A community meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, June 28, 2018, at the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center, 2510 Main St, at 6:00 pm. Interested members of the public and media are encouraged to attend. Fire management staff will be present to answer questions.
Lions Fire Update 6-26-18
The Lions Fire was detected in early June as a result of lighting. Firefighters made progress meeting containment objectives on the fire yesterday. The fire is located entirely in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and has grown to 2959 acres. It is burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain primarily in the Stairway Creek drainage, north and west of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Firefighter and public safety remains the top priority for fire managers.
The fire has reached the 2017 Butte Fire footprint which slowed westward movement. Crews have been successful slowing the eastern progression in the lighter fuels of the 1992 Rainbow Fire footprint. Handcrews and helicopters are being utilized to keep the fire north of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.
The Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail remain open at this time. Lateral trails leading into the fire area will be closed in the near future. Those trails include: Sierra NF: 26E01 (Mammoth Trail) to the Inyo NF Boundary, 26E56, 26E14, and 2646 from the Inyo NF boundary. Inyo NF trail closures include 26E01 from the Sierra NF to 2601 junction, and 2601 from the boundary of the Inyo NF and Devil’s Postpile National Monument (King Creek Trail). Hikers are advised to check the areas they are interested in going to before starting. All lodging and recreational services remain open in the town of Mammoth Lakes and the Reds Meadow Valley.
Fire plays an important role in maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem. Previously accepted practices of fire suppression have resulted in abnormally high buildup of fuels. The fire is being managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, firefighter safety, and hazardous vegetation reduction. As the fire burns through the heavy blowdown and areas of tree mortality, higher than normal amounts of smoke is being produced. The fire is located in designated wilderness; therefore firefighters are utilizing MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing line construction, only using hand construction crews.
Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses. More information is available athttps://tools.airfire.org/monitoring/v4. To see smoke impacts in the area, visit webcams atwww.mammothmountain.com.
There is a Temporary Flight Restriction issued for a 5 mile radius around the fire. This does not impact flights landing at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport.
For more information, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5850/ or call 760-582-5203.
Lions Fire Update 6-25-18
The Lions Fire continues to burn in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area. Strong winds and dry conditions have resulted in the fire growing to about 2000 acres. The fire is burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain in the Stairway Creek drainage, north and west of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://thereal395.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/6_25_18-Fire-Smoke-Forecast-1.pdf” title=”6_25_18 Fire Smoke Forecast (1)”]
Large areas of standing dead and down timber (red fir) are within and surrounding the burn area. Presently there is no threat to structures or public safety. All trails remain open at this time, including the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail. Lateral trails leading into the fire area are being considered for closure in the near future. Hikers are advised to check the areas they are interested in going to before starting.
Firefighters are containing the spread by suppressing active burning and building direct and indirect fireline. The fire is being managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, air quality, firefighter safety and hazardous vegetation reduction.
Because the fire is burning in designated wilderness, fire officials will be using MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing line construction, only using hand construction. Additional resources have been ordered to assist in the implementation of fire objectives.
The communities near the fire can expect smoke impacts in varying degrees for at least the next week. Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses.
There has been a Temporary Flight Restriction issued for a 5 mile radius around the fire. This does not impact flights landing at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport.
To see smoke impacts in the area, visit webcams at Mammothmountain.com.
For more information, see Lions Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5850/ or call 760-582-5203.
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USFS news release
Clovis, CA. June 24, 2018 – The Lions Fire started on the Sierra National Forest around June 1st as a lightning strike, and is burning near the Lion Point area in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It crossed onto the Inyo National Forest on June 22 and is now being co-managed by both the Sierra and the Inyo National Forests. Due to strong winds the evening of June 24 of 20-30 mph, the fire spread to the south and west and is now about 1000 acres, 7 miles southwest of Mammoth Lakes.
From Whitmore Pool/Photo courtesy of Melissa Ness
The fire is burning at 6000-8000’ elevation in red fir with some growth to the southeast. Large areas of standing dead and down timber are within and surrounding the burning area. There is no present threat to structures or public safety.
The fire will be managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, air quality, firefighter safety and hazardous vegetation reduction. Because the fire is burning in designated wilderness, fire officials will be using MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing mechanical disturbance with chainsaws or aircraft.
To maximize daylight work time, crews are camping near the fire and consist of four Type I hotshot crews and a Wildland Fire Module.
The communities near the fire can expect smoke impacts in varying degrees for the next two- three weeks. Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses.
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Charles,sad thing is,this day and age, sometimes it seems the “arm chair experts” make more sense than the so-called experts and authorities seem to do….not just with this fire burning,but a lot of other things going on this world and Country…..sayin’ just in case you haven’t noticed.
We’re fortunate to have so many armchair experts to let us know that the real experts aren’t really experts at all.
The only thing the USFS does well, on occasion, is to allow we the people to make decisions and complete projects. When the USFS starts making decisions things get costly, time consuming and little gets done.
Community meeting, great! At least they hear us.
The issue here is that this fire was discovered when very it was still very very small. It would have cost almost nothing to put it out. Now it will cost millions to suppress it, and resources will be drawn from other fires, stressing the system. Firefighters will have medical claims that run for decades, or far worse might be killed in the line of duty. People in surrounding communities will have health issues. Local economies will suffer.
There is no doubt that fire is part of the landscape. However, the notion that a lightning fire in a Wilderness area is always “natural” is ridiculous. Climate change is man made. Man made climate change renders forests more susceptible to catastrophic fire, and makes the forest far less resilient and far less able to repair itself. Native species are more easily displaced by invasive species (eg cheat grass) after fire in climate change-impacted forests. Healing rains and deep snowpack may be less prevalent, and may be replaced by torrential downpours that do more damage than good.
