****please see new post for updated info as of 830am, 9/3/17****
13000 acres, zero containment.
Green dots are homes.
Blue line is the mandatory evac area.
Green lines are voluntary evac areas.
Squares are cities.
Triangles are road closures.
Red dots represent active fire, which includes controlled backfires that crews are setting to burn fuel ahead of the fire.
#Pierfire
As of 7:30pm, September 2nd, 2017
Pier Fire Information:
559-539-2607 ext. 2292, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. pierfireinfo@gmail.com
Information Regarding Evacuations – Tulare Co. EOC 559-623-0200 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Size: 13,240 acres Fire Start: August 29, 2017
Percent Contained: 0 Location: Highway 190, east of Springville
Total Personnel:1,243 Cause: Human caused, under investigation
Resources: 25 crews, 5 helicopters, 87 engines
14 dozers, 11 water tenders
Announcements:
California Assemblyman Devon Mathis will be visiting the incident command post this morning for a briefing and site visit with the unified incident command.
Yesterday afternoon, CAL FIRE joined the incident’s unified command.
The Sequoia National Forest’s Western Divide district office will be open this holiday weekend, including Monday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A spike camp at the USFS Peppermint Work Center will be operational by end of shift tonight for crews working on the fire’s eastern side, reducing their commute and allowing them to work on the fireline later into the evening.
Fire Summary: The fire was extremely active last night, primarily on the western and southern sides, growing by approximately 3,000 acres. Routine down-canyon winds were exacerbated by very strong easterly winds from thunderstorms over the Sierra Mountains. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the fire spotted across California Highway 190 and the Middle Fork of the Tule River near Upper and Lower Coffee Campgrounds. Crews already in place tried to contain the fire but were quickly overwhelmed as it grew to 200 acres in less than 10 minutes. Tulare County and CAL FIRE firefighters arrived on scene as a result of the unified effort to suppress the Pier Fire. Residents along Balch Park and Bear Creek Roads were evacuated (see below) as the fire advanced to the northwest through the night, but no structures were damaged.
The southern side of the fire was also active overnight. Yesterday afternoon, the fire had advanced upslope and crossed over the ridge between Black Mountain and Solo Peak on the northern boundary of the Tule River Indian Reservation. Overnight, the fire spread approximately 200 acres downslope toward Rocky Creek.
The eastern side of the fire was less active last night. Near Wishon, it remains south of Forest Road 20S03. Crews conducted low-intensity firing operations along control lines west of Sequoia Crest and Camp Nelson, which have successfully kept the fire from reaching those communities.
As personnel and resources are stretched thin due to national demand, the operational priorities today are the northwest and south sides of the fire. On the northwest, the goal is to keep the fire east of Balch Park Road and connect it with existing dozer lines south of Mountain Home. On the south side, crews will improve existing contingency lines and continue to plan and scout for other areas to contain the fire.
Evacuations: Tulare County has two levels of evacuations: voluntary and mandatory. A voluntary evacuation means residents should either evacuate or be prepared to do so should fire conditions worsen. Mandatory evacuations are issued when the fire poses an imminent threat to life and property.
Mandatory (NEW): Residences along Balch Park Road (County J37) north of Highway 190 to Bear Creek Road, Bear Creek Road (County 220) east of Balch Park Road, Scicon, Mountain Home Conservation Camp
Mandatory: Upper Rio Vista, Cow Mountain (Springville area), Sequoia Crest, Mountain Aire, Rogers Camp, Pierpoint Springs, Cedar Slope, Camp Nelson, Doyle Springs, Alpine Village, Wishon
Voluntary: Springville, Ponderosa
Evacuation Center: Porterville College Student Center, 100 E. College Ave., Porterville. Call 661-324-6427 (weekdays) or 800-REDCROSS.
