Aided by rain, Forest Service crews make progress on Elephant Fire in Sierra sage
Aided by rain Monday night, firefighters have gained significant ground on the Elephant Fire burning along the Sierra-Plumas county line northeast of Loyalton, although containment remained at 31%.
The fire began Saturday and quickly grew, reaching more than 4,000 acres by the end of the day and prompting evacuation orders. Although the fire has since expanded to about 13,000 acres, all evacuation orders have been lifted. It is burning in a remote area on the eastern edge of the Sierra.
“There’s not a lot of residents in the area and there’s not a lot of roads in the area,” said Amy Forsgren, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service’s Incident Management Team 3.
The fire has burned primarily through dry sagebrush and grasses within the footprint of the 2020 Loyalton Fire, but at times has spread into heavier, dry timber on higher-elevation north-facing slopes, according to Inciweb, the U.S. Forest Service’s incident website. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Its initial growth was fueled by wind and dry fuels, Forsgren said. Then, on Monday night, a “wetting rain” dampened fire activity, allowing firefighters to more aggressively attack the blaze.
On Tuesday, however, firefighters confronted a flare-up in denser fuel pockets where flames had continued to smolder after the rain. The fire spread into previously unburned areas before crews were able to contain it again, Forsgren said.
“We had them working through the nights, and they’ve just been doing the best they can and they’re doing a great job,” Forsgren said.
Since Monday, firefighters have been able to build containment lines around portions of the fire. On Tuesday, crews conducted a controlled burn to remove vegetation that could fuel further fire growth.
Updated mapping completed Wednesday expanded the measured fire perimeter, reducing the percentage of the fire considered contained. Forsgren said firefighters continued to make progress by strengthening containment lines and emphasized that the lower containment figure did not reflect worsening fire conditions.
Throughout Thursday, firefighters were expected to continue building containment lines and mopping up hot spots within the fire perimeter, Forsgren said. Air support remained available to respond to any flare-ups.
The biggest concern is that changing weather during mop-up operations in the coming days could reignite fire activity, she said.
The area is expected to remain warm and dry through the weekend, and “wind gusts and dry fuels will continue to create visual smoke production,” firefighters said in an update Wednesday night.
