Boot Fire Update: Mandatory evacuations reduced, Marines to return to Warfare Training Center
Submitted by editor on Sun, 09/09/2018 - 9:31am
Highway 395 and 108 continue to remain open for traffic as progress continues on the Boot Fire, which has burned 6,898 acres and is 39 percent contained as of Sunday morning.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Office lifted all evacuation notices for residents and structures in the Fales Hot Springs, Devil’s Gate Pass and Swauger Creek areas Saturday evening, Sept. 8.
Residents need to remain aware of firefighters and equipment accessing the fire area and stay prepared to leave if conditions change. Leavitt Meadows Campground, Leavitt Meadows Pack Station and Sonora Bridge Campground are also OPEN. Campgrounds and day use areas within for Forest Area Closure remain closed. These include Shingle Mill, Chris Flat, and Bootleg Campgrounds.
The evacuated Marines from the Mountain Warfare Training Center will return to base Monday, Sept. 10; however, the Marines currently assisting the Incident Management Team will continue their work providing critical information and airfield support.
Forest Closure: To protect and ensure firefighter and public safety, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest issued a closure order within and around the Boot Fire burned area Sept. 8.
The public should avoid National Forest System lands north of California State Route 108 from Sonora Bridge to the Junction of U.S. Route 395; north of Route 395 from Sonora Junction and Pimental Meadows, west of Swauger Creek due north to the junction of Forest Roads 067 and 089; from that junction due west to the junction of Burcham Flat Road/Forest Road 031 at the Forest Boundary, east of Mill Canyon Road due south to the junction Terry Canyon Road.
From that junction, the closure includes Mill Canyon Road (Forest Road 042) and NFS lands to the east to Route 395. The closure continues due south on Forest Road 023 to Sonora Bridge. See the Closure Order and map, posted on the Forest’s website for details https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices.
Summary: The fire grew an additional 25 acres yesterday. Containment increased 36 percent Saturday, bringing the current contained fire perimeter area to 39 percent.
The focus of suppression efforts are shifting to the northern and western fire flanks as the southern and eastern flanks become contained.
Weather: Ridgetop winds will be calmer today, peaking to 20 mph. This declining threat will make it harder for spot fires to establish. Warm and dry conditions will prevail however, allowing smoke from burning interior islands and other active fire areas to be visible, especially in the afternoons.
Air quality reports are online at: https://www.gbuapcd.org/cgi-bin/fireViewer?recID=42.
Sunday: Along the high elevation western flank, helicopters are delivering pumps, hoses and other water-handling supplies into ridgetop helispots. This will assist firefighters with installing an extensive network of hoses they will use to extinguish heat that is smoldering and occasionally torching in the thick understory.
Firefighters are working in the heavily timbered, inaccessible north and western flanks extinguishing heat to ensure there the fire does not reignite and threaten the Sweetwater Mountain Range. This work will take several days.
On the south and eastern flanks, firefighters are carefully looking for hot spots 100 feet within the fire perimeter.
Saturday, this group of firefighters also assisted in putting out a tree hit by lightning. The fire grew to a 1/10 acre in Pickel Meadow before it was declared out that night. They will again be ready to respond to new fire starts if any occur.
- 395
- California
- center
- closed
- county
- day
- equipment
- fire
- firefighters
- Fires
- forest
- highway
- Highway 395
- Hot Springs
- information
- lightning
- Marines
- Morning
- mountain
- Mountain Warfare Training Center
- need
- new
- News
- online
- Order
- public
- Public safety
- Quality
- Safety
- saturday
- Smoke
- south
- state
- Sunday Morning
- Support
- training
- U
- USDA
- weather
- website
- western
- Traffic
