Bridgeport, CA. September 16, 2020–The Slink Fire exhibited moderated fire behavior and saw little growth yesterday, partially due to the heavy smoke that settled in over the area. Crews continued work on the southern end of the fire towards Coyote Valley Creek, building containment line directly on the fire’s edge and extinguishing hot spots in steep and rugged terrain. Similar operations took place on the north end of the fire and hard work from firefighters increased overall containment to 71%. On the eastern side of the fire, personnel continue to further secure the established fireline, as well as perform rehabilitation work such as repairing roads and culverts that were damaged during the fire.   

Command of the fire has transitioned to a Type 3 Incident Management Team, Nevada Team 2, who will continue full suppression objectives. The number of personnel has decreased but remains at a level that will support the needs of the incident.

From this point forward, daily Slink Fire email updates will discontinue unless significant information or activity warrants. To view daily updated information, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7105/, and follow the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest on Facebook (@HumboldtToiyabeNF #SlinkFire) or Twitter (@HumboldtToiyabe #SlinkFire).

The Closure Order for the Slink Fire area remains in place. To view more, please visit the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices/?aid=61374. Please stay out of the area for public safety as well as the safety of the fire personnel. Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure order for the fire area. For information on this closure, please go to: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Slink_Fire_BLM_Closure_09032020_508.pdf.

Smoke from the Slink Fire may continue to be visible in the coming days. Additionally, significant fire activity throughout the state has contributed to the dense smoke and poor air quality in the area. Visit https://fire.airnow.gov/ to view updated smoke impacts.

Bridgeport, CA. September 15, 2020– Today will be the last day of operations for Great Basin Team 6. Management of the fire will transition to Nevada Team 2 on September 16, 2020, at 0600.  When asked about his thoughts of the last 15 days, Incident Commander Brook Chadwick said, “I am incredibly proud of the work everyone on the Slink Fire has done.  In the field, the firefighters worked extraordinarily hard to ensure this fire did not have the potentially disastrous consequences we could have seen.  The resources deployed to assist these firefighters came together and worked tirelessly to ensure that our operations went as smooth as possible.  Our team’s core values, the preservation of life and respect, were a part of every aspect of this incident.  Resources from all of the country came together, and through mutual respect of each other, and this area, were able to accomplish our objectives, while avoiding any serious injury or loss of life.  I am confident that this amazing area is in great hands, and the Slink Fire will be well managed, as we hand over command to Nevada Team 2.”

It has been an honor and privilege to have served the areas of Coleville, Walker, Bridgeport, and all surrounding areas. We would like to thank all of the residents for their support and encouragement during the team’s time here.  Although Great Basin Team 6 will be leaving, suppression operations will continue on the Slink Fire.  Smoke should be expected from the fire area for the foreseeable future.  Fire personnel will continue to increase containment on the Slink Fire.  Crews will not only work to patrol and maintain fire containment lines, but they will also be working within the fire area itself.  Total resources on the incident will continue to decline but remain at a level that will support incident needs and objectives.   

The Closure Order for the Slink Fire area remains in place. To view more, please visit the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices/?aid=61374. We ask the public to please stay out of the area for their safety as well as the safety of the fire personnel. Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure order for the fire area. For information on this closure, please go to: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Slink_Fire_BLM_Closure_09032020_508.pdf.

Special Statement: 

Please limit your exposure to smoke as much as possible and view the links on the bottom to learn how best to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. 

Fire: 

The Slink Fire is currently at 26,754 and up to 60% containment. Yesterday, crews held containment lines and did suppression where necessary. Smoke will again be impeding fire growth today - crews will be watching for spotting and backing to keep the lines secured in areas where the fire could become active by wind. 

Smoke: 

Yesterday, we experienced heavy smoke impacts across the area, cutting visibility and diminishing air quality. Fires to the south of us are still very active - smoke from those fires came over us and also laid down to ground level, with reported ash in some locations. Today, predominantly southwest winds will once again bring smoke so we will see little to no relief from current conditions - we will once again see Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy at most sites with those directly in the path of the smoke will likely see Hazardous. 

