Chips Fire Update September 03, 8:00am
Incident: Chips Wildfire
Released: 9/3/2012
For Immediate Release: September 3, 2012 @ 8:00am
Chips Fire Update
Started: July 29, 2012
Cause: Under Investigation
Fuels: Fire is burning in timber and low brush with numerous dead and downed logs and standing snags.
Estimated Size: 74,431
Containment: 100%
Committed Resources: Approximately 819
Structures Threatened: 11
Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 1 Residence, 8 Outbuildings
Injuries: 20
Announcement: Tuesday, September 4, 2012 10am, Public Fire Camp Tour Spend an hour with us! Come learn about the Incident Management Team and the effort it takes to support over a thousand firefighters for a month. Call 530-283-4512 for meeting place and details. Open to all.
Summary: Northern California (NorCal) Interagency Incident Management Team 2 (Joe Molhoek, Incident Commander) assumed management of the incident on 9/1/2012.
The Plumas County Sheriff's Office in coordination of Nor Cal Team 2 has lifted the Mandatory Evacuation for Seneca. Seneca is open to residents only. Seneca Road is open to residents only from Hwy. 89 to Seneca and surrounding area. Seneca Road is not open to through traffic. Please see below for additional Forest Closure information.
Today, firefighters will continue to address isolated areas of burning within the fire containment lines and to patrol and mop up around the fire. Suppression repair will continue as well. Once suppression repair is complete, the Lassen and Plumas National Forests will use the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) process to address emergency soil stabilization actions to reduce the immediate risks of post-fire erosion. Long-term restoration and recovery of burned forest ecosystems are also concerns.
Additional Fire Information: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3052/ or call (530) 283-3593 and (530) 283-3288 between the hours of 8am to 8pm. Follow us on Twitter@NorCalTeam2 or like us on www.facebook.com/NorCalTeam2.
Evacuations and Closures: All National Forest Campgrounds and Day Use Areas on the west shore of Lake Almanor have been re-opened by the Plumas and Lassen National Forests.
Due to current weather conditions and fire behavior the following Road Closures remain in effect.
Highway Closures
-Caribou Road to Butt Lake Dam from Highway 70
- Rush Creek Road from Highway 70 - Open to residents only.
- All additional secondary roads North of Highway 70 between Rock Creek Dam and Twain from Highway 70
- Seneca Road from Highway 89 - Open to residents only.
- Butt Lake Dam, Ohio Valley Road, Butt Lake Road, Humbug/Humboldt Road and all additional secondary roads West of Highway 89 between Canyon Dam and the Humbug/Humboldt Road from Highway 89
However, both the Plumas and Lassen National Forests continue to maintain Forest Closures within and surrounding the Chips Fire area. The PCT is officially closed from Three Lakes (in the Bucks Lake Wilderness) on the Plumas National Forest northbound to the Cold Spring trailhead at the Humbug Road (Plumas County Road 307) on the Lassen National Forest. Additionally, using the Caribou Road (Forest Route 27N26) is prohibited, as the area is also officially closed. Hikers and equestrians are advised to avoid travel on the portion of the PCT from Bucks Summit, north to Hwy 36.
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