Sequoia N.F. Lightning Fires: Hundreds of lightning strikes five new fires above Springville on the Western Divide Ranger District. #CaFire #CaLightning

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sequoia N.F. Lightning Fires: Hundreds of lightning strikes five new fires above Springville on the Western Divide Ranger District. #CaFire #CaLightning

Incident Overview
Hundreds of lightning strikes started five new fires above Springville on the Western Divide Ranger District, Giant Sequoia National Monument. Storms continue to pass through the southern sierra mountains and bring the threat of lightning and more fires. Approximately 300 lightning strikes were recorded July 22 - 23rd on the District. Forest Service Fire Lookouts watched the storms come through the area and then monitored the mountains with binoculars to see if any fires were started by the lightning strikes.

At this time there are no trail or road closures in the Western Divide Ranger District. Visitors are urged to be cautious when traveling due to debris on the road from large amounts of rain the past few days, along with swollen creeks, or during periods of severe weather associated with thunderstorms.

The Hume Lake Ranger District has a lightning caused fire on Junction Ridge near Wren Peak. District fire staff are working with neighboring Sierra National Forest to contain this small fire.

Lightning caused fires can go undetected for days or weeks until forest materials dry enough to allow flames to spread to the surface. Visitors are asked to call ahead to check on conditions and obtain weather forecasts prior to travel in the mountains. Please contact the Western Divide Ranger District (559) 539-2607 or the Hume Lake Ranger District (559) 338-2251 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. for latest fire and weather updates.

List of Lightning Fires updated July 23 7 p.m.

Speas Fire, Single tree, 1/10 acre, Contained. South of Johnsondale on Speas Ridge.

Dome Fire, Single tree, surface fire,20x20 in size. Contained. Located near Peppermint Heliport.

Horse Fire, Single tree, small spot of fire. Contained. Located near Peppermint Heliport.

Needle Rock Fire, Surface fire 30X30 in size. Contained. North of Needle Rock Creek southeast of Needles.

Berry Fire, Surface fire 15X30, fireline completed. Adjacent to private property near Tobias Meadow.

Basic Information
Incident Type - Wildfire
Cause - LightningCurrent Situation / Significant Events - New lightning caused fires continue to appear as the fuels dry out. Anticipate more fires to be discovered over next several days.Outlook/Planned Actions - Safely manage all fires as they are discovered.
Remarks - Multiple Fires

INCIDENT CONTACT
Denise Alonzo
Phone: 559-539-2607 ext. 72212

Sequoia National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
1839 S. Newcomb St.
Porterville, CA 93257
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CFN - California Fire News 2013

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013