Re: Taboose Fire grows in wind driven event Evacuations and closures in effect

Last night, the Taboose Fire jumped its containment lines when sustained 40-50 mph winds caused spot fires. The fire is estimated to be 4,000 acres with 10% containment. Last night, firefighters focused on structure protection for the nearby communities. Extreme fire behavior has been observed. The Birch Creek community is under mandatory evacuation. Tinnemaha Campground is closed and being used for incident response. Fish Springs and Aberdeen are under evacuation advisories. Taboose Creek Campground is under an evacuation advisory. Tinnemaha Road is closed. The Birch Creek Trail, Red Lake Trail, and Taboose Creek Trails are closed. The forest will work Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to locate hikers in the area.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6570/

The Taboose Fire remains at an estimated 10,500 acres with 10% containment this morning and fire behavior moderated overnight. Last night firefighters made excellent progress and worked to construct line to the north and east and continued to improve line along the east and south.

Today, fire crews will continue suppression efforts by constructing fireline with a focus to completing line along the north. They will continue to patrol and mop up line along the south and east flank with continued support from retardant and water drops from air tankers and helicopters. Today’s primary concern is the red flag warning for high winds in the forecast for this evening through tomorrow morning that could push fire growth. The conditions in the forecast are very similar to the wind event experienced two nights ago.

A Community Meeting is planned for today at 12:30 pm at the Big Pine Town Hall, 150 Dewey Street, to provide an update for residents about the fire.

Yesterday, Inyo County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park to evacuate stranded hikers at Red Lake and the parks’ helicopter was able to extract the hikers when the smoke cleared from the area in the afternoon.

Baxter Ranch is under a mandatory evacuation and Birch Creek, Aberdeen and Taboose Creek Campground are under voluntary evacuation advisories. Tinnemaha Campground is closed and being used for incident response. Tinnemaha Road, Taboose Creek Road (at Aberdeen), and the McMurry Meadows Road are closed. Birch Creek Trail, Red Lake Trail, and Taboose Creek Trails are closed. The forest continues to work with Inyo County Sheriff and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to locate hikers in the area. Four vehicles were destroyed at the Red Lake Trailhead. The public is advised to avoid these closures and the nearby fire area for their safety and to aid in safe response for firefighters.

The fire is being managed in unified command with Inyo National Forest, CAL FIRE and Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. CA Incident Management Team 11 had been inbriefed and assumed command of the incident. There are 367 personnel assigned to the incident and includes cooperators from BLM, CHP, National Park Service, Big Pine Fire Department, Bishop Fire Department, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and numerous others.

With updated mapping, the Taboose Fire is estimated at 9,235 acres with 30% containment this morning. Firefighters continued working through the night and were able to improve and strengthen containment lines while monitoring for increased fire activity. The expected wind last night did not materialize which resulted in a relatively calm night for firefighters. The active part of the fire currently is inside the fire perimeter at Stecker Flat and Shingle Mill.

Evacuation advisories and orders for the affected areas are still in effect. Wind conditions are expected to be less than yesterday, but residents are asked to remain vigilant and be prepared should evacuation needs arise. Should there be a need for evacuation, residents with landlines will receive a reverse 911 call advising of such. Residents utilizing cell phones are encouraged to register their numbers with the Code Red system. This can be done through the Inyo County Sheriff’s office at Public.Coderedweb.com.

Due to the red flag warning being cancelled, the wind event not materializing last night and this morning and the fire staying in place, the evacuation order for Big Pine Canyon is being lifted at 1300. Glacier Lodge, the Glacier Pack Station, the campgrounds on Glacier Lodge Road in Big Pine Canyon are all accessible. Hikers with wilderness permits can keep their itineraries and campground reservations will be accepted.

Visitors are encouraged to go to other places on the Inyo National Forest as this is a dynamic fire and conditions can rapidly change.

