The fire is currently 322,774 acres, 49% contained, approximately 1,988 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations.

There will be a Fresno County Community Meeting Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 6:00 pm.  Online only on Facebook Live @FresnoCountyCA https://www.facebook.com/FresnoCountyCA

View a .pdf version

Incident Start Date: 09/04/2020 Incident Start Time: 6:33 p.m.

Incident Type: Wildland Fire Cause: Under Investigation

Incident Location: Both sides of the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Pool, Shaver Lake, Big Creek and

Huntington Lake.

Forest/CAL FIRE Units: Sierra National Forest, CAL FIRE Units Fresno-Kings and Madera-Mariposa-Merced

Unified Command Agencies: Northern Rockies Team 4, CAL FIRE, California Team 5, Fresno and Madera County Sheriffs

Size: 322,089 Containment: 48%

Firefighter Injuries/Fatalities: 12 injuries Expected Full Containment: 10/31/2020

Structures Threatened: 119 Structures Destroyed: 856* Structures Damaged: 71*

CURRENT SITUATION

Temporary Entry Permits: The Sierra National Forest will allow individuals who were evacuated from campgrounds, camping areas and cabins in the South Zone of the fire an opportunity to return and collect their belongings again next weekend, October 10th and 11th. Additional dates and northern access will be added as permit requests dictate. Please follow this link for more information on how to obtain an access permit. Permit Holder Access/Recreation Residence Weather Information: Transitioning high pressure will again provide a warm and dry, but stable fire environment. A steady cooling trend of 1-2° each day will continue through this week. However, temperatures will still be above average through early next week before lowering to more seasonal temperatures by midweek. Diurnal winds and low humidity will keep hot spots alive which could be fanned into a short flare up, especially in areas of higher elevation where smoke clears off during the day. Smoke transport will follow diurnal winds, upslope transport during the afternoon with smoke returning to lower elevations, downslope and down drainage flows overnight. Thermal belts will set up once again tonight with very poor humidity recovery.

Fresno County-SOUTH ZONE: Expect slow, steady, active fire spread in any direction with good fuel Continuity. Deep seated fire in heavy fuels will advance through moderate to high intensity surface fire. Very steep terrain will support short aggressive runs through timber. Zones around Florence Lake have been identified for evacuation orders. Madera County-NORTH ZONE: Along the area of uncontained fire perimeter near Cold Springs and in close proximity to Little Shuteye Peak, firefighters are attacking the slow-moving flame front directly. All other lines along the west flank, south of Globe Rock are in patrol status. Good containment has been achieved along northern fire perimeters in the vicinity Red Top Peak where active gridding (fire fighters moving through the area ensuring embers in the duff located and extinguished) and mop up are ongoing. Resources in the interior of the fire, including The Road Group continued to drop hazard trees (snagging) and clear roads of debris, as well as maintain a watch over unburned fuels in Arnold and Johnson Meadows. The last structure assessments are also taking place in the northern interior.* Seasonal and fire-induced loss of needles and leaves provides an additional opportunity for reignition within already burned areas. Crews are assessing and clearing the lines of these new flammable materials to ensure the fire does not move into unburned areas (green islands), and reduce the opportunity for slop overs and spots. The fire is still 10-12 miles west of Mammoth Lakes, little forward progression is occurring due to the natural barriers of rock and the Lions Fire (2018) burn scar. Conditions continue to be monitored very closely. Additional information is available via the Sierra National Forest Facebook page, or the following link: https://creek-fire-preparednessmonomammoth.hub.arcgis.com Cattle in and around the fire area are being rounded up and moved. Be aware of cattle, those working with them, fire personnel and other hazardous conditions when returning to the fire impacted area once it re-opens. Please respect the Temporary Flight Restriction. The use of drones is not permitted over the fire area. A drone incursion will result in the grounding of all firefighting aircraft. Remember, "If you fly - We can't."

