RIM FIRE Now 6th Largest in Calif. History

RIM FIRE spreads to 192,466 acres

The massive blaze grew by an estimated 5,000 acres since this morning to a total of at least 192,466 acres (300mi², or 779km²), climbing to the 6th position on the Top 20 chart of largest California wildfires.

Burning mainly in Stanislaus National Forest, the ferocious fire has also devoured about 45,000 acres of Yosemite National Park.

The monster blaze has surrounded Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor, a part of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir system in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park, reached the southern edge of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir late Tuesday, and is now spreading on the western side of the lake.

YNP officials closed Tioga Road, a second key route into the park on Wednesday, which “will limit the access for visitors to and from the east side of the park, quite possibly over Labor Day weekend, which will have a significant economic impact on the area and [be] an inconvenience for visitors,” said a park official.

Some 4,537 personnel have reportedly contained about 30 percent of the fire.

RIM FIRE – fire activity on the South Flank. Photo credit: USFS/Mike McMillan

Links and Background Information

• 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

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