Stafford Fire Daily Update 9/7/2012
Incident: Stafford Wildfire
Released: 9/7/2012
SITUATION UPDATE
Stafford Fire
September 7, 2012
10:00 a.m.
Current Situation:
Firefighters are working to suppress the Stafford Fire burning near Hayfork. The fire grew by 700 acres following ignition on September 5, and grew an additional 1900 acres on September 7. Due to aggressive round-the-clock firefighting using dozers and hand crews supported by helicopter bucket drops and fixed-wing retardant missions, the fire has been contained on the southern and eastern flanks. Fire line construction is underway on the western and northern portions of the fire. In order to successfully contain the fire, all fire lines must be reinforced by burning out available materials between the active fire edge and the fire lines. These strategic firing operations will be conducted whenever fuels and weather conditions allow safe and effective burning.
The fire is burning on steep slopes in heavy fuels. It has spotted up to one-quarter mile outside the perimeter by throwing embers ahead of itself. On September 6 the continued expansion of the fire toward populated areas prompted the mandatory evacuation of homes in the Wildwood Road, Morgan Hill and Wild Things areas. An evacuation center is in place at the Solid Rock Church in Hayfork.
The fire is being managed under Unified Command. Northern California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 (Nor Cal 1) along with an Incident Commander and support staff from the Shasta Trinity Unit of CalFire have been delegated responsibility for suppression of the fire.
The suppression agencies will host a public meeting to discuss the current and projected situation on Friday September 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hayfork Elementary School on Hwy 3 in Hayfork.
Location: 5 miles east-southeast of Hayfork, California south of Highway
Start Date & Report Time: September 5 2012 at 2:42 p.m.
Cause: Under investigation
Acres: 1821
Percent Containment: 15%
Estimated Containment: September 12, 2012
Resources: Hand Crews: 11
Helicopters: 6
Engines: 21
Dozers: 5
Water Tenders 6
Injuries: None
Fireline-to-Build: 8 miles;
Estimated Cost-to-Date: $337,000
Total personnel assigned to the incident: 347
Additional Information: Additional fire information can be obtained by calling (530) 378-4856. Also check Inciweb.org for additional updates.
