Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Quick Look: California Wildfires Today 08-29-12

 National Fire Situation: 
IMSR Summary
August 29th, 2012 
National Preparedness Level 4


National Fire Activity
Initial attack activity: Light (82 new fires)
New large fires: 12 
Large fires contained: 3
Uncontained large fires: 30
Area Command Teams committed: 0
NIMOs committed: 2 
Source:
Incident Management Situation Report


National Fire Weather: Strong winds and low relative humidity will produce critical fire weather conditions across the northern Great Basin and the northern Rockies. A cold front moving through the region will bring cooler weather from the Northwest to western Montana. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms will form over the higher terrain of the Great Basin and the Southwest but conditions will generally be warm and dry over most of the West. High pressure over the Ohio valley will keep conditions relatively mild and quiet over most of the East. Hurricane Isaac will weaken as it moves across Louisiana. Scattered thunderstorms and heavy rain will spread across most of the Gulf region. 


Predictive Services Discussion: Strong winds and low relative humidity will produce critical fire weather conditions across the northern Great Basin and the northern Rockies. A cold front moving through the region will bring cooler weather from the Northwest to western Montana. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms will form over the higher terrain of the Great Basin and the Southwest but conditions will generally be warm and dry over most of the West. High pressure over the Ohio valley will keep conditions relatively mild and quiet over most of the East. Hurricane Isaac will weaken as it moves across Louisiana. Scattered thunderstorms and heavy rain will spread across most of the Gulf region.


California Fire weather: No Red Flags, No current Fire Watches or warnings.
NWS Current Fire Weather Watches / Warnings
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENINGActual/Future/Unknown/Possible
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
Alert sent at 10:49 PDT on 2012-08-29

OSCC - Southern California Ops
Light activity with fires picked up in IA.

ONCC - Northern California Ops
Northern California Area (PL 5)
New fires: 3
New large fires: 0
Uncontained large fires: 9
NIMOs committed: 1
Type 1 IMTs committed: 5
Type 2 IMTs committed: 2

