Ponderosa, Ca

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

Work continues to fully contain the fire, focusing on that area west of Pierpoint Springs where the fire still smolders on the south side of the Tule River. Crews continue to extinguish hot spots along the southern perimeter. Active fire is expected to continue burning through unburned pockets of vegetation until winter rains fully extinguish them. These areas are well within the interior of the fire, and will likely be visible from nearby communities. The escape potential is low, all perimeter lines are being patrolled by fire personnel.

All travelers in the fire area should use extreme caution when driving. Be aware of potential safety hazards such as falling rocks, fire-weakened trees, downed broken/burned tree limbs, and heavy equipment along roadways. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric are working to replace infrastructure that was damaged by the fire. Expect traffic delays when travelling along Highway 190. This work is necessary to have power restored to mountain communities. Impacted residents may contact Southern California Edison at (800) 611-1911 for further information. 

Forest trails, roads, and lands around the Pier Fire remain closed under a Forest Closure Order. A current map of the closure area can be found on Inciweb Closure Information. The public, including local residents, are reminded that despite Highway 190 being reopened, the Forest area remains closed due to hazardous conditions from the Pier Fire. As hazards are reduced, some areas may be reopened. The most up-to-date closure information will be posted on Inciweb as conditions change. For recreational information, please call the Western Divide Ranger District at 559-539-2607.
Basic Information

Current as of 9/19/2017, 10:42:12 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 Angel Prieto (t) Ernie Villa

Current Situation

Total Personnel 618

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 

Interior burning active throughout the day and night. Expect this to continue until area receives heavy precipitation.

Outlook

Planned Actions 

Hold, improve, and mop up completed line. Continue suppression repair and provide structure defense as appropriate.

Projected Incident Activity 

Remarks 

All portions of Highway 190 were reopened to the public on Monday September 18 at 10 am. No evacuations in place. Forest closure still in effect for Forest areas surrounding the Pier Fire.

Inciweb 

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%.

Inciweb

Size: 32,807 acres
Fire Start: August 29, 2017

Containment: 75%

Location: Highway 190, east of Springville

Total Personnel: 1,389

Cause: Human caused, under investigation

Resources: Crews 28, Helicopters 8, Engines 83, Dozers 12, Water Tenders 12
Fire Summary: Last night significant fire activity occurred on the fire. All of this was internal to the perimeter and much of it was visible to the public. Visible fire areas were; Highway 190 below Pierpoint Springs involving a couple acres with some tree torching and firing off of the dozer line near Redwood Road. Another two hundred yards of control line, moving to the west on the southern portion of the fire near Pine Flat Road, was gained. The entire top portion of the fire perimeter was inactive last evening.
Today, crews will initiate firing operation on the northwestern side of the reservation on the ridge above Blue Canyon as well as the dozer lines east of the 2¼ Road. The goal is to remove unburned fuels between the body of the fire and the communities of the Tule River Indian Reservation. Smoke and fire from this operation will likely be visible to local residents.
Favorable weather conditions for firing have been limited, presenting day and night crews with a narrow window in which to complete hand and aerial firing. As a result, westward progress is slow but steady. Due to the priority of protecting structures and communities on the reservation, firefighters are currently designating the majority of resources to the southern portion of the fire. Today’s weather conditions present opportunity for effective firing operations.
Crews continue to identify and address hazard trees and debris on the roadways. Firefighters will continue to patrol and mop-up containment lines. Anticipate smoke throughout the interior and perimeter of the fire due to pockets of unburned vegetation.
Weather: Mostly sunny with the highs between 72-82 below 3,000 feet, and between 62-72 in higher elevations. Minimum relative humidity will be 32-40% below 3,000 feet and 42-52% above 3,000 feet. Downslope winds will be between 1-4 mph through 0800, becoming upslope/up canyon 3-6 mph with gusts up to 15 mph after 1200.
Evacuations: Voluntary evacuations will remain in place for residence in the communities listed below. Returning residents MUST show proof of residency to posted law enforcement to gain access. Examples of accepted documentation are as follows: driver’s license with residency address, utility bill with name and residency address, or PO Box documentation from the U.S. Post Office. The following communities are under voluntary evacuation: Alpine Village, Camp Nelson, Cedar Slope, Doyle Springs, Mountain Aire, Rogers Camp, Pierpoint Springs, Sequoia Crest, 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; recreationalists should plan ahead.
Road Closures:

Highway 190 is closed to ALL public between County Road 208 and Pierpoint Springs.

Highway 190 between Upper Rio Vista Road and County Road 208 is a hard closure for nonresidents and a soft closure for residents with photo ID and proof of residency.

Highway 190 between Pierpoint Springs and Ponderosa is a hard closure for nonresidents and a soft closure for residents with photo ID and proof of residency.

Residents returning to Doyle Springs and Wishon are able to access Highway 190 at Upper Rio Vista and continue along County Road 208. All other residents must use the Western Divide Highway through Pondersoa to access the area. Residents must show proof of residency to law enforcement located at Upper Rio Vista Road and at Forest Road 21S50.

Smoke:

Daily updated 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 9/16/2017, 8:06:48 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 1,389

Size 32,807 Acres

Percent of Perimeter Contained 75%

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 

Another cool and moist mid-September night limited fire behavior to recently fired indirect lines and interior island of unburnt fuel; mostly in the form of creeping and smoldering.

Outlook

Planned Actions 

Provide structure defense as appropriate and protect infrastructure. Hold, improve, and mop up completed line. Perform firing, as conditions allow, to secure containment line and values at risk.

Projected Incident Activity 

Remarks 

The Pier Fire has identified an Initial attack Package to be made available should the need arise.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns 

Mostly sunny with highs from 72-82 below 3,000 elevation and 62-72 above 3,000 elevation. Minimum relative humidity, 32-40% below 3,000 elevation and 42-52% at higher elevations. Wind downslope 1-4 mph through 0800 then becoming upslope/upcanyon ridge wind 3-6 mph with gusts to 15 mph after 1200 hrs.

Inciweb