The Fork Fire Type 3 Incident Management Team will host a virtual community meeting tonight at 6:00PM on the Eldorado National Forest’s Facebook page. No account is required to view the video. We will monitor online Facebook questions during the meeting, or you can email us your questions in advance at enfincident@gmail.com. A recording will be posted immediately following the live meeting.

Highlights: Gusty winds and warmer, drier conditions over the weekend resulted in increased fire activity within the existing fire perimeter. Additional snags burning along the western, uncontained edge of the fire were observed, but further spread of the fire west into the Rubicon Canyon was not detected. The next Fork Fire update is scheduled for Wednesday September 30th, unless there are substantial changes in conditions on the fire.

Operations:  Firefighters continued to monitor fire activities and patrol fire lines over the weekend.  Gusty winds exceeded thresholds for both wind and lake conditions, precluding the use of aerial operations for both bucket drops and super scoopers on Sunday. Continued winds are expected to limit the ability of air operations through Monday, while low relative humidity and warm temperatures are forecasted to increase probability of embers igniting additional areas. 

Weather: Warm daytime temperatures and sustained east winds are forecasted for Monday, with wind speeds decreasing late in the morning. Continued hot and dry weather is forecasted to continue Tuesday with east winds moving toward the southwest in the afternoon. For nationwide smoke and air quality conditions, information can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Community Meeting:  A Facebook live community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 29th.   You can access this live meeting on the Eldorado Facebook page link below. If you have questions, please e-mail them to   enfincident@gmail.com.  Continue to follow the Eldorado National Forest Facebook page https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/ for informational updates and future opportunities for community engagement.

Closures:  The Eldorado National Forest has issued a closure order specific to the Fork Fire.  Please refer to the closure order prohibiting camping forest-wide except for some designated developed campgrounds. The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California, also remains in place. Details of these closures can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

Highlights:  Crews continued work on hotspots in the Rubicon River canyon near South Fork Bridge trail.   Forest and fire managers would like people to be aware that while the fire closure area was reduced, there is still fire activity in the area.  Please be extra careful driving and look for heavy vehicles on the road.   Rifle season for deer hunting is also starting tomorrow, bringing more users to the forest. 

Operations:  Yesterday crews worked hot spots that showed up in the southwest corner of the fire due to warmer weather. Today the Blasting Group plans to fell more standing dead trees today to help mitigate hazards for those firefighters working in the area. On the north and southeast sides of the fire engines continue to patrol and monitor the line.  

Weather: A significant warming and drying trend will begin today.  Expect afternoon southwest wind gusts over ridges and aligned portions of the Rubicon River canyon.  For nationwide smoke and air quality conditions, information can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.   

Community Meeting:  A Facebook live community meeting is scheduled for tonight September 25.   You can access this live meeting on the Eldorado Facebook page link below. If you have questions, please e-mail them to  enfincident@gmail.com.  Continue to follow the Eldorado National Forest Facebook page https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/ for informational updates and future opportunities for community engagement.   

Closures:  A new, reduced fire closure is went into effect today for the area near Hell Hole Reservoir and Loon Lake.  The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California was extended again. Details of the fire closure can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/ under Fork Fire Closure. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.  

The Eldorado National Forest Type 3 Incident Management Team will host a virtual community meeting tonight at 6:00PM on the Eldorado National Forest’s Facebook page. No account is required to view the video. We will monitor online Facebook questions during the meeting, or you can email us your questions in advance at enfincident@gmail.com. A recording will be posted immediately following the live meeting.

Highlights:  Control of the fire transferred to a local Type 3 team today at 0700 with Matthew Brown as incident commander.   Strategy on the fire will remain the same with emphasis on clearing contingency lines distant from the main edge of the fire in case the fire begins to move.  Forest and fire managers would like people to be aware that while the fire closures are being reduced, there is still fire activity in the area. 

Operations:  The plan for managing the fire will remain mostly the same under the Type 3 organization, with crews continuing “mop-up” down in the southwestern edge of the water drops will help to extinguish remaining hot spots in the Rubicon River canyon.  On the north side of the fire, crews are still brushing and removing hazard trees on the 13N27 and 14N77 roads to the north of the fire.  Sprinkler systems around residences remain in place and will be tested daily. 