Windy this evening and for the fourth day/night in a row, we've got telephone notice that SCE might turn off power

Ugh. Sorry to hear Chicky. We were at Anvil Camp during wind event Sat. night. Owens was pretty clear.
Sunday. Not so much. Thought it was Springs fire. Sad to see it wasn't.



Best Fishes

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Last night, winds picked up as expected, but died down after 10 pm. The fire has remained at 9,335 acres, with no increase and containment is now at 38%. Firefighters worked hard on Monday as a very significant wind event was expected Monday night – Big Pine residents were briefed that day - and the fire held Monday night to everyone’s relief. Work continued yesterday improving perimeter lines and the fire held in last night’s winds as well. Night shift crews monitored the fire last night and mopped up any areas of active fire; they found very few.

Weather conditions are expected to be normal today with downslope winds in the morning of 10 mph shifting to upslope winds of same magnitude in the evening. Firefighters will continue to strengthen the fireline on the north, south and eastern perimeters of the fire to prevent it from threatening homes or property. The fire is burning slowly on the west side up into the John Muir Wilderness. This western side is very steep with sparse fuels with many safety hazards for firefighters and will burn up to the Sierra Crest where there is little fuel. Smoke from the Taboose fire is primarily from activity in this area.

We are seeking to reunite any stranded hikers from the Big Pine Canyon evacuation on Monday with their parked cars in Big Pine Canyon. If this describes you, please contact our team liaison officer at +1 909 731-4824 ASAP for shuttle arrangements to retrieve your vehicle.

The fire was quiet again last night and has not increased in size. The fire remains at 9385 acres with containment at 47%. For the night time operations, firefighters monitored the northern, eastern and southern perimeters and looked for any signs of burning. Few areas of glowing coals were observed. Firefighters will be working on finishing the last part of the perimeter today on the southern side of the fire and will be strengthening that fireline to increase containment. This is the final part of the fire perimeter to secure in order to prevent any fire movement towards homes and private property. The western edge of the fire is where most of the small amount of active burning is taking place: this is where the fire is burning up into the Sierra and into a sparse fuelbed. There are no homes or private property threatened on this side. This area is very steep and dangerous to work in, so firefighters are not actively working in this area.

We continue to mop up and mitigate the damage from the suppression efforts in the fire area. We are watching the weather forecasts for any changes in wind direction or speed that could cause the fire to re-ignite and come to life again. We ask that everyone in the area pay close attention to changes in the weather as conditions can change quickly.

Fire Resources: 25 crews 42 engines 10 helicopters 3 dozers 8 water tenders 828 personnel

Evacuation Orders:

• Baxter Ranch
• Community of Aberdeen and Community of Birch Creek

Road Closures:

• Tinemaha Road
• Taboose Creek Road at Aberdeen
• McMurry Meadows Road

Campgrounds:

• Tinemaha
• Goodale Creek

Trail Closures:

• Red Lake
• Birch Creek
• Taboose Creek Trails.
• NOTE: Hikers on the John Muir Trail are safe, but resupply out of Taboose Pass will need to be arranged at another pass.

Please respect these closures and avoid the nearby fire area for your own safety and that of the firefighters.

As fire activity decreases, resources on the Taboose Fire are being scaled back to appropriately meet the needs of containment objectives. There was no growth overnight with total acres remaining at 10,293 with 65% containment. Suppression repair has been completed in the northern most division of the fire, Crews are now focusing rehabilitation efforts on the eastern sections of line. Handline was completed in Division M, the most southern section and is tied into the natural barriers in the wilderness.

Another weather shift is expected today with ridgetop winds coming out of the southwest at 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph in the higher elevations by late afternoon. Frontal winds are likely to increase fire spread into the wilderness towards natural containment boundaries, burning away from infrastructure and communities. Due to the expected strong winds and the increased risk this poses to firefighter, most firefighters will be staged in fire camp today. This will allow them to repair their tools and equipment and be prepared to respond to any new fires in the area. Monday will see the potential for a north to northwest change in winds and gusts up to 30-40 mph possible above 8,000 feet, which has the potential to challenge control lines.

