CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : InciWeb: Elk Complex Wildland Fire - 13,656 acres

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

InciWeb: Elk Complex Wildland Fire - 13,656 acres - 77% containment.

Elk Complex Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 1:10 HRS. AGO

ANNOUNCEMENT

Elk Complex Community Meeting on Tuesday 07/31/2007
There will be a community meeting regarding the Elk Fire Complex Tuesday July 31, 2007 at 7pm, held at the Happy Camp Grange Hall. Representatives from the fire management team and the local ranger di... more

Credit: Elk Complex

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Summary

Total Complex Acreage: 13,656 acres

Total Complex Containment: 77%

Expected Full Containment: 8/05/2007

Incident Resources: 987 personnel

Cost to Date: $16,100,000

Injuries to Date (minor): 14

Fatalities to Date: 1

Expect an increase in containment as direct strategy and burnout continues. Today, crews will continue burning with the assistance of aerial resources. Crews continue to secure established fireline. Patrol and mop up the Little Grider Fire will continue.

There will be a community meeting at the Happy Camp Grange on Tuesday July 31, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Presentations include updates from the Happy Camp District Ranger and the Elk Complex Incident Commander.

Complex Fire Details

Of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 25 are 100% contained. The contained fires will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as safety, resources and access permit. The remaining five fires are as follows:

Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 Fires (8,420 acres) 36% contained. Firelines have been constructed and burnouts continue. A recommended evacuation for homeowners and closure for campers and miners, from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on Elk Creek Road remains in place.
Elk Fire (1,144 acres) 96% contained.
Hummingbird Fire (80 acres) 0% contained. The fire remains in aerial patrol.

Sources of info include: http://www.inciweb.org/ (including other fires) or the incident information office at (530) 841-4451. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/condition/ for information on fire restrictions and local closures.

The Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control District has installed an air quality monitoring station in Happy Camp. Real-time data may be viewed online at http://www.satguard.com/usfs/Chart_new.asp?Get=4&UnitID=36&CustID=2&sDate=7/29/2007.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	07/10/2007 at 00 hrs.
Location	Happy Camp Ranger District
Incident Commander	Kent Swartzlander

Current Situation

Total Personnel	987
Size	13,656 acres
Percent Contained	77%
Estimated Containment Date	08/05/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Mature heavy timber overstory with brush understory, large quantities of dead fuels and snags.
Fire Behavior	Slow moving surface fire with short runs on aligned slopes with isolated torching, creeping and roll-out on steep slopes, during the night.
Significant Events	Continued to secure line burned on previous days. Patrolled and mop-up.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Assess opportunities to apply interior aerial ignitions on the Western portion of the fire. Evaluate further burn operations on the Wingate/Titus/King Creek 2 fire. Secure the line burned on previous days.
Projected Movement	12 hours: Continued spread expected due to further drying of fuels and potential burnout/backfire operations. 24 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread. 48 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread. 72 hours: Potential for re-burn in areas wetted by previous rain event as drying continues. Short range spotting activity could increase fire spread.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Containment Target	Likely to meet objectives based on current weather projections.
Remarks	Expect an increase in containment as direct strategy and burnout continues. A total of seventy-seven miles of fireline has been constructed to date. This includes twenty-eight miles of dozer line and forty-nine miles of handline and brushed roads. A six mile portion of the Klamath River will be used as a west flank containment line for the Wingate/Titus/KingCreek2 fires. Fire acreage and containment: of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 25 fires are 100% contained. The remaining fires are as follows: King Creek 2/Wingate/ Titus 8,420 acres-64%(increase in acreage due to burn operations); Elk 1,144 acres-96%; Hummingbird 80 acres-0%. Elk fire and Hummingbird fire is in aerial patrol. An additional $773,000 was added into the cost to reflect mobilization and demobilization of 3329 personnel from 7/14-7/30.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	1 mph N
Current Temperature	56 degrees
Current Humidity	77 %

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