Special Statement

For information on local air quality, see the links below.
 

Fire

Yesterday, the fire was active along the northeastern edge of the perimeter. Persistent dry and warm conditions will keep this edge active until more seasonal conditions arrive this weekend. Fire information can be found at: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7147/

Smoke

With light winds aloft, smoke has spread into drainages north of the fire, having a bigger impact on Yosemite and Tuolumne Meadows than previous days. Widespread Unhealthy conditions on both western and eastern portions of the region is expected today. Smoke will lay in drainages overnight and lift midday. Areas west of the fire along the foothills will see significant smoke impacts. Smoke will increase during the afternoon and decrease by the evening hours, following the upslope-down-valley diurnal wind pattern. Mammoth Lakes and Bishop will see smoke building today into tomorrow. Similar conditions will prevail tomorrow; however, areas in the northwestern part of the forecast area will see some slight relief.

Escorted entry for those who need to get into private properties is planned in the coming days. Temporary access is being granted to go back into the fire area for folks to winterize cabins and pick up needed supplies. Please remember to be aware of your surroundings and drive with extreme caution. See the Forest Service webpage for additional information.  A completed request for access (Permit 7700-48) found at www.fs.usda.gov/sierra will be required. Arrive at the meeting/entry locations with two forms of Identification for proof of eligibility to enter (Drivers License or property deeds, bills). 

Arnold Meadows Escorted Entry Date: Thursday October 22nd, 2020
Escorted Exit Date: Sunday October 25th, 2020
Meet and Receive Permit/Escort: Community members will meet at the Old Mill Compound in North Fork, CA next to Madera County Fire Station #11 at 0900. 

Beasore Meadows Escorted Entry Date: Thursday October 22nd, 2020
Escorted Exit Date: Sunday October 25th, 2020
Meet and Receive Permit/Escort: Community members will meet at the Bass Lake Courthouse located on Road 274/ Road 222 at 0900. 

Central Camp Escorted Entry Date: Friday October 23rd, 2020
Escorted Exit Date: Monday October 26th, 2020
Meet and receive Forest Permit/Escort: Community members will meet at the Bass Lake Courthouse located on Road 274/ Road 222 at 0900.

Current Situation: There was no growth on the fire overnight. The far northern area of the fire continues to move into areas of granite outcrops where it continues to creep and burn any available fuels, minimal forward spread is anticipated. The fire remains active in the northeastern corner where it is burning in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Currently the fire is most active southeast of Pincushion Mountain where it is burning back on itself. At this time, it poses no threat to Mammoth Lakes or Devil’s Postpile. The Thomas Edison lake areas continues to have crews and equipment mop up and hotspots and secure area behind the strategic burning operations that occurred a couple days ago.

Elsewhere on the fire crews continue to patrol and mop up any hot spots that threaten control lines.

A systematic suppression repair effort is underway prioritizing those areas in the high county that may be impacted by weather first is occurring across the entire fire footprint. This work includes water barring on indirect lines, chipping, brush covering and pulling across unused line to reduce erosion impact. Falling operations with feller modules continue to work through out the fire to fall hazardous tress near any lines.

California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 assumed command of the entire fire at 5:00 PM on October 20.

Weather: The weather will continue to be hot and dry for one more day. Starting Thursday and extending into the weekend we will see decreasing temperatures and an increase in humidity, which will moderate fire activity. Winds will remain light and smoke will accumulate in the valleys near the fire. There is a slight chance for precipitation Sunday. Smoke will continue to accumulate in and near the fire as well as nearby valleys overnight and throughout the day because of the continued light terrain driven winds.

Summary: In the northwest firefighters are working on strengthening fireline, mopping up, and removing hazard trees where needed. On the western side of the fire crews continue to patrol, mop up and backhaul any unneeded equipment and remove hazard trees along roads. The southern end of the fire is in patrol status. On the east side of the fire in and below the horseshoe crews are working on strengthening control lines and mopping up. Crews are continuing to work on structure protection around the Vermillion Resort area and may carry out strategic firing operations as needed.

Sierra National Forest Closures: For the latest information on the Forest closure order, please click on https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra/

CREEK FIRE EVACUATION ORDERS

WHAT: Remaining Fresno County evacuation orders LIFTED on the Creek Fire

DATE / TIME: October 20, 2020, at 6:00 A.M.

WHERE: Eleven evacuation zones in Fresno County in and around the Creek Fire 
 
 

Fresno County and Sierra National Forest: The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has lifted evacuation orders for the remaining eleven zones around the Creek Fire: F9G, F10A, F10B, F10C, F10D, F10E, F10F, F10G, F11D, F12A, F12B (descriptions below), effective 6:00 A.M. on Tuesday, October 20. However, all Sierra National Forest System lands in Fresno County are temporarily closed under Closure Order 05-15-00-20-16, effective October 17, 2020 through November 1, 2020.

Zone F9G: The west boundary is roughly a third of a mile east of China Peak Mountain Resort. The north boundary runs north of Black Butte Mountain. The south boundary is one mile north of Red Mountain.

