Lake Fire Update July 3, 2015 0800

 

Date Started: 6/17/2015 1552	Size: 31,359 acres
Containment: 80 percent	Cause: under investigation
Estimated Cost to Date: $37.8 million	Injuries: 5
Total Personnel: 1,203	Residences Burned: 1
Committed Resources: 36 crews, 30 engines, 1 dozer, 5 water tenders, 13 helicopters, 1 air attack

 

Current Fire Situation

Little heat remains in the fire area and the fire did not grow yesterday. Crews are mopping up hotspots to a depth of two hundred feet or more in many areas of the fire, which creates a buffer between the interior of the fire and the unburned fuels outside the perimeter. This cold-line buffer is referred to as the containment line. Smokes within the containment line might be visible from roads, trails, or residences as interior fuels burn. Heavy fuels, such as down trees and stumps, could continue to burn, producing smoke for several weeks or months.

 

Crews working in the Onyx Peak area pulled ten thousand to thirteen thousand feet of hose off the fireline yesterday and plan to do the same today. Four chippers and six excavators will be used to reduce the visual and functional effects of suppression activities on the landscape. Crews camping out near the fire line in the San Gorgonio Wilderness will return to base camp tonight after a full shift extinguishing hotspots, cleaning up their campsites to leave no trace. Helicopters will patrol unstaffed areas of the fire, dropping water and inserting crews as needed to extinguish individual hotspots.  

 

Weather & Fire Behavior

Drier air moving into the area will reduce the threat of rain and thunderstorms. Because of the precipitation and higher relative humidity over the past several days, a new fire start would likely exhibit moderate, not extreme, fire behavior. Adequate resources are available through the holiday weekend to handle the initial attack of a new fire start. Temperatures today will be in the mid-70s and 80s and the relative humidity around 25 to 30 percent.

 

Traffic Safety

Fire crews and helicopters will continue to be visible to the public throughout the holiday weekend. Motorists may observe movement of firefighting vehicles along State Route 38. Please be alert while traveling on the highway and yield the right of way to emergency personnel and vehicles.