The Inyo National Forest has issued a Forest Closure for the Taboose Fire area beginning today and lasting until further notice. Please respect the closure order, as it is put in place to protect the safety of the public and the firefighters. Wildfire compromises the integrity of trees and soil, making them unpredictable hazards. This closure order has been implemented to allow firefighters the ability to work efficiently and navigate the fire line safely while also protecting the public from hazards in the area.

Fire Resources: 7 crews 5 engines 5 helicopters 1 dozer 4 water tenders 269 personnel

Road Closures: Tinnemaha Road, Taboose Creek Road (beyond the campground), Birch Creek Road, Goodale Road (beyond the campground), and Goodale Creek Road

Trail Closures: Red Lake, Birch Lake & Taboose Creek Trails.

Please respect these closures and avoid the nearby fire area for your own safety and that of the firefighters.

Goodale, Taboose and Tinemaha campgrounds are now open, but please be mindful of the forest closure order still in effect around the fire area.

Overnight the fire remained within established control lines. The fire remains at 10,296 acres and containment has increased to 75%. There were no reported smokes across the line and the fire perimeter held firm against the northeasterly gusts. The weather outlook is favorable, with calm conditions expected through Thursday. Firefighters will be flown into the southern edge of the fire to complete repair and remove any remaining equipment. The remainder of the fire perimeter will be monitored by air and patrolled by a crew of 20 firefighters. The Boise NIMO team will turn management of the fire back to the Inyo National Forest on Wednesday morning.

The Inyo National Forest has issued a Forest Closure for the Taboose Fire area until further notice. Please respect the closure order, as it is put in place to protect the safety of the public and the firefighters. Wildfire compromises the integrity of trees and soil, making them unpredictable hazards. This closure order has been implemented to allow firefighters the ability to work efficiently and navigate the fire line safely while also protecting the public from hazards in the area.

Goodale, Taboose and Tinemaha campgrounds are now open, but please be mindful of the forest closure order still in effect around the fire area.

Road Closures: Tinemaha Road, Taboose Creek Road (beyond the campground), Birch Creek Road, Goodale Road (beyond the campground), and Goodale Creek Road

Trail Closures Red Lake and Taboose Creek Trails.

Please respect these closures and avoid the nearby fire area for your own safety and that of the firefighters.

The Taboose Fire has shown some interior smoke in the past several days along the western flank, where warming and drying of unburned fuels has allowed fire activity to increase. Currently, there are a few acres of active fire at high elevation, confined by rocks and burned areas. However, on the northern side of the active fire, there is an area of unburned fuels that the fire could grow into. With wind predicted on Tuesday, it is anticipated that the fire will remain active in this area. The fire remains 10,296 acres and at 75% containment since the active fire is within the interior of containment lines. The western flank is in steep and inaccessible terrain in the John Muir Wilderness. Here the fire will be confined by either rain or snow or its spread will be stopped by rock barriers.

Visitors and residents will see smoke, especially along the Hwy. 395 corridor. Please do not report the smoke. Currently, the south, east, and north flanks are secure and there is no threat to life or property.

Gusty wind and low relative humidity are in the forecast for this week and fire crews will continue to monitor and patrol in areas where the fire is active.

Closures: The Taboose Creek Road is closed beyond the campground. The Inyo National Forest has issued a Forest Closure for the Taboose Fire area until further notice. This includes The Red Lake Trail and the Taboose Creek Trail. Please respect the closure order, as it is put in place to protect the safety of the public and the firefighters. Wildfire compromises the integrity of trees and soil, making them unpredictable hazards. This closure order has been implemented to allow firefighters the ability to work efficiently and navigate the fire line safely while also protecting the public from hazards in the area.