Piute Fire Morning Update for Wednesday, July 9th
Incident: Piute Wildfire
Released: 7/9/2008
Piute Fire Information Update, Wednesday, July 9th, 9 am
FACTS:
33,152 acres / 28% contained / $13,100,000 costs / 1,426 total personnel
RESOURCES:
Crews: 22 / Engines: 142 / Dozers: 12 / Watertenders: 29 / Helicopters: 5 / Overhead: 259
WHAT'S NEW & EVENTS:
·· Current assessments indicate five residences, four out buildings, 5 vehicles, a trailer and one private bulldozer were either damaged or destroyed by the fire's run south of King Solomons Ridge.
·· A public meeting was held last night at 7:00 pm in Lake Isabella with 150 local residents in attendance. Topics of community interest included public safety, evacuation procedures, and location and activity of the fire. The audience expressed their appreciation for the firefighters' hard work.
·· An additional 250 resources have arrived in the last 24 hours to assist in support of structure protection and fire suppression efforts.
·· The control line objective on the south flank of the fire has changed to include keeping the fire north of Walker Basin Road and Piute Mountain Road.
Fire Status: The fire was less active yesterday and during the night due to lighter winds and higher humidities. Crews continued to make progress in the Red Mountain area south of King Solomons Ridge overnight and will continue working to complete fire line around this area today. Fire continues to be active on the northern and western perimeters and crews are working on establishing a control line on the north and tying in hand and dozer lines on the west. Steep terrain is making control efforts difficult on the western and northern portion of the fire. Dozers and crews are making progress on constructing fire lines around the communities to the north and west of the fire. A few hot spots continue to smolder on the eastern and southern flanks of the fire.
Evacuation Shelter: The shelter at the Kern Valley Senior Center, 6409 Lake Isabella Blvd, is currently in standby status but can be quickly activated as needed. Individuals who require additional time to evacuate and those who have large animals are urged to consider beginning the evacuation process early.
Existing Closures and Road Status: On July 1, the Forest Service implemented a Piute Fire Area Closure. This area includes all access points west of the Pacific Crest Trail. BLM closures include Nichols Peak, Bright Star Wilderness Area, Cortez Canyon, Dry Canyon, Jawbone Canyon and Lynch Canyon, Piute Mountain Road, Saddle Springs Road, Erskine Creek Road and all routes of travel west of the Pacific Crest Trail, are now closed to off highway vehicles (OHV). Other road closures include McCray Road from the end of the pavement south, and Fawn Drive from the end of the pavement south. There is an area closure in effect for the Piute Mountains from Piute Mountain Road at Caliente Creek Road; Saddle Springs Road at Caliente/Bodfish Road; Jawbone Canyon Road south of Piute Mountain Road; Roads 29S02 and 29S03 and Erskine Creek Road at pavement.
Weather: Residents near the fire can expect a morning inversion that will allow smoke to settle in low-lying areas and more cloud cover today. Temperatures in the fire area will be in the 90s and winds will be light from the east in the morning and 4-8 mph from the southwest in the afternoon, with possible gusty winds and light precipitation. No thunderstorms expected.
Cooperating Agencies & Partners: US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County Fire Department, Kern County Sheriff, and Kern County Office of Emergency Services, CALFIRE, California Highway Patrol and the Kern County Animal Control, and Office of Emergency Services Fire and Rescue.
