RIM FIRE Reaches Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

Monster blaze grows to 187,466 acres, surrounds key Yosemite reservoir

Rim Fire grew by more than 3,000 acres over the past 12 hours, covering 293mi² and reaching the southern edge of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, as it began to flank western side of the lake.

The monster blaze has already surrounded Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor, a part of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir system in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park.

RIM FIRE is burning mainly in Stanislaus National Forest, but it has also consumed about 45,000 acres of YNP.

Rim Fire Map – Latest

Rim Fire Incident Information

• Last Updated: August 28, 2013 06:30 PDT (UTC -7 hours)
• Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
• Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
• County: Tuolumne County, Calif.
• Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
• Acres Burned – Containment: 187,466 acres – 23% contained
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial)
• Structures Destroyed: 111 (11 residences, 97 outbuildings, 3 commercial)

Evacuations:

• A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01). Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. [An evacuation center is located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.]
• An evacuation advisory is in effect from Tuolumne City and the area east of Highway 108 to Pinecrest Lake.
• An Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.

Road Closures:

• Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic to Crane Flat Campground.
• A portion of the Tioga Road, from Crane Flat to White Wolf, will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28, 2013, at 12:00 noon. The closure is necessary for firefighters to perform fire suppression activities along the road. This portion of the road is anticipated to be closed at least through Labor Day Weekend. The park will issue an update as conditions allow for the reopening of the road. [Highway 120 and Tioga Road are two of the four major access routes to YNP.]

Forest closures:

• A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108.

• The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.

• Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road within the closure, will remain closed during the fire suppression efforts. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge will remain closed.

• Injuries: 3
• Cause: Under Investigation
• Total Fire Personnel: 4,19
• Total Fire Engines: 508
• Total Fire crews: 75
• Total Helicopters: 17
• Total Dozers: 62
• Total Water Tenders: 45

Links and Background Information

• RIM FIRE Balloons to 288mi²  August 28, 2013
• RIM FIRE Spreads to about 180,000 Acres August 27, 2013
• RIM FIRE Raining Ash on Key SF Reservoir August 27, 2013
• RIM FIRE continues to grow; burns 23mi² in YNP  August 26, 2013
• RIM FIRE Forces New Closures at Yosemite National Park August 25, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared for SF due to RIM FIRE August 24, 2013
• RIM FIRE Crosses into Yosemite National Park August 24, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared as Calif. Wildfire Explodes August 23, 2013
• Large Wildfires in the West Burn Homes, Force More Evacuations August 21, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared in 31 Montana Counties due to Wildfires August 20, 2013
• Beaver Creek Fire Consumes 100,000 acres
• “Take Your Essentials Belongings and Pets and GO NOW” August 18, 2013

Legacy of Acid Rain: Rivers Becoming Increasingly Alkaline

River alkalinization threatens water supplies in eastern U-S: Study

Two-thirds of rivers in eastern United States show “significant increasing trends in alkalinity,” according to a new study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Researchers examined 97 rivers from the northeastern state of New Hampshire down to Florida over the past 25 to 60 years and found significantly higher alkaline content.

The rivers provide drinking water to big cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, as well as other major metropolises.

“This is because acid rain, acidic mining waste, and agricultural fertilizers speed the breakdown of limestone, other carbonate rocks, and even concrete and cement,” said the researchers. “The result: alkaline particles are washed off of the landscape and into streams and rivers.”

Higher alkaline content in the water can lead to ammonia toxicity and is dangerous for crop irrigation and fish life. It also encourages algal growth and can complicate wastewater and drinking water treatment, as well as causing faster corrosion of metal pipes, the authors said.

Although the airborne pollutants that cause acid rain have somewhat declined in the United States, the legacy of acid rain remains, researchers said.

“The acid rain problem is decreasing. But meanwhile, there are these lagging effects of river alkalinization showing up across a major region of the U.S.,” said lead author, an associate professor and aquatic ecologist at the University of Maryland. “How many decades will river alkalinization persist? We really don’t know the answer.”

