Firefighters attacking the two remaining lightning-sparked blazes in the Sierra National Forest worked to prevent flames from exploding upslope today, when northwest winds up to 20 mph are expected to sweep into the region.
The Oliver fire was 60% contained after burning more than 2,789 acres and costing an estimated $7.8 million in firefighting expenses, so far. On Monday, 1,298 firefighters continued attacking the Oliver fire, which still was spreading north and northeast in a remote forested area of Mariposa County.
Residents remained ready to evacuate as a precaution despite safer conditions on the fire’s southern perimeter near homes in the Ponderosa Basin.
The Central California fires were among 1,000 state officials estimated were still uncontrolled Monday, a week after lightning storms spit fire across the northern two-thirds of the state. Firefighting officials had to choose which blazes to attack and which would just have to be left burning, for now.
Smoke, which last week prevented air tanker planes from attacking the Oliver fire, dispersed Sunday and skies in the fire area remained clear Monday.
Also in Mariposa County, the Star fire, which started when lightning hit a dry “snag” tree on June 22, was 75% contained Monday morning after burning 350 acres. The fire was still in a remote area eight miles from Wawona in Yosemite National Park. But 100 firefighters using hand tools and portable water pumps carried in by helicopters had scratched a preliminary line completely around the flames, Sierra National Forest spokeswoman Sue Exline said Monday.
“It hasn’t moved at all,” Exline said about the fire.
When the first 20 smokejumpers parachuted in June 24, the fire had spread from the snag across 30 acres.
The next day, more smokejumpers had landed but the fire continued to spread.
Four Hotshot hand-line crews hiked in to help.
“They put in only the most experienced firefighters,” Exline said. “You don’t know what a fire’s going to do.”
On Monday, helicopters were cooling hot spots along the fire line with water drops from “Bambi buckets” and supplying the firefighters with military ready-to-eat meals, Exline said.
The National Weather Service in Hanford forecast winds up to 15 mph today, increasing to 20 mph tonight, but fire officials were optimistic that the smoke-dispersing wind wouldn’t be enough to reawaken smoldering flames.
“It’s kind of normal Valley summertime winds,” NWS meteorologist Jim Bagnall said. “Nothing really unusual.”
Some engine crews, along with 100 firefighters from Oklahoma and Arkansas who were staged in Oakhurst last week for the other lightning fires in the area, left Monday for fires in Monterey and Kern counties, Exline said.
On Monday, the Clover fire in the Sequoia National Forest was 50% contained after burning 15,262 acres. Firefighters concentrated on keeping this fire’s south flank out of the Kennedy Meadows community.
Some firefighters were reassigned to Sequoia’s Piute fire which erupted Sunday and by Monday covered 2,560 acres with burning embers dropping up to 11/2 miles ahead of the flames. The Kern County Sheriff’s Department has recommended some evacuations.
Some of the out-of-state firefighters assigned to assist California’s embattled crews arrived in Fresno County and on Monday were doing orientation at Avocado Lake. The five engines and crews from Kansas and Colorado were to be sent today to fight a fire in Kern County, Fresno County Fire spokesman Chris Christopherson said.
Two California Conservation Corps crews from Fresno were assigned to the Oliver fire in Mariposa County and the Indians fire in Monterey County. CCC crews do mainly logistical work assisting in fire crew camps and evacuation shelters, a CCC news release said.
West Coast 911 firefighter news source – Fresno Bee
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