CalFire FKU chief officers on Local1 say there is a spot established across generals highway. Moving up the dozers. Sounds like they have their own suppression plan they are working on.
Edit update 14:50,
Staging equipment Squaw Valley station.
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Where at on GH?
Every morning Ops update video I saw on facebook from the SW IMT was clear to me about going direct where possible and having to burnout in areas where it was not safe. Sounded like standard practice to me and the Ops (T) seems very confident, clear and concise. This is the 2nd IMT on the fire and I know there was a lot of challenges with the first IMT, but in the same token for first week or so this fire was competing with several other large fires and the emerging TIA-Windy for resources. Both fires started out basically mid slope with minimal access. One in timber and one in brush. Please go back to the 1st few days of the fire and watch the footprint (or better, watch the AA51 videos) That would have been a tough deal with all the hotshot crews in the world available. Now add in constant smoke inversion thanks to your fire and the Windy leading to lack of being able to bring tankers in and minimal air attack coverage or rotor wing support. A very long time air attack said to me "the retardant just doesnāt seem to work this year ".
I dont care if your the Ops God, this is a tough fire(s). Mistakes made? Probably, just like all fires. Feed the troops (i know that was an issue) keep them safe and maybe protect some Giant Sequois. Weāve all said these last few years were seeing so much resistant to controlā¦especially in Timber. Well, here you go. Lets all focus on everyone going home, even if it means more acres are burned.
When this is all over, ill ask a few hotshot sups and DIVS I trust to get the real intel.
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They are not talking much. No details. Traffic on Local2 as well. Very brief over the air. Like these fires comms have beenā¦ light on details on these old school analog repeaters when phone quality audio is a dial away. As long as thereās cell coverage.
Bear Mtn cam site has a large cell vaultā¦ been there. In fact, the tower is overloaded with cable and antenna weight that the tower had to be welded reinforced stiffening steel to keep it falling over. 1"steel base plates were bending and concrete base was fracturing.
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Fo Real I totally get that there just arenāt enough of the kinds of resources needed to tackle this thing. So much of this country is roadless and unfriendly to dozers - some of it just steep as hell youād have to tie wyes to trees if there was any water to be pumped.
This is the territory of hand crews and WFMās but we just donāt have those like we ought to. Some of the parkie WFMs are just gone - alot of shot crews are a mod this year due to vacancies. Some have already ended their seasons with people going back to school. The camps have been low on numbers and had big turnover in the last few years. None of these resources are as strong as they were five years ago. From the start it looked to me like they would be steering this fire rather than squashing it.
Fingers crossed for some moisture thursday night.
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CIIMT2 ordered report on 10-8
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Talk of a second type 1 IMT is reportedly going to be ordered. I cannot confirm.
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BC4311 reporting a hard closure on hwy180 at hwy 245. Notify duty chief of the prepositioning of our resources up here. Soā¦ something is in the planning tonight.
A burst of fire activity and a visible column build from satellite:
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-17&sec=conus&x=7993.98486328125&y=3875.989990234375&z=5&angle=0&im=18&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps[borders]=white&lat=0&p[0]=cira_natural_fire_color&opacity[0]=1&pause=0&slider=-1&hide_controls=1&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
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So Hot Shots and WFMās is what this fire is missing? Iām confused. Cal Fires Type 1 hand crews are no longer capable of these assignments? I live here in 3R and ran Cal Fire inmate TYPE 1 hand crews since 2008 let me tell you from first hand knowledge thatās NOT what this fire is missing- itās missing leadership, ANY KINDA plan and the willingness to engage from the 2 IMTās and the local SEKI personnel. Carry on.
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The box has been so far from the control lines on the west side and no visible lines on east. Which I get the eastā¦wilderness and fuels probably thinning out. Itās a e-fund vegetation management tool. Been through this with the NIMO team years ago. Kept me out of the loop until critical comms would go down without some control efforts being used.
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Fireout101ā¦gotta remember for some its Hotshot or bust, nobody can do it though I thoroughly disagree.
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All I can tell you is Iām tired of breathing smoke and living in these smoky conditions for months now. I really donāt care if itās Cal Fire, Feds, BIA, LG or locals with Fire Swatters and Gunny Sacks. We have burned enough this year just put it out and be done with it!
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Agreed. Doesnāt seem like you can be anywhere in CA during summer without smoke. Used to like camping in the sierra high country.
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of attorneys, judges, environmentalist, biologists, and all sorts of iologists that are between us and the forest management program.
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Copy That, Sad but True.
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I really thought that after Yellowstone, this nation had learned its lessonā¦ā¦not so much I guess
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Back to the fire:
Hearing rumors that at least 2 charlie strike teams are being emergency demobed from Windy headed to this fire
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At leastā¦
3 Charlieās
4 type 1 crews
Handful of type 6ās
And some over head apparently
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Sawtooth will put the east side of this down. But if it crowns going up the east fork, those cabins underneath those trees will go. Birm up road to keep roll out stuff back maybe?
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