Evacuation

Map: The evacuation map of Creek Fire evacuations for Fresno and Madera counties is available online: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=28ce52cb86bf49dea0adef5a78b3c1b5

Incident Briefing: The Sierra National Forest will host an Incident Briefing Monday at 7pm via Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/SierraNF/

Damage Inspection: * Damage assessments are about 98% complete. Fresno County and Madera County: An interactive damage assessment map for Fresno County and Madera County is available: Fresno County Damage Assessment Map or https://bit.ly/3kxDyvI

Sign Up for Emergency Alerts Fresno County: https://t.co/Otack9NyKc?amp=1 Madera County: mcalert.org Mariposa County: Sheriff Office, sign up with Everbridge: msoalert.com Temporary Flight Restriction: Perimeter runs from South Merced River Fork on the south end of Yosemite National Park, south to Millerton Lake roughly following Route 41, east to Kings Canyon National Park, and north to Inyo National Forest. See: tfr.faa.gov

Evacuation Warnings: Madera County: For a complete list of evacuation warnings, see the Sheriff’s website (QR code and complete web address in yellow highlight).

Road Closures: Fresno County: Highway 168 at Kaiser Pass will be closed today, Sunday, October 4th. Madera County: Cascadel Road at 8S09 Cascadel Rd, Mammoth Road at 59701 Mammoth Road, Beasore Road at Road 274, Road 274 at Central Camp Road, and Road 632 at Buckskin Lane. Closure updates are listed at: https://www.facebook.com/MaderaSheriff/.

Temporary Evacuation Points: Fresno County Clovis North High School - 2770 East International Ave. Clovis, CA

Animal Evacuation Centers: Fresno County Small animals – Clovis North 2770 East International Ave. Large animals – The Fresno Fairgrounds, 1121 S Chance Ave, Fresno, CA 93702, is set up to receive evacuated animals but please contact the Central California Animal Disaster Team (888-402-2238) to make arrangements so animals can be received at the fairgrounds. Madera County Small animals – Oakhurst Community Center 39800 Road 425B Oakhurst, CA Large animals – Producer’s Livestock Facility at Madera Farm Bureau, 1022 South Pine Street, Madera, CA

Missing Persons: Fresno County Sheriff 559-600-3111 Madera County Sheriff 559-658-2555

National Park Closures: Yosemite National Park reopened September 25, 2020. For specific park information please visit National Park Service – Yosemite.

National Forest Closures: Effective October 3, 2020, the Sierra National Forest will be fully closed under Forest Closure Order No. 05-15-00-20-15 through November 1, 2020. Conditions will be re-evaluated daily. For information, please go to the Sierra National Forest website at: fs.usda.gov/alerts/sierra/alerts-notices

Bullfrog Fire Information: The Bullfrog Fire is burning on the Sierra National Forest but is not related to the Creek Fire. For information about that fire, please check InciWeb: Sierra National Forest Bullfrog Fire

ASSIGNED RESOURCES

Engines: 173 Water Tenders: 37 Helicopters: 13 Hand Crews: 35 Dozers: 12

Masticators and Skidders: 3 Total Personnel: 2,066

Air Tankers: Available as needed and conditions allow.

Cooperating Agencies

North Zone: Madera County, Madera County Public Health, Madera County Fire, OES, CHP, National Park Service,

PG&E, CDCR, Sothern California Edison, American Red Cross, California National Guard, California Army National Guard,

US Marine Corps of the 7th Engineering Support Battalion and US Navy (medics), Caltrans, and California Conservation

Corps.

South Zone: Fresno County, Fresno County Public Health, Fresno County OES, OES, Shaver Lake Fire Department, Bald

Mountain Fire Protection District, Auberry Fire Department, Huntington Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Big Creek

Volunteer Fire Department, Pine Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, CHP, National Park Service, CDCR, PG&E, Sothern

California Edison, American Red Cross, California National Guard, California Air National Guard, Caltrans, AT&T, US

Marine Corps of the 7th Engineering Support Battalion w/US Navy (medics) and California Conservation Corps.

Creek Fire Virtual Community Meeting will be aired this evening starting at 7 PM on the Sierra National Forest Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/SierraNF

The fire is currently 322,089 acres, 48% contained, approximately 2,066 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations.

The 62% containment figure reported yesterday was an error caused by multiple sources entering conflicting data into the incident geo-database.  The error has been corrected in today's numbers.

This morning two additional zones were added to the evacuation orders issued yesterday.  News Release 10.04.2020 evacuation orders
News Release 10.05.2020 evacuation orders

There is a virtual community meeting happening on the Sierra National Forest's Facebook page at 7:00 pm this evening.  https://fb.me/e/3BgMoB5P9

View ,pdf version of the update

 

WHAT: EVACUATION ORDERS issued on the Creek Fire

DATE / TIME: October 5, 2020, at 7:00 A.M.

