Crews ‘confident’ they can protect sequoias in Yosemite; other CA wildfires near containment

Fire crews battling to protect an ancient stand of sequoias inside Yosemite National Park expressed confidence they could keep the Washburn Fire from reaching Mariposa Grove in the face of intense flames and extreme heat.

The fire, which ignited on July 7, had charred 3,221 acres by Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

At a community meeting in Oakhurst, Matt Ahearn, deputy operations chief with California Interagency Incident Management Team 13, described the fire as slow-moving, “just sitting there, billowing smoke,” and said firefighters were also working to keep the blaze from crossing Highway 41.

The Washburn Fire was reported to be 25% contained at one point Monday, before containment slipped back to 22% by 7 p.m.

An evacuation order remained in effect for Wawona, and incident commanders said they could not tell anxious community leaders when they could expect to return to their homes.

But Ahearn told those at the meeting that he was “feeling confident with the plan” to defeat the fire and was “excited” to protect Mariposa Grove.

Firefighters had cut by hand a containment line across the entire northern edge of Mariposa Grove, he said.

Firefighters were mindful of the possibility the flames could move farther east and south, which could bracket one end of the grove.

The fire’s cause remained under investigation but authorities consider it human-caused because there was no obvious natural spark.

Electra Fire nearing containment

Crews battling the Electra Fire along the Amador and Calaveras County line have contained 93% of the fire, which ignited on July 4.

The fire has burned 4,478 acres in the eight days it has been burning, and Cal Fire authorities do not expect full containment until July 15.

According to a Tuesday morning update from Cal Fire, hot and dry weather conditions and lowering humidity have caused heavy fuels and continued smoldering. A fire suppression repair strategy is being implemented as firefighters continue to patrol and reinforce control lines.

Evacuation orders for communities in Amador County have been reduced to warnings, but the area within the fire perimeter remains closed and under evacuation order.

In Calaveras County, evacuation orders remain in place for zones CCU-E024-A and CCU-E051-B along Highway 26.

Rices Fire mostly contained

The Rices Fire, which broke out near Rices Crossing Road and Cranston Road in Nevada County on June 28, reached 98% containment on Tuesday morning.

The fire has burned 904 acres, destroying one structure and threatening 520, according to Cal Fire.

Evacuation orders remain in place in Bridgeport, near Rice’s Crossing, and in the Buttermilk, French Corral Birchville, and Sweetland areas.

Updates to fire intelligence services

The Fire Integrated Real Time Intelligence System (FIRIS), a program intended created by the Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire to improve situational awareness for first responders through real-time imagery, announced on social media Monday that it will migrate to the California Office of Emergency Services over the next six months.

FIRIS will now status themselves as OES Intel 12 and OES Intel 24, according to the announcement, but all products and data will remain unchanged. Intel 12 can provide 12-hour coverage seven days a week from its base at McClellan Airport near Sacramento while Intel 24 can provide coverage at all hours from its base in Los Alamitos in Orange County.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has introduced a new system to detect and identify drones that are illegally interfering with firefighting activities by flying close to firefighting aircraft during operations, according to a report by CNN.

“When the detection equipment finds the drone and identifies the operator’s location, we can very rapidly get that information to a ground intercept team who can then go make contact with that drone operator and essentially get them to stop flying that drone,” James Peaco III, the weapons of mass destruction coordinator for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told CNN.

It is a felony to fly a drone close to a fire during an active wildfire, according to Peaco.

This story was originally published July 12, 2022 at 11:07 AM.