Creek Fire updates: Hot and dry through the weekend; crews preparing for eventual rains
Firefighters are moving into the fire suppression repair phase in parts of the southern zone of the Creek Fire, as activity continues to the north and northeast.
The fire, which has been burning in and around the Sierra National Forest since Sept. 4., added less than 2,000 acres on Thursday. As of Friday morning it had burned 311,793 acres and was 45% contained. And by Friday evening, the fire had grown to 312,063 acres while remaining at 45% containment.
There are 2,003 personnel working on the fire.
The cause is under investigation.
On Thursday, fire hose was being pulled off of the line in and near Shaver Lake and mechanized equipment moved in to prepare the landscape for eventual rain and snow — even as immediate weather continues to be dry and hotter than normal. The idea is to divert potential flooding.
“We’re not going to have a bunch of debris flows and a bunch of mud coming off the hill,” Don Fregulia, operations section chief, said Thursday.
▪ To the south, the SQF Complex Fire has grown to 153,226 acres. As of Friday it was 61% contained.
That fire, a combination of the Castle and Shotgun fires, has been burning near the Sequoia National Park since Aug. 21 and has caused the evacuation of communities like Ponderosa, Alpine Village and Sequoia Crest.
▪ The Bullfrog Fire, burning east of Shaver Lake near Courtright Reservoir, remains much the same. According to incident updates, it continues to be at 1,185 acres and 50% contained.
7 p.m.: Shaver Lake businesses reopened
Though the Creek Fire is still burning, many businesses were back open in the Shaver Lake area this week.
Mark Savage, an information officer with California Incident Management Team 5, reassured viewers of Friday’s news conference that it was safe to go back and visit Shaver Lake.
“Can we go up to shaver lake area and enjoy the restaurants?” Savage said while reading a question asked via social media. “The answer is: Absolutely, yes. You can, and you are welcome to do so.”
12:30 p.m.: Temporary access to retrieve property left behind
Sierra National Forest rangers and Fresno County Sheriff’s Office deputies will allow temporary entry to collect belongings left behind — tents, trailers, boats and gear — during evacuations, according to a news release.
Due to an overwhelming response from residents, officials decided to allow people to enter Saturday and Sunday, and then again Oct. 10 and 11, the release said. Those interested in getting in must check in at one of the roadblocks by 1 p.m. to obtain a permit.
Access will be allowed 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through:
- McKinley Grove to Wishon and Courtright roads.
- Dinkey and Rock Creek areas
- Huntington Lake and Camp Sierra areas
Residents can pick up their boats at Huntington Lake Boat Launch on Saturday and non-residents on Sunday.
Those who enter are required to take care of their own trash. Officials recommend filling out a Belongings Retrieval Form as well as the Fresno County_HSRD Restricted Access Form 7700-48 before arriving at the roadblocks.
For more on permitting, go to fs.usda.gov/detail/sierra/home/?cid=fseprd815384.
12:30 p.m.: Assistance center in Clovis sees time change
The Creek Fire Local Assistance Center at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District updated its hours on Friday, according to Fresno County officials.
Through Sunday the 808 Fourth St. center will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Monday to Oct. 9, the center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
8:15 a.m.: More smoke or more heat in Sierra foothills?
The weather in the central San Joaquin Valley on Friday is more of what’s been seen all week: smoke from the wildfires, mixed with higher than normal temperatures.
The question is which will prevail.
A strong inversion layer is trapping smoke (and ruining the air quality). Without that smoke, afternoon temperatures could easily climb to triple digits for Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
There is no rain in the foreseeable future, though the weather service is warning that threat of debris flow this rain season will be much greater than it’s been in maybe decades and could be devastating.
The Valley Air Pollution Control District is predicting unhealthy air quality for counties in the north Central Valley. Fresno County and into the south part of the Valley is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, though by 8 a.m. Friday, the AQI in Fresno was already at unhealthy levels. The PM2.5 levels has dropped overnight. At 7 a.m., Fresno was at level four. Sensitive individuals should exercise indoors and everyone should avoid prolonged or vigorous outdoor activities.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Creek Fire updates: Hot and dry through the weekend; crews preparing for eventual rains."