2020 Wildfire Season

[KQ]

1,000 people trapped by Creek Fire near Mammoth reservoir advised to jump in water if needed

About 1,000 people trapped near Mammoth Pool Reservoir, unable to evacuate amid a fast-growing wildfire, were told to shelter in place — even if that means getting into the water, a Sierra National Forest spokesman said Saturday.

The reservoir is roughly 41 miles east of Oakhurst.

The Creek Fire is threatening a range of mountain resources, spokesman Dan Tune said, including structures, communities and power lines.

”Mainly our focus is the safety of all the folks all over the forest,” Tune said, “just making sure folks are safe and get them evacuated.”

A command post was expected to be set up at Sierra High School in Tollhouse, most likely on Sunday, Tune said.

This is not the first time people have sought shelter in water during one of California’s wildfire seasons.

It happened as recently as 2018 during the Camp Fire at Concow Reservoir east of Paradise.

[Meadow Skipper]

This could be a Very Bad Day. At least 17 NWS-issued Red Flag Warnings issued across the west due to a huge high pressure bringing record heat and winds. And there are lots of people recreating outdoors. @Lightranger forwarded me a tweet indicating the Creek Fire in the Central Sierra, noted in KQ’s post above, burned over 100,000 acres in the first burning period. That’s Very Bad.

https://twitter.com/SweetBrown_Shug/...54041654378496

[neufox47]

108 today, 104 tomorrow with 30-50 mph winds...


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[KQ]

108 today, 104 tomorrow with 30-50 mph winds...


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Yuk. I feel for you. We're above seasonal norms, hovering just below the century mark. Cool down for two days which will bring winds and gusts to 50mph then we heat back up with no rain in sight. So dry and dusty.

Had several small fire starts along hwy 12 yesterday. Fortunately nothing became of them.

[KQ]

Looks like those traped campers got some help after all:

224 people escape by helicopter from the 'hellish' Creek Fire in Northern California

[KQ]

[old goat]

They're calling Creek fire 45.000 acres as of 1030 AM, it looks a lot bigger than that on the NWCG map, and extremely active.
https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/38.1735/-118.5302/7

[Ottime]

108 today, 104 tomorrow with 30-50 mph winds...


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Hot on the coast. Was 99 yesterday.

[cdlv]

https://twitter.com/__josh/status/1302629205734170626

[bodywhomper]

108 today, 104 tomorrow with 30-50 mph winds...


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And predicted prophylactic power outage by pge starting Monday night parts of these 18 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yuba.

[plugboots]

Pic from my buddy working the Evans Canyon fire:

[MagnificentUnicorn]

An old friend from CA texted me today. His brother and sil were East of hwy 168 by the Creek Fire. They were going to meet their daughter on the JMT. They are having to evacuate to Bishop. 2-3 days hike over the Sierra.


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[LongShortLong]

An old friend from CA texted me today. His brother and sil were East of hwy 168 by the Creek Fire. They were going to meet their daughter on the JMT. They are having to evacuate to Bishop. 2-3 days hike over the Sierra.


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Wondered whether that was a serious option for anyone. I'd consider waiting it out if I was back there over Kaiser Pass. Plenty of bare granite and lakes. Maybe enough food at the various stores and camps. Why abandon the car if you don't need to.

[~mikey b]

there are a few folks out there

[frorider]

Meanwhile in SoCal, 7000+ acre fire:

As multiple wildfires burn in California, one of the fires was started during a gender-reveal party, officials said.

A "smoke generating pyrotechnic device" used at the party caused the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County, Cal Fire said in a press release.

More than 500 personnel have been deployed to the fire, along with 60 engines and four helicopters.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Wondered whether that was a serious option for anyone. I'd consider waiting it out if I was back there over Kaiser Pass. Plenty of bare granite and lakes. Maybe enough food at the various stores and camps. Why abandon the car if you don't need to.

I didn’t get more details, but they’re very familiar with the area. I’m guessing they were cut off from their car. They were hiking in to meet their daughter. My friend was taking off from Tahoe to Bishop and hiking in to meet them on the east side.


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[KQ]

Meanwhile in SoCal, 7000+ acre fire:

Added this to our growing lists of idiots in the gender reveal thread. WTF is with people?

