A community meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, June 28, 2018, at the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center, 2510 Main St, at 6:00 pm. Interested members of the public and media are encouraged to attend. Fire management staff will be present to answer questions.

Lions Fire Update 6-26-18

The Lions Fire was detected in early June as a result of lighting. Firefighters made progress meeting containment objectives on the fire yesterday. The fire is located entirely in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and has grown to 2959 acres. It is burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain primarily in the Stairway Creek drainage, north and west of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. Firefighter and public safety remains the top priority for fire managers.

The fire has reached the 2017 Butte Fire footprint which slowed westward movement. Crews have been successful slowing the eastern progression in the lighter fuels of the 1992 Rainbow Fire footprint. Handcrews and helicopters are being utilized to keep the fire north of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.

The Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail remain open at this time. Lateral trails leading into the fire area will be closed in the near future. Those trails include: Sierra NF: 26E01 (Mammoth Trail) to the Inyo NF Boundary, 26E56, 26E14, and 2646 from the Inyo NF boundary. Inyo NF trail closures include 26E01 from the Sierra NF to 2601 junction, and 2601 from the boundary of the Inyo NF and Devil’s Postpile National Monument (King Creek Trail). Hikers are advised to check the areas they are interested in going to before starting. All lodging and recreational services remain open in the town of Mammoth Lakes and the Reds Meadow Valley.

Fire plays an important role in maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem. Previously accepted practices of fire suppression have resulted in abnormally high buildup of fuels. The fire is being managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, firefighter safety, and hazardous vegetation reduction. As the fire burns through the heavy blowdown and areas of tree mortality, higher than normal amounts of smoke is being produced. The fire is located in designated wilderness; therefore firefighters are utilizing MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing line construction, only using hand construction crews.

Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses. More information is available athttps://tools.airfire.org/monitoring/v4. To see smoke impacts in the area, visit webcams atwww.mammothmountain.com.

There is a Temporary Flight Restriction issued for a 5 mile radius around the fire. This does not impact flights landing at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport.

For more information, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5850/ or call 760-582-5203.

Lions Fire Update 6-25-18

The Lions Fire continues to burn in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area. Strong winds and dry conditions have resulted in the fire growing to about 2000 acres. The fire is burning in rugged and inaccessible terrain in the Stairway Creek drainage, north and west of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.

Large areas of standing dead and down timber (red fir) are within and surrounding the burn area. Presently there is no threat to structures or public safety. All trails remain open at this time, including the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail. Lateral trails leading into the fire area are being considered for closure in the near future. Hikers are advised to check the areas they are interested in going to before starting.

Firefighters are containing the spread by suppressing active burning and building direct and indirect fireline. The fire is being managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, air quality, firefighter safety and hazardous vegetation reduction.

Because the fire is burning in designated wilderness, fire officials will be using MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing line construction, only using hand construction. Additional resources have been ordered to assist in the implementation of fire objectives.

The communities near the fire can expect smoke impacts in varying degrees for at least the next week. Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses.

There has been a Temporary Flight Restriction issued for a 5 mile radius around the fire. This does not impact flights landing at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport.

To see smoke impacts in the area, visit webcams at Mammothmountain.com.

For more information, see Lions Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5850/ or call 760-582-5203.

###

USFS news release

Clovis, CA. June 24, 2018 – The Lions Fire started on the Sierra National Forest around June 1st as a lightning strike, and is burning near the Lion Point area in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It crossed onto the Inyo National Forest on June 22 and is now being co-managed by both the Sierra and the Inyo National Forests. Due to strong winds the evening of June 24 of 20-30 mph, the fire spread to the south and west and is now about 1000 acres, 7 miles southwest of Mammoth Lakes.

The fire is burning at 6000-8000’ elevation in red fir with some growth to the southeast. Large areas of standing dead and down timber are within and surrounding the burning area. There is no present threat to structures or public safety.

The fire will be managed for multiple resource and protection objectives including suppression, air quality, firefighter safety and hazardous vegetation reduction. Because the fire is burning in designated wilderness, fire officials will be using MIST (Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics), such as using natural barriers for containment lines and minimizing mechanical disturbance with chainsaws or aircraft.

To maximize daylight work time, crews are camping near the fire and consist of four Type I hotshot crews and a Wildland Fire Module.

The communities near the fire can expect smoke impacts in varying degrees for the next two- three weeks. Air quality and smoke forecasts will be available as the incident progresses.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Pinterest

Pocket

Reddit

Skype

Telegram

WhatsApp

Tumblr

Email

Print

