Good afternoon everybody, here is all of the current information from the Whaleback fire burning at Eagle Lake as of 4:00p.m., Tuesday.
According to the fire management team, “Fire fighters are using all tools necessary to suppress the fire. With clearing visibility, it is possible to use air tankers to drop retardant ahead of the fire. Today, tankers will be flying from Redding, Chico or Chester airports, and working over the northwest portion of the Whaleback fire.”
“A Mobile Retardant Base has been ordered, which will be set up in the Spalding area. There are no mobile retardant bases available in the United States, so we are borrowing one from Canada, which will not arrive for a few days.”
“There will also be more helicopters working over the fire today, flying from helibases in Susanville and Chester. The helicopters are dipping water from Eagle Lake and dropping it on the fire, using buckets suspended on long cables.”
“Increasing winds, beginning this afternoon and continuing through the weekend, will increase fire behavior and the potential for fire spread. Firefighters are using bulldozers, back-firing and retardant to build containment lines ahead of the fire.”
“A contingency line is being constructed along the 105 Road to the north of the fire. This line could be used to protect the communities of Buck’s Bay and Stones Landing, should the fire spread to the north due to extremely windy, hot and dry weather forecasted through the week.”
Evacuation Warning for Buck’s Bay and Stone’s Landing Area
Due to increased fire activity and spotting on the Whaleback Fire, an Evacuation Warning is being issued at this time for those living in the Buck’s Bay to Stone’s Landing area. Please be prepared to evacuate should conditions worsen in that area.
LMUD Outage Update
At 4:00p.m. LMUD announced that after evaluating the Eagle Lake distribution line, the utility has determined that the line has sustained major damage and is not repairable within a reasonable timeframe.
This information has prompted LMUD to provide temporary power to our Eagle Lake customers by an alternate means.
“We have secured a large generator which will meet the needs of the approximately 800 customers affected by the outage,” explains LMUD Public Relations Manager Theresa Phillips.
“However, due to the unpredictable nature of the fire and the time needed to put the generator and transformer in place, we do not expect to have power restored to Eagle Lake until sometime between 8/6/18 and 8/8/18. Further delays are possible depending on circumstances.”
Long-term plans to rebuild a distribution line that will serve Spaulding, Bucks Bay, Stones and the surrounding communities are underway.
____________________________________
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office released a statement late this afternoon saying, “We appreciate the support and cooperation of the residents who have been evacuated. Unfortunately, with the forecast of high winds today and tomorrow and current fire activity, the team managing the fire has determined that it is unsafe to permit people back into the Spalding area.”
“We continue to work with the fire management team, and will allow people to return to their homes as soon as it is safe to do so. Again, we appreciate your support… and cooperation.”
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office thanked the fire crews that are working hard to protect homes and natural resources saying, “They are doing a phenomenal job, and we appreciate it!”
____________________________________
Community Meeting
The NorCal Interagency Team and the CalFire LMU will have a fire information update and community meeting Wednesday, August 1st at 6:00p.m. in Jensen Hall at the Lassen County Fairgrounds.
____________________________________
Latest Map as of Tuesday at 3:30p.m.
The Whaleback Fire increased in acres overnight as the unburned fuels in the center of the fire continued to burn out. According to the Fire Management Team’s Tuesday morning update, the Whaleback has reached Eagle Lake on the eastern edge. The most active area of the fire is to the northwest.
As of this morning the fire was mapped at 16,100 acres, with 32% containment. Full containment is expected Wednesday, August 8th.
Currently there are 614 personnel on the fire which continues to burn in timber and brush
Mandatory evacuations are still in place for the community of Spalding, the Gallatin Marina, Ronald McDonald House and the Merrill, Christie, Eagle and Aspen campgrounds.
Monday afternoon Lassen Municipal Utility District announced that crews had restored power to Eagle’s Nest, the Youth Camp, the Marina, Merrill and Christie Campgrounds and Ronald McDonald House. A handful of other customers have also been energized. However, Spaulding, Stones, Bucks Bay and Grasshopper are still without power.
Today firefighters will continue constructing indirect and direct fire lines, preparing for burnout if necessary. They will also be scouting opportunities for contingency lines.
Mop-up and improvement of existing containment lines is also underway.
Fire crews continue to provide structure defense for community of Spalding and developed recreation areas.
Weather today at the fire continues to be hot and dry, with increasing afternoon winds from the west-south-west.
Norcal 1 Type 2 Incident Management Team (Coots) and CAL FIRE Lassen Modoc Unit (Ferguson) are in Unified Command of the incident.
EVACUATIONS
Lassen County’s Health and Social Services Department opened a shelter for evacuees of the Whaleback Fire at Assembly of God Church, 473-465 Richmond Road, Susanville, California 96130. Those affected by the fire can reach the shelter at (530) 310-2783.
It is asked for anyone going to the shelter to bring their medication and medical equipment (walkers, breathing machines, etc.), clothing for three days, and important papers such as insurance cards.
In addition, the shelter is not providing medical care. Any caretakers must accompany you for the duration of your stay.
Please keep in mind weapons, drugs, alcohol and personal bedding are not permitted at the shelter.
Comments are closed.