MADERA COUNTY – North Zone – Oct. 6, 2020 – The Sierra National Forest will allow individuals who were evacuated from their homes in the North Zone of the fire an opportunity to return and collect their belongings Oct. 7 through Oct. 11. Please follow the link for more information about temporary reentry to Arnold Meadows and Beasore Meadows: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7147/57578/
The Creek Fire has now burned 326,706 acres with 49% containment and 1991 personnel working hard to bring 100% containment by the end of the month.
With the support of helicopter bucket drops, crews working in the area of Little Shuteye Peak have had success blocking the fire’s emergence from the granite and are close to bringing additional line into containment status. All night shifts were transitioned to day shifts over the past 24 hours. This brings an end to night operations for the North Zone.
Fireline in the vicinity of Redtop is nearing patrol status and close to being added to containment figures.
Mastication operations have been a routine practice on all accessible firelines, allowing firefighters to turn highly combustive fuels into chips. Once these chips are scattered across the ground on the green (unburned side) of the fireline, they are less likely to contribute to open heat and flame.
The fire is still 10 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.
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.”
FRESNO COUNTY – South Zone – 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 this weekend, October 10 and 11.
Please follow this link for more information on how to obtain an access permit. Permit Holder Access/Recreation Residence
A successful firing operation was conducted near Kaiser Pass Road. Crews were able to tie the firing operation into the main body of the fire. Expect moderate to locally intense surface fire, isolated torching, and rollout to contribute to the active fire footprint. Seasonally drought stressed fuels will continue to contribute to active fire behavior in all size classes.
Two spot fires occurred yesterday in the Ansel Adams Wilderness on the northeast side of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. These spot fires were slow moving and fire officials are monitoring them and looking for opportunities to safely engage.
A High-pressure ridge overhead is weakening this week. Some higher-level clouds will be present. Temperatures will remain above average into mid-week. Expect slightly higher humidity both day and night; however, limited nighttime recovery will occur along mid to upper slopes. Winds remain primarily terrain-driven, with smoke transport likewise following diurnal winds upslope to up canyon during the afternoon and downslope/down drainage flow for overnights-early mornings. Smoke will tend to remain under an inversion around 5500 feet and lift in the afternoon. Somewhat better smoke transport should occur overnight at higher elevations.
The Sierra National Forest will host an Incident Briefing Monday at 7pm via Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/SierraNF/
We would like to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thank you to the brave men and women who are a part of the following agencies fighting the Creek Fire:
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. Fresno County, Fresno County Public Health, Fresno County 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, California Air National Guard, and AT&T.