California Wildfires:
CFN - California Fire News 2012 - California wildfires Today 08/29/12
California wildfires Today
Locations, Perimeters and Hot-spots
CA-SHF Bagley Fire. 31,321 acres. 24% contained.
Bagley, Shasta-Trinity NF. Transfer of command from IMT 2 (Whitcome) to IMT 1 (McGowan) will occur today.
Location: Seven miles west of Big Bend, CA. Timber. 
Fire behavior: Active fire behavior with torching and spotting. Fire was active overnight below inversion in burnouts and main fire with some spotting.
Concerns: Structures and high voltage power lines threatened. 
Road closures: Forest road closures remain in effect.
Area Closure: In the interest of firefighter and public safety, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest has issued closure areas due to the fire's growth. The closures will remain in place until the area is safe for the public to enter. Please see the Forest Orders and closure maps on InciWeb (address above). 
Incident Summary: Big Bend, CA - The Bagley Fire is now being managed under Unified Command with CalFire . Federal and State resources are being managed under a single, coordinated incident command structure to protect both National Forest and private lands. Today the Incident Command Post will be relocated from Big Bend to McCloud to better serve firefighters as fire activity moves north. Crews remaining on the fire's south flank will continue to be supported at Big Bend.
 Last night, crews made continued progress to strengthen containment lines on the fire's east flank from Dutchman Peak south to Iron Canyon Reservoir. Fire lines are holding from Iron Canyon Reservoir south to Bagley Flats. Today crews continue to improve containment lines along the fire's southern and western flank from Bagley Flats toward North Fork Mountain. On the fire's north flank, primary containment lines are being improved from the McCloud River east to the Dutchman Peak area along Forest Road 11. Several contingency lines are also being prepared and improved.
 CalFire has initiated construction of contingency containment lines on the fire's north flank to protect private lands and the critical power transmission lines. Lines are in place and being improved between Grizzly Peak and McCloud Reservoir. Additional containment lines are being planned west of McCloud Reservoir.
 The incident management team is working closely with cooperators including PG&E, Western Area Power Authority (WAPA), the timber industry, Nature Conservancy and other private interests with lands and infrastructure that could be impacted by the fire.
 (Editor's Note: Bagley Fire Information Phone Number: (800) 923-7316; Temporary number during move (leave message): 530-710-8627; InciWeb:http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3188/; Twitter:https://twitter.com/info ciimt1) 
Fire Behavior and Smoke: The fire remains active, conditions are still critical and capable of producing extreme fire behavior where winds align with canyons. The fire will continue to move northeast towards containment lines along Forest Road 11. Smoke is expected to hang over the fire area for the early part of the day. As smoke lifts later in the day fire activity will increase and unburned islands of vegetation are expected to burn and produce large columns of smoke, as has occurred over the past several days.
Public Safety: Smoke will continue to pose health concerns for the public. Residents are encouraged to visit the "Protect Yourself from Smoke" website for smoke protection information athttp://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/. Local air quality conditions and forecasts are available athttp://airnow.gov/index.cfm action=airnow.main.
 For tips on how to prepare for a potential evacuation and what to do if you are evacuated, residents in and near evacuation areas are encouraged to visit the "Ready, Set, Go" website at:http://www.inciweb.org/incident/article/3052/15480/.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Saturday August 18th, 2012 approx. 10:07 AM
Location 4 miles west of Big Bend CA
Incident Commander Mcgowan
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,354
Size 31,321 acres
Percent Contained 24%
Estimated Containment Date Wednesday September 05th, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved - Timber litter and understory, brush and hardwood stands intermixed. Fire area has conifer, brush, hardwood stands, logging slash, and pine plantations. High live to dead ratio in brush exists and conifer stands have a heavy loading of dead/down material.
Fire Behavior - Active fire behavior with runs in heavy timber and brush fuels and moderate rates of spread, torching, spotting and roll-out.
Significant Events: Forest road closures remain in effect. California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 (McGowan) has assumed command of the Bagley Fire and working in Unified Command with CalFire.
Outlook/Planned Actions: Continue to scout, construct, burnout and hold direct and indirect line.
Growth Potential - Extreme
Terrain Difficulty - Extreme
Current Weather
Wind Conditions 4 mph SW
Temperature 63 degrees
Humidity 55%
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CA-MNF North Pass. 32,675 acres. 35% contained.
IC: North Pass, Mendocino NF. IMT 2 (Wakoski).
Location: Twenty-five miles northeast of Covelo, CA. 
Fuels: Timber and logging slash. 
Fire behavior: Active fire behavior with occasional torching. Active with crown runs and spotting. Structures and communications site threatened. 
Concerns: Fire continues to spread north toward the Middle Fork of the Eel River, Hammerhorn Lake, Foster Glade and Asa Bean Ridge within the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness, eastward toward Forest Road M2, and south toward Forest Highway 7.
 Firefighters continue to establish and improve containment lines while defending structures.
Road closures: An area closure has been issued and posted for the area surrounding the North Pass fire. Please checkwww.fs.usda.gov/mendocino or inciweb.org for more informationEvacuations and area closures in effect.
There is a Forest closure order for the northern two-thirds of the Covelo Ranger District.
 Mandatory evacuations remain in place for: Indian Dick Road, east of the Town of Covelo, all residents on Indian Dick Road from the intersection of Mendocino Pass Road north, to the Trinity County Line and East to the Tehama County Line. This order includes all residences and USFS campsites at Howard Lake Campground, Little Doe Campground, and Hammerhorn Lake Campground and all USFS Wilderness Trailheads at Blands Cove, Hell Hole, Stick Lake, Foster Glade, Asa Bean, Rock Cabin, Georges Valley, Soldier Ridge, Smokehouse Ridge and Green Springs.
Smoke Conditions: An air quality alert has been issued for the Covelo/Round Valley areas through Monday, August 27. Smoke concentrations in these areas have reached levels considered to be “Hazardous” under state and federal air quality standards.
Basic Information
Date/Time Started: August 18, 2012 2:47 am
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit / Mendocino National Forest
County: Mendocino County
Location: Mendocino Pass Rd, northeast of Covelo
Acres Burned: 32,675 acres
Containment 32,675 acres - 35% contained
Structures Destroyed: 4 residence and 7 outbuildings
Threatened: 64 residences, 5 commercial properties & 65 outbuildings
Injuries: 3
Cause: Lightning
Cooperating Agencies: CAL FIRE, USFS Mendocino, BIA, Covelo Fire, CDCR, California National Guard, Mendocino Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Total Fire Personnel: 1,815 (855 CAL FIRE)
Engines: 156 (83 CAL FIRE)
Fire crews: 24 (23 CAL FIRE)
Airtankers: 2 air tankers
Helicopters: 12 helicopters
Dozers: 26 (12 CAL FIRE)
Water tenders: 29 water tenders
Major Incident Command Team: CAL FIRE is in unified command with the US Forest Service
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CA-PNF Chips Fire. 74,125 acres. 87% contained.
"This has been a tough fire," said Incident Commander Rocky Opliger in a morning briefing to firefighters. "It takes a lot of work to get to 100% containment on a fire this large and it really is about mop-up now. We appreciate the great work and let's continue to be diligent."
IC: Chips, Plumas NF. IMT 1 (Opliger). 
Location: Twenty miles northwest of Quincy, CA. Plumas and Lassen National Forests
Fuels: Timber and brush. 
Fire behavior: Moderate fire behavior, decreasing overnight with mostly interior burning. Firelines held throughout the night.
Concerns: Communities threatened. Evacuations in effect.
 Evacuations and Closures: The Plumas County Sheriff's Department has issued an update to area evacuations effective at 10:00 a.m. August 29, 2012.

