Hawken Fire Update 07/21/2007
Incident: Hawken Wildland Fire
Released: 7/21/2007
Hawken Fire Update
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team- Kim Martin IC
Fire Information (775) 746-4668
Hours of operation: 7:00 am - 9:30 pm
Information is also available at: http://www.sierrafront.net/ and http://www.inciweb.org
Saturday, July 21, 2007
9:00 a.m.
Current Situation: Firefighters had another good day Friday; there are no longer any residences or structures threatened and the fire is now 70 percent contained. Containment does not mean the fire is "out." It means the fire is encircled by a fireline and is "cold" within a specified distance, in this case, 200 feet, from the perimeter. When fire managers feel reasonably comfortable that the fire will not escape the perimeter, the fire is considered controlled. Some smoldering may be expected until significant moisture is received.
Dust devils, which are swirling masses of dust and ash, are a common phenomenon in burn areas until surface ash has subsided and are often confused as smoke plumes. Firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor the area.
Ten helicopters assisted ground crews by dropping water and retardant on hot spots. Nighttime patrols will continue in the residential areas near the fire.
Fire managers will continue releasing resources to assist with other high priority fires burning throughout the West. Personnel are being reassigned as needed. Nevada currently has 22 fires that have burned over 322,000 acres.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team has been assembled and will begin to assess the rehabilitation needs. The team is comprised of resource specialists that will identify threats to life and property caused by the fire. While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to residents downstream, some fires cause damage that require special efforts to prevent problems afterwards. Loss of vegetation may result in erosion; water runoff may increase and cause surface and stream flooding; and move sediments downslope, putting community water supplies at risk. The BAER program is designed to make assessments and identify mitigation measures. It addresses the key goals of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems.
Other particular concerns are related to post-fire debris and water events that may impact the subdivisions downslope from the fire. Washoe County and Truckee Meadows Water Authority are both on the BAER Team, along with resource specialists from the U.S. Forest Service. The Team will complete their initial report one week after the fire is contained.
Closure Information: A closure order remains in effect for the area around the Hawken Fire. For more information concerning the closure, contact the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest at 775-882-2766 or www.sierrafront.net. To assist the firefighters, residents and visitors are asked to heed road and other closures associated with the helicopter bucket dipping operations occurring at Hunter Creek Reservoir and along the Truckee River.
Fire Statistics:
Acres: 2,710 (increase due to better mapping)
Contained: 70%
Cost to Date: $2.8 million
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