Rush Fire Nearly Contained
Incident: Rush Fire Wildfire
Released: 8/30/2012
Susanville, Calif., Aug. 30 Firefighters continued to close in on the Rush fire. On Wednesday, they went after smokes and cooled them off in the northeastern flank of the fire. The weather was extremely dry, with several weather stations reporting only two percent relative humidity.
On Thursday, engines and crews will continue making sure the northeast flank is free of hot spots. The northeast part of the Rush fire is about 25 miles northeast and east of Ravendale, Calif., in Nevada.
Firefighters will continue making repairs from firefighting operations on the north flank and scaling down firefighting operations. The fire camp at Burnt Lake will close Thursday morning. Remaining crews will be based at the fire camp in at the Lassen County Fairgrounds in Susanville.
Many firefighters and equipment will be released from the fire Thursday and Friday.
On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management will open lands and roads closed for the Rush fire including the Buckhorn Road and Ramshorn Springs and Dodge Reservoir campgrounds. In addition, Washoe County will reopen the Buffalo Meadows Road in Nevada on Friday.
Officials with the Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team plan to declare the Rush fire contained by 6 p.m. on Thursday.
"It's been a lot of hard work over the 257.5 miles of fire perimeter," Doug Turman, the Rush fire incident commander said. "The crews did an outstanding job."
The team plans to turn management of the fire over to a Bureau of Land Management fire team on Saturday.
Area and Road Closures in Effect Today: Public lands bounded by Highway 395 on the west, the Sand Pass Road and Nevada 447 on the east, the Wendel Road on the south, and Juniper Ridge Road to Buckhorn Road on the north are closed. The Buckhorn Road is closed from Nevada Highway 447 to the Marr Road in Calif. The Buffalo Meadows Road in Washoe Co., Nev., is also closed. The Ramhorn Springs and Dodge Reservoir campgrounds remain closed.
NOTE: Use of chainsaws on public lands managed by BLM in northeast California and far northwestern Nevada is suspended because of extreme fire danger. Fire officials remind residents and visitors that fire restrictions are in effect for public lands and national forests in northeast California and far northwest Nevada. Campfires are permitted only in posted recreation sites.
Started: 8/12/12 at 6:42 pm
Expected Containment: 8/30/2012, by 6 p.m.
Cause: Lightning
Committed Resources: 497 people
Fuels: Fire is burning sagebrush, juniper,
and grass
Structures Threatened: 39 (20 residences; 1 commercial; 18 outbuildings)
Estimated Size: est. 315,577 acres (271,911 acres in California and 43,666 acres in Nevada)
Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 1 (barn)
Containment: 96%
Injuries: 3 minor