  •  The Advisement for Prattville will be lifted. 
  •  The Mandatory Evacuation Order for Rocky Point Campground, Big Meadows, Almanor Boat Ramp, Almanor Day Use Area, Camp Connery and Canyon Dam will be lifted to Advisory. 
  •  The Voluntary Evacuation Notification for Rush Creek will be lifted. 
  •  Seneca remains under Mandatory evacuation.

The Plumas and Lassen National Forests continue to maintain area Closures within and surrounding the Chips fire area. 
This includes the following area of the Pacific Crest Trail: The PCT is officially closed from Three Lakes (in the Bucks Lake Wilderness) on the Plumas National Forest northbound to the Cold Spring trailhead at the Humbug Road (Plumas County Road 307) on the Lassen National Forest. Additionally, using the Caribou Road (Forest Route 27N26) is prohibited, as the area is also officially closed.
 Hikers and equestrians are advised to avoid travel on the portion of the PCT from Bucks Summit, north to Hwy 36. In order to re-route themselves most expeditiously, at Bucks Summit, northbound trail users may travel on Plumas County Road 414 east to Quincy, pick up Highway 70/89 to Chester and then Highway 36 west to resume the trail. Southbound travelers may reverse the process.
 Hikers may also use Plumas County Transit between Quincy and Chester, available weekdays only. The transit schedule can be found at http://www.plumastransit.com/qcy to chester 23.html 
Fire Status:  Firefighters continue patrolling for spot fires and mopping-up containment lines 300 feet into the interior of the fire. Crews will be cold trailing miles of fire line and cooling off hot spots in areas that continue to hold heat like stumps, roots and rocks. With this fire spreading by throwing embers and creating spot fires, this buffer around the perimeter will be critical in securing the line.
 While structure protection crews have worked in the area of Seneca, covering buildings with fire -retardant gel and leaving sprinklers on historical buildings, a more aggressive approach will be taken today. Crews will be constructing hand lines around Seneca in preparation for a backfire that will be executed during the night shift. This will reduce fuels around the community and offer more security to buildings in the active fire area.Fire damage repair: A power pole on the Caribou-Plumas line was consumed in the fire yesterday. Firefighters worked closely with PG&E to address the issue and escorted a team of linemen into the active fire area to replace the pole. The PG&E crew arrived on site at 1:00 a.m. and had a new pole in place and on line by 3:00 a.m. to minimize the impact on area residents.
Fire suppression repair: The repair and recovery unit continues to work on fire suppression repair. Brush and saplings along roadsides are chipped and spread onto the forest floor. Crews also rehabilitate bulldozer lines by putting in waterbars to reduce erosion. The team will continue removing hazard trees within the burn area that have the potential to hit roads, trails or infrastructure.
BAER:  The US Forest Service will be evaluating options for addressing dead and dying trees in the burn area. This will include mid-term and long-term risks that burned trees pose to public safety while also include consideration for post-fire salvage options to help supply local jobs to local communities as well as the development of estimates of lands requiring reforestation.
Additional Fire Information: Call (530) 283-3593 and (530) 283-3288 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Basic Information


