Highlights: Fire personnel have completed nearly all of the planned lines around the fire’s edge, with the exception of the western portion in the Rubicon River canyon. After successfully testing blasting operations, firefighters will continue to use fireline explosives to remove hazardous trees and provide safer working conditions.

 

Operations: Aircraft dropped nearly 30,000 gallons of water on the fire yesterday afternoon and evening, allowing for higher humidities overnight to help extinguish hot spots. A designated Blasting Group used five blasts to begin clearing snags along the southwestern edge of the fire near South Creek and the South Fork Bridge trail. Crews contained a small spot fire outside the fireline on the western portion of the fire area. Today, progress will continue down the steep slopes into the Rubicon River canyon. The plan will include blasting using fireline explosives along the South Fork Bridge trail to continue clearing the standing dead trees to increase firefighter safety. Crews are expected to complete handline from the road system to the west to Hell Hole Reservoir. Firefighters are using brush removal equipment to improve lines along the western side of the Rubicon River as well as the road system leading north from Hartless Mountain. Engines continue to patrol and secure the eastern portion of the fire near Airport Flat and Gerle Creek camping areas.

 

Weather: Weather conditions will remain stable for the next few days. Temperatures and humidity will remain moderate with highs in the low 70s and afternoon winds at 5-7 mph, with gusts of 10-12 mph. 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: A new closure order specific to the Fork Fire area is now in effect. The Eldorado National Forest has issued 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.

Highlights: Forest managers would like to remind the public that although access has been increased to some National Forests in California, a partial closure is still in effect on the Eldorado National Forest and around the Fork Fire area. 

 

Operations: Fire managers are testing a plan to remove hazardous trees using fireline explosives to create safer conditions for crews working in the steep Rubicon River canyon. The blasting crew will include a Forest Service certified blaster, an assistant, and a crew of nine firefighters to ensure safety measures are followed throughout the operation. Explosive material will be wrapped around a tree trunk and secured in place. Personnel will be located several hundred feet away when the blaster detonates the explosives and the tree falls. This method of snag removal will eliminate hazards in the canyon in a safer, less time-consuming way that provides less exposure for fireline personnel. 

 

As a result of successful firefighting efforts and increased humidity, many hot spots have cooled on the eastern side of the fire near Airport Flat. The Structure Protection Group around Gerle Creek cabins are testing sprinkler systems near residences and along the north and south firelines. Remote dozer lines were completed from Hartless Mountain to the nearby road system. In the Rubicon River canyon, rolling burning material continues to present a safety issue for firefighters, as it could potentially ignite fire below personnel on the steep slopes. Yesterday, crews contained a small spot fire caused by a burning snag falling across the line. To the northwest of the fire, in the direction of the prevailing winds, dozer lines and hand lines were completed.

 

Closures: The Eldorado National Forest will be re-opening some recreation opportunities on Saturday, September 19, at 8:00 a.m. Camping is prohibited 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 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.

 

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.

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

News Release

For Immediate Release

September 18, 2020

Media Contact: Kristi Schroeder, (530) 305-6864

www.facebook.com/EldoradoNF

https://twitter.com/EldoradoNF

Eldorado National Forest partially re-opening recreation opportunities

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – The Eldorado National Forest will be re-opening some recreation opportunities on the forest as of Saturday, September 19, at 8:00 a.m. when the Regional Emergency Forest Closure Order 20-13 is rescinded for nine forests, including the Eldorado, due to the moderation in fire weather. Each forest is implementing their own forest specific Forest Order to address the continuing fire danger and recreation concerns. The Eldorado is limiting camping to developed campgrounds. In addition, the Eldorado has implemented an emergency fire closure area for the Fork Fire, this includes many facilities within the Crystal Basin Recreation Area.

The key points that forest visitors should know are:

·     No Overnight Camping in dispersed areas - Forest Order 03-20-151 prohibits on camping forest-wide except for designated developed campgrounds. This includes both the Desolation and Mokelumne Wilderness areas.

·     Developed Camping – Camping in designated developed open campgrounds will be allowed. At this time of year, many campgrounds are beginning to close for the season. Additional campgrounds located within the    Fork Fire closure area are closed.  Check the Campground Status page at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/enf/campgroundstatus to determine which facilities are open.

·     Fire - The prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California remains in place. Regional Order 20-11.

·     Forest Access – All Forest System lands, roads and trails will be open, except for those included within the Fork Fire closure area.