Weather: Weather will be trending warmer and drier toward the weekend with poor overnight humidity recovery.  Winds will be moderate, possibly increasing to 15-25 mph by Saturday.  An interactive map displaying fire and smoke conditions across the United States can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Community Meeting:  No community meeting is scheduled for tonight. If you have questions, please e-mail them to   enfincident@gmail.com.  Continue to follow the Eldorado National Forest Facebook page https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/ for informational updates and future opportunities for community engagement.

Closures: The Eldorado National Forest has issued a closure order specific to the Fork Fire.  The closure area is expected to shrink by the weekend.  Please refer to the closure order prohibiting camping forest-wide except for some designated developed campgrounds. The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California, also remains in place. Details of these closures can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

Highlights: The Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 4 will transfer command of the Fork Fire to a local Type 3 organization, led by Incident Commander Matthew Brown, at 7 a.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2020. This is the final update from Carl Schwope’s Type 2 Incident Management Team. The Team extends its sincere thanks to the local communities and cooperators for their support and hospitality throughout this incident.

Operations: Airport Flat and Gerle Creek areas are now in patrol status, with crews “mopping up” along the fire line. Although some heat remains in the Rubicon River canyon, helicopters were able to drop water yesterday to help moderate fire activity. Contingency lines to the south of the fire are now complete. Crews will complete blasting operations today to mitigate hazardous trees. To the north, crews are finishing up some brush removal and tree felling while also checking heat near the edge of the fire line. The Team will complete a thorough transition with the Eldorado National Forest to ensure continued success after the team departs on Thursday morning. Approximately 96 personnel will remain on the fire with the Type 3 organization.

Community Meeting: Recordings of the nightly community meetings are available at https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/. No account is required to view the video. The final virtual community meeting hosted by Team 4 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. Please continue to follow the Eldorado National Forest Facebook page for informational updates and future opportunities for community engagement.

Closures: The Eldorado National Forest has issued a closure order specific to the Fork Fire, as well as a separate closure order to prohibit camping forest-wide except for some designated developed campgrounds. The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California, also remains in place. Details of these closures can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

Contact Information: The Fork Fire Information phone line and media line will no longer be active after 8 p.m. tonight. For future questions, please contact the Eldorado National Forest information line at 916-500-4712.

Highlights: After several days of “mopping up” on the eastern side of the fire, crews have found little to no heat within 300 feet of the fire’s edge. Some heat still remains in the southwest corner near South Fork Bridge trail. Handcrews have contained a portion of the fire in the Rubicon River canyon and reduced the chances of the fire spreading to the southwest.

Operations: Fire personnel continue patrolling and putting out any remaining hot spots on the eastern portion of the fire near Airport Flat and Gerle Creek campgrounds. The Blasting Group continues to aid firefighters in the removal of standing dead trees in the hottest section just north of South Fork Bridge trail. Yesterday, two Super Scooper aircraft flew 3.5 hours, dropping 34,000 gallons of water from Loon Lake in the steepest part of the fire area where conditions are too hazardous to insert ground resources. Across the Rubicon River to the west, crews continue to eliminate snags along the dozer lines and the 14N20 road. In the Bunker Hill area to the north, crews are monitoring any hot spots while also patrolling and felling hazardous trees. Due to successful firefighting efforts, the incident management team has started to demobilize resources to make them available to support other active incidents across the West.

Weather: High temperatures will remain in the mid-70s with moderate overnight humidity recovery. In the afternoon, upslope winds will be 8-10 mph gusting to 18 mph in the fire area. An interactive map displaying fire and smoke conditions across the United States can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Community Meeting: Recordings of the nightly community meetings are available at https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/. No account is required to view the video. 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. The final community meeting from the Southwest Team 4 will be hosted on Wednesday, September 23, at 6 p.m.  

Closures: The Eldorado National Forest has issued a closure order specific to the Fork Fire, as well as a separate closure order to prohibit camping forest-wide except for some designated developed campgrounds. The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California, also remains in place. Details of these closures can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

Highlights: As firefighters work to complete containment lines around the fire perimeter, hazard mitigation efforts continue on the west side along the Rubicon River canyon. The Blasting Group continues to successfully use fireline explosives to remove snags and provide safer working conditions in the South Fork Bridge trail area. More accurate mapping has shown a reduction in acres for the Fork Fire. 