WHERE: Two zones southeast and northeast of Florence Lake

Fresno County and Sierra National Forest: On the afternoon of October 4, the Creek Fire spotted south of Kaiser Pass Road at the turnoff to Florence Lake Road. To provide for public safety, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office issued Evacuation Orders for the following zones southeast and northeast of Florence Lake: F10F, F10G (descriptions below), effective 7:00 A.M. on Monday, October 5. All Sierra National Forest System lands are temporarily closed under Closure Order 05-15-00-20-15, effective October 3, 2020 through November 1, 2020.

Zone F10F: The south border begins just north of Corral Mountain. The west border consists of the territories east of Courtright Reservoir. The north border extends north of Mount Shinn as well as north of the Muir Trail Ranch. The east border extends to include the area east of Zingheim Heights (West of Mount Henry).

Zone F10G: The west boundary of this zone consists of the territories east of Edison Lake. This zone includes the features such as Mount Seneger and Mount Gabb. The north boundary begins just north of Mount Hopkins. The east boundary parallels the Fresno County line southward and ends south of Turret Peak.

Interactive evacuation map: https://tinyurl.com/y3wpp6ol

Evacuation Order: Movement of community members out of a defined area due to an immediate threat to life and property from an emergency incident. An Evacuation Order should be used when there is potential or actual threat to civilian life within 1 to 2 hours or when the IC deems it necessary to protect civilians.

The fire is currently 316,673 acres, 49% contained, approximately 2,059 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations. New evacuations were ordered this afternoon.

View the full update (.pdf file)

WHAT: EVACUATION ORDERS issued on the Creek Fire

DATE / TIME: October 4, 2020 at 5:30 P.M.

WHERE: Three zones around Florence Lake, Muir Trail Ranch, and Blayney Meadows.

Fresno County and Sierra National Forest: On the afternoon of October 4, the Creek Fire spotted south of Kaiser Pass Road at the turnoff to Florence Lake Road. Effective immediately, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has issued Evacuation Orders for the following zones around Florence Lake: F10C, F10D, and F10E (descriptions below). Sierra National Forest System lands are temporarily closed under Closure Order 05-15-00-20-15, effective October 4, 2020.

Zone F10C: The south boundary is near the South Fork San Joaquin River at the base of Florence Lake. The west boundary will be the shores and areas surrounding Florence Lake. The north boundary will be Kaiser Pass Road south of its intersection with Edison Lake Road. The east boundary is east of Jackass Dike and just east of the Hooper Diversion Trailhead.

Zone F10D: The south boundary lies just north of Windy Gap and Black Butte Mountain. The west boundary lies just east of the intersection of Kaiser Pass Road and Highway 168. The north boundary is Mono Hot Springs. The east boundary is Florence Lake as well as the Sierra National Forest Land.

Zone F10E: The south boundary is the Sierra National Forest, north of Muir Trail Ranch. the west boundary is west of Florence Lake and west of Jackass Dike. The north boundary is south of Edison Lake as well as the Sierra National Forest. The east boundary is the Sierra National Forest, west of Mount Seneger and Seven Gables.

Interactive evacuation map: https://tinyurl.com/y3wpp6ol

Evacuation Order: Movement of community members out of a defined area due to an immediate threat to life and property from an emergency incident. An Evacuation Order should be used when there is potential or actual threat to civilian life within 1 to 2 hours or when the IC deems it necessary to protect civilians.

Incident Start Date: 09/04/2020 
Incident Start Time: 6:33 p.m.
Incident Type: Wildland Fire
Cause: Under Investigation
Incident Location: Both sides of the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Pool, Shaver Lake, Big Creek and Huntington Lake.
Forest/CAL FIRE Units: Sierra National Forest, CAL FIRE Units Fresno-Kings and Madera-Mariposa-Merced
Unified Command Agencies: Northern Rockies Team 4, CAL FIRE, California Team 5, Fresno and Madera County Sheriffs
Size: 315,413
Containment: 49%
Firefighter Injuries/Fatalities: 12 injuries
Expected Full Containment: 10/31/2020
Structures Threatened: 4,576
Structures Destroyed: 503*
Structures Damaged: 39*

Temporary Entry Permits:

The Sierra National Forest will allow individuals who were evacuated from campgrounds, camping areas and cabins in the South Zone of the fire an opportunity to return and collect their belongings again today, as well as next weekend, on October 10th and 11th. Additional dates and northern access will be added as requested permit numbers dictate. Please follow this link for more information on how to obtain an access permit.

