Update for Tuesday July 22, 2008
Incident: Blue 2 Wildland Fire
Released: 7/22/2008
Weather - A westerly flow returns to the area
A weak low pressure crossed the fire area late last night bringing scattered thunderstorms. A westerly flow will bring cooler conditions and generally sunny skies. A warming and drying trend is expected later in the week as a ridge of high pressure forms over the western United States.
Crews pick up spot fire
Crews suppressed a five-acre spot fire that had crossed a hand line connecting the G-O road and Red Mountain road on the fire's northwest corner. The fire spotted across the line the evening of Sunday July 20. To date, crews have successfully kept the fire below the Gasquet - Orleans (G-O) road.
South Red Mountain road
Five crews (20-person each) along with four pieces of machinery are preparing the South Red Mountain road for future actions. This road, which travels southward from the main Red Mountain road, would serve as a containment line on the southwest side. This work is expected to be completed within the next week allowing fire managers a point from which to burn from to eliminate fuels if the fire moves in that direction.
Gasquet-Orleans (G-O) Trail
Sixty people, including two Canadian crews, are expected to finish the hand line to a rock slope below Chimney Rock on the east side of the fire today. This would complete over three miles of work which originates from the G-O road. This line and accompanying water operation (installation of collapsible water tanks, pumps and hoses) are critical for holding the fire below the G-O road and G-O trail as well as keeping the fire out of the South Fork of the Smith River drainage.
Work completed
· Red Mountain Lookout and communications site. Completing protection work at this site was vitally important because of communications equipment critical for local fire and other emergency operations, also cellular communication, for Del Norte County and northern California.
· Big Flat and Rock Creek structure assessments. Current and future fire managers will use this information to evaluate future suppression actions.
Incident Management Team transition
Larry Svalberg's Interagency Incident Management team from the Great Basin will be transitioning with the California Incident Management Team 5 (Incident Commander Mike Dietrich) today. California Team 5 will assume command at 6 a.m. on July 23.
Closures remain in effect. For additional information call (707) 457-3995