 

Operations: Fire personnel continue to patrol and extinguish any remaining hot spots on the eastern portion of the fire near Airport Flat and Gerle Creek. The Structure Protection Group is performing daily tests of the sprinkler systems around residences. On the southwest side of the fire, near the most active heat, crews continue to use fireline explosives to clear a path for future line construction. The Blasting Group has dropped nearly 100 standing dead trees in the past two days. Helicopters transported water to the western edge in the steepest and hottest part of the fire area. Across the Rubicon River to the west, firefighters expect to complete the contingency line near Hell Hole Reservoir with one final piece of handline connecting the road to the water. In the Bunker Hill and Gerle Meadows areas to the north, crews continue to monitor, patrol, and test water systems. A hotshot crew worked on hazard tree removal to improve contingency lines to the north of the fire on the 77 road. No fire escaped the lines yesterday. 

 

Weather: Mostly sunny in the morning, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon. Dry conditions will continue with light downslope morning winds that will become southwest/upslope winds in the afternoon. Maximum temperatures will range from 72 to 76 degrees. An interactive map displaying fire and smoke conditions across the United States can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

 

Community Meeting: Recordings of the nightly community meetings are available at https://facebook.com/EldoradoNF/. No account is required to view the video. 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 has issued a closure order specific to the Fork Fire, as well as a separate closure order to prohibit camping forest-wide except for designated developed campgrounds. The regional fire closure, which prohibits the use of any ignition source (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) on all National Forest System lands throughout California, also remains in place. Details of these closures can be found at the Eldorado National Forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado/. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

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

Facebook: Facebook.com/EldoradoNF/

Email: enfincident@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EldoradoNF

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

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

 

Forest Order No. 03-20-17

USDA Forest Service

Eldorado National Forest

Fork Fire Road, Trail, & Area Closure

 

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), and to provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Georgetown and Pacific Ranger Districts of the Eldorado National Forest. This Order is effective beginning at 8:00 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time, on September 19, 2020, through November 30, 2020.

 

1. Going into or being upon the Fork Fire Closure Area. The Fork Fire Closure Area boundary begins in the at intersection of Ice House Road (ELD-147) and Peavine Ridge Road (11N55) and continues north and northeast on Ice House Road (ELD-147) for 27 miles to the intersection with Wentworth Springs Road (ELD-63), then continues east along Wentworth Springs Road (ELD-63) for 3 miles to the intersection with Wentworth Springs Road/Old Sluice Box (ELD-63, ELD-63-F), then continues east and north along Wentworth Springs Road/Old Sluice Box (ELD-63, ELD-63-F) for 3.78 miles to the intersection with Miller Creek, then continues west along Miller Creek for 0.1 mile to the intersection with the Rubicon River, then continues northwest along the Rubicon River for 7.38 miles until it enters the upper end of Hell Hole Reservoir, then continues southwest through Hell Hole Reservoir for 4.5 miles where the Rubicon River exits the Hell Hole Reservoir and intersects with Hell Hole Road (17N02), then continues southwest along Hell Hole Road (17N02) for 8 miles to the intersection with Eleven Pines Road (14N08), then continues southeast along Eleven Pines Road (14N08) for 14.8 miles to the intersection with Wentworth Springs Road (ELD-63), then continues northeast along Wentworth Springs Road (ELD-63) for 5.6 miles to the intersection with Navigator (13N34), then continues southwest along Navigator (13N34) for 3 miles to the intersection with Pilot Creek (12N39), then continues southwest along Pilot Creek (12N39) for 0.5 mile to the intersection with the Georgetown Ranger District and Pacific Ranger District Boundary, then continues southwest and then southeast along the Georgetown Ranger District and Pacific Ranger District for 6 miles to the intersection with the west shore of Junction Reservoir, then continues southeast for 0.34 mile across both arms of Junction Reservoir to the intersection with Dam Spur (12N30D), then continues south along Dam Spur (12N30D) for 0.5 mile to intersection with Bryant Springs (12N30), then continues east along Peavine Ridge Road (11N55) for 2.7 miles to its intersection with Ice House Road (ELD-147), as shown on Exhibit A. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e).

