Single Publication

Quarry Fire Update  
Tuesday, October 17th, 2023  

Stanislaus National Forest  
Incident Management Team (Type-3)  

PIO Contact:
Phyllis Ashmead - phyllis.ashmead@gmail.com

Fire Statistics:
Location: The Quarry Fire is located on the Stanislaus National Forest, Mi-Wok Ranger District, off Forest Road 3N01, east of Bourland Creek and near the Emigrant Wilderness west of Cherry Creek.

Acres Burned to Date: 6,729
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 44%
Total Personnel: 58

Current Activities: Yesterday, crews patrolled and cleaned up pockets of unburned fuels to gain depth east of Rock Creek from what was ignited the past couple of days.  Unmanned Aerial System (drone) conducted mapping missions to get an accurate perimeter of the east side of the fire from Hells Mountain to the eastern flank of Cherry Ridge. Crews scouted areas to the north of the burn for potential future treatments. 

Background: The Quarry fire was one of 42 fires ignited by lightning strikes across the forest on September 9, 2023.  District fire managers immediately worked to ensure these naturally ignited fires stayed within pre-determined boundaries. Fire personnel with the Stanislaus National Forest are currently managing the Quarry Fire to achieve multiple resource objectives. 

Closures: Soft closures are in effect to provide for the safety of the public utilizing public lands as well as fire personnel working in the area.  The soft closures encourage the public to stay clear of the area, to find alternate routes to their locations and to provide fire personnel the widest berth possible as they go about their mission. 

With the public’s cooperation, we will continue to monitor the number and duration of soft closures, recognizing that fire personnel and public safety is the focus. 

As of October 14th, 2023, the following soft closures are in effect: 

3N17 where it meets 3N29

3N16

Smoke: An Air Resource Advisor has been assigned to the Quarry Fire and will be producing a daily Smoke Outlook. 

The amount of smoke in the air is carefully planned for. The team is in close alignment with and get approvals from the Tuolumne County Pollution Control District (link) each day to burn the maximum amount of acreage that will not negatively impact air quality to an unsafe level. Additionally, firefighters monitoring smoke are staged around the vicinity of the fire to adjust tactics to minimize smoke impacts.

If possible, minimize outdoor activity if you are sensitive to smoke. Smoke does tend to settle in low-lying areas in the evenings to the mornings, so camping and recreating in this vicinity is not advised. To check air quality, visit fire.airnow.gov.

More Information: 
INCIWEB - Quarry Fire Info - https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/castf-2023stfquarry-fire
Stanislaus National Forest – Official Website - https://www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus 
Air Quality Info - http://fire.airnow.gov