Area Closures: Today, the Sequoia National Forest issued Closure Order No. 0513-17-34 (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5548/39662/). Forest trails, roads, and lands around the Pier Fire are closed until the fire is declared out. CAL FIRE has closed Mountain Home State Forest and Tulare County has closed Balch Park. Both are closed until the fire is brought under control.
Hard Road Closures: The following roads are closed to all traffic:
Highway 190 east of Springville is closed south of Balch Park Road.
Highway 190 north of Ponderosa is closed at Forest Road 21S50.
Balch Park Road is closed at Bear Creek Road.
Soft Road Closures: The following roads are open only to residents with a photo ID:
Balch Park Road (County Road J37) at its junction with Yokhol Valley Road.
Ponderosa appears to still be in the clear as of now. Upper Springville is of concern.
INCIDENT UPDATED 735am, September 1, 2017.
Size: Approximately 6,794 acres
Fire Start: August 29, 2017
Percent Contained: 0 percent
Location: Highway 190, east of Springville
Total Personnel: 1,132
Cause: Human caused, under investigation
Resources: 17 hand crews, 5 helicopters, 112 engines, 11 dozers, 10 water tenders
Fire Summary: Today the fire continued to burn intensely in areas of the southwest Tule River drainage. Still, no major growth occurred on any portion of the fire. Most growth occurred on the fire’s west side in the Tule River drainage west of the Wishon drainage. On the northwest side, the fire continued to spread downslope toward the Wishon Road but did not spot across the road. On the northeast side of the fire, near the community of Sequoia Crest, crews protected structures and constructed contingency firelines away from the fire’s edge in anticipation of the fire advancing northeast. On the east side, near Camp Nelson exhibited minimal fire growth. The fire moved primarily west and south toward the Tule River Indian Reservation.
At this evening’s operational briefing, fire managers clearly identified the objective: fully suppress the fire by constructing mainly indirect (i.e., away from the fire’s edge) fireline. The steep, rocky terrain, thick in places with vegetation that has not experienced fire in nearly 100 years, poses a threat to firefighters attempting to construct fireline directly at the fire’s edge. Priorities are to protect threatened residences, to keep the fire south of Mountain Home State Forest, and to protect the Giant-Sequoia groves. Tonight, crews will be positioned to protect structures and values at risk on all sides of the fire.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Tonight will be moderate with temperatures in the 70s. Humidities will recover slightly to 42 percent.Winds will shift downslope with night time cooling 2 to 6 miles per hour downslope with gust to 10 miles per hour. The Incident Meteorologist is concerned with the movement of thunderstorms both to the north and south moving toward each other that may cause erratic winds over the fire area tonight.
Evacuations: Tulare County has two levels of evacuations: voluntary and mandatory. A voluntary evacuation means residents should either evacuate or be prepared to do so should conditions worsen. All residents evacuating are advised to use eastbound Highway 190 to Mountain Road 107 (Western Divide Highway).
Mandatory: Pierpoint Springs, Wishon, Doyle Springs, Alpine, Sequoia Crest, Cedar Slope, Mountain Aire (Rogers Camp), and Camp Nelson
Voluntary: Ponderosa
Evacuation Center: Porterville College at the Student Conference Center, 100 E. College Ave., Porterville. Call 1-800 REDCROSS.
Area Closures: Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (CALFIRE) and Balch Park (Tulare County) are closed until the fire is brought under control.
Road closures:
East of Springville, Highway 190 is closed to eastbound traffic at Balch Park Road.
Mountain Road 107 (Western Divide Highway) is closed to westbound traffic at Fox Road in Ponderosa.
