Update: Acreage and Containment Grows In “Old Fire”

Update at 7.m.: Forest fire officials update that fire crews are getting a handle on the Old Fire burning in the Stanislaus National Forest. The fire’s acreage has grown to 150 while the containment jumped to 50 percent Wednesday evening.  The resources on scene have also climbed from 150 to 287 firefighters. Four homes near the edge of the blaze remain threatened although the flames are heading away from the structures, according to forest fire officials. They expect the fire’s full containment by next Tuesday, September 20. What sparked the flames continues to be under investigation.

Original post at 8:42 a.m.: The latest on the Old Fire burning in the Stanislaus National Forest is that firefighters have gained 25% containment and the size is estimated to be 100 acres.

There are 150 firefighters assigned to the incident, three helicopters, six air tankers, eight hand crews, two water tenders and 15 engines. The fire ignited at 1:55pm yesterday along Old Yosemite Road in the Groveland Ranger District. It is in the area of the McCauley Ranch. There are five structures nearby, but the fire has been moving in the opposite direction.

The fire has been burning in an area heavily impacted by the bark beetle epidemic, creating dangerous fire conditions. There are no evacuations or road closures at this time.

Speaking about the plan of attack today, Forest Service spokesperson Clare Long says, “You’ll be seeing the planes continuing to put retardant out there to try to stop the fire as it moves up towards the ridge. We have dozers working on putting containment lines along the sides. We’ll be having three hotshot crews coming in, which will add a lot of fire power, no pun intended, to the ground work we’re trying to accomplish.”

Cooperating agencies include CAL Fire, the Sierra National Forest, Angeles National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, the CHP and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office.

Click here to read a story yesterday detailing the fire’s progression. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A special thanks to community news partners Darin McKinney and Charlie Speight for sending in photos. Pictures can be e-mailed to news@clarkebroadcasting.com.