Blue 2 Fire
Location: ~10 mi E of Klamath, Six Rivers NF, Del Norte Co. CA
Specific Location: Crescent City Fork of Blue Creek near the Siskiyou Wilderness boundary, Lat 41° 33´ 59″ Lon 123° 49´ 18″
Date of Origin: 06/20/08
Cause: Lightning
Situation as of 08/12/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 176
Size: 9,728 acres
Percent Contained: 69%
Costs to Date: $11,813,267
This will be the last separate 209 for the Blue #2 Fire. Effective 1800 8/13, all information for the Blue #2 will be combined into the Siskiyou Fire 209 [here].Crews continued to monitor fire progression in the Crescent City Creek drainage. Held and monitored line previously fired on G-O Trail. CALFIRE HCI1 crews released.
73 total miles of line are now planned for the Siskiyou / Blue 2 Fires. 68 of these miles have been completed.
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Situation as of 08/11/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 231
Size: 9,447 acres
Percent Contained: 69%
Costs to Date: $10,929,572
Significant daily cost increase due to a more accurate capture of resources assigned. Last shift for night operations. Acres based on IR Perimeter.
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Situation as of 08/10/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 318
Size: 9,226 acres
Percent Contained: 64%
Costs to Date: $9,680,000
Crews continued to monitor fire progression in the Crescent City Creek drainage.
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Situation as of 08/09/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 354
Size: 9,027 acres
Percent Contained: 64%
Costs to Date: $9,406,708
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Situation as of 08/08/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 342
Size: 8,865 acres
Percent Contained: 64%
Costs to Date: $8,905,045
Crews continued to monitor fire progression in the Crescent City Creek drainage. Held and monitored line previously fired on Go-Trail and prepare to continue firing operations. Monitored fire movement, prepared contingency lines, and coordinating indirect operations, strategy and tactics.
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Situation as of 08/07/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 342
Size: 8,510 acres
Percent Contained: 64%
Costs to Date: $8,457,172
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Situation as of 08/06/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 343
Size: 7,981 acres
Percent Contained: 64%
Costs to Date: $8,088,681
In order to protect sensitive cultural resources in the Elk Valley area, a new indirect line north of Chimney Rock was identified and is being evaluted. This will result in a change in the amount of planned line and in the projected final fire size.
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Situation as of 08/05/08 10:00 PM
Total Personnel: 343
Size: 7,718 acres
Percent Contained: 63%
Costs to Date: $7,639,864
Est date of containment: 08/30/2008
RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH LITTLE RAIN
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Situation as of 08/03/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 389
Size: 6,852 acres
Percent Contained: 60%
Costs to Date: $7,394,484
Crews continued to monitor fire progression in the Crescent Creek Fork drainage. Division N continued burn out operations from DP-B06 East towards Chimney Rock. Aerial ignition along the southern portion of the fire. Divisions M,J,K and L are monitoring fire movement and preparing contingency lines.
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Situation as of 08/02/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 400
Size: 6,636 acres
Percent Contained: 52%
Costs to Date: $7,151,896
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Situation as of 08/01/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 398
Size: 6,510 acres
Percent Contained: 52%
Costs to Date: $6,831,377
Continue to monitor fire progression along Crescent Creek Fork drainage. Planning possible aerial ignition along southern portion of fire and burn out operations East of DP-B06 towards Chimney Rock area.
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Situation as of 07/31/08 6:00 AM
Total Personnel: 374
Size: 6,459 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $6,371,940
Fire use module monitoring fire progression along Crescent Creek Fork drainage.
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Situation as of 07/30/08 6:00 AM
Total Personnel: 354
Size: 6,380 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $6,132,432
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Situation as of 07/29/08 6:00 AM
Total Personnel: 397
Size: 5,915 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $5,944,874
Est date of containment: 08/30/2008
Backing and group tree torching S of Doctor Creek. Preparing for possible burnout operations along Cresent City Creek drainage.
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Situation as of 07/28/08 6:00 AM
Total Personnel: 358
Size: 5,553 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $5,335,735
Continuing to monitor fire progression in Crescent City Creek to the west and Blue Creek drainage to the east.
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Situation as of 07/25/08 6:00 AM
Total Personnel: 356
Size: 4,906 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $4,531,709
Continue to move camp from Gasquet to Big Flat Camp.
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Situation as of 07/23/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 370
Size: 4,814 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $3,843,694
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Situation as of 07/20/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 363
Size: 4,547 acres
Percent Contained: 22%
Costs to Date: $3,322,725
Tied handline from G-O Trail into scree slope; will improve line next operational period. Structure assessments for Big Flat and Rock Creek completed. Evaluated proposed handline from G-O trail to Blue Creek drainage and determined that LCES could not be established [Lookouts, Communication, Escape routes, Safety zones -ed].