[ill-advised strategy]

One of the longest days I had back in the day was when a buddy and I were on a 2-duder remote small fire we’d been dropped into in Central Idaho. We’d gotten around our little cute fire the night before, had a nice campout, and had ‘er down to some bone piles late next morning when we kinda simultaneously heard the radio start to go bananas and noticed a very large column occupying the sky to our East. This lil old fire of ours hadn’t even bothered the canopy, so we had no safety at all from a running crown fire.

Neither one of us knew the area, and our fly-in scouting had mainly focused on our small fire and it’s immediate setup, so we broke out topos and tried to get a better overall sense of where the fuck we were in the big picture (as opposed to our little 2 acre fireground and immediate surroundings)...it was rolling, but flat enough that it was looking tough to really get a prime lookout anywhere close to where we were. The column was going huge, and the radio was full nonstop mayhem with campgrounds being overrun and serious life threatening run for your life evacuations going on. So we decided to disengage from our little fire and try to make radio contact with an established lookout tower, so we could kinda verify somebody with a view had our location and was watching to see if we had to gtfo.

It took a while to break into the radio mayhem, and the answer we got was totally unsatisfactory...like, yeah yeah we know you’re there I guess whatever.

So we started looking at other plans...mainly trotting about 5 miles to a reservoir we could see on the maps. We really studied our position and tried to be extra sure we were correct about this escape. Deciding we would bail for the trot if we started getting significant ashfall. Then I sent Jeff back to keep an eye in our little fire while I searched around for a decent view of this monster to our east. I ended up climbing a tree, and the next few hours Jeff and I traded back and forth mopping up our little fire and watching to see if the huge one would carry over the ridge a half mile or so to our east.

Finally we called it controlled and scrambled out to meet a pickup on a road near that reservoir around sunset. We got into Garden City maybe like 11 or midnight or so... dinner was real good that night. I believe that big push to our east rolled over our little fire the next day.

When I think of being very small and forgotten near big running timber fire, that’s the day I think about the most. When I think about one getting really out of hand and every man for himself can’t get even get on the radio to call for help mayhem mode, that’s the day I remember.

[Meadow Skipper]

One of the longest days I had back in the day was when a buddy and I were on a 2-duder remote small fire we’d been dropped into in Central Idaho. We’d gotten around our little cute fire the night before, had a nice campout, and had ‘er down to some bone piles late next morning when we kinda simultaneously heard the radio start to go bananas and noticed a very large column occupying the sky to our East. This lil old fire of ours hadn’t even bothered the canopy, so we had no safety at all from a running crown fire.

Neither one of us knew the area, and our fly-in scouting had mainly focused on our small fire and it’s immediate setup, so we broke out topos and tried to get a better overall sense of where the fuck we were in the big picture (as opposed to our little 2 acre fireground and immediate surroundings)...it was rolling, but flat enough that it was looking tough to really get a prime lookout anywhere close to where we were. The column was going huge, and the radio was full nonstop mayhem with campgrounds being overrun and serious life threatening run for your life evacuations going on. So we decided to disengage from our little fire and try to make radio contact with an established lookout tower, so we could kinda verify somebody with a view had our location and was watching to see if we had to gtfo.

It took a while to break into the radio mayhem, and the answer we got was totally unsatisfactory...like, yeah yeah we know you’re there I guess whatever.

So we started looking at other plans...mainly trotting about 5 miles to a reservoir we could see on the maps. We really studied our position and tried to be extra sure we were correct about this escape. Deciding we would bail for the trot if we started getting significant ashfall. Then I sent Jeff back to keep an eye in our little fire while I searched around for a decent view of this monster to our east. I ended up climbing a tree, and the next few hours Jeff and I traded back and forth mopping up our little fire and watching to see if the huge one would carry over the ridge a half mile or so to our east.

Finally we called it controlled and scrambled out to meet a pickup on a road near that reservoir around sunset. We got into Garden City maybe like 11 or midnight or so... dinner was real good that night. I believe that big push to our east rolled over our little fire the next day.

When I think of being very small and forgotten near big running timber fire, that’s the day I think about the most. When I think about one getting really out of hand and every man for himself can’t get even get on the radio to call for help mayhem mode, that’s the day I remember.

Two-manners off the road are supposed to be mellow.

I fucking <heart> a good fire story.

[KQ]

This could be gasoline on the fire. From FB - RogueWeather.com:

THIS HISTORIC WIND EVENT COMING AT US

Here is what makes this historic. An event like this is only going to happen 2 to 4 trimes in a 100 year period.....and I have never seen one in my 55, nearly 56 years on the planet.

