CA-FKU-Avocado - 2,000 acres - 60%

Avocado Lake Vegetation fire

Update: 12:00 5-21 - 2000 acres - 60% - Expected to be contained by 2200 hours today
Personnel at scene: 434
WUI: 5 Structures and 5 outbuildings remain threatened
Notes: Line to build-1 mile, Fire spotted 1000 feet outside the line late last night and went 2 acres, No additional resource needs at this time
Weather: If weather cooperates, the fire is expected to be contained by 2200 this evening, however, if the winds do come up there is a chance that it will jump the lines. This remains as the major control problem for this operational period.

Update: 10:00 5-21 - 2000+ acres - 40% - Full containment expected by 18:00hrs today: The National Weather Service says wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour are expected throughout the day.

Update: 08:53 5-21 - 2000+ acres - 25% - Full containment expected by 18:00hrs today:
Injury: One firefighter had to leave the site because of a possible serious knee injury suffered while walking on the steep and rocky terrain.
GACC News and Notes: 08:00 -Avocado (CA-FKU-005963), near Avocado Lake on Tivy Mountain (Fresno Co.). Fire has burned 2,000 acres of tall grass and is 25 percent contained.This incident was a wind driven fire with low humidities and is inaccessible to engines. Winds have diminished assisting ground resources in containment progress as the fire changes from wind-driven to fuels/slope-driven at slower rates of spread. An evacuation warning for 20 residences has been lifted.

News story with video - kmph.com link: One property owner watching his own land burn, hoped the flames would stay put on his land. "If it jumps this ridge, Wonder Valley is in trouble, a lot of homes there. So you protect the homes, you don't worry about my range land," said property owner Pete Filippi.

Update: 2053 hrs - All evacuation notices have been lifted, per Incident Command
Update: 19:30hrs -Avocado Fire - Fresno County: 2,000 acres 15% contained
Structures threatened - Fire is expected to slow with sundown and lessening of wind, fire is expected to become terrain driven at that point
Control problems continue to be the weather; single digit RH and winds in the 20's, and much of the terrain is inaccessible to engines
Fire is burning mainly in grass with 100 chains to tie in
Update: 15:15hrs - AA updates over 1000+ acres immediate structure threat, heavy spotting and very active burning ( fire is on the South slope )
20+ homes threatened, Request 2 Type1 ST Immediate need for Structure Protection
and 2 more Type 3 ST code three to the fire
Location: Vegetation Fire in FKU (Fresno County), -Avocado Lake on Tivy Mountain , Foothills east of the community of Piedra, access is off Piedro Rd.
WUI: Immediate threat to 15 homes.
Date Started: May 20, 2008 3:10 pm
Sizeup: Heavy Powerlines at the heel of the fire in, Structure Threat, with strong winds
IC: Avocado IC (4320)
Staging Area: Piedra Rd and Crawford Rd - All incoming resources respond and come in off HWY 180 / Crawford RD
Fire behavior: Twenty-mile-an-hour winds are driving the fire east toward a heavily sloped area.
WUI: Structure protection groups have been dispatched to protect another 15 homes about a mile ahead of the main fire.
Problems: High winds are hampering fire crews' efforts, AA reports spotting problems
Fuels: light fuels, brush and scrub oak
Resources: 270+ firefighters, BC 4608, Engines 86, 84, 77, 4361, 4363, 4373, 4360, 4391, 4151, 4152, 4181, 4665,4666,4664 and 4660 as strike team 9460 C
Miramonte Crews 1, 2, 3, 4,
dozer Transports - 4340, 4143, 4245, 4643 and 4645, water tenders - WT 86
Safety Officer is 4306
Division Officer 4303
Air Resources: AA - 410
ATs - 20, 76, 81, 82, 48 out of fox
Helicopter 406, 404,
Aircraft are using Fresno AB and Porterville AB for reloading.
Communications:
FKU Local 151.385
Air 151.310
TAC 7 151.340
Air / Grnd 151.220
Resource orders: IC just request an additional Type 3 ST of engines-
and additional ST dozers - IC just requested 2 additional dozers, 1 additional ST of type 3 engines, 4 additional Crews, Res. order 2 more type 2 doz, st of type 3's and 4 more crews.
Evacuation: ADVISORY evacuation order
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Frenso-Kings Unit
Information Phone Numbers: (559) 292-2371 (Avocado Fire Information)