Submitted Transfer of Command Plan to Area Command. Implementing Strategic Implementation Plan.
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Situation as of 07/19/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 354
Size: 4,465 acres
Percent Contained: 22%
Costs to Date: $2,812,237
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Situation as of 07/18/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 350
Size: 4,465 acres
Percent Contained: 22%
Costs to Date: $2,427,235
Estimated Containment Date: 08/12/08
Implementing Strategic Implementation Plan. A weak inversion is limiting the burn period, but lower relative humidity created active surface fire spread, single tree torching and short range spotting.
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Situation as of 07/17/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 326
Size: 4,426 acres
Percent Contained: 16%
Costs to Date: $2,143,564
A Strategic Implementation Plan for Blue 2 Fire was presented to Area Command, Forest, tribal representatives and CalFire yesterday. Public meeting at Mountain School (Blue 2 ICP) in Gasquet at 1800.
Important Native American cultural areas in the fire vicinity. Extremely high Yurok, Karuk and Tolowa cultural concerns on Blue 2 Fire. Pending major traditional spiritual activities within the area are of concern, particularly considering lack of knowledge where these activities may occur and unknown who/how many/where, and proximity to ongoing fire.
If fire breaches Red Mountain Road, the Red Mountain communication site will be at risk; value of site infrastructure is $25,000,000, and communication equipment is critical to local fire and other emergency operations. Structure protection for Red Mountain including fuel reduction, wrapping and sprinkler systems have been completed.
Fuel reduction and other prep to burn off Red Mountain Road. Preparing to hydrate Red Mountain Lookout if fire crosses Red Mountain Road.
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Situation as of 07/16/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 278
Size: 3,950 acres
Percent Contained: 16%
Costs to Date: $1,927,747
A Strategic Implementation Plan for Blue 2 Fire was presented to Area Command, Forest, tribal representatives and CalFire.
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The Blue2 Fire was originally the Blue Fire. Then it became incorporated into the Orleans/Ukonom Complex. Then it became its own fire again.
Situation as of 07/13/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 193
Size: 3,796 acres
Percent Contained: 15%
Costs to Date: $1,242,701
If fire breaches Red Mountain Road, the Red Mountain communication site will be at risk; value of site infrastructure is $25,000,000, and communication equipment is critical to local fire and other emergency operations.
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Situation as of 07/13/08 8:00 AM
Total Personnel: 176
Size: 3,620 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Costs to Date: not reported, est. $1.1 million
Est Containment Date: 08/18/08
Highway 199 is open to single lane traffic with pilot car.
Continued preparation of a Strategic Implementation Plan. Unable to achieve containment with current resources.
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Situation as of 07/11/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 121
Size: 2,860 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Costs to Date: $780,000
Additional Forest closure orders implemented today. Loaned resources to local ranger district for IA and traffic control when new start caused temporary closure of US Highway 199 at town of Hiouchi.
Spike camp established at Big Flats for Fire Use Modules, T2 handcrews and engines. Overhead resources include 17 members of 2 Fire Use Modules assigned to the fire. Continue development of Strategic Implementation Plan.
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Situation as of 07/09/08 6:00 PM
Total Personnel: 51
Size: 2,175 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Costs to Date: $635,000
Type 2 IMT (Svalberg). The lack of resources substantially limits capability to implement the desired strategy of full perimeter control.
Important Native American cultural areas in the fire vicinity. Extremely high Yurok, Karuk and Tolowa cultural concerns on Blue 2 Fire. Pending major traditional spiritual activities within the area are of concern, particularly considering lack of knowledge where these activities may occur and unknown who/how many/where, and proximity to ongoing fire.
If identified critical resources are not obtained, continued fire growth would eliminate the option of direct perimeter control. This would threaten privately owned lands, scattered residences and critical communications facilities. It is also probable that the fire would continue to grow until a season ending event occurs.
by Marie
Marie, thank you for your comment.
It has been apparent to me from the beginning of these fires that the feds intended to make them into a megafire of historic proportions. Absolutely unconscionable destruction on the part of outside overseers with no concern for history, tradition, forests, wildlife, watersheds, airsheds, or anything but their own wallets.
We will track these fires and report on the useless and stupid destruction. Then we will hammer on the individuals responsible for the rest of their careers.
Please keep us updated on the situation on the ground from your perspective. We share your grief.
Once again it is apparent that if locals do not attend the community fire meetings and represent their region/locale then concerns over the protection of native cultural/spiritual land and private land holdings are not in the forefront of the minds of the incident management team.
The “box” or proposed perimeters of the Blue2, Siskiyou, and Ukonom complexes will eventually become joined into one super large complex.
The lack of resources is due to our remoteness and lack of citizens being the squeaky will.
If resources were put on these fires, then they would not be burning till October. It is a shame that we accept the burning down of the forest around us.