Parks Fire Update 09:00 8/10/2012
Incident: Parks Wildfire
Released: 8/10/2012
Parks Fire Contained
9:00 a.m. August 10, 2012
The Parks Fire has been fully "contained" by fire line as of 6:00 p.m. August 9 2012. "Contained" means that a control line has been completed around the fire, and any associated spot fires, which can reasonably be expected to stop the fire's spread. For additional definitions of commonly used firefighting terms, please refer to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's glossary at http://delivr.com/1im72
The fire burned in the Parks Creek drainage approximately 9 miles west of Weed, California, on the Mt. Shasta District of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Due to the potential for rapid growth and limited opportunities to utilize roads in the control strategy, firefighters conducted an aggressive attack using hand crews and support from retardant aircraft and helicopter bucket drops. At the peak of firefighting activity 187 people were assigned to the fire. The fire burned in heavy dead and down fuels in an area previously burned by wildfire. The previous fire left many snags, which complicated the work of firefighters and challenged the containment effort by throwing burning material across constructed lines.
Crews established a hose line to deliver firefighting water to the line. This water was pumped uphill over a considerable elevation gain requiring staged pumps and tanks. A helicopter was also used to ferry water to a holding tank at the top of the fire, where it fed a hose system to the fire.
Currently 116 people staffing 3 crews, 1 helicopter, 3 engine crews and 10 line overhead are working the fire. The Incident Commander is releasing firefighters and equipment for reassignment to other high priority fires burning in the western United States. Sufficient firefighters will remain assigned to this fire to conduct frequent patrols and extinguish any recurring fire that threatens containment lines. Some smoke may be visible from surrounding areas for a few days. There is no estimate of a date for final "control" of the fire, when the lines can reasonably be expected to hold under the foreseeable conditions.
The fire was reported just before midnight on August 5. The cause is under investigation.
For Parks Fire Information call 530-235-6792
For additional fire information, visit www.inciweb.org. and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest at www.fs.usda.gov/stnf .