Bridgeport, CA. September 14, 2020– Firefighters will continue to improve existing containment lines along the east side of East Fork Carson River. Previous day’s ignition operations were successful. Crews will now secure control lines utilizing pumps and hose. Crews will be working along the southwest flank of the fire using direct and indirect tactics to keep the fire out of Coyote Valley and limit the spread within Corral Valley. On the north end of the fire, personnel will continue to improve and secure containment lines. The east side of the fire has seen little fire activity for the last several days. Crews will continue to patrol and monitor the area.

Special Statement: 

Smoke from the Fork Fire will be monitored on this outlook - it is now reported at 1754 acres and remains at 7% containment. 

Fire: 

The Slink Fire is just over 26,700 acres and containment is at 54%. Yesterday, crews maintained the containment lines and suppressed any spot fires. Today they will continue to hold lines but overall smoke is expected to again impede fire growth. If conditions allow, aerial firing may take place at a small pocket to the south of the fire perimeter. 

Smoke: 

Yesterday was the first day of many where the reporting area will see heavy smoke impacts. Smoke down into the valley floors did not vacate and we saw sites in the Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy range in the morning. Fires from the south brought a blanket of smoke that rolled over us at 3pm, accompanied with gusty winds and hazy skies. Along with that smoke in the upper atmosphere came some ground level smoke - fortunately, that smoke had thinned by the time it arrived, but we still saw periods of Very Unhealthy, and will continue to see that this morning and over the next few days. 
 
To view an expanded Smoke Outlook Report, please visit https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks//Humboldt-ToiyabeNF   

Bridgeport, CA. September 13, 2020– Firefighters were successful yesterday with firing operations north and west of Mineral Mountain and east of the East Fork Carson River drainage. Personnel will continue to enforce the line and widen the secure edge along containment lines. Today’s operations will increase fire activity in the area West of Antelope Peak. Personnel will continue to enforce the line and widen the depth of the black along containment lines. Due to this operation increased smoke will be seen in the area.

 Before leaving a burned area, post-fire suppression repair work will begin. This work includes:

·         Installing waterbars (ditches cut at an angle into the soil) on dozer firelines to prevent soil erosion.

·         Removing soil and organic debris from streams.

·         Bringing road drainage structures back to pre-fire condition.

·         Treating/reducing large concentrations of downed trees (slash) near roads and structures.

·         Repairing damaged land improvements (e.g., water pipes, fences, gates) related to suppression activities.

·         Addressing public safety issues, such as removing hazard trees threatening roads or structures.

The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program addresses wildland fires on Forest Service lands, with the goal of guarding the safety of Forest visitors and employees. The program also focuses on protecting federal property, water quality, and critical natural or cultural resources from further damage after the fire is out. Information collected by the Forest Service BAER teams is shared with other federal, state, and local emergency response agencies so they can provide assistance to communities and private landowners who may also be affected by potential post-fire damage.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest has temporarily closed all lands, including backcountry and wilderness areas, located in California on the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. All campgrounds (developed and dispersed), day-use areas, trailheads, trails, and roads are closed to the public. No recreational activities will be allowed, including camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or operating off-highway vehicles, etc. To view the closure order, please visit: https://origin-fs.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices/?aid=61666.

Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure order for the fire area. For information on this closure, please go to: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Slink_Fire_BLM_Closure_09032020_508.pdf.

A Smoke Outlook report is continuing to be produced daily. The report will be posted to the Slink Fire InciWeb page, at: https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/Humboldt-ToiyabeNF. In addition to the Slink Fire, multiple other fires in California have contributed to the dense smoke and poor air quality in the area. Visit https://fire.airnow.gov/ to view updated smoke impacts.

Fire Information:

·         Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7105/

·         Facebook: @HumboldtToiyabeNF #SlinkFire

·         Twitter: @HumboldtToiyabe #SlinkFire

·         Fire Information Line: 775-430-5103

Special Statement: 

Smoke from the Fork Fire will be monitored on this outlook - it is now reported at 1736 acres and 7% containment. 

