|
Posted by: John_Hamilton on 09/19/2013 07:59 PM
Updated by: John_Hamilton on 09/19/2013 09:56 PM
Expires: 01/01/2018 12:00 AM
:
First and Packed BAER Meeting Underway. Next Meeting Sept. 23rd in Groveland
Sonora, CA....Tonight the BAER Team is holding their first public meeting on post Rim Fire Burn severtity. Steps that need to be done to stabilize before the first winter storms and then plans for the future. Immediate needs are to make sure erosion during the next few months does not cause safety hazards for residents and visitors. Much of the presentation is going over area by area within the fire boundaries. Other expected problems are an increased runoff over pre-fire conditions. In some instances almost 5 times the pre-fire runoff will come from the burned area. The BAER Team should have their report finished by this next Tuesday. Back on the Fire suppression side the containment date has been pushed back to October 1st because of the fire continued smoldering in the Emigrant and Yosemite Wilderness areas.
Click Above For Additional Photos
One number that will continue to grow is the number of lost livestock within the burned area. As of last Sunday the number was over 300 and we asked if the 300 - 500 range was safe and they were not comfortable giving a hard estimate. Some were found and GPS'ed as late as today.
Fire Update
The estimated date for containment has been revised to October 1st 2013. The fire continues to creep and smolder in the Emigrant and Yosemite Wilderness. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect through to midday Saturday. Fire crews will continue mop-up and patrol of fire lines with the objective of keeping fire within existing containment lines and natural barriers. Structures are no longer threatened. Cooler high temperatures in the 70s F. with 15 mph SW winds are predicted today; ridge tops may have gusts to 20 mph by the afternoon. The fire will continue to spread slowly in rocky areas within the Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness Areas east of Cherry Lake and north of Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Suppression repair continues and repairs to-date include 88 miles of dozer line and 52 miles of chipping along rods. A total of 155 miles of suppression line repair remain. For a Google map tour with post-fire photographs go to http://tinyurl.com/rimfirekmz
Public Safety
Anyone traveling on roads within the fire area should use extreme caution as fire personnel and equipment continue to work in the area. Hazards include smoke weakened trees and snags (that may fall) and hot burning stump holes. If you must drive through the fire area please do not stop leave the roadway or enter the burned area on foot.
Park and Forest Closures
Hetch Hetchy and Aspen Valley in Yosemite Park are closed to public access due to hazardous trees. Tuolumne Grove and Hodgdon Meadow Campground remain closed due to the fire. Yosemite Creek and White Wolf Campgrounds and White Wolf Lodge are closed for the season. The Stanislaus National Forest issued an updated Rim Fire Area Closure (dated September 12 2013) for the Groveland and Mi-Wok Ranger Districts. Additional information is available from the Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor's Office 209-532-3671; Mi-Wok Ranger Station 209-586-3234; Summit Ranger Station 209-965-3434; and Groveland Ranger Station 209-962-7825.
Road Openings and Closures
Tioga Pass Road (Hwy 120) is open across Yosemite National Park. For your safety visitors are not permitted to stop along the road adjacent to the fire perimeter. The Big Oak Flat Road is open to Yosemite Valley. Local businesses are open and providing services (gasoline food and lodging) for travelers. Evergreen Road is open only to Evergreen Lodge. Otherwise Hetch Hetchy Road and surrounding areas and facilities remain closed. Cherry Lake Road is closed at Hwy 120. Old Yosemite and Harden Flat Roads are closed. Some secondary roads within the fire area remain closed to non-residents.
There will no more 6 pm evening updates.
For more information please contact the Rim Fire at 209-928-1053. Updated information is also available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3660/.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM
Location Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF
Incident Commander Cooper
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,380
Size 256,895 acres
Percent Contained 84%
Estimated Containment Date Tuesday October 01st, 2013 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved
Brush, Oaks, and Pine, conifer stands
Fire Behavior
Fire behavior observed last night was limited to creeping and smoldering
Outlook
Planned Actions
There will be no night operations
Growth Potential
Medium
Terrain Difficulty
Extreme
Remarks
42: Remarks: Aspen Valley continues to be closed to public access due to a lack of power and ongoing mitigations of hazards caused by the fire (Block 25). Progress is being made to mitigate these hazards and restore power. Employees of Hetch Hetchy Water and Power have returned to the residential areas at O'Shaughnessey. The pockets of unburned fuel within the perimeter of the fire area continue to consume. The Hodgdon Meadow Campground, Hodgdon Meadow residential area, Carlon Falls Trailhead, Merced Grove, Tuolumne Grove, the Crane Flat Lookout, and wilderness areas remain closed. The Big Oak Road is open from Crane Flat to Yosemite Valley. Facilities and areas along the Tioga Road west of Lukens Lake Trailhead are closed, including Tamarack Flat, White Wolf and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, and White Wolf Lodge. Evergreen Road has been opened to Evergreen Lodge, but remains closed from there on. Old Yosemite Road, Harden, and the Cherry Creek Road remain closed. A forest closure order is in effect for locations within and proximate to the fire area. Resources continue to monitor the fire as it slowly spreads northeast further into the Yosemite Wilderness in areas east and northeast of Lake Eleanor where fuels are limited and large natural rock barriers are abundant. Fire Suppression Repair completed to date: 58 miles of dozer line; 2 miles of handline; chipping on 52 miles of road, dozer line, and handline; and 17 miles of road repair.
Current Weather
Wind Conditions 22 mph SE
Temperature 78 degrees
Humidity 10%
|
| Comments - Make a comment |
| The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content. We value free speech but remember this is a public forum and we hope that people would use common sense and decency. If you see an offensive comment please email us at news@thepinetree.net
|
| What's Related |
| These might interest you as well
Photo Albums
Local News
Calendar
phpws Business Directory
|
|
|