 

2. Being on a National Forest System road, as shown on Exhibit A and listed in Exhibit B. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).

 

3. Being on a National Forest System trail, as shown on Exhibit A and listed in Exhibit B. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).

 

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order.

 

2. Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.

 

3. Owners or lessees of private land are exempt from these prohibitions to the extent necessary to access their land.

 

These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. § 261, Subpart A.

 

A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.

 

Executed in Placerville, California, this 19th day of September, 2020.

JEFF MARSOLAIS

Forest Supervisor

Eldorado National Forest

Pacific Southwest Region

EXHIBIT B

 

Forest Service System Road Number:

11N55 12N35 13N11F 13N31AN 14N10AA 14N51B 11N55B 12N35B 13N11G 13N31B 14N10B 14N51C 11N58 12N35BA 13N11GA 13N31D 14N10C 14N57 11N79 12N35C 13N11H 13N33 14N10F 14N57AW 11NY03 12N35D 13N11HA 13N39 14N10G 14N58 12N20 12N35E 13N14 13N39A 14N10J 14N58A 12N21 12N35F 13N14A 13N39B 14N10K 14N58B 12N21A 12N35G 13N14AA 13N40 14N11 14N58W 12N21B 12N35H 13N14B 13N52 14N11B 17N02 12N21BA 12N35I 13N14C 13N65 14N12 17N02CA 12N21C 12N39 13N14D 13N65B 14N12C 17N02CB 12N21D 12N42 13N14E 13N71 14N12D 17N02CC 12N21E 12N44A 13N14F 13N72 14N15 17N02CD 12N22 12N44B 13N14G 13N72A 14N16 17N02G 12N22E 12N52 13N18B 13N72B 14N17 17N02H 12N22F 12N52C 13N19 13N72C 14N17A 17N02K 12N29P 12N52CA 13N19A 13N76 14N17B 17N02KA 12N30 12N52CD 13N19AE 13N77 14N17C 17N02L 12N30A 12N52DW 13N19B 13N77A 14N17CA 17N02M 12N30D 12N78 13N19C 13N84 14N19 17N02MA 12N30DA 12NY04 13N19D 13N85 14N19A 17N02MB 12N30E 12NY04A 13N23 13N86 14N20 17N02P 12N30F 12NY04B 13N23A 13N86A 14N20A 17N02PA 12N30H 12NY04C 13N23B 13N86B 14N20B 17N02T 12N30J 12NY05 13N23C 13N90 14N21 17N12 12N30JA 12NY05A 13N23D 13N91 14N25 17N12A2 12N30JB 12NY05B 13N24 13N91A 14N26 17N12E 12N30JE 12NY05C 13N24A 14N01A 14N26A 17N12F 12N30K 12NY05D 13N25A 14N05 14N26B 17N12J 12N30L 12NY06 13N25B 14N06 14N27 17N12K 12N30M 12NY06A 13N26 14N07 14N27F 17N12N 12N30MA 12NY06B 13N26B 14N07W 14N27G 17N12NA 12N30N 12NY15 13N26BA 14N08 14N27K 17N12NB 12N30P 12NY15A 13N26BB 14N08A 14N27W 17N12Q 12N30R 12NY15B 13N28 14N08AA 14N28 17N12QA 12N30S 12NY15C 13N28A 14N08AB 14N28A 17N12QB 12N30Z 12NY15D 13N28B 14N08B 14N34A 17N12U 12N33 12NY15E 13N28K 14N08D 14N34E 17NY12D 12N33B 12NY15EA 13N29A 14N08J 14N34F 17NY12K 12N33C 12NY31 13N31 14N08M 14N34G 12N33D 13N11 13N31A 14N08N 14N51 12N33E 13N11B 13N31AA 14N10 14N51A 

 

 

Forest Service System Trail Number:

13E02 13E24 14E11 14E23 15E13 16E72 13E03 14E02 14E12 14E37 15E17 16E77 13E05 14E04 14E14 15E02 16E68 13E13 14E09 14E21 15E05 16E69 13E17 14E10 14E22 15E09 16E70