A soft closure, meaning a road is open to residents only, are set at Balch Park Road and Bear Creek Road; and Balch Park Road and Yokhol Valley Road
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5548/
Updated incident report as of 8:30am, 8/31/17:
Website: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5548/
Size: Approximately 6000 acres
Fire Start: August 30, 2017
Percent Contained: 0 percent
Location: Highway 190, east of Springville
Total Personnel: 668
Cause: Under investigation
Resources: 25 hand crews, 5 aircraft, 65 engines,15 dozers, 6 water tenders
Fire Summary:
The Pier Fire, located in the Tule River Canyon above Springville grew to an estimated 6000 acres today. Continued smoke over the fire has limited visibility, Fire mapping is planned overnight, an updated map and fire size should be provided in the morning update. No structures have been damaged, the fire’s perimeter continues to be a mile or more away from the nearest structure as of this evening.
Air Tankers and helicopters are assigned and will be used as conditions allow to support ground personnel. Hand crews, engines, water tenders, and dozers are working to stop the spread of the fire. Additionally, they are working to reduce fuels in front of the fire, and around structures to assist in mitigating the threat.
The Pier Fire burned both north and south of Highway 190 on the Western Divide Ranger District in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest.
Tulare County Evacuations and Road Status: Tulare County has two levels of evacuations: voluntary and mandatory. A voluntary evacuation means that residents should either evacuate or be prepared to do so should conditions worsen.
A mandatory evacuation order is in place for Pierpoint Springs, Wishon, Doyle Springs, Alpine, Sequoia Crest, Cedar Slope, Mountain Aire (Rogers Camp) and Camp Nelson.
Ponderosa remains under a voluntary evacuation advisory.
All residents evacuating are advised to use east bound Highway 190 to the Western Divide Highway.
Evacuation Center: Porterville College at the Student Conference Center, located at 100 East College Avenue in Porterville. For information call 1-800 REDCROSS
Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (CALFIRE) and Balch Park (Tulare County) are closed until the fire is brought under control.
Road closures:
Highway 190 is currently closed between Balch Park turn off above Springville and Fox Road along the Western Divide Highway below Ponderosa.
Unified Command:
Incident Commanders Mike Minton, California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 representing the U.S. Forest Service, Jeff McLaughlin representing Tulare County Fire Department, and Zane Santos representing Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tule River Indian Reservation.
Updated incident report at of 7:45pm, 8/30/17:
The Pier Fire, located in the Tule River Canyon above Springville grew to an estimated 6000 acres. No structures have been damaged, the fires perimeter was a mile or more away from the nearest structure as of 6 a.m. this morning. Additional mapping will occur overnight.
Air was limited again today due to smoke lingering in the Tule River Canyon. Air Tankers and helicopters are assigned and will be used as conditions allow to support ground personnel. Engines have been assigned to areas that were evacuated for structure protection. The Pier Fire burned both north and south of Highway 190 on the Western Divide Ranger District in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest.
Highway 190 is currently closed between Balch Park turnoff above Springville, and Fox Road along the Western Divide Highway below Ponderosa. Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (CALFIRE) and Balch Park (Tulare County) are closed until the fire is brought under control.
The following communities are under a mandatory evacuation order: Pierpoint Springs, Wishon, Doyle Springs, Alpine, Sequoia Crest, Cedar Slope, and Camp Nelson. Ponderosa remains under a voluntary evacuation advisory. All residents who are evacuating are advised to use east bound Highway 190 to the Western Divide Highway.
Evacuation Center: Porterville College at the Student Conference Center, located at 100 East College Avenue in Porterville. For information call 1-800 REDCROSS
U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Tulare County Fire Department are in unified command at this time. An Incident Command Team has assumed command of the fire as of 6 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation. For more information, please call 559-539-2607 ext. 2292 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Updated map as of 7pm, 8/30/17
Update as of 7am, 8/30/17 Inciweb
The Pier Fire, located in the Tule River Canyon above Springville grew rapidly overnight to an estimated 4655 acres. No structures have been damaged, the fires perimeter was a mile or more away from the nearest structure as of 6 a.m. this morning.
Most of the growth overnight was south of the highway towards Black Mountain and the Tule River Indian Reservation. The fire is nearing the Black Mountain Grove of giant sequoias near Solo Peak. Access into this part of the fire is extremely difficult with few roads, heavy fuels, and steep slopes.
