Hidden Fire Grows to 296 Acres, Fire Management Te
Incident: Hidden Wildland Fire
Released: 9/15/2008
The Hidden Fire continues to show growth in spite of aggressive efforts to contain the fire. It is 296 acres as of Sunday evening. Initial attack operations are continuing. This fire was ignited by a lightning strike on the evening of September 10.
Firefighting efforts will be hampered by red flag conditions forecasted for today. Relative humidities into the single digits are predicted that will lead to increased fire behavior. Fire managers anticipate continued growth on the fire today because of this.
The parks have ordered an outside fire management team since the fire has now grown beyond the parks' local firefighting capability. They are anticipated to arrive this evening to will oversee management of the fire starting tomorrow.
Forty-five firefighters are on this fire with four additional crews ordered. An engine crew from Santa Monica National Recreation Area is also in the parks to augment initial attack coverage. Five helicopters and five air tankers are also assigned to the fire to support ground operations with water and retardant drops. Spotting and roll-outs are creating control issues on the north and east flank. The west and south flanks are currently holding. The fire is approximately 50% contained.
This fire is burning in steep terrain and heavy fuels at approximately 6,000 to 6,500 feet in elevation. It has a high potential for growth. It is located near Hidden Springs in the North Fork of the Kaweah River drainage north of Ash Mountain. As of now, there are no closures associated with this fire. However, residents and visitors will see firefighting operations and smoke from this fire.
The fire is highly visible from nearby communities including Three Rivers, Lemon Cove, and Badger. Residents in these areas should anticipate smoke, especially in the morning hours when down canyon winds will pull the smoke to lower elevations.
A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th at the Veterans Memorial Building in Three Rivers from 7:00 -8:30 pm. This will provide residents an opportunity to get an update on firefighting efforts as well as ask park and team fire managers about smoke and other impacts this fire will have on the communities near the park.
