Chips Fire September 05, 2012 8:00am
Incident: Chips Wildfire
Released: 9/5/2012
Summary:
The Chips Fire remains under the management of Northern California (NorCal) Interagency Incident Management Team 2 (Joe Molhoek, Incident Commander). Firefighters continue to mop-up along the eastern edge of the fire to extinguish any remaining pockets of heat within 300 feet of the line. Isolated portions of unburned fuel continue to smolder and burn due to the warm, dry weather. Firefighters work diligently on an active fire area southwest of Seneca near power transmission lines. However, the community remains secure and residents have returned.
Suppression repair groups are making progress on the northwest, west, and southwest edge of the fireline. Crews are focusing on repairing roads and culverts, rehabilitating bulldozer lines, and installing water bars to mitigate erosion within the fire area. 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 is being considered.
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. Seneca is open to residents only to the community of Seneca. Seneca Road is not open to through traffic.
·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
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.
Additional Fire Information: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3052/ or call (530) 258-4512 between the hours of 8am to 8pm. Follow us on Twitter@NorCalTeam2 or like us at www.facebook.com/NorCalTeam2.
