Firefighter Blog

The Grass Valley Fire is at 1,000 acres burned with an estimated 200 homes destroyed. The slide Fire has burned over 5,100 acres and has destroyed over 200 homes.

Exact counts are not available but the reported count is 200 homes on each fire. There is some confusion as the incident base camp is changing locations at the same time the new command team moves in.

Compounding overall efforts is the lack of personnel, damage assessment is pushed back.

These two fires ordinarily would require 2,000 + firefighters and support personnel each. The bark beetle kill in the forest is the added element that makes the fires more volatile. A lack of driving wind does not mean the fire is going to die on its own.
All the brown trees you see from overhead are dead trees from the bark beetle kill.

Currently (as per official incident 209 reports filed 0600 today) there are 561 assigned to the Slide Fire and 548 fighting the Grass Valley Fire.

The good news from the Grass Valley Fire is found in the 209 report this morning;

Today's observed fire behavior (leave blank for non-fire events):

"Night, light interior burning no significant movement"

Also from the Grass Valley Fire report;

Significant events today (closures, evacuations, significant progress made, etc.):

"Damage assessment, mitigate work rest issues that exist, CA-IMT #1 takes command of Slide 0600. NorCal Team II remains in command of the Grass Valley Fire. Both incidents will be unified in planning and resource allocation"

Projected incident movement/spread during next operational period (in 12, 24, 48, and 72 hour time frames): 12 hours:

"With winds decreasing expect little movement, still concern regarding the current wind shift and reversal of the fire"

Slide Fire Information from the 209 report;

26: Communities/Critical Infrastructure Threatened (in 12, 24, 48 and 72 hour time frames):
12 hours:

"Green Valley, Running Springs, Live Oak, Fredalba, Smiley Park, Calavery Chapel Camp, National Children's Forest and Visitors Center, Arrowbear lake, Snow Valley, Nordic Rim Ski Area and Deer Lick
24 hours: Fiberoptic lines, cell sites, gas lines, water storage and distribution, SOCAL Edison powerlines."

Major problems and concerns (control problems, social/political/economic concerns or impacts, etc.) Relate critical resources needs identified above to the Incident Action Plan.

"High density residential properties intermixed amongst bug killed timber, with poor to limited access, lack of resources, continued adverse weather and extremly dry fuels. Inability to fully assess structure loss due to fire activity."

Slide Fire homes lost, according to the incident 209 report is # Destroyed 200

Note;
Robin Prince of the US Forest Service is reporting on channel 9 Los Angeles that only 2 homes have burned in the Slide Fire and 100 lost in the Grass Valley Fire.
It's astounding the Forest Service would put this spokeswoman on the air without proper consultation and training.
She and the Forest Service have to know the people evacuated and waiting for word from their communities are not well served when given conflicting data.
The community deserves better from (off site) media relations personnel who have no other work to do but prepare press releases and deal with the media.
Shameful and irresponsible!

Labels: 2007 fire season, Grass Valley Fire, Slide Fire