No, this is not anything like the famous Columbus day Storm. Winds are going to be MUCH less than that storm. That was a combination of the remnants of a typhoon and a deeping low pressure center combining to create a "perfect storm" scenario here on the West Coast. We might not see anything like that again for decades to come. Then again, it would be so 2020 for it to happen this year.

What we have coming from Monday through Wednesday would not be a bit unusual if this was December and January. Nobody would consider this as anything but normal.

BUT!! It is the time of the year that makes this as noteworthy as it is.

The most fierce winds are going to be for elevations above 2000 feet mostly in the northern parts of Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington. Expect to see winds from the east northeast hitting gusts of 55 to 65 miles an hour. Sustained winds will be 35 to 45 miles an hour. In the highest elevations of the Central and Northern Cascades and Coast Range we could see gusts going over 70 miles an hour. In the Southern Cascades we could see gusts to 50 miles an hour. Again, in the winter these would be fairly tupical winds. In September though? VERY, VERY rare!

For the collective area of Northern California, Oregon , and Washington states.....if you are not in the Cascades, or the Coast Range, then it looks like you will be seeing winds of 10 to 25 miles an hour sustained for the most part with gusts of 25 to 40 miles an hour. We might see some 50 mile an hour gusts in the foothills of the Sierra in Northern California.

I know those winds may not seem like much. But, again, time of the year and without thunderstrorms creating them. This is very unsuaul to see happen for this prolonged a period of time. Typcially we will see a day with a period of time in the afternoon and evening where winds will come up due to a frontal passage and or surface heating to create winds. But, that is usually a very short term event. The dynamics creating this event are much different. It is all going to be gradient pressure based.

If you were thinking I was meaning that all parts of Oregon, Washington, and Northern California are going to be blasted by hurricane force winds....well that is not going to be the case. At least not unless you are in the highest points of the Cascades and the Coast Range of the northern portions of Oregon. The biggest threat from the winds is what it could do to fires that are burning. The effects of the winds could produce some very extreme fire behavior when combined with the heat and low humditiy levels. And that could impact all current fires burning from Washington state on down to Northern California. That is what the biggest threat from these winds is going to be.

[old goat]

Added this to our growing lists of idiots in the gender reveal thread. WTF is with people?

And what happens when the kid is born and decides it doesn't like the gender that was revealed?
Gender reveal parties seem to be the acme of self-absorption, but I suppose someone will think of something even acmier. Or maybe they already have.

[~mikey b]

FS closing several National Forests in California effective this afternoon.


https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/ne...giao6JoNowJWyA

[~mikey b]

VALLEJO, Calif., September 7, 2020—Most of California remains under the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions with a combination of extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit. Due to these conditions, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing the following temporary closures and fire restrictions to provide for public safety and reduce the potential for human caused fire starts. They will go into effect at 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time on Monday, September 7, 2020, and will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.
Closure of the following National Forests: Stanislaus National Forest, Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Cleveland National Forest.
Prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California.
Closure of all developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California.
“The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region. “We are bringing every resource to bear nationally and internationally to fight these fires, but until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters. With these extreme conditions, these temporary actions will help us do both.”
An example of extreme fire behavior is the Creek Fire on the Sierra National Forest which began on Friday Sep. 4th and grew rapidly on Saturday, Sep. 5th. The fire made a 15-mile run in a single day and burned 36,000 acres, prompting evacuations and life saving measures. The California National Guard evacuated at least 200 people from Wagner Mammoth Pool Campground and assessed them for medical needs.
The Forest Service thanks our partners and the public for their cooperation and understanding of this monumental fire threat. It is critical that all Californians and national forest visitors follow these important closures and restrictions for their own safety and the safety of our firefighters.
The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses over 20 million acres across California, and assists forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more information, visit

[KQ]

Wind storm hit here right on time per predictions. Horrible outside - blowing dust & smoke so bad visibility is about a quarter mile if that. Nasty nasty day. A fire start would not be good right now.

This is what it looks like out at the airport right now:

[old goat]

FS closing several National Forests in California effective this afternoon.


https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/ne...giao6JoNowJWyA

Lot of backpackers in the wilderness areas of those forests. wonder if they will try and chase them out.