State of Emergency Declared for Mariposa County, CA

Rim Fire Prompts Emergency Proclamation for Mariposa County

California’s acting governor has issued an Emergency Proclamation for Mariposa County due to the effects of the Rim Fire.

A state of emergency was declared because the RIM FIRE wildfire is “damaging public and district facilities, including roads and structures… and threatening residences in Mariposa County, necessitating the evacuation of residents, and the opening of emergency shelters… the circumstances of this wildfire, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, city and county, and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat … I find that conditions of extreme peril  to the safety of persons and property exist within Mariposa County due to these events,” according to the Proclamation.

On August 27, 2013, Mariposa County declared a local emergency and requested that the Governor proclaim a state of emergency.

Meantime, the monster fire continued to grow despite cooler temperatures and lighter winds.

Since erupting on August 17, Rim Fire has devoured nearly 202,000 acres, or more than 315 square miles, mostly in the Stanislaus National Forest west of the Yosemite National Park. The ferocious fire is now the 5th largest in California history.

At least 4,931 personnel are struggling to stop the massive fire from further encroaching into the park, where it has already burned at least 45,000 acres.

Rim Fire Wildfire – Fire Runs Upslope on South Flank, 8/29. Credit: USFS – Mike McMillan

Nightfire Along Road 20. Credit: USFS – Mike McMillan

Rim Fire Incident Information:

• Last Updated: August 30, 2013 @ 06:30 PDT
• Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
• Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
• Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
• Acres Burned – Containment: 201,894 acres – 32% contained
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial)

• Structures Destroyed: 111 (11 residences, 97 outbuildings, 3 commercial)

• Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park, east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of HWY 120.

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. [Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.]

• 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.

• The evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.

• The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department has lifted the evacuation advisory for Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville and Willow Springs.

Road Closures :

• Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf.

Yosemite National Park

• Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. I
• 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.

The Strawberry Music Festival, an annual bluegrass jamboree held at Camp Mather, has been cancelled because the site has been closed, according to reports.

FIRE Stats

• Total Fire Personnel: 4,931
• Total Fire Engines: 525
• Total Fire crews: 105
• Total Helicopters: 26
• Total Dozers: 85
• Total Water Tenders: 55

• Injuries: 4
• Cause: Under Investigation

Current Weather

• Wind Conditions 5 mph NE
• Temperature 67 degrees
• Humidity 40%

Links and Background Information

• RIM FIRE Becomes 5th Largest in Calif. History August 30, 2013

Sky Photos IV

Cloud Formations Over South Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans

Cloud formations over South Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, August 30, 2013 at 12:00UTC. Source: MTSAT-2/Digital Typhoon.

Previous Sky Photos

• Sky Photos November 27, 2010
• Sky Photos II  December 23, 2010
• Sky Photo – 21 Feb 2012 February 21, 2012
• Sky Photos: Land-Mapping Clouds July 21, 2012

RIM FIRE Becomes 5th Largest in Calif. History

Monster Fire continues to grow despite cooler temperatures, lighter winds

Since erupting on August 17, Rim Fire has devoured about 200,000 acres, or more than 312 square miles, mostly in the Stanislaus National Forest west of the Yosemite National Park. The ferocious fire is now the 5th largest in California history.

At least 4,927  personnel are struggling to stop the massive fire from further encroaching into the park, where it has already burned at least 45,000 acres.

RIM FIRE Wildfire. View From Pilot Peak Lookout. Photo credit: USFS/Mike McMillan

Rim Fire Incident Information:

• Last Updated: August 29, 2013 7:30 PDT
• Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
• Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
• Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
• Acres Burned – Containment: 199,237 acres – 32% contained
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial)

• Structures Destroyed: 111 (11 residences, 97 outbuildings, 3 commercial)

• Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park, east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of HWY 120.

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. [Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.]
• 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.

• The evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.
• The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department has lifted the evacuation advisory for Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville and Willow Springs.

Road Closures :

• Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf.

Yosemite National Park

• Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along the Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. I
• 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.

The Strawberry Music Festival, an annual bluegrass jamboree held at Camp Mather, has been cancelled because the site has been closed, according to reports.