Fire: 

The Slink Fire was quite active yesterday - the inversion lifted early and crews worked all day to maintain the containment line to keep the fire from going into the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and Bagley Valley. Afternoon smoke may impede aerial operations today, so the Team is working to finish any firing early to secure the western perimeter of the fire. Currently, the Slink Fire is at 26,440 acres with 50% containment. 

Smoke: 

Yesterday, the inversion lifted early the plume from the fire lifted up and traveled north - some of that smoke laid down into the valley floor last night which will impact our monitoring sites in the Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy range this morning. This afternoon, as winds begin to shift from the SW, smoke from other fires will begin to impact our reporting area. We expect overhead smoke that will shade the area, but with that will come addition ground-level smoke that will diminish air quality for the next few days on this side of the Sierras. 

Bridgeport, CA. September 12, 2020– Fire personnel had considerable success yesterday. Good progress was made North and West of Mineral Mountain and East Fork Carson River drainage. The objective is to minimize spread into the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.  If conditions remain favorable, fire personnel will continue the ignition operations today. Working alongside our Resource Advisors, equipment will be utilized to repair roads in the Slinkard Valley.

Total personnel working on the Slink Fire, while decreasing, are still sufficient to support the overall goal of full suppression and 100% containment, while meeting the objectives of the incident.  Personnel who have spent their maximum allowable working time on an incident are being returned to their home units. Those resources that are able to continue working are being released to support other incidents. 

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest has temporarily closed all lands, including backcountry and wilderness areas, located in California on the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. All campgrounds (developed and dispersed), day-use areas, trailheads, trails, and roads are closed to the public. No recreational activities will be allowed, including camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or operating off-highway vehicles, etc. To view the closure order, please visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7105/55024/.

Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure order for the fire area. For information on this closure, please go to: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Slink_Fire_BLM_Closure_09032020_508.pdf.

Special Statement: 

Smoke from the Fork Fire will continued to be monitored on this outlook - it remains at 2,200 acres and 7% containment. 

Fire: 

The Slink Fire is just over 25,000 with 55% containment. Firing activities on Mineral Mountain were successful yesterday afternoon - aerial ignitions will continue today while conditions are good for crews to work on buttoning up the western perimeter of the fire and minimize the chance of fire spreading in to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and Bagley Valley. 

Smoke: 

Yesterday evening, the plume from the firing operations dispersed to the west and vacated the area - some smoke did carry into the valleys from downslope winds, but was likely mixed with regional smoke impacts as well. We expect similar smoke behavior today and tonight. For Sunday, we will likely see an increased amount of smoke from fires to the south of us by the afternoon. Please check back tomorrow morning for an updated smoke outlook for Sunday and Monday. 

Bridgeport, CA. September 11, 2020–Today is the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our country.  Close to 3,000 people lost their lives that day. Today, together, we remember them. Never Forget

Fire personnel working in the area of Mineral Mountain are reporting that the fire is burning in a mosaic pattern. This means that there are patches of burned and unburned areas across the landscape. Yesterday, fire behavior was moderate with light surface spread. Today, crews will focus their efforts in areas around Mineral Mountain and the East Fork Carson River drainage on the NW and W sides of the fire. These crews will be installing pumps and hose lays to assist with suppression efforts. Fire personnel will continue to repair line and return hose and pumps back to camp from the south end of the fire. 

Fire Managers use many tools to suppress fire. Wildland firefighters will intentionally ignite small fires in the path of an oncoming wildfire in order to burn the nearby vegetation and deprive the larger fire of fuel before it arrives. This can be done in many ways. One way is using helicopters to drop plastic spheres called “ping pong balls.” A delayed exothermic reaction results in ignition of the ball and adjacent fuels. The helicopter is able to drop these in a strategic pattern so the fire burns at a low intensity and consumes fuel in front of the main fire.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest has temporarily closed all lands, including backcountry and wilderness areas, located in California on the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts as of 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. All campgrounds (developed and dispersed), day-use areas, trailheads, trails, and roads are closed to the public. No recreational activities will be allowed, including camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or operating off-highway vehicles, etc. To view the closure order, please visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7105/55024/.

Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure order for the fire area. For information on this closure, please go to: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Slink_Fire_BLM_Closure_09032020_508.pdf.