Dixie Fire update for Wednesday, Oct. 13
According to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service, the Dixie Fire has consumed 963,309 acres, is 94 percent contained and a total of 1,202 personnel are battling the blaze.
East Zone
Strong sustained and gusty winds early this week created hazardous conditions that slowed many repair operations. But crews took full advantage of yesterday’s lighter-than-predicted winds and clear skies, making significant progress with the fire-suppression repair effort. Approximately 50 percent of Phase 1 repair has been completed in the East Zone. In many areas, heavy-equipment operators and hand crews are felling fire-weakened trees to prevent future damage, for example, to utility lines, roads, and other infrastructure. Hazard-tree removal along the Mt. Hough and China Grade Roads is nearing completion. Repairs to dozer line and roads in the Round Valley Reservoir should be completed in one to two days. Crews anticipate finishing the log-deck removal project on Last Chance Road today. Near the community of Milford, crews are assessing repair needs and developing a plan that will be implemented as equipment and crews complete other projects and relocate to that area. In addition to suppression repair, crews are backhauling hose, supplies, and equipment from the fireline; responding to reports of smoke; and extinguishing hotspots they encounter as they patrol roads. They are also available to respond to new fires and, if necessary, would receive aerial assistance from two helicopters that remain assigned to the incident.
West Zone
This is the final update from Great Basin Team 3. Great Basin Team 1 is assuming command of the West Zone later today. Crews are consulting with tribal resource advisors and liaisons to identify the impacts of firefighting efforts in Tásmam Koyóm. They plan to begin suppression repair work in the area in the coming days. Work in the Silver Lake area is nearing completion. Personnel and equipment will be reassigned from Silver Lake to other suppression repair projects as the work there winds down. Crews continue felling and processing fire-damaged hazard trees along County Road A21, Highway 36, Highway 89 and in northern areas of Lassen Volcanic National Park. They are also leveling dozer berms created during fire suppression to eliminate any heat trapped inside and return the landscape to a more natural state.
Weather and fire potential
Light winds provided a respite after a couple days of strong, gusty winds that impacted suppression-repair activities and firefighters’ ability to safely engage in certain areas. Pockets of isolated heat continue to smolder and produce smoke that may be visible to the public. However, all hotspots are interior and do not pose a threat to containment lines. If crews conducting fire-suppression repair encounter residual pockets of heat, they are extinguishing them. Firefighters are responding to all service calls received. To report smoke, call Plumas County Sheriff’s non-emergency dispatch line at 283-6300.
Closures
A closure order remains in effect for some areas of the Lassen National Forest and Plumas National Forest. For more information, visit InciWeb at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7690/) or the interactive forest closure map (arcg.is/1re8my0).
In the Lassen Volcanic National Park, 1 mile of the park highway is open from the northwest entrance, and 8 miles are open from the southwest entrance. Elsewhere in the park, the highway remains closed. For more information, visit Lassen Volcanic National Park’s webpage for the Dixie Fire (nps.gov/lavo/learn/nature/dixie-fire.htm).
More information
For more information on the East Zone Fire, call (949) 573-5702 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
For more information of the West Zone Fire Information call 592-0838 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Information also may be obtained by sending an email to 2021.dixie.ca@firenet.gov.
