for areas on the Highway 108 corridor from Tuolumne City to Pinecrest. A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Burnout operations were completed along the northwest edge of the fire near Paper Cabin Ridge.

Update 8/2813 0900:  187,466 acres, & is 23% contained,

RIM FIRE PERIMETER AND HOT SPOT MAP 8-27-13 MORNING

Update 8/29/13 1900: 199,237 acres, 32% contained

Update 8/29/13 0900: 192,737 acres, 30% contained, Wilkins NC IMT1; Lawshe CA IMT1 Unified Command

Update 8/28/13 1900: 192,466 acres 30% contained. Structure defense around Aspen Valley by ground and aerial resources was occurring in the afternoon. An evacuation advisory continues for areas on the Highway 108 corridor from Tuolumne City to Pinecrest. A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Burnout operations were completed along the northwest edge of the fire near Paper Cabin Ridge.

Update 8/2813 0900:  187,466 acres, & is 23% contained,

Update 8/27/13 1900: 187,466 acres, & is 23% contained, No expected containment date. Wilkins NC IMT1, Lawshe CA IMT1 #CaFire

Update 8/27/13 1800: CAL FIRE 1800: 184,481 acres, 20% contained. 

Update 8/27/13 0900: 179,481 acres, 20% contained, No expected containment date.

Last night’s winds minimized opportunities for planned burnout operations on the West and North sides of the fire. 

 The fire is expected to become very active by mid-morning with significant spread to the East farther into Yosemite National Park. Growth will continue as fire backs down to control lines between Pilot Ridge and Crocker Ridge. Moderate fire growth is anticipated to the North.  

 Structure defense South of HWY 120 in Division R by ground and aerial resources was occurred in the afternoon. Evacuation Advisory issued for areas form Long Barn North to Pinecrest. 

 Several locations on the West side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Evacuation Advisories are still in effect for Tuolumne City and nearby areas along the HWY 108 corridor. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Good progress is being achieved with construction of contingency control lines.

Incident Overview
Fire Update as of August 27, 2013
Firefighters worked overnight on yesterday’s spot fires and continued with line construction throughout the fire. Crews were successful in getting a dozer line around spot fires at Duckwall Mountain. Firefighters were able to get line in, and successfully burn out the adjacent to Yosemite National Park south of Highway 120 to slow the spread of the fire. Today, fire crews will continue working the spot fires and structure defense north and south of Highway 120 from pilot Ridge to Yosemite National Park. Fire fighters will also continue with contingency line construction in advance of the communities in the Highway 108 corridor.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM
Location Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF
Incident Commander Wilkins/lawsheCurrent Situation
Total Personnel 3,752
Size 179,481 acres
Percent Contained 20%
Fuels Involved - Brush, Oaks, and Pine
Fire Behavior - Fire activity remained fairly active overnight with active surface fire and torching and spotting.Significant Events 
Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Good progress was made with constructing and securing lines along the southwestern edge of the fire. Good progress is being achieved with construction of contingency control lines along the northeastern edge of the fire.
Outlook/Planned Actions - Continued line construction where accessibility and safety allows.
Growth Potential - Extreme
Terrain Difficulty - Extreme

Remarks: Damage assessments from the Berkeley Tuolumne Camp revealed extensive losses of infrastructure. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior are hampering suppression efforts. A significant utilization and reliance upon aerial resources with heavy air tankers including DC-10s and MAFFS (C-130's) is occurring with structure defense prep of locations in advance of the fires spread, control of spot fires and slowing the fires advancement through terrain inaccessible to ground resources.Current Weather
Wind Conditions 15 mph SW
Temperature 89 degree

Previous Rim Fire Report Page: http://calfire.blogspot.com/2013/08/rim-fire-ca-stf-2857-tuolumne-county.html

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CFN - California Fire News 2013 

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