“This is another example of the widespread impact of human [activity] on natural systems [which] is, I think, increasingly worrisome,” said study co-author and ecologist Gene Likens of the University of Connecticut.

Related Links

• Most U.S. Rivers, Streams in Poor Condition for Aquatic Life March 27, 2013

Wildfire Destroys Homes, Burns Cars in Fairfield, CA

Fast moving fire destroys homes, forces dozens of evacuations

The fire started on a grassy hillside jumped into trees and burned several homes in the city of Fairfield, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco, prompting officials to evacuated dozens of homes, reported AP.

The fire also destroyed several cars in a parking lot along I-80, said the report.

RIM FIRE Balloons to 288mi²

Giant Calif. blaze rapidly spreads to 184,481 acres

The ferocious fire has extensively damaged Berkeley Tuolumne Camp and the infrastructure. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior are hampering suppression efforts, said USFS.

The blaze had consumed about 42,000 acres of Yosemite National Park by early Tuesday.

RIM FIRE has also damaged two of the three hydroelectric generating stations at the O’Shaughnessy Dam, which supply electricity for all of San Francisco’s public facilities. The dam impounds the Tuolumne River at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, while the reservoir provides 85% of the water for the San Francisco Bay Area.

The monster blaze is now the 7th largest in California’s history (and climbing the chart), less than 90,000 acres behind Cedar Fire (273,246 acres), the largest fire ever recorded in California, which left 14 people dead and more than 2,820 structures destroyed in San Diego area, October 2003.

The raging fire was creeping closer to thousands of homes located west of Yosemite National Park, as of posting.

RIM FIRE Map

Official Map of RIM FIRE as of August 26, 2013 @ 06:00PDT

Fire Details

• Last Updated: August 27, 2013 18:30 PDT (UTC -7 hours)
• County: Tuolumne County, Calif.
• Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
• Acres Burned – Containment: 184,481 acres – 20% contained
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial)
• Structures Destroyed: 111 (31 residences, 80 outbuildings)
• Total Fire Personnel: 4,081
• Total Fire Engines: 491
• Total Fire crews: 68
• Total Helicopters: 17
• Total Dozers: 61
• Total Water Tenders: 46

Evacuations:

• The evacuation advisory from Tuolumne City and the area east of Highway 108 has been expanded to Pinecrest Lake. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.

• A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for residences north of Old Yosemite Road (Forest Road 2S01), and an Evacuation Warning has been issued for all residences north of Bull Creek Road (Forest Road 2S02), Bondurant Mine Road, Texas Hill Road, and Wampum Hill.

• Mandatory evacuations south of Highway 120 and north of Old Yosemite Road. Structure defense is in place for this area of the fire by ground and aerial resources. An evacuation advisory has been extended on the Highway 108 corridor from Tuolumne City to Pinecrest.

• An evacuation advisory was issued from Mi-Wok to Pinecrest along the Highway 108 corridor. This advisory has been issued by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. [An evacuation center is located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.]

Road Closures:

• Highway 120 remains closed to all inbound and outbound Yosemite National Park traffic to Crane Flat Campground. Highway 120 east

Forest closures:

• A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108.

• The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.

Links and Background Information

• RIM FIRE Spreads to about 180,000 Acres August 27, 2013
• RIM FIRE Raining Ash on Key SF Reservoir August 27, 2013
• RIM FIRE continues to grow; burns 23mi² in YNP  August 26, 2013
• RIM FIRE Forces New Closures at Yosemite National Park August 25, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared for SF due to RIM FIRE August 24, 2013
• RIM FIRE Crosses into Yosemite National Park August 24, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared as Calif. Wildfire Explodes August 23, 2013
• Large Wildfires in the West Burn Homes, Force More Evacuations August 21, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared in 31 Montana Counties due to Wildfires August 20, 2013
• Beaver Creek Fire Consumes 100,000 acres
• “Take Your Essentials Belongings and Pets and GO NOW” August 18, 2013