FIRE Stats

• Total Fire Personnel: 4,927
• Total Fire Engines: 540
• Total Fire crews: 104
• Total Helicopters: 23
• Total Dozers: 83
• Total Water Tenders: 53
• Injuries: 4
• Cause: Under Investigation

Current Weather

• Wind Conditions 15 mph SW
• Temperature 87 degrees
• Humidity 23%

Links and Background Information

• RIM FIRE Now 6th Largest in Calif. History August 29, 2013
• RIM FIRE Reaches Hetch Hetchy Reservoir August 28, 2013
• 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

Texas Eagle Ford Shale Oil Drilling Well on Fire

Ruptured oil well in Texas burning after blowout and explosion

A ruptured oil well in Texas owned by EOG Resources Inc was burning on Thursday hours after a blowout and explosion, the company said.

“The blowout, which EOG called a ‘well control incident and fire,’ occurred Wednesday evening and the blaze was contained though still burning on Thursday,” said a report.

EOG said it didn’t know what caused the rupture and fire, but no one was injured in the blast at its Eagle Ford shale oil drilling operation in Lavaca County, some 134 miles west of Houston.

“EOG is assembling well control experts and specialized equipment to safely control the well and extinguish the fire,” the company said.

“Nabors Industries, which has the world’s largest land-rig fleet, owns the drilling rig at the site that was engulfed in flames,” said the report.

Fracking Fluid Likely Killed Threatened Kentucky Fish: USGS

Hydraulic fracturing fluids probably caused widespread death of aquatic species in Acorn Fork, KY

Hydraulic fracturing fluids were probably responsible for the “widespread death or distress of aquatic species” in Kentucky’s Acorn Fork creek. The spilling occurred in the nearby natural gas well sites, according to a joint study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Acorn Fork, a small Appalachian creek, is habitat for the federally threatened Blackside dace, a small colorful minnow. The Acorn Fork is designated by Kentucky as an Outstanding State Resource Waters.

“Our study is a precautionary tale of how entire populations could be put at risk even with small-scale fluid spills,” said USGS scientist Diana Papoulias, the study’s lead author. “This is especially the case if the species is threatened or is only found in limited areas, like the Blackside dace is in the Cumberland.”

The Blackside dace typically lives in small, semi-isolated groups, so harmful events run the risk of completely eliminating a local population. The species is primarily threatened with loss of habitat.

After the spill of hydraulic fracturing fluid, state and federal scientists observed a significant die-off of aquatic life in Acorn Fork including the Blackside dace as well as several more common species like the Creek chub and Green sunfish. They had been alerted by a local resident who witnessed the fish die-off. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are currently working towards restoration of the natural resources that were injured by the release.

Water and fish samples collected immediately following the chemical spill in 2007 clearly showed that the hydraulic fracturing fluids significantly degraded water quality in Acorn Fork causing the fish to grow gill lesions, and suffer liver and spleen damage.

“This is an example of how the smallest creatures can act as a canary in a coal mine,” said Tony Velasco, Ecologist for the Fish and Wildlife office in Kentucky, who coauthored the study, and initiated a multi-agency response when it occurred in 2007. “These species use the same water as we do, so it is just as important to keep our waters clean for people and for wildlife.”

The gill lesions were consistent with exposure to acidic water and toxic concentrations of heavy metals. These results matched water quality samples from Acorn Fork that were taken after the spill.

After the fracturing fluids entered Acorn Fork Creek, the water’s pH dropped from 7.5 to 5.6, and stream conductivity increased from 200 to 35,000 microsiemens per centimeter. A low pH number indicates that the creek had become more acidic, and the stream conductivity indicated that there were higher levels of dissolved elements including iron and aluminum.

Blackside dace are found only in the Cumberland River basin of Kentucky and Tennessee and the Powell River basin of Virginia, and are listed as a federally-threatened species since 1987.

Hydraulic fracturing is the most common method for extracting natural gas in Kentucky.

The report is entitled “Histopathological Analysis of Fish from Acorn Fork Creek, Kentucky Exposed to Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Releases,” and is published in the scientific journal Southeastern Naturalist, in a special edition devoted to the Blackside dace.