USFS news releases

SPRINGS FIRE

Incident Start Date: 7/26/2019 Cause: Lightning Size: 4,718 acres Containment: 68%
Incident Type: Suppression/Multiple Objectives Vegetation Type: Brush and timber
Agency: Inyo National Forest, U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Resources Assigned: Engines: 4 Helicopters: 1 Crews: 4 Water Tenders: 1 Total Personnel: 160

[pdf-embedder url=”https://thereal395.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Smoke-Outlook-9-01-19.pdf” title=”Smoke Outlook 9-01-19″]

Current Situation: Crews are now able to concentrate their efforts on the interior of the fire area. Firefighters are working to re-introduce fire into its natural role on the landscape. Most of the smoke produced by the fire will be from downed logs and duff from the forest floor. Smoke may cause limited visibility along California 120, east of
Highway 395, near or east of the fire today through the early afternoon. Please be advised to use caution when driving or recreating along or near this road.

R.A.W.S: Fire managers utilize Remote Automated Weather Stations located close to the fire to receive more accurate weather readings. With more accurate weather readings, firefighters can better plan future strategies and tactics.

Smoke Outlook: The latest daily air quality forecasts and site by site details can be found athttps://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/InyoNationalForest

Road Closure Order: Forest Order No. 05-04-50-19-09 is in effect for some roads leading into the Springs Fire to provide for public and firefighter safety. See Exhibit B of the Forest Order for a description of the exact closure area, or the provided closure map here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/6477/.

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place for the Springs Fire. Please go to the following link https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_7847.html for more information.

Remember, flying a drone near a fire is breaking the law.

Fire Prevention Message: Please remember, that one less spark means one less wildfire.

http://www.preventwildfireca.org/OneLessSpark/
Online Fire Information: Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6477/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/inyonf

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COW FIRE

Incident Start Date: 07/25/2019 Cause: Lightning Size: 1,350 acres Containment: 15%
Incident Type: Wildfire Vegetation Type: Brush and timber Injuries: 2
Agency: Inyo National Forest, U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Resources Assigned: Helicopters: 2 Crews: 4 Packers: 2 Total Personnel: 84

[pdf-embedder url=”https://thereal395.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PIO_Letter_land_20190901_0750_Cow_CAINF1435.pdf”]

Current Situation: The Cow Fire has grown to 1,350 acres as it continues to move naturally across the landscape at a low-intensity. Firefighters have been successful in reinforcing natural barriers to confine and suppress the fire in a safe manner, with minimal impacts to the wilderness. Crews have secured 15 percent containment. Fire mangers anticipate that the fire will continue to burn for 2 to 3 more weeks based on predicted weather conditions and observed fire behavior.

“The complexity of a wildfire determines the type of the organization that will manage the incident. Management organizations range from a low-complexity Type 5 on a 1/10-acre fire up to a Type 1 which requires thousands of firefighters and support staff. The Cow Fire is presently being managed by a Type 3 organization and is not expected to increase in complexity” commented Tomas Gonzales, District Fire Management Officer on the Lone Pine District of the Inyo National Forest.

The Cow Fire Type 3 organization is working from the Incident Command Post (ICP) located in Lone Pine; and is comprised of the Incident Commander and specialists who focus on safety, logistics, planning, public information, mapping and finance. These team members make operational plans, ensure that fire personnel are aware of hazards and ways to mitigate safety concerns, coordinate the ordering and delivery of supplies, produce maps to track fire progression and inform tactical planning, track costs associated with the fire and provide timely and accurate information to the
public.

Although these team members are far from the fireline, without planning and support from the ICP, firefighters on the line would not be able to accomplish their operational objectives.

Moderate smoke impacts can be expected over the holiday weekend as the Cow Fire continues to slowly consume surface fuels on the forest floor such as logs, grass, brush and duff. Smoke may settle overnight in the South Fork of the Kern River, Kennedy Meadows and Olancha. Smoke will lift during the day and be visible from recreational sites and trails in the Golden Trout Wilderness, the Highway 395 corridor and surrounding communities.

Closure Order: Several back-country trail segments have been closed for public safety and firefighter focus. All segments are on R35E T18S Section 31 and R35E T19S Sections 4,5,6,8,9,17 and 18 of the Templeton Mountain topo map. The segments are:
 3507 from Templeton Cow Camp east to the intersection with 3412/3512 near Strawberry Creek
 3510 from the intersection with 3512 near Strawberry Creek east to the South Fork of the Kern River
 3512 from the intersection with 3510 (near Strawberry Creek) south to Schaeffer Stringer near Iron Spring
 3511 from where it intersects 3512 south to where it crosses Schaeffer Stringer
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place for the Cow Fire as well.

For the latest information go to Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6529/ (note: this is listed as the “Cow”; another fire in Oregon is the “Cow Fire” on Inciweb) or the Inyo National Forest Facebook page.