Humboldt Fire Update 1700 hrs

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Humboldt Fire Update 1700 hrs

The Humboldt fire is not making any friends today, unless you think that jumping Neal and Clark Roads is a friendly thing to do. On my way to and from Chico this afternoon, I took many pictures of the incredible smoke column, but stayed out of the way of emergency services as best I could.

At approximately 1:30 pm, (1330 hrs) a burnover of Engine 212 was reported on Indian Springs Road off of Neal Road. ALL PERSONNEL REPORTED SAFE AT THAT TIME. There was no mention of injury at that time.

Fire has jumped Neal and spread from being visible from Hwy 99 to above Indian Springs Road. Lookout Point on the Skyway has burned over and the main body of the fire moved on. More fire was reported crossing both major roads through the afternoon, with firefighters and evacuation personnel taking shelter in the black, burned areas.

Current Evacuation Areas (Voluntary and Immediate):
All of Neal to lower Paradise
Clark Road from Durham-Pentz to Pearson
Previous closures/evacuations hold at this time.

http://www.townofparadise.com/emergency1.html has more precise information on closures and evacuations on the Paradise end of things.

Evacuated people and animals (one place had 40 horses) are being sent out on Clark Road.

Ash was seen falling clear into Oroville from Chico on my way back into town. Smoke was evident througout the valley. Fire was obviously progressing toward the Clark Road/Butte College area, and did jump Clark Road near Clear Creek Cemetery Road, near the Paradise airport, at about 1530.

Multiple special needs evacuations (ill and/or elderly) in process. Call was made around 1500 to get all available LEOs and volunteers to aid in lower Paradise evacuations.

More as it becomes available...

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Thursday, June 12, 2008