Here’s an update from the Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2
Current situation
Fire suppression activities often damage or clog culverts. This can occur as easily as dozers crushing ends of culverts or hand-crews filling catch basins with brush as they construct fireline. Repairing damaged culverts falls to the roads group. They are working along highways and forest roads to repair damage like this, which if left undone, could risk the integrity of the road and safety of those who travel it. Crews open crushed culverts and remove brush, ash, sediment and rocks clogging catch basins or culverts. To reflect the progress of repair activities by the roads, hazard-tree and supression-repair groups working on federal lands, the public information map has been modified to show where the work is being done and the completion status. For examples of firefighters working on fire suppression repair, including photos and videos, refer to the Lassen National Forest Facebook Page:facebook.com/LassenNF.
Weather and fire safety
Temperatures will continue to rise into the weekend. No significant precipitation is forecast at this time, and humidity levels remain extremely low. It will not be uncommon for smoke tendrils evolving from isolated stumps, logs or snags in the fire boundary to be visible from roads. This will continue until a season-ending precipitation event but does not pose a threat to containment lines and should not cause alarm. Outside the fire perimeter, fuel load, including grass, brush and timber, is very dry and ready to burn. Any new fires would be difficult to control. Ensure you are continuing to be diligent in your use of equipment which can be an ignition source for these fuels.
Forest closure
Lassen National Forest lands, roads and trails near the fire are temporarily closed. Individuals are responsible for knowing where they are in relation to the closure area. Keep our firefighters and yourselves safe by abiding by the closure order. If you are recreating on your public lands, be prepared and view Forest Order No. 06-24-07 and map at fs.usda.gov/alerts/lassen/alerts-notices.
Fire restrictions
Know before you go. Fire restrictions are in effect within the Lassen National Forest. For details, view Forest Order No. 06-24-04 here: fs.usda.gov/alerts/lassen/alerts-notices. Find links to other land management agencies’ fire restrictions in the Park Fire Information.
According to CalFire, the Park Fire has burned 429,603 acres and is now 98 percent contained.
Status update The Park Fire is being managed under the CalFire Butte Unit, the CalFire Tehama-Glenn Unit, USFS Southwest Incident Management Team 2 and the Lassen National Forest.
State Responsibility Areas of the incident are being managed by the local CalFire units. USFS Southwest Incident Management Team 2 and Lassen National Forest are in command of the Federal Responsibility Areas within the incident.
Observed fire behavior consisted of smoldering pockets of heat within dozer berms and dozer piles which were created during active fire suppression. As clean up, line rehabilitation and line strengthening occurs, these pockets are discovered and mitigated.
The dominant weather pattern is shifting from cooler and windy to a warming trend with heat advisories posted for lower elevation areas in and around the fire area.
High temperatures are expected to return to more than 100 degrees within a few days and towards the southern extent of the fire which increases stress on firefighters and equipment.
Four firefighters, two helicopter pilots and a contractor bulldozing a fireline have died in Colorado, Utah and Oregon this year. Fast-moving fires have burned…
