Creek Fire update: Weather hampering some efforts as firefighters work to reopen roads
On Tuesday morning, the Creek Fire continued to remain stable, with the acreage pegged at 379,729 acres and 70% containment.
Recent snow and rain have grounded mapping mission flights that normally track changes in acreage, Sam Harrel, an information officer with the Alaska Incident Management team, told The Bee on Monday. But fire managers report they haven’t seen fire growth in days.
The number of firefighters has dwindled because of the hazardous conditions and inaccessible terrain. There are now 656 personnel on the fire, down from over 800 last week. Most of their effort is focused on fireline and road repairs.
“We are working closely with Caltrans to open as many roads as possible,” the U.S. Forest Service wrote in their daily update on Tuesday.
The weekend’s snow helped reduce fire growth significantly. Whereas fire was still burning and spreading in the high-country wilderness south of Mammoth Lakes around Pond Lily Lake last week, only scattered heat shows up on maps now, and there is little to no possibility of spread, according to the Forest Service Facebook page. All firefighters assigned to that area but the Inyo Fire Module have now been transitioned to repairs on the eastern border of the fire.
Firefighters are hoping for more precipitation to moisten larger fuels, like trees.
The SQF Complex fire has also remained stable at 171,032 acres and 80% containment on Tuesday morning.
Cold weather continues
The National Weather Service issued another freeze warning for Wednesday from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m., just as it did on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
They predict dry, cold weather will continue in the central San Joaquin Valley until Thursday night, when they predict another storm will bring a chance of precipitation to the Sierra into Friday. The U.S. Forest Service, however, only reports “a slight chance of very light rain and snow” on Thursday night.
The cold conditions could kill crops and other plants and damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. To prevent water pipes from bursting or freezing, the National Weather Service suggests people wrap, drain or allow their pipes to drip slowly. In-ground sprinkler systems should also be drained and covered.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 8:08 AM.