What we really don’t want is a repeat of the Railroad fire. The area is tough and loaded up. Not a great place to put in line, not with the trees and dead and down.
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And the benefit of basically being the only game in town- there are tons of crews and aircraft available.
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Lets hope it stays that way
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Column is leaning waaaay over on the cam right now. I was in this part of the park last month on a trip, did a little hiking, TONS of blowdown and slash in the area… hope the RH stays up tonight to prevent spots
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I don’t think having all the resources available is going to buy as much advantage as it has on our other recent fires. As @IMT_Geek pointed out, with long-range spotting, a ton of dead and down from beetle kill, and lots of snags, unless crews hook it tonight, along with the several spot fires, I don’t see us getting a lot of direct firefighting in, and the terrain makes for a pretty big box.
If it gets to them, it will be interesting to see how 2017 South Fork and Railroad Fire scars affect the fire behavior.
Spot wx forecast:
https://www.weather.gov/spot/php/forecast.php?snumunum=2214760.0&lat=37.39376030773181&lon=-119.80151667497127&z=8
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Sounds like CAIIMT 13 has been activated for this fire.
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From a fire behavior perspective this will be a significant challenge to any IMT and the boots on the ground. All night long it has been countouring the slope to the northwest and throwing at least 5 spots in front of it as a result of the southeast wind. As morning comes, the slow wind shift should occur. The southwest wind could/should line up with the terrain, which is like a large southwest aspect ramp that heads up to Wawona Point at over 6500 feet. The challenge I see is what is present between where the fire has established itself and where it might want to go from a wind and slope perspective. We all know what is in between that has huge international implications, huge. Going north, after Wawona Point, the drop-off is intense to the South Fork of the Merced a couple thousand feet below. Not sure what the NFES number is for a parachute, but I can’t imagine working on that thick north-slope steep terrain, much less trying to figure out if there are any spot fires under that canopy that IR can’t easily see, until… This battle will be tricky, even in the mop-up stages. Anyone crying “speed-up” should think long and hard about what we are exposing our kids to in that area. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful area on a regular day, visited and enjoyed by millions. Having to fight a fire there is ugly, tough, slow, and high risk. Zeke? What say you?
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Good morning NorCalScan…
Can you (or any others) find the Air Resources air frequencies for Friday? Thanks.
I sure it won’t be AT43 from Thurdays air show.
I hear 558 and 559 responding to new fire near Crane Flat @ 07:14
Fire contained @08:43 with hose lay FROS stopped, handline being constructed.
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I’ve never been on the ground in that area, so I’ll leave the local insights to someone who is more tuned-in. I will say that having just had a snag fatality in our organization, prepping burns at Calaveras Big Trees in May, the danger of working in these areas that have had heavy bug-kill over past decade is very fresh in our minds.
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558 and 559 would that be air resource’s? I understand its still a little early for air but just curious due to the lettering as to my knowledge most Yosemite rescourses are numbered in the 30s
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Looking at the CAD dispatch… those numbers represent employee numbers not what type of equipment.
Those numbers are not on the resources under suppression. Some other discipline.
EDIT UPDATE Crane Fire @ 07:26, at scene with 559 taking IC, calling it the crane fire, no report on conditions. Near the Gas Station.
EDIT UPDATE Crane Fire @ 07:32, .10 acres in heavy dead/down fuels, moderate rate of spread behind the gas station, 30% slope, NW aspect. Hoselay being deployed.
EDIT UPDATE: Crane Fire contained @08:43 with hose lay FROS stopped, handline being constructed.
UPDATED: Those two employee’s where operating engine 346 and pumped that hose lay and mopped it up. They placed it in patrol status Saturday morning. E346 enroute to Washburn.
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I just noticed that as soon as you said that, thank you that are has had some burning done up there in the last year.
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JC, has YNP hired a new FMO to replace Martin?
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Yes, Buckley got it a few years ago.
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Thank you much
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Extended freqs assigned to Washburn
Air Tactics FM 166.6125
Air/Ground 169.2875
Rotor Vic 118.575
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South Ops says the fire is 250 acres in brush and timber. It displayed active behavior overnight with torching and spotting. Threat remains to critical communications infrastructure and the Mariposa Grove.
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Inbound aircraft spotting new smoke Lake Success/Delilah Ridge Road…SQF sending patrol to check.
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