Air support may be limited again today due to smoke lingering in the Tule River Canyon. Air Tankers and helicopters are assigned and will be used as conditions allow to support ground personnel. Engines have been assigned to areas that were evacuated for structure protection. The Pier Fire burned both north and south of Highway 190 on the Western Divide Ranger District in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Sequoia National Forest.
Highway 190 is currently closed between Balch Park turnoff above Springville, and Fox Road along the Western Divide Highway below Ponderosa. Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (CALFIRE) and Balch Park (Tulare County) are closed until the fire is brought under control.
The following communities are under a mandatory evacuation order: Pierpoint Springs, Wishon, Doyle Springs, Alpine, Sequoia Crest, Cedar Slope, and Camp Nelson. Ponderosa remains under a voluntary evacuation advisory. All residents who are evacuating are advised to use east bound Highway 190 to the Western Divide Highway.
Evacuation Center: Porterville College at the Student Conference Center, located at 100 East College Avenue in Porterville. For information call 1-800 REDCROSS
U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Tulare County Fire Department are in unified command at this time. An Incident Command Team is expected to arrive today and will assume command as of 6 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation. For more information, please call 559-539-2607 ext. 2292 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Basic Information
Current as of 8/30/2017, 6:57:26 AM
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Tuesday August 29th, 2017 approx. 02:30 AM
Location Along Highway 190 near Stairs
Incident Commander Robert Benik (T) Ernie Villa
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,000
Size 4,655 Acres
Significant Events
Evacuations in effect
Outlook
Remarks
Highway 190 closed above Springville, below Ponderosa
The 100th Cattle Drive For The Shannon Cattle Ranch
Written by: Kelsey Lane with the help of Toro Lane
For the love of family, land, history, heritage and tradition
The Shannon Cattle ranch just celebrated their one hundredth bi-annual five day cattle drive. Not only is this the longest cattle drive in all of California, but it is also one of the oldest running cattle drives in California. The Shannon Ranch is based in between Terra Bella and Porterville, California. Every summer in the first week of June the Shannon family pushes their cattle up from their ranch, through California Hot Springs, up the western divide, passing Ponderosa and finally settling in Grey Meadow in the Golden Trout Wilderness.
Reuben and his brother George Shannon first started their ranch in 1917 with the help of Reuben’s wife Ione. Around the 1960’s Reuben and Ione’s son, Jack Shannon, took over the ranch. Jack, and his wife Sandra, kept the family tradition alive until the day he died. Around 2012 Jack and Sandra’s sons, Bill and John Shannon took the reins on the ranch. To this day they run a full crew made up of mostly family. John is married to Carla and they have two twins sons, Blake and Jake, and a daughter Tabitha. Bill is married to Sherry and they have two daughters, Summer and Sarah. All of which work together on the Shannon Ranch. They also have three ranch hands, James Ward, Dan Shew, and Chuck Sandborg; who are all “just as close as family,” says Carla Shannon.
The Shannon’s believe in saving the land. Their cattle graze in the meadows along their drive which provides a fire safe forest. It also helps reduce the unnecessary vegetation within the meadows keeping these historical meadows the same as they were a hundred years ago. “It’s amazing to see a meadow that has been grazed by cattle for years…The cattle help the environment,” says Carla Shannon. The Shannon Cattle Ranch isn’t like any other cattle ranch. They are not only ambitious, hard working people that love what they do, but they also stand for something. They stand for preservation of land, history, heritage, and tradition. They have preserved the test of time and have made monumental strides in keeping our forests and home safe and healthy.
If you missed this spring’s cattle drive, on an early morning in the middle of September the ranchers will drive their cattle back home. I am sure that with their endurance the Shannon Ranch will surpass us all in continuing their way of life for the next one hundred years.
Ponderosa, Ca 