Yuba Fire perimeter on August 20, 2009 (morning update)
Yuba, Nevada-Yuba Placer Unit, Cal Fire. Three miles southeast of Dobbins, CA. Timber, chaparral and grass. Full containment achieved August 24, 2009. The incident is back under the unit's command. Demobilization of excess resources and personnel is ongoing. Minimal fire activity.
Cause of the fire: Fire investigators have confirmed the initial fire was started by a bird into a powerline, but another fire in the area remains under investigation. 2 structures have been lost (one owned by PG&E, the other unknown). 41 minor injuries have been reported since the fire started on August 14, 2009.
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August 25, 2009 6:58 a.m.
Demobilization of resources and personnel continues. Firefighters are working to rehabilitate suppression efforts.
Resources:
Engines: 2
Fire crews: 2
Costs to date: 12.1 million
August 24, 2009 7:07 a.m.
Demobilization of resources and personnel continues. Firefighters are working to extinguish hotspots and rehabilitate dozerlines. Containment expected later today.
Resources:
Engines: 4
Fire crews: 2
Costs to date: 11.5 million
August 23, 2009 7:11 p.m.
Heavy demobilization of resources and personnel continues. Firefighters are working to extinguish hotspots and rehabilitate dozerlines.
August 23, 2009 8:15 a.m.
Firefighters are patrolling for smoke, extinguishing smoldering fires. Rehabilitation of suppression lines is underway. Heavy demobilization of resources and personnel continues.
August 22, 2009 7:12 p.m.
Firefighters are patrolling for smoke and extinguishing smoldering fires. Access to the fire remains difficult due to steep terrain and heavy fuels. Demobilization of resources and personnel is underway.
August 22, 2009 6:40 a.m.
No change in acreage or containment this morning. Firefighters continue to reinforce containment lines and rehab suppression efforts. Demobilization of excess resources is ongoing.
August 20, 2009 7:00 p.m. No change in the containment figure for tonight. Demobilization of excess resources has begun. Recreational areas will be re-opened to the public.
August 20, 2009 5:30 p.m.
Aircraft Facts and Numbers
At the height of the fire, groundcrews were assisted by 16 helicopters and 5 tankers. The five tankers ranged from the S2T airtankers carrying a payload of 1,200 gallons of long-term fire retardant to the DC-10 Tanker 910 which can dump as much as 12,000 U.S. gallons of retardant in as little as eight seconds. As of August 20th, 317,116 gallons of fire retardant were used on the Yuba Fire.
Current Situation: The threat to critical power lines from the Colgate Hydroelectric Plant and associated PG&E infrastructure has been mitigated. Firefighters continue to make progress constructing fire line and have completed a contingency line to the east. Firefighters are patrolling for smoke and extinguishing smoldering fires. Access to the fire remains difficult due to steep terrain and heavy fuels. Fire commanders are optimistic that containment is within sight. Residents must remain vigilant for changes in fire conditions.
August 19, 2009 - 3:50 p.m.
The DC 10 just flew over the Yuba Fire. The flight was part of a proficiency test and the aircraft has returned to McClellan.
August 19, 2009 - 11:55 a.m.
A message from State Parks: Access to Bridgeport, with parking along Pleasant Valley Road is available. However, State Parks Spokesperson Roy Stearns suggest visitors use common sense and be safe while driving in the fire area. Some portion of Bridgeport is still being used as a staging area for fire equipment, please yield to them. Smoke may impact the park over the next few days.
August 19, 2009 - 10:15 a.m.
A plume of smoke can be seen from the Yuba Fire. This morning, firefighters are burning out an interior pocket within the fire's perimeter on the Nevada County side creating a plume of smoke.
Evacuations: Evacuations in all areas of the Yuba County fire have been lifted. The only remaining restriction is that the general public is not allowed on Lake Francis Road. On Tuesday fire officials cleared the way for those who have homes on Lake Francis Road to return to their residences. California Highway Patrol officers will be checking the identifications of those seeking access to the road.
All residents who do return should be ready to evacuate, in the event the fire changes direction.
Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009 The Incident Commander and NEU Unit Chief Brad Harris were at the Nevada County Board of Supervisors this morning. Briefing update: Chief Harris recaps the cause and start of the fire. Says fire made some significant runs on the Nevada County side.
IC Rob Lewin reports out from the morning briefing: 1,500 firefighters assigned to the incident. The reason for the number of firefighters on scene is the steep terrain and heavy timber, the IC says. The extreme topography creates its own wind patterns. Actions were overall quite successful. Direct attack on many branches of the fire has yielded good results. A large contingency line, west of Pleasant Valley Road is completed. Operations today will consist mostly of direct attack and rehabilitation. Structure protection is on standby. One watertender from Camptonville rolled over yesterday, the operator was safely extracted and the vehicle has been towed.
Fire history near the Yuba Fire. Compiled by YubaNet
Closeup of fire history with Yuba Fire perimeter. Credit and thanks to Steve Beckwitt.
Update on evacuations in Yuba County:
Currently there are no remaining evacuations.
Nevada County
All evacuations have been lifted.
Cooperating Agencies: Yuba County Sheriff, Nevada County Sheriff, CHP, Yuba County OES, Yuba County Water, Unite States Forest Service – Tahoe & Plumas National Forests, CalEMA Fire Rescue, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, PG&E, Red Cross, and BLM.
Want to Volunteer?
The Nevada County branch of the Red Cross Wants You! In an effort to up the numbers of volunteers in Nevada County, the local branch is holding a recruitment event on September 23rd at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Olympis mobile Home Park in the Glenbrook Basin (918 Pampas Drive).
Local coordinator Beverly Parr invites all of you to come, watch a video of their activities and fill out an application. The local branch is very active in disaster preparedness and of course is on standby for any emergencies.
For now, Beverly suggest you show your appreciation to the firefighters by posting thank you firefighter signs in your yard, call the business number of your local fire station during business hours and thank them.
If you prefer to do it the electronic way, send us an email to news@yubanet.com with your message. We'll collect the emails and will deliver them to the fire camp.
Many thanks to the Fire Information services for their updates.
