Telegraph Fire ~ 34,000+ Acres

Friday, August 1, 2008

Telegraph Fire ~ 34,000+ Acres

Telegraph Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated:	August 1, 2008 7:00 am
Date/Time Started:	June 25, 2008, 3:15 pm
Administrative Unit:	CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit
County:	Mariposa County
Location:	Telegraph Road and Sherlock Road in the Midpines Area.
Acres Burned:	34,034 acres
Containment	60% contained
Structures Threatened:	2,000 residences in the communities of Midpines, Briceburg, Mariposa, Greenley Hill, Coulterville, Bear Valley, and Mt. Bullion Camp
Structures Destroyed:	21 Residences and 33 Outbuildings
Injuries:	22 minor
Evacuations:	The majority of residents were allowed to re-enter with the exception of Sherlock Road and parts of the community of Midpines. (7/31) - Residents allowed back into evacuated areas. Click Here. (7/30) - Residents allowed back into evacuated areas. Click Here. The communities of Midpines and El Portal remain threatened. For the latest on current evacuations contact (209) 966-1133. Evacuation Center: Mariposa Elementary School 5044 Jones St, Mariposa
Cause:	Human (Target Shooting)
Estimated Cost:	$23.8 million
Resources Committed :	4,531 Personnel (2,342 CAL FIRE) 466 Fire Engines 96 Hand Crews 65 Dozers 55 Watertenders 16 Helicopters 12 Airtankers
Cooperating Agencies:	CAL FIRE, Mariposa County Fire, Mariposa Sheriffs Department, BLM, USFS, National Park Service, OES, CCC, CHP, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Conditions:	The Telegraph Fire continues to be active on the north and east flanks near Jenkins Hill and Soapstone Ridge. Other areas are experiencing flare-ups due to lower humidity and higher temperatures. Yesterday, good progress was made getting fireline around the active portions of the fire. Today, firefighters will continue to aggressively work on getting fire lines completed in the north. Efforts will continue in all other areas of the fires to patrol and look for any hotspots that might re-ignite. Highway 140 east of Mariposa is subject to various restrictions based on fire activity. Travel of Highway 140 may be subject to CHP vehicle escorts. There are various other restrictions to roads in and around the fire area. Visitors to Yosemite National Park may want to use alternate routes. For the latest highway conditions visit Caltrans. The incident will have a North operations area (Incident Command Team # 6) and a South operations area (Incident Command Team #8). Download the latest fact sheet Click Here to view a map of the fire (7/31/08)
Phone Numbers:	(209) 966-4784 or (209) 966-4785 Evacuation Hotline: (209) 966-1133 (recorded)

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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

Friday, August 1, 2008