Weather Information:

The strong and very warm high-pressure system will continue to slowly weaken over the next few days. However, temperatures will remain above seasonal average until mid-week. Low relative humidity will persist for the next few days, including very poor recoveries overnight for mid to upper elevations due to the thick thermal belt that is in place.

Winds will remain primarily terrain-driven, with smoke transport following diurnal winds upslope and up-canyon during the afternoons changing to downslope/down drainage during the nights and early mornings. As expanding fire fronts transition from backing to head fire through this slope reversal, even small terrain changes will support uphill runs, torching and short-range spotting. Smoke will remain trapped under an inversion around 5500 feet, but the inversion will not be quite as strong today and smoke may lessen in the afternoon as compared to recent days.

Fresno County-SOUTH ZONE:

Poor overall ventilation in the southern and lower eastern portions of the fire, will support smoke shading throughout the daylight hours. Fire activity near Edison Lake and Mono Hot Springs produced noticeable smoke, which will impact Kaiser Pass Road towards the North East portion of the fire. Conditions remain constant related to the south area’s expected fire activity.

Madera County-NORTH ZONE:

Fire lines east of North Fork are now in patrol status with more than 10 miles of hose retrieved from those lines. Crews are looking at opportunities to work directly on the uncontained fire perimeter north and east of Bass Lake. Good success with containment has also been achieved along north west areas of the fire (Red Top) where active gridding (fire fighters moving through the area ensuring embers in the duff located and extinguished) and mop up are ongoing. The structure group is nearing completion of assessments in the upper 81 Road corridor, but needed to relocate yesterday due to heavy smoke, spending time in the Johnson and Arnold Meadows gridding for smoldering spots.

Removal of hazardous standing dead trees (“snagging”) continued along roads within and adjacent to the fire area. Crews are currently working in the Portuguese Creek and Strawberry Mine areas now that the southern portions of the 81 Road have been completed. Structure protection and assessments are also ongoing.

The fire is still 10-12 miles west of Mammoth Lakes, little forward progression is occurring due to the natural barriers of rock and the Lions Fire (2018) burn scar. Conditions continue to be monitored very closely. Additional information is available via the Sierra National Forest Facebook page, or the following link:

https://creek-fire-preparednessmonomammoth.hub.arcgis.com

Cattle in and around the fire area are being rounded up and moved. Be aware of cattle, those working with them, fire personnel and other hazardous conditions when returning to the fire impacted area once it re-opens.

Please respect the Temporary Flight Restriction. The use of drones is not permitted over the fire area. A drone incursion will result in the grounding of all firefighting aircraft. Remember, "If you fly - We can't."

INCIDENT FACTS 

Incident Start Date: 09/04/2020 

Incident Start Time: 6:33 p.m. 

Incident Type: Wildland Fire 

Cause: Under Investigation 

Incident Location: Both sides of the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Pool, Shaver Lake, Big Creek and Huntington Lake. 

Forest/CAL FIRE Units: Sierra National Forest, CAL FIRE Units Fresno-Kings and Madera-Mariposa-Merced 

Unified Command Agencies: Northern Rockies Team 4, CAL FIRE, California Teams 5, Fresno and Madera County Sheriffs 

Size: 312,063 

Containment: 49% 

Firefighter Injuries/Fatalities: 10 injuries 

Expected Full Containment: 10/31/2020 

Structures Threatened: 4,576 

Structures Destroyed: 503* 

Structures Damaged: 39* 

CURRENT SITUATION 

Current Situation: 

Temporary Entry Permits:    

The Sierra National Forest will allow individuals who were evacuated from campgrounds, camping areas and cabins in the south side of the fire an opportunity to return and collect their belongings today and tomorrow as well as on October 10th and 11th.  Additional dates and northern access will be added as requested permit numbers dictate.  Please follow this link for more information on how to obtain an access permit.  Permit Holder Access/Recreation Residence 

 Weather Information: 

The strong area of high pressure that has kept temperatures well above season averages will slowly begin to weaken into early next week. This hot and dry regime will keep a hold through at least Saturday, before temperatures start to slide back towards normal early next week.  