On this background, the notion that humans need to sit back and allow fire to destroy forests because fire is “natural” is nothing but stupid. It is a narrow and over-simplified thought process borne of the same stupidity that thinks that the earth was made for man to abuse and to subject to rapacious extraction. Man made climate change has changed the nature of nature. Natural is no longer natural. We as responsible people need to do what we can to assist nature, just as assuredly as we have harmed it through our many actions over the past century or two. We are not mute actors on the planet – choosing only to harm, and not to use our immense capabilities to help, is just plain dumb, and we are seeing the result of that dumb decision with this fire, right now, before our very eyes.
Amen Guy! Couldn’t have said it better. Thank you.
I am glad the USFS is using science and research to make informed decisions on how to fight this fire. If you want the smoke/fire put out I would recommend using your prayers.
Let the businesses pay for it then.
Is there such a thing as current updated news on any type of media; print, radio, TV, internet,even gossip will do, in Mammoth Lakes? There are lots of people , both local and tourist, trying to make their plans for the next ten days. Not vacation plans in every case. That’s really groovy and earthy that the burning of the forest is natures’ way but this is going to cost local business people and staff income that is desperately needed. Bypass the damn TBID going to handing out brochures at the swap meet and use the very abundant proceeds to hire some planes to dump water and put out the fire. It will be the best advertising dollars you will ever spend. From Joe Glotz. PS If its not enough money use 2, 3, 4 months of extortion fees. It will pay off and the forest will still be OK
Yet another set of whiners. Fire happens folks. Deal.
Glad everyone doesn’t think that way,Lightning Strikes…I don’t think people are “whining” about the lightning strike,I think they’re kind of upset it’s being allowed to burn,never mind the fact it’s effecting the air quality up here,but also burning kinda close now to Mammoth now and effecting their air quality big time..I sure hope you don’t see it as “fire happens” and “whining” this summer when the big fires down south or up north start up,which is bound to happen soon..comes a time to do something to put it out.
Many – if not most – of the “big fires” to which you refer are the direct result of the very fire/forest management approach you seem to be advocating: put out every fire in the woods ASAP (at great public expense) lest we humans have to breathe smoke for awhile.
This outdated practice is what has caused the build-up of fuels that, combined with climate change, has and will continue to result in catastrophic forest fires.
You say “fire/forest management ” by the “authorities”…thing is,I can’t count the times in the last 18 years they (the “authorities” ) have done prescribed burns,or “let” a lightning strike fire burn,and burn out on it’s own,but then before you know it,that fire is way out of control,causing the expensive air-drops,CalFire being called in,evacuation orders for nearby homes and citizens,and,as in this case,causing air-quality issues as well as effecting tourism Mammoth Lakes so craves this time of year…I’m hearing the smoke has been,maybe still is really bad in Mammoth,but not so much in June Lake and beyond north along 395…We’ll see how that will impact tourism and where the visitors will go for the long July 4th week-end ahead.When coming up here,my bet is the SoCalers will want to breathe in the area they are visiting up here in the Sierra.
Obviously you are uninformed, Mammoth is pretty nice right now and the smoke is heading toward June Lake and sitting in the Reds Meadow Valley. We can do with lull in tourism, and my business relies on tourism.
InYoFace……I must be mis-informed by my lyin’ eyes…seeing the photos of Mammoth taken on Monday And Tuesday,and comments people are making up there,seems kinda bad to me…think I’ll stay south,or if I do want to get up north,Bridgeport will be to where I go.
I guess you did not hear that most of the fuel out there in that fire was from the result of the 2011 Blowdown. Not 100 years of fire suppression.
Golly gee wiz folks.
Get a clue , stop regurgitating crap the bureaucrats spew.
Fire happens? I agree let if burn. This is nothing but a money grab by every agency and contractor involved.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160125160348.htm
The USFS is worthless
Someone might mention to the FS that if everyone is asphyxiated in Mono County, there will be fewer taxpayers to pay government salaries.
This sucks.
The eastern sierra doesn’t need another bad fire lasting all summer. Just cancelled my trip to Mammoth. Hate the smoke.
MIST…Give me a break. Put the fire out before it is knocking on mammoths front door.
And Burning since June 1st. Forest sevice do your job.
Hey, USFS, “YOU’RE FIRED.”
Just in , 2000 acres. If the fire is burning east that could mean a couple miles closer to the Mammoth Area.
Thanks USFS from the westside.
Great! Another smoke filled summer in the valley.
They had a chance to put it out last week, but “Muh Natural Fire”…. now we cant breathe and everyone is sick in town. FU
WTF has Smokey the Bear has been furloughed by the greenies? Evidently common sense has been furloughed. Can’t put out a fire out on June 1st that’s a couple of acres in size because its a “natural fire” in a national forest. Now its several thousand acres and growing and it looks like we will be breathing smoke for weeks. Our tax dollars at work.
Air quality in Bishop is horrible. What about folks with breathing difficulties like asthma, COPD, etc. We need to get this fire out, not let it burn!
If they’re worried about tourism, why don’t they tell us the smokiest trail heads to avoid and the best ones to use? (news we can use)
Why don’t we have more info. This is serious. The fire pretty much due west of Mammoth with prevailing winds towards Mammoth.
what the heck . They are worried about tourisim.
Because more info would reveal a very stupid decision on their part, can’t have that.