Date started: July 29, 2012 Cause: Under investigation
Incident Type: Wildfire
Cause: Under Investigation
Date of Origin: Sunday July 29th, 2012 approx. 01:57 AM
Location: 20 miles NW of Quincy, CA
Incident Commander Rocky W. Opliger
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,527

Personnel: 1,527 (Crews: 10 Type 1, 17 Type 2; Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 3 Type 2, 1 Type 3; Engines: 97; Dozers: 14; Water Tenders: 42) 
Estimated Containment Date Friday August 31st, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved - 10 Timber (litter and understory) low brush with numerous dead and down 1000 hour logs and standing snags. FM10 is most representative of the fuels and the observed fire behavior.
Fire Behavior - Moderate fire behavior decreasing overnight with mostly interior burning.
Significant Events: Fire lines held throughout the night.
Outlook/Planned Actions: Mop up in all divisions. Fire suppression repair and equipment recovery where possible.
Growth Potential - Extreme
Terrain Difficulty - Extreme

Remarks: Type 1 helicopters are essential to minimize fire spread and support ground troops in direct line construction. PG&E crews are repairing poles on the Caribou-Westwood line and the lines from Butt Valley dam to the North fork of the Feather River. Total burned acres are at 74,125. Plumas NF burned acres 47,122, Lassen NF 18,458, SRA burned 8545.
Current Weather
Wind Conditions 20 mph SW
Temperature 55 degrees
Humidity 18%
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CA-KNF Fort Complex Fire. 17,173 acres. 25% contained.
Fort Complex (4 fires), Klamath NF.
IC: NIMO (Kleinman) and IMT 1 (Pincha-Tulley).
Location: Ten miles northwest of Happy Camp, CA. 
Fuels: Timber. 
Fire behavior: Backing fire. The roll-out of burrning materials on steep slopes and uphill runs continue to be control problems.
Concerns: An evacuation notice was implemented in Seiad Valley. Structures threatened. Road and trail closures in effect.
Evacuations: The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office has issued a six hour notification for immediate evacuation, which remains in effect as of Wednesday August 29. This notice includes closure of Seiad Creek Road and Seiad Oak Road and possibly additional roads depending on fire behavior. 

An evacuation center will be established Siskyou Golden Fair Grounds in 1172 Fairlane Road, Yreka Ca. The evacuation center will have the capability to house large and small animals as well.
For additional information contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff Department at (530) 841-2900, or the Goff Fire Information Center at (530) 493-1514.

 PUBLIC USE RESTRICTIONS AND TR AIL AND ROAD CLOSURES:
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Fire Prevention Public Use Restriction
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Trail and Road Closures
Klamath National Forest Trail and Road ClosuresPacific Crest Trail Closed Due to Goff Fire 
Incident update: The Goff Fire is now 15,797 acres and 16 percent contained. Management of the Goff Fire is being handled by a National Incident Management Organization or NIMO Team. There is a current closure of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Highway 96 to Lily Pad lake. Please visit the Klamath National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/klamath for complete closure information. Keep checking back here for Goff Fire information updates. Command of the Hello and Lick Fires has been transferred back to the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. No additional updates on the Fruit or Lick Fires are expected unless conditions change. The total acerage of the three fires that are within the Fort Complex is 17,173 acres (Goff Fire - 15,797 acres; Hello Fire - 977 acres; Lick Fire - 403 acres). The overall containment of the Fort Complex is 25 percent.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Sunday August 05th, 2012 approx. 07:00 PM
Location Seiad, California
Incident Commander Dan Kleinman
Current Situation
Total Personnel 662
Size 17,173 acres
Percent Contained 25%
Estimated Containment Date Monday October 15th, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved - The Fort Complex Fires are burning in brush, timber and timber understory.
Fire Behavior - The Goff fire continues to be a backing fire accelerated by rollout of down logs and slope driven runs.
Significant Events: Goff Fire - Resources worked throughout the night protecting structures in Seiad Valley.
Outlook/Planned Actions - Goff Fire - Structure protection implemented for Seiad Valley. Utilization of tactical firing operations to keep the fire from impacting structures. Type 1 crews will begin working on the northwest side of the Goff Fire trailing between and around fingers of the fire to keep the fire from crossing into Bear Valley Creek.
Growth Potential - The growth potential for the Goff Fire is high.
Terrain Difficulty - The Goff Fire is burning in extreme terrain
.
Remarks: New containment date calculated on an 80 percent chance of a season ending event, such as a snow shower or rain, by October 15th. Acres for the Goff Fire were split Wednesday August 29 to reflect acres on the Klamath and Rogue River Siskiyou National Forests.
Current Weather
Wind Conditions 5-8 mph SW
Temperature 86 degrees
Humidity 22%
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CA-NOD Rush Fire. 315,577 acres. 82% contained.

