Firefighters Saying Goodbye
Tuolumne County, CA — The Rim Fire is moving through its transition this morning from a Type II incident Management Team to a smaller Type III.
The Drew Meadow Camp was closed yesterday, and the Tuolumne Base Camp is being dismantled this morning.
“The Incident requires much less people, so we transitioned to a smaller organization,” says Mike Strawhun with the Type II South Central Sierra Interagency Incident Management Team. “We’re transitioning with two smaller organizations, one from the National Park Service and one Forest Service, to take over all the repair work and finishing everything.”
The Rim Fire is still estimated to be 257 thousand acres and 84% contained.
“I’m always impressed with the ability of the firefighters, from all jurisdictions, to come together for a common goal, extinguish a fire like this, and allow people to return to a more normal life,” adds Strawhun. He notes that he was also pleased with the overall safety record on the Rim Fire. There were over 3 million work hours put in and no fatalities. There were 10 injuries.
Light smoldering continues in the Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness region.