·     Day Use – Day Use facilities, such as picnic areas and trailheads, will be open except for those facilities that are collocated with a campground that is closed for the season or located within the Fork Fire closure area. Day hiking in the Desolation and Mokelumne Wilderness areas is allowed.

·     Recreation Residences and Resorts – Open.

Caltrans has closed Highway 50 until October 3 in order to replace the Echo Summit Bridge. For more information go to this Caltrans web site for Daily Updates: www.way2tahoe.com/daily-updates. The detours designated by Caltrans are State Routes 89, 88, 49 and 16, through Amador, El Dorado and Alpine County.  Mormon Emigrant Trail is not a Highway 50 detour as the road was not engineered to handle the commercial traffic.

There will be no access to portions of Wrights Lake Road during chip sealing operations next week from Tuesday through Thursday, September 22-24. 

For more information about recreation opportunities and current conditions in the Eldorado National Forest, visit the forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado or talk with our virtual Visitor Service staff from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at:

·     Forest Supervisor's Office: 530 303-2412

·     Placerville and Pacific Ranger District:  916 500-4712

·     Amador Ranger District:  209 259-3774

·     Georgetown Ranger District: 530 334-6477

Other sites that provide helpful tips are:

·     Be Outdoor Safe - www.beoutdoorsafe.org/

·     Ready for Wildfire - readyforwildfire.org

·     Recreate Responsibly - recreateresponsibly.org

The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region shared the following news release on September 18, 2020:  

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2020
Public Inquiry Line: (707) 562-9113
Media Contact: Jonathan Groveman (707) 562-8995
jonathan.groveman@usda.gov

 
VALLEJO, Calif. – The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announces increased access to some National Forests in California beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2020.

 

The prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California remains in place.

 

Nine National Forests in California remain closed: Angeles NF, Cleveland NF, Los Padres NF, Inyo NF, Klamath NF, San Bernardino NF, Sequoia NF, Sierra NF, and Six Rivers NF. This decision will continue to be reviewed daily with evolving fire and weather conditions.

 

Nine other National Forests may open to varying degrees. Visitors should contact the following National Forests for more information on their status: Eldorado NF, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Lassen NF, Mendocino NF, Modoc NF, Plumas NF, Shasta-Trinity NF, Stanislaus NF, and the Tahoe NF. These forests will implement their own forest orders that will either limit dispersed use or provide for area closures around fires.

 

Conditions can change quickly. Therefore, we emphasize that all citizens heed local announcements for changes in conditions and potential evacuations.

 

"We understand how important access to the National Forests is to our visitors," said Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region.  "Continued closures are essential based on extreme fire conditions, critical limitations of firefighting resources, and to provide for firefighter and public safety.”

 

Again, visitors are encouraged to contact their local National Forest for more information. We have developed a web map to help visitors find out which sites are open. Visit our online map at https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/webmaps/RecreationSiteStatus/. For additional questions, please contact your local National Forest.

 

The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses over 20 million acres across California, and assists State and Private forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.

USDA Forest Service officials on the Eldorado National Forest would like to clarify that the firefighter fatality announced this morning occurred on the El Dorado Fire on the San Bernardino National Forest. There have been no fatalities on the Fork Fire that is currently active on the Eldorado National Forest. Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this very tragic time. More details can be found on the San Bernardino National Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SanBernardinoNF/

Highlights: Light winds have pushed out the smoke layer that has been lingering over the Fork Fire for the past week. Although some increased fire activity was observed on the western side of the fire, clearer skies have allowed for increased flight times so that aircraft can safely drop water on the hottest areas of the fire. Crews continue to work areas of heat along the southern and eastern portions of the fire while patrolling cooler sections of the line near Airport Flat.      

 

Operations: Firefighters made excellent progress yesterday with the favorable weather conditions, better visibility, and help from helicopters dropping water. With improved weather conditions, fire managers are hoping to supplement helicopters with water-scooping aircraft today. Near Airport Flat, crews are working to remove any remaining heat sources and monitor the cooler portions of the fire’s edge. Near South Creek, firefighters have installed hose line and extended the dozer line another 600 feet from the eastern portion of the fire. Firefighters expect to complete the northern contingency line along Little Deer Creek today. To the west of the Rubicon River, crews are continuing to build the indirect line using a combination of roads and dozer line. Further out from the fire, roads have been prepared for burnout operations, only if the fire were to move north toward Hell Hole Reservoir. Helicopters have been successful in cooling the hottest portions of the fire along the far southwest and northwest sections of the Rubicon River canyon.