Zone F10A: South boundary is Huntington Lake Road and Kaiser Pass Road, including the Kokanee Campground and Eastwood Sno-Park. The west boundary is Potter Creek and Potter Pass. The north boundary is Kaiser Pass Road at the fork to Sample Meadow. The east boundary includes all of Kaiser Pass Road and ends at White Bark Vista. 
 
 

Zone F10B: The south boundary includes both sides of Kaiser Pass Road, north of White Bark Vista. Also included within the south boundary is Mono Hot Springs and Bear Ridge. The north boundary includes all of Edison Lake and ends south of Devils Bathtub. The east boundary ends at the Sierra National Forest line.

Zone F10C: The south boundary is near the South Fork San Joaquin River at the base of Florence Lake. The west boundary will be the shores and areas surrounding Florence Lake. The north boundary will be Kaiser Pass Road south of its intersection with Edison Lake Road. The east boundary is east of Jackass Dike and just east of the Hooper Diversion Trail Head.

Zone F10D: The south boundary lies just north of Windy Gap and Black Butte Mountain. The west boundary lies just east of the intersection of Kaiser Pass Road and Highway 168. The north boundary is Mono Hot Springs. The east boundary is Florence Lake as well as the Sierra National Forest lands. 
 
 

Zone F10E: The south boundary is the Sierra National Forest north of Muir Trail Ranch. The west boundary is west of Florence Lake and west of Jackass Dike. The north boundary is south of Edison Lake as well as the Sierra National Forest. The east boundary is the Sierra National Forest west of Mount Seneger and Seven Gables.

Zone F10F: The south border begins just north of Corral Mountain. The west border consists of the territories east of Courtright Reservoir. The north border extends north of Mount Shinn as well as north of the Muir Trail Ranch. The east border extends to include the area east of Zingheim Heights (West of Mount Henry).

Zone F10G: The west boundary of this zone consists of the territories east of Edison Lake. This zone includes the features such as Mount Seneger and Mount Gabb. The north boundary begins just north of Mount Hopkins. The east boundary parallels the Fresno County line southward and ends south of Turret Peak.

Zone F11D: This zone contains predominately wilderness that lies north of Huntington Lake. The south boundary begins near the end of the developments of Lakeshore. The west boundary lies just east of Nellie Lake. The north boundary is about one mile north of Long Lake. The east boundary is at Potter Pass as well as just west of Potter Creek to the south of this zone.

Zone F12A: Contains wilderness land south of Cockscomb and Pincushion Peak, north of Edison Lake. 
 
 

Zone F12B: Zone contains Pincushion Peak, Cockscomb, Silver Peak, Graveyard Peak, and Double Peak East.

Interactive evacuation map: https://tinyurl.com/y3wpp6ol

Road Closures:

• Huntington Lake Road is closed between Big Creek Road and Stump Springs Road due to the road’s unsafe condition.

• Kaiser Pass Road is closed at Highway 168.

California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 will assume command of the entire fire at 5:00 PM today.

 

WEATHER: The weather remains warm and dry, with light winds. Starting Thursday there will be a cooling trend into the weekend that will also see a rise in humidity. There is a 25% chance of precipitation this weekend.

NORTH ZONE:

Repair work is progressing well in the North Zone. Faller modules and crews are close to finishing cutting hazard trees along roads. Water bars for erosion control have been created on almost all fire lines. For the entire Zone engines and crews will continue to patrol and mop up, looking for any activity that may threaten the control lines. Any unburned islands that have the potential to spot outside the control lines will be mopped up as well. Any additional hazard trees within any of the work areas and/or near the fire line will continue to be fell.

At the far north end of the fire it has burned into the granite outcrops of the high country and continues to creep and burn any available fuels, primarily timber stringers. What movement of the fire that is occurring is primarily to the north and northwest. Because of access issues and safety concerns this area will be monitored by air and infrared heat flights.

SOUTH ZONE:

The fire had minimal growth overnight, the successful firing operation assisted in protecting the homes in and around Edison Lake. Crews will continue mopping up hotspots within the fire line. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

The fire is currently 352,339 acres, 61% contained, with approximately 944 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations.  Resources include 25 engines, 33 water tenders, 13 helicopters, 22 hand crews and 11 bulldozers.

The fire had minimal growth overnight, the successful firing operation assisted in protecting the homes in and around Edison Lake.

Crews will continue mopping up hotspots inside the fire line. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

As of 5:00pm today the incident will no longer be in Unified Command with our partners from CAL FIRE. Tomorrow’s update sheet will contain the same information, but the format will be different provided once daily.

Over 610,000 feet of hose has been removed off the fire over the past 2 weeks.

High temperatures this afternoon and Wednesday afternoon will be well above normal for this time of year. A significant cooling trend is expected Thursday through Sunday. Dry weather will persist through at least Saturday.

