Updates will only be once a day now. Seems like things are getting under control!  Fabulous.  Thank you to all who have helped protect all of our mountain communities. 

No new map this evening. However here’s a photo of the Update board at California Hot Springs today. Very appreciative of all the great communication we have had! 

Size: 27,290 acres

Fire Start: August 29, 2017

Containment: 60 percent

Location: Highway 190, east of Springville

Total Personnel: 1,780

Cause: Human caused, under investigation

Resources: Crews 35, Helicopters 8, Engines 137, Dozers 22, Water Tenders 18
Announcement: Starting today, barring any significant change in fire activity, there will be a single fire update provided each morning. Please call the fire information line for the most current information

Fire Summary: Today firefighters continued to make good progress. Firefighters mopped up and patrolled areas on the east and northern edge of the fire. The areas near Sequoia Crest were patrolled and monitored for hot spots. Firefighters will continue firing operations from the northeast boundary of the Tule River Indian Reservation southwest to the 2 1/4 Road toward the Pine Flat area.
Firefighters will continue to hold and secure the fireline along the 21S94 Rd. from Roger’s Camp to Coy Flat Campground. Firing operations will also continue north along hand and dozer lines toward Highway 190 west of Pierpoint Springs. These firing operations will bring increased smoke into the general area in and around the fire’s perimeter. Approximately 1,400 firefighters are working in the field, directly suppressing the fire, protecting structures, and establishing containment.
Last night’s public meeting was livestreamed on Facebook, watch the meeting on TC Facebook filmed by Tulare County Fire Department.

Watch a video on the SQF facebook page of Operations Chief Keith Gurrola as he describes the strategy for continuing firing operations near Camp Nelson and on the Tule River Indian Reservation.
Evacuations: Tulare County has two levels of evacuations: voluntary and mandatory. There are currently no voluntary evacuations. Mandatory evacuations are issued when the fire poses an imminent threat to life and property. The following communities are under mandatory evacuation: Sequoia Crest, Mountain Aire, Rogers Camp, Pierpoint Springs, Cedar Slope, Camp Nelson, Doyle Springs, Alpine Village and Wishon.

Area Closures: Sequoia National Forest trails, roads, and lands around the Pier Fire are closed (Closure Order No. 0513-17-34, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5548/39662/. CAL FIRE has closed Mountain Home State Forest, and Tulare County has closed Balch Park. All areas are closed until the fire is brought under control. Suppression repair work will take additional time after the fire is contained; recreationists should plan ahead.

Hard Road Closures: The following roads are closed to all traffic:

Cow Mountain Road at its intersection with Rio Vista Road.

Highway 190 east of Springville is closed at Upper Rio Vista Road to eastbound traffic.

Highway 190 north of Ponderosa is closed at Forest Road 21S50 to westbound traffic.
Smoke: Information for the levels of smoke in communities affected by the Pier Fire; http://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/2017/Pier#Main

People with respiratory conditions, young children, and elderly people may be susceptible to adverse effects. Air District officials urge residents to follow their doctor’s advice. For more information, see https://www.cdc.gov/features/wildfires/index.html or http://valleyair.org/wildfires.htm

Basic Information

Current as of 9/10/2017, 6:07:50 PM

Incident Type Wildfire

Cause Under Investigation

Date of Origin Tuesday August 29th, 2017 approx. 02:30 AM

Location Highway 190 at Wishon Road 7 miles East of Springville

Incident Commander Mike Minton, CIIMT5 Jeff McLaughlin (TC), Derek Staberg (CalFire TUU)

Current Situation

Total Personnel 1,819

Size 27,290 Acres

Percent of Perimeter Contained 60%

Estimated Containment Date Wednesday September 20th, 2017 approx. 12:00 AM

Fuels Involved 

Dormant Brush, Hardwood slash, timber, including areas affected by tree mortality. Fire is located in a heavy timber mortality area. The southern portion of the fire is burning in a location with little to no recorded fire history.

Significant Events 

Warm temperatures and a building monsoonal influence supported active surface fire in high elevations above the morning inversion. Creeping, smoldering and backing were seen in interior islands of unburned fuel away from the current perimeter. Fire weakened trees continued to provide a strong mechanism for rolling and spotting.

Outlook

Planned Actions 

Provide structure protection for threatened communities and infrastructure. Construct direct and indirect containment line where feasible. Plan and construct contingency line.

Projected Incident Activity 

A full suppression strategy is to be implemented on the Pier Fire. Values at risk associated with the incident include human safety, private property, and associated improvements, electrical power infrastructure, Giant Sequoia groves, and cultural values. Minimize acres burned on privately owned and tribal lands. Apply tactics on public lands that offer the highest probability of success.

Remarks 

The voluntary evacuation order for the Upper Rio Vista Area was rescinded yesterday.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns 

Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of thunderstorms. Lows 70-75 lower elevations and 58-65 higher terrain. Maximum humidity 45-50 lower elevations and 55-60 higher terrain. Winds downslope 3-7 mph. with gusts to around 15 mph in larger drainages. Ridge winds east 10-15 mph

Inciweb