Thursday, August 8, 2013

Power Fire 32% contained 881 acres


Summary: Last night, fire crews continued to hold and make good progress constructing additional line and reinforcing existing lines on the fire. The Power Fire was reported on August 5, 2013 at 5:38 a.m. The fire is located in the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River, 4 miles northwest of the community of Pinecrest. This is very steep and rugged terrain with critically dry vegetation, hardwood slash, brush and timber. Crews are contending with material rolling out and loose rocks and trees falling downhill. Dozers are continuing to put in line and tying into roads along ridgetops. Hand crews will continue constructing containment lines. Firefighter and public safety are primary objectives
All roads, (with the exception of forest road 5N95 at Beardsley Road), local businesses and recreation areas remain OPEN.
The management of the Power Fire transitioned from the Stanislaus National Forest to the Southern California Incident Management Team 2 on Aug. 6, 2013.
Road & Trail Closures / Evacuations: The team is asking the public to avoid forest road 5N95 at Beardsley Road due to fire apparatus traffic. There are no evacuations in place for the fire area. However, as with any incident, the public should be prepared to leave on short notice.
Structure Information; There are 100 residences threatened which are located in the communities of Bumblebee, Leland Creek and Cow Creek. There have been no structures damaged or destroyed.
Predicted Weather: The forecast for today calls for mostly clear with temperatures between 72 and 76 degrees. Maximum humidity expected between 28-33 percent. Winds will be out of the southeast with peak gusts at 15mph.


Location: 4 miles NW of Pinecrest, Calif. Date Started: August 5, 2013
Stanislaus National Forest
Injuries: 2
Percent Contained: 32%
Cause: Under Investigation
Acres Burned: 881
Resources:
Hand crews 15 Engines 34
Helicopters 5 Fixed Wing 4
Water Tenders 8 Dozers 3
Total personnel assigned to fire: 447
Agencies Involved: US Forest Service, Cal-Fire, Tuolumne County Fire, California Highway Patrol, Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office, CalTrans, PG&E and Tri-Dam.
Don Garwood, Incident Commander, Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 2

Basic Information

Incident TypeWildfire
CauseUnder Investigation
Date of OriginMonday August 05th, 2013 approx. 06:00 AM
LocationNear Beardsley Reservoir east of Hells Half Acre Rd.
Incident CommanderDon Garwood

Current Situation

Total Personnel447
Size881 acres
Percent Contained32%
Fuels InvolvedBrush and Timber
Fire BehaviorModerate growth

Outlook

Planned ActionsContinue dozer lines on ridge tops, handcrews continue building lines out of the river canyon, protection of structure and infrastructure.
Growth PotentialHigh
Terrain DifficultyExtreme
RemarksHighway 108 is open.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions 5 to 10 mph SE
Temperature55 degrees
Humidity55%