Incident Overview
The fire is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Northern California District (BLM-CA-NOD,) Eagle Lake Field Office, approximately 15 miles southeast of Ravendale, California. The fire is burning near a major natural gas line and transfer station, and power transmission lines that supply the Reno area.
Summary: Firefighters will continue to conduct burning operations down to and along the Wendel Road today as well as along the north western edge of the fire along the Garate and Buckhorn Roads. Crews continue to scout for opportunities to contain fire spread along the eastern flank. Fire crews will hold and secure the divisions that have control lines, and continue to flank the northern and southern edges of the fire with dozers and hand crews. Mop-up of hot spots continues on the east and west edges of the fire.
Possible thunderstorm activity in the fire area is forecast for the fire area today. The fire has had significant growth from thunder cell downdrafts for several days. Extreme fire behavior and fire whirls continue to threaten and breach fire control lines. Live fuel moistures remain at a record low.
The fire remains within 1/2 mile of US Route (Highway) 395. The public needs to be aware for the need of possible intermittent closures of Highway 395 due to fire activity and public safety.
Area and Road Closures in Effect: On August 17, the BLM issued a closure order for public lands in the fire area to protect public health and safety. The closed area is bounded by Highway 395 on the west, the Sand Pass Road on the east, and the Wendel Road on the south. The new northern boundary for the public land closure is the Juniper Ridge, Tuledad, Stage Road, Marr Road, and Buckhorn Road extending to Nevada Highway 447 in Washoe County. Routes closed within this closure area include the Ramhorn Springs, Rye Patch Road, Buckhorn, Shinn Ranch, Stoney, Deep Cut, Smoke Creek, Skedaddle Ranch, Dry Valley, and Brubeck roads. The Ramhorn Springs Campground and the Dodge Reservoir Campground also is closed.
Travelers along the Highway 395 corridor, please use caution near the fire crews and equipment working in the fire area. Highway 395 may be closed due to fire activity. Please check for current road conditions with CalTrans at http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi%20or%20800-427-7623.
Remarks: Fire officials remind residents and visitors that fire restrictions are in effect for public lands and national forests in northeast California. Campfires are permitted only in posted recreation sites. Chainsaws may not be used after 1:00pm daily.
Source: InciWeb – Incident Information
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | Sunday August 12th, 2012 approx. 06:42 PM |
| Location | 15 miles SE of Ravendale, California |
| Incident Commander | Molhoek |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 571 |
|---|---|
| Size | 232,000 acres |
| Percent Contained | 32% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Wednesday August 22nd, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved | Grass, sagebrush, junipers (5 Brush – 2 Feet) |
| Fire Behavior | Extreme fire behavior, fire whirls, and short range spotting slowed or hampered control efforts. Fire conitinues spread rapidly to the northeast and southeast. |
| Significant Events | Dozers made good progress on all flanks of the fire except the northern and southern edge of the fire.Fire continues to spread rapidly to the northeast and southeast. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Firefighters will hold and secure divisions that have control lines and continue to flank the northern and southern side of the fire with dozers, helicopters, and fire crews. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Extreme |
| Terrain Difficulty | High |
Current Weather
| Wind Conditions | 3G26 mph SW |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 65 degrees |
| Humidity | 39% |
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