The Lions Fire is located in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and has grown to 2959 acres. Ignited by a lightning strike that was detected in early June, the fire is burning in rugged terrain primarily in the Stairway Creek drainage, north and west of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Fire activity moderated in recent days as the fire reached previously burned areas, including the 2017 Butte Fire footprint to the west, and the 1992 Rainbow Fire footprint to the east. Yesterday’s firefighting efforts were focused on the southwest side of the fire, north of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, and the northeast side, near Summit Meadow.
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.
All lodging and recreational services are open in Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument. The Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail are open at this time. The following lateral trails leading into the fire area will be closed in the near future: 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 Devils Postpile National Monument (King Creek Trail).
Fire plays an essential role in maintaining forest health. The Lions Fire is reducing heavy fuel loads in areas with no recent fire history, which promotes forest resiliency and reduces drought stress. The fire is currently staffed by 266 people, including seven crews of firefighters and eight helicopters. Aircraft is providing logistical support to firefighters and cooling hot spots near fireline construction.
Air quality and smoke forecasts are available at https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/. To see smoke impacts in the area, visit webcams at http://www.mammothmountain.com. For more information, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5850/