 The new acreage figure is the result of more precise mapping. The fire has burned 271,911 acres in California and 43,666 acres in Nevada.
The California acreage figure makes the Rush fire the second largest in modern California history.
 Crews will continue to hold existing containment lines and mop up. Difficult terrain along the southern portion of the northeastern flank continues to hinder containment.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Sunday August 12th, 2012 approx. 06:42 PM
Location 15 miles SE of Ravendale, California
Incident Commander Turman
Current Situation
Total Personnel 533

 The following resources are assigned to the fire: 533 firefighters and support people, 3 helicopters, 13 engines, 9 bulldozers, and 23 water tenders.  
Size 315,577 acres
Percent Contained 82%
Estimated Containment Date Thursday August 30th, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved - Grass, sagebrush, junipers (5 Brush - 2 Feet)
Fire Behavior - On Tuesday, only creeping and smoldering seen.
Significant Events: There were strong winds over the fire on Tuesday.
Outlook/Planned Actions: On Wednesday, crews will continue to go after hot spots. Supression repairs will continue.
Growth Potential - Medium
Terrain Difficulty - High
Current Weather
Wind Conditions 14 g28 mph SW
Temperature 84 degrees
Humidity 4%
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CA-TGU Ponderosa Fire. 27,676 acres. 96% contained.

IC: Tehama-Glenn Unit, Cal Fire. Cal Fire IMT 1 (Kaslin). 
Location: Two miles east of Manton, CA. 
Fuels: Timber. 
Fire behavior: Minimal fire activity
Notes: No additional spread or movement anticipated. 
Concerns: Hazard and fire weakened trees are present through out the fire area, which is a safety concern for fire fighters and the public. Two private bridges along Rock Creek Road were damaged by the fire.----- 
Basic information
Date/Time Started: August 18, 2012 11:37 am
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit
County: Tehama & Shasta Counties
Location: Off Ponderosa Way, southeast of Manton
Acres Burned: 27,676 acres
Containment 27,676 acres - 96% contained
Structures Destroyed: 52 residences & 82 outbuildings destroyed
Threatened: No further threat remains.
Evacuations: All evacuation orders and road closures have been lifted.
Injuries: 7
Cause: Lightning
Cooperating Agencies: CAL FIRE, Tehama and Shasta County Sheriff, CHP, CDCR, CAL TRANS, SPI, PG&E
Total Fire Personnel: 1,648 (1,458 CAL FIRE)
Engines: 92 (86 CAL FIRE)
Fire crews: 55 CAL FIRE
Helicopters: 2 helicopters
Dozers: 8 (3 CAL FIRE)
Water tenders: 38 water tenders
Conditions: Residents in the area will still see fire equipment driving throughout the communities to patrol and mop up the hot spots that may arise in the fire area. Repairs to damage caused by firefighting efforts continue to be made throughout the area affected. Fire damaged trees exist and continue to present a hazard. We urge the public to use caution on roadways in and around the fire area while fire crews are still present.
Phone Numbers (530) 528-0528 (Fire Information) 

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LCES - 10 Standard Fire Orders - 18 Watchout Situations

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****REMINDER**** Every fire has the ability to be catastrophic. The wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Growing numbers of communities, across the nation, are experiencing longer fire seasons; more frequent, bigger, and more severe, fires are a real threat. Be careful with all campfires and equipment.

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