Calif Wildfire Burns 864km²

RIM FIRE: Very active fire behavior reported

The ferocious wildfire in California’s Stanislaus National Forest has grown to 213,414 acres (333.5mi², or 864km²), with 35% containment.

Smoke, in addition to the fire, is becoming a major concern throughout the Yosemite National Park and the surrounding areas.

Rim FIRE Wildfire. Photo Credit: USFS/ Stanislaus National Forest

Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite on this ArcIMS server were updated on Sat Aug 31 03:21:43 2013 UTC

Smoke from wildfires in the Americas. Source: NOAA/ NESDIS

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.

Fire Behavior

• Very active fire behavior on the east side of the fire today with running surface fire, torching and passive and sustained crown fire runs with considerable amounts of spotting. Moderate fire behavior with backing fire observed where fire was burning from ridgetops downslope.

Fire Stats

• Acres Burned: 213,414 acres
• Containment: 35% contained
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial)
• Structures Destroyed: 111 (11 residences, 97 outbuildings, 3 commercial)

• Total Fire Personnel: 4,844
• Total Fire Engines: 466Total Fire crews: 110
• Total Helicopters: 29
• Total Dozers: 87
• Total Water Tenders: 55

[Other aircraft, including DC 10s have also deployed. Editor]

Current Conditions

Growth Potential: Extreme
Terrain Difficulty: Extreme
Fuels Involved: Brush, Oaks, and Pine

Wind Conditions: 15 mph SW
Temperature: 89 degrees
Humidity: 21%

Estimated Containment Date: Friday September 20th, 2013 approx. 12:00 AM

Last Updated: August 30, 2013 18:30 PDT
Sourced from:   Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit and Inciweb

Links and Background Information

• State of Emergency Declared for Mariposa County, CA August 30, 2013
• RIM FIRE Becomes 5th Largest in Calif. History August 30, 2013

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

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

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 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