 

 
For daily smoke information go to the California Smoke Information website:  https://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/ 
 
To get information about air quality and smoke in your area, go to the fire and smoke map at
https://www.airnow.gov/
 

Find the full update in related information below

 

General Information:

 

For the latest information on the forest closure order, please click on https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra/

 

South Zone:

 

Despite moderating weather conditions and shorter days, the extremely dry vegetation continues to burn. Crews continue to scout out areas southwest of Mammoth Lakes to determine any fire suppression needs. Crews will also continue mopping up hotspots inside the fire line. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

North Zone:

 

Systematic suppression repair work continues from Upper Chiquito to the San Joaquin River. Crews made good progress falling hazard trees along the 81 Road yesterday. For the entire Zone crews will continue to patrol and mop up, looking for any activity that may threaten the control lines. Crews, engines and equipmen continue to scour to find and extinguish any hot spots near the fire line. Heavy mo up is still occurring around Central Camp. Any unburned islands that have the potential to spot outside the control lines will be mopped up as well. Hazard trees within any of the work areas and/or near the fire line will continue to be fell. Wor to improve road access to the fire line is ongoing.

At the far north end of the fire it has burned into the granite outcrops of the high country and continues to creep and burn any available fuels, primarily timber stringers. Because of access issues and safety concerns this area will be monitored by air and infrared heat flights.

 

Weather:

 

High temperatures Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon will be well above normal for this time of year. A cooling trend is expected Thursday through Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, maximum temperatures should be two to four degrees below their typical values for the latter half of October. Dry weather will persist through at least Saturday

The fire is currently 350,331 acres, 61% contained, with approximately 944 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations.  Resources include 25 engines, 33 water tenders, 13 helicopters, 22 hand crews and 11 bulldozers.

Despite moderating weather conditions and shorter days, the extremely dry vegetation continues to burn. Crews continue to scout out areas southwest of Mammoth Lakes to determine any fire suppression needs. Crews will also continue mopping up hotspots inside the fire line. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

High temperatures Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon will be well above normal for this time of year. A cooling trend is expected Thursday through Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, maximum temperatures should be two to four degrees below their typical values for the latter half of October. Dry weather will persist through at least Saturday.

 
For daily smoke information go to the California Smoke Information website:  https://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/ 
 
To get information about air quality and smoke in your area, go to the fire and smoke map at
https://www.airnow.gov/

 

View the full update (.pdf file)

A virtual public meeting will be held tonight at 7:00 PM on Facebook.

 

WEATHER: Temperatures will remain unseasonably warm through late in the week, with low humidity.  Winds will remain light and slope driven, but if a column develops higher level winds will blow the smoke to the east-southeast.  Next weekend sees the possibility of cooler and cloudier conditions accompanied by higher winds.

 

NORTH ZONE: 

Systematic suppression repair work continues from Upper Chiquito to the San Joaquin River.  Crews made good progress falling hazard trees along the 81 Road yesterday. For the entire Zone crews will continue to patrol and mop up, looking for any activity that may threaten the control lines.  Crews, engines and equipment continue to scour to find and extinguish any hot spots near the fire line.  Heavy mop up is still occurring around Central Camp.  Any unburned islands that have the potential to spot outside the control lines will be mopped up as well.  Hazard trees within any of the work areas and/or  near the fire line will continue to be fell.  Work to improve road access to the fire line is ongoing. 

 

At the far north end of the fire it has burned into the granite outcrops of the high country and continues to creep and burn any available fuels, primarily timber stringers.  Because of access issues and safety concerns this area will be monitored by air and infrared heat flights.

 

SOUTH ZONE:

Fire activity remained overnight on the east and northeast sides of the fire. Last night’s infrared flight detected small areas of growth and spotting. Crews continue to scout out areas southwest of Mammoth Lakes to determine any fire suppression needs. Minimal fire behavior and favorable terrain near the fire’s edge resulted in little fire growth overnight. Crews will also continue mopping up hotspots in the interior of the fire. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

The fire is currently 350,331 acres, 61% contained, with approximately 958 personnel assisting with fire suppression and logistical operations.  Resources include 30 engines, 35 water tenders, 13 helicopters, 21 hand crews and 11 bulldozers.

Fire activity remained overnight on the east and northeast sides of the fire. Last night’s infrared flight detected small areas of growth and spotting. Crews continue to scout out areas southwest of Mammoth Lakes to determine any fire suppression needs. Minimal fire behavior and favorable terrain near the fire’s edge resulted in little fire growth overnight. Crews will also continue mopping up hotspots in the interior of the fire. Hazard trees from Florence Lake west along the fire perimeter to the North/South Zone break, near Redinger Lake will be removed.

High pressure will remain along the West Coast for the next several days keeping the strong track well to the north and conditions dry over the district through this week. By this weekend, a trough of low pressure will dive in the Great Basin bringing cooler and windier weather along with a slight chance of rain and snow to the Sierra Saturday night and Sunday. In the short term expect little change in temperature and humidity trends with winds remaining terrain driven. Expect an uptick in winds this weekend.

 
For daily smoke information go to the California Smoke Information website:  https://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/ 
 
To get information about air quality and smoke in your area, go to the fire and smoke map at
https://www.airnow.gov/

 

View the full update (.pdf file)