Home » Headlines » Fires » Major Progress Made On Rim Fire

Major Progress Made On Rim Fire

TUOLUMNE COUNTY – The Rim Fire is now 80% contained, and personnel assigned to the incident has been drawn down by nearly 1,000.

Effective at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 3, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has lifted all evacuation advisories county-wide. This includes North Tuolumne Road, Ponderosa Hills, and the south side of Highway 108 from the North Tuolumne Road exit to Pinecrest.

Residents should be aware of periodic road closures in the area due to emergency services activity. All residents are asked to remain vigilant and prepared should fire conditions change.

There are currently no mandatory evacuations or evacuation advisories for Mariposa County. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows is still evacuated.

The Stanislaus National Forest Closure Order for the Rim Fire area has been expanded along the northern end of the fire’s edge. Note that the Dodge Ridge Ski Area is still open.

Smoke from the Rim Fire has settled into Yosemite Valley, Wawona, Foresta and other areas, causing air quality impacts. This will persist for the next few days, particularly in the morning hours.

Lions Clubs from all over California have been assisting at the Sonora Fairgrounds, setting up a Lions kitchen to serve those evacuated from their homes during the Rim Fire. With fire officials announcing yesterday the lifting of all evacuations, the Lions are closing up their kitchen with thanks from everyone involved in serving those displaced over the past few weeks.

The projected date for total containment of the fire is Sept. 20.

Rim Fire Fact Sheet

4 September 2013

Day 17

Acreage: 237,341 Square miles: 368.5

Largest wildfire in the United States to date in 2013

(Second largest to date in 2013: Lime Hills Fire, Alaska 201,809 acres)

No. 1-ranked on national wildland firefighting priority list

Fourth largest California wildfire in historical records dating to 1932

The four largest California wildfires have all occurred since 2003

Personnel currently on incident:

4,143

States that have sent firefighters or other personnel:

44 and the District of Columbia

Cal Fire geographical units that have sent personnel:

20 of 21

Inmate personnel from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:

746

Proportion of inmate personnel working on the fire:

17.1 percent

Completed containment line: 110.7 miles

Completed dozer line: 149.7 miles

Hand line: 9.3 miles Road Used as Line: 19.9 miles

Total acres burned in California to date in 2013:

493,627

Rim Fire acres as a proportion of burned acres in California:

47.8 percent

Total aviation hours: 1,543

Water dropped: 2.0 million gallons Fire retardant dropped: 2.3 million gallons

Acreage in Yosemite National Park: 66,155

Proportion of the fire burning in Yosemite National Park: 28 percent

Proportion of Yosemite National Park within the fire perimeter: 8.7 percent

Size of the fire area:

More than five times the size of Washington, D.C.

Hot meals served:

Breakfasts: 45,133 Dinners: 41,558

Pounds of firefighter laundry washed:

14,148.3

Origin of Rim Fire name:

The fire started near a scenic overlook in Stanislaus National Forest called “Rim of the World”

Fire Update

The Rim Fire’s southeast flank in Yosemite National Park is expected to remain active where unburned fuels remain between containment lines and the fire. Crews are constructing new line off the Tioga Road in an effort to reduce the amount of fire operations needed to contain the fire.

Rim Fire map 9-3-13As conditions are favorable crews will continue using firing operations to remove unburned fuels that could threaten containment lines on the fire’s south and northeast flanks. The fire’s west and north flanks are considered contained while firefighters continue to monitor for spot fires and heat found near containment lines.

The extremely dry fuels, high winds, and potential for long-range spotting remain significant concerns for the fire to advance beyond control lines.

Approximately 4,500 structures remain threatened in advance of the fire on both the east and west sides until the head waters of Hull Creek are completely burned out.

The night shift is expected to be scaled back as mopup continues and fuels are consumed.

Weather conditions are expected to be similar to yesterday with slightly drier conditions. Smoke exposure and air quality will continue to be a concern to the public and fire crew. California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 (McGowan) assumed command of the Rim Fire at 6 a.m. this morning.

Park and Forest Closures

Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed.

The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108. Additional details are available from the Stanislaus Forest Supervisor’s Office, 209-532-3671; Mi-Wok Ranger Station, (209) 586-3234; Summit Ranger Station, 209-965-3434; and Groveland Ranger Station, 209-962-7825.

Road Closures

Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf. Highway 120 east/Tioga Road remains open from 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf to the Tioga Pass entrance. Cherry Lake Road is closed at Highway 120. Evergreen Road and Old Yosemite Road are also closed. Highway 120 from Ferretti Road to Buck Meadows remains open for local residents and businesses only.

Evacuations and Advisories

There are currently no mandatory or advisory evacuation orders effective in Mariposa County. The evacuation advisory has been lifted for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest. Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows remains under evacuation.

One comment

  1. WOW, amazing numbers.

Leave a Reply

Sierra News Online

Sierra News Online