New Wildland Fire Detected: The Dance Fire (CA)

Detected: Monday, July 29, 5:00 p.m.

Cause: Under Investigation

Fuels: Timber and Brush

Estimated Size: 650 acres

Containment: 60%

Committed Resources: Approximately 475

Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 1 home, 2 outbuildings

Summary:

The Dance Fire is located on the Six Rivers National Forest, adjacent to Orleans, California. Northern California Interagency Team 2 (Johnson) took command of the incident at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, 2013.

Night crews made good progress around the fire perimeter. They conducted successful burn out operations which helped secure the north and northwestern edges of the fire, and continued to patrol the areas around structures. Several spot fires were reported overnight, but crews were able to act quickly and build line around them. The area to the east of Camp Creek Road continues to challenge firefighters due to steep terrain, and crews will focus today on strengthening line in that area. Firefighters will also work to complete burnout (especially along the northern edge of the fire), to reinforce and strengthen hand-lines and to begin mop up where appropriate.

As of 9:00 a.m. today all evacuations will be lifted.

A Public Meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. tonight at the Karuk Department of Natural Resources.

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3571

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Monday July 29th, 2013 approx. 05:15 PM
Location	Adjacent to community of Orleans
Incident Commander	Matt Johnson

Current Situation

Total Personnel	491
Size	646 acres
Percent Contained	90%
Estimated Containment Date	Sunday December 02nd, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Timber and brush
Fire Behavior	Fire smoldering and creeping. Backing fires occurring with less than two ft flame length on south and south east aspects.
Significant Events	Evacuations were lifted today at 9:00 a.m.. Good progress was made strengthening control lines. All divisions were plumbed and mop up commenced. A 2 acre spot fire, that had occurred during the first burning period, outside of the perimeter was fully contained and mopped up. Wind speeds were higher than predicted and tested fire lines.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Crews will continue mop-up and patrol to work towards goals based on experience and forest standards. An infra-red flight has been ordered to assist with locating areas of heat.
Growth Potential	Low
Terrain Difficulty	High

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	22 mph SE
Temperature	91 degrees
Humidity	24%

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eleased: 1 day ago

Dance Fire Causes Evacuations

Eureka, CA, July 30, 2013 – The Dance Fire, which started along Highway 96 near Camp Creek Road, has caused the evacuation of some local residents in and near the town of Orleans, CA. Residents were evacuated to Junction Elementary School in Somes Bar and the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources (DNR) building in Orleans. The evacuations are complete.

The fire started at 5:15 p.m. on Monday and as of 3:00 a.m. today, has burned 350 acres with an estimated 10% containment. Two residences and several outbuildings have been destroyed. About 70 other structures are threatened; power lines and phone lines are down. There is one-way controlled traffic on Highway 96 by Caltrans one mile south of Orleans.

The fire is moving up Sims Gulch towards the G-O Road. It is burning in rough, difficult terrain in timber type fuels.

Additional fire resources have been ordered, including a Type 2 Incident Management Team that will assume command of the fire on Tuesday afternoon.

There will be a public meeting today at 6 p.m. at the Karuk DNR Building, 39051 Highway 96, Orleans.

Resources from the following agencies are on scene: Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests, Cal Fire, Hoopa Fire Department, Orleans Volunteer Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, County Sheriff’s Office, Forest Service law enforcement officers, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and Fortuna CCCs.

As of 3:00 a.m. there is a total of 326 persons assigned to the Dance Fire, including 10 hand crews, 1 helicopter, 21 engines and a water tender.

For more information check inciweb for updates. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source: inciweb.org

2013  The NW Fire Blog