ANNOUNCEMENTOfficials Lift All Evacuation Orders for the Pier Fire, Highway 190 Opened
Effective 10:00 am on Monday, September 18, 2017, officials will lift all voluntary evacuation orders for communities impacted by the Pier Fire.
Size: 36,556 acres
Fire Start: August 29, 2017
Containment: 95%
Location: Highway 190, east of Springville
Total Personnel: 450
Cause: Human caused, under investigation
Resources: Crews 10, Helicopters 3, Engines 19, Dozers 6, Water Tenders 10, 1 Air Attack
Fire Summary: Weather was favorable over the past few days to allow firefighters to complete the necessary firing operation along the southern perimeter of the fire on the Tule River Indian Reservation. Over the next few days, work will continue to secure the southern perimeter line, mop up hot spots, and continue efforts on fire suppression repair.
Hand crews will be working to secure that five percent of uncontained line near Pierpoint Springs. The steep and rugged terrain along the south side of the Tule River makes access nearly impossible. Efforts will be made to put out remaining hot spots and continue to secure that edge. The majority of active fire will be well within containment lines, residual smoke from this location will be visible to local residents. The escape potential is low.
California Interagency Incident Management Team 5, under the command of Mike Minton, would like to thank cooperators and community members for their support throughout the fire-suppression effort. Today, a local Type 3 team from the Sequoia National Forest and Tule River Indian Reservation assumed command of the Pier Fire. Numbers of personnel will continue to decrease as full containment is reached.
Effective at 10 a.m. today, Tulare County officials lifted all evacuation orders for the Pier Fire, Highway 190 is now open to traffic…
Officials lifted all voluntary evacuation orders for communities impacted by the Pier Fire. These include: Alpine Village, Camp Nelson, Cedar Slope, Doyle Springs, Mountain Aire, Rogers Camp, Pierpoint Springs, Sequoia Crest and Wishon.
Returning residents should show extreme caution and be aware of potential safety hazards, such as falling rocks and fire-weakened trees, downed broken/burned tree limbs, and heavy equipment along roadways. Residents should also be cautious with smoke inhalation; for a full list of health and safety precautions visit http://www.tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies.
Southern California Edison has begun to restore power to various areas affected by the Pier Fire. Impacted residents may contact Southern California Edison at (800) 611-1911 for further information.
Residents who experienced long-term power loss are urged to show caution when using their appliances for the first time. Do not consume refrigerated or frozen food stored in appliances that may have lost electricity. Dispose of these item properly.
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/.
Basic Information
Current as of 9/18/2017, 9:27:38 AM
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Human (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, California Interagency Incident Management Team 5
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,339
Size 36,556 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained 95%
Estimated Containment Date Wednesday September 20th, 2017 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved
Primary fuels are dormant brush, hardwood slash, and closed timber litter. The fire is located in a heavy tree mortality area. The southern portion of the fire is burning in a location with little to no recorded fire history.
Significant Events
Fire weakened trees influenced by recent fire activity will continue to provide a strong mechanism for rollout.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Hold, improve, and mop up completed line. Continue suppression repair and provide structure defense as appropriate.
Projected Incident Activity
Remarks
A Type 3 organization from Sequoia NF will assume command of the Pier Fire at 0600 Monday morning – Sept. 18, 2017. The Pier Fire has identified an Initial attack Package to be made available should the need arise.
Current Weather
Weather Concerns
Mostly clear with lows 55-62 in the lower elevations and 45-53 in higher terrain. Maximum relative humidity 60-80%.