 

Weather: Good humidity recovery overnight provided a damp start to the day, and high temperatures will be in the upper 60’s with relative humidity in the upper teens. Winds are expected to increase to 15-18 mph with gusts to 30 mph on ridgetops by afternoon. On Saturday, the temperatures are expected remain cool. 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 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. 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.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/EldoradoNFWildfire Cameras: http://www.alertwildfire.org/tahoe/Information Center Hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

 

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.

Message from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office:

Due to favorable weather and a positive change in the fire behavior over the last couple of days, we are lifting the evacuation warning at the Fork Fire evacuations in Quintette, Volcanoville, and Stumpy Meadows.

It is important to understand this does not mean the danger is gone. If the wind, temperature, resources, or any number of other factors were to change, the fire could change direction, speed, and intensity. We encourage all of the residents in the areas of Quintette, Volcanoville, and Stumpy Meadows to be prepared to evacuate immediately. Please visit readyforwildfire.org for advice on how to prepare your family and property for evacuation. Focus on being "set" to go and this link can take you to the specifics of what that means https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/get-set/.

Highlights: Fire managers are using aircraft to drop water on the hottest portions of the fire, meeting the incident objectives of full suppression while keeping firefighters safe. Contingency lines are being developed away from the fire on the north, west, and south sides. 

 

Operations: Firefighter and public safety is always the number one priority on every fire. The western edge of the fire has been most active over the past few days, burning partway down the Rubicon River canyon in the King Fire scar. Steep and rocky terrain offers few escape routes for firefighters in this area. Standing dead trees frequently fall with little or no wind. Rolling burning material can ignite new fires below the main fire, creating a dangerous situation for any personnel working on the fire line. This situation presents several challenges to the goal of containing this fire. With clearing skies, aircraft were able to drop water along the southwest edge yesterday, cooling hot spots along the fire line. To the west of Airport Flat, crews continued along the edge of the fire to extinguish pockets of heat on the eastern flank. Tree-falling teams are working diligently to make the line safer and ensure roads remain clear. Contingency lines were nearly completed in the north along Little Deer Creek and the southwest near South Creek. Dozers are working on the west side of the Rubicon River to help stop the fire’s spread from east winds.

 

Weather: Weather continues in the same pattern. Humidity recovery overnight was poor, while daily conditions remain warm and dry, with temperatures in the 80s and afternoon humidity in the teens. Winds should be weak this afternoon around 8 mph.  Cooling temps are expected to bring higher humidity recovery. 

 

Community Meeting: A virtual community meeting yesterday evening attracted over 250 participants viewing the live video. Recording of the meeting is 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. A recording will be posted immediately following the live meeting.

 

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. Agency leaders ask that people refrain from going near the fire area to help maintain firefighter safety. Further information about this closure order can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is in place over the fire area.

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.

 

Highlights: Fire weather conditions are similar to those conditions experienced six years ago during the King Fire, with the exception of the fuel component. Because much of the fuel was removed during the 2014 King Fire, the burned area now contains millions of standing dead trees, also known as snags, which pose a hazard to firefighters. Highly trained tree fallers are now working to fall hazardous trees inside the fire line and along roadways within the King Fire scar. 

 

Operations: Crews continue to strengthen fire line on the southeastern edge of the fire to secure the Airport Flat area. Firefighters are working in from the edge to extinguish hot spots along the south and east sides of the fire. Along the northern edge, crews continue to construct line toward the Rubicon River. Yesterday, helicopters supported crews for several hours with water drops on hot spots near Airport Flat. On the southwest portion of the fire, crews are working to improve dozer line along a ridge near South Creek in the South Fork of Rubicon River canyon. 

 

Closures: The regional temporary emergency closure, which includes the Eldorado National Forest, has been extended through September 21, 2020. The forest will remain closed due to continued extreme fire conditions across the state. Agency officials are asking that people refrain from going in or near the fire area to help maintain firefighter and public safety. Further information about this closure order can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado. Authorities are working on a closure order specific to the fire area. A TFR (temporary flight restriction) is also in place over the fire area.

 

Weather: Little change in the weather is expected today. Conditions will remain warm and dry, with temperatures in the 80s and humidity in the teens. Winds should be slightly weaker this afternoon with maximum gusts less than 20 mph. Slightly cooler temperatures are expected tomorrow, with slightly higher humidity recovery. An interactive map displaying fire and smoke conditions across the United States can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.

 

Community Meeting: A recording of last night’s virtual community meeting is now 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. A recording will be posted immediately following the live meeting.

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.