Fork Fire fully contained after burning rugged terrain in Eldorado National Forest

The Fork Fire, which burned about 1,700 acres in a remote area of the Eldorado National Forest, has been fully contained as of Sunday. The announcement came after the fire had been burning rugged terrain for two months.

The fire started Sept. 8 in the Rubicon River drainage and burned about 15 miles northeast of Pollock Pines and 25 miles west of South Lake Tahoe. Fire officials previously said that the Rubicon canyon makes for poor firefighting conditions, slowing progress toward containment.

Heat and strong winds signaled red flag warnings and critical fire weather over September and October, challenging firefighting efforts.

The fire burned in the Rubicon River drainage, with flames reaching the burn scar left from the King Fire in 2014. The Rubicon canyon made firefighting efforts challenging due to its remote location and steep terrain.

The presence of dead trees from the King Fire has allowed moderate to rapid rates of fire spread, spotting, torching and running, according to a Friday morning incident report.

The flames forced mandatory evacuations in early September for Volcanoville, Quintette and Stumpy Meadows, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Additionally, the Eldorado National Forest had been closed by a Regional Temporary Emergency Closure Order, preventing all public access to the land, roads and trails. The forest has reopened with restrictions preventing campfires.

The fire resulted in two minor injuries. Smoke from the Fork Fire created unhealthy air quality levels in the area as it burned.

This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Fork Fire fully contained after burning rugged terrain in Eldorado National Forest."