PACE model applied on the Fork Fire

Highlights: The Fork Fire has not experienced significant growth for three days. Smoke cover, stable weather, and light winds are helping to moderate fire behavior. Steep, rugged terrain and fire-weakened trees are still posing a danger to firefighters working in the interior. 

Operations: Eldorado Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais has charged the Southwest Incident Management Team 4 to treat the Rubicon River canyon with great reverence due to the many hazards in the area. Fire managers agree that the number one priority for all fires is firefighter and public safety; the Fork Fire challenges this priority on a daily basis.

The most active part of the fire is burning in the steep and rugged Rubicon River drainage, and managers intend to follow the “PACE” model to help drive decisions. The “P” stands for the primary plan in which firefighters will work along the existing edges of the fire to stop further spread while providing for firefighter safety. The “A” stands for alternate plans in which crews construct indirect fire lines away from the fire and intentionally ignite the fuel between the line and the main fire. The “C” stands for contingency plans. Contingency lines along the north, west, and south sides of the fire are getting nearer to completion and are designed to catch the fire if the weather patterns change or fire activity increases. The final letter “E” stands for emergency. If the fire were to burn actively, pushed by wind and steep slopes, fire managers would burn from the contingency lines to remove the fuel before the main fire approaches. Confidence is high that the primary plan will work, and today crews will engage with continued activities at the established slow, safe pace.

Weather: Forecast indicates a dry start to the day again with high temperatures around 78 degrees. Winds are expected to increase slightly 10-12 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Relative humidity will reach the upper teens. Friday will likely show an increase in wind with a very slight chance of rain as a weather front approaches the Pacific Coast. 

Community Meeting: Recordings of nightly community meetings are available at https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/. No account is required to view the videos. The next virtual community meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. on the Eldorado National Forest’s Facebook page. We will monitor online Facebook questions during the meeting, or you can email your questions in advance to enfincident@gmail.com.

Closures: The Eldorado National Forest will remain closed as part of a regional temporary emergency closure due to continued extreme fire conditions in the state. Further information about this closure order can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado.

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7165/

Wildfire Cameras: http://www.alertwildfire.org/tahoe/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EldoradoNF

Facebook: Facebook.com/EldoradoNF/

Email: enfincident@gmail.com

Information Center Hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.