Very dry conditions and light terrain driven diurnal winds will continue with poor humidity recovery again expected overnight along thermal belt areas. Smoke transport will follow diurnal winds with upslope transport during the afternoon and smoke returning to lower elevations with downslope/down drainage flows overnight. 

 Fresno County: SOUTH ZONE 

The Conditions remain constant related to the south area’s expected fire activity. The weather pattern continues to support the drought stressed fuels contributing to active fire behavior. A strong high pressure system will provide a warm and dry, but stable fire environment. 

 Madera County: NORTH ZONE 

Active burning of surface fuels within the Ansel Adams Wilderness (north side of the fire) continues, but is confined by natural barriers. In the northwest corner fire fighters continue to secure the edge, mopping up and increasing containment line depth. The southwest area from the San Joaquin River north to Central Camp will transition into patrol status now that that crews have completed mop up and widened and secured the containment line. Helicopters flew throughout the day yesterday supporting fire operations and are expected to be available throughout the day today. Additional helicopters are arriving today to supplement existing resources.  

 Removal of hazardous standing dead trees (“snagging”) continued along roads within and adjacent to the fire area. Crews are currently working in the Portuguese Creek and Strawberry Mine areas now that the southern portions of the 81 Road have been completed.  Structure protection and assessment is also ongoing. 

 The fire is still 10-12 miles west of Mammoth Lakes, little forward progression is occurring due to the natural barriers of rock and the Lions Fire (2018) burn scar. Conditions continue to be monitored very closely. Additional information is available via the Sierra National Forest Facebook page, or the following link:  

https://creek-fire-preparednessmonomammoth.hub.arcgis.com 

 Cattle in and around the fire area are being rounded up and moved. Be aware of cattle, those working with them, fire personnel and other hazardous conditions when returning to the fire impacted area once it re-opens.  

 Please respect the Temporary Flight Restriction. The use of drones is not permitted over the fire area. A drone incursion will result in the grounding of all firefighting aircraft. Remember, "If you fly - We can't." 

Evacuation Map: 

The evacuation map of Creek Fire evacuations for Fresno and Madera counties is available online: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=28ce52cb86bf49dea0adef5a78b3c1b5  

Incident Briefing: 

The Sierra National Forest will host an Incident Briefing Monday at 7pm via Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/SierraNF/ 

Damage Inspection: 

* Damage assessments are about 98% complete.  

Fresno County and Madera County: 

An interactive damage assessment map for Fresno County and Madera County is available: Fresno County Damage Assessment Map or https://bit.ly/3kxDyvI 

Sign Up for Emergency Alerts  

Fresno County: https://t.co/Otack9NyKc?amp=1 

Madera County: mcalert.org 

Mariposa County: Sheriff Office, sign up with Everbridge: msoalert.com 

Temporary Flight Restriction: Perimeter runs from South Merced River Fork on the south end of Yosemite National Park, south to Millerton Lake roughly following Route 41, east to Kings Canyon National Park, and north to Inyo National Forest. See: tfr.faa.gov 

Evacuation Warnings: 

Madera County:. For a complete list of evacuation warnings, see the Sheriff’s website (QR code and complete web address in yellow highlight). 

Road Closures: 

Fresno County: Maxon Road at Trimmer Springs Road, Sycamore Road at Watts Valley Road, Highway 168 at Lodge Road, Lodge Road at Tollhouse Road, Auberry Road at Jose Basin Road, Duncan Canyon Road at Burrough North Road 

Madera County: Cascadel Road at 8S09 Cascadel Rd, Mammoth Road at 59701 Mammoth Road, Beasore Road at Road 274, Road 274 at Central Camp Road, and Road 632 at Buckskin Lane.  Closure updates are listed at: https://www.facebook.com/MaderaSheriff/. 

Temporary Evacuation Points: 

Fresno County 

Forest Order No. 05-15-00-20-15
Sierra National Forest
Forest Closure Order

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 Sierra National Forest.  This Order is effective from October 3, 2020 through November 1, 2020.  
 

1. Going into or being upon National Forest System lands within the Sierra National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e).
2. Being on a National Forest System road within the Sierra National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).
3. Being on a National Forest System trail within the Sierra National Forest. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).