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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Aug 28, 2013 - 12:13pm PT
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Fred, thanks again.
BTW, the red ("new fire") marks that seem to be moving toward Twain Harte are (I think) the back-burning they're doing down off Paper Cabin Ridge.
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Climbnc
Trad climber
Carrboro, NC
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Aug 28, 2013 - 12:33pm PT
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Obsessively tracking this fire from the East coast as we're headed to the Valley in a couple of weeks.
Looks like they are closing 120 up to Tuolumne this afternoon, I think for controlled burns down from Hetch Hetchy:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/rimfire.htm
Beginning at noon on Wednesday, August 28, the Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park) is closed from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek. The only access to the Tuolumne Meadows area is via Highway 120 from near Lee Vining.
Best wishes to all in the path, stay safe.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:35pm PT
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Hard for me to discern in the maps, but did the fire cross over the Golden Arrow Rd where it joins the 120 outside of the park? Looks like it, can't tell.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 02:55pm PT
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Mark. Nice work.
Brad, khanom, I'm sure you guys will be OK now. Hang in there.
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command error
Trad climber
Colorado
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:43pm PT
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Is Hetch Hetchy water still off limits to fire fighting helicopters?
Still looking for any pictures of helicopters dipping water out of
Hetch Hetchy to drop on the near by fire.
Would be spectacular images.
Hard to believe cannot find them if they exist.
Perhaps they do not.
Short hauling, max bang for the buck of fuel consumed for fire suppression.
Thinking such images do not exist because San Francisco will not let
helicopters use their water.
Are helicopters scooping Siesta lake or Harden lake to drop on the fire up by White Wolf?
And if not what's the reason?
Harden lake
Nameless lake 2.5 miles east of Harden lake
Lukens Lake
Siesta Lake
Nameless lake 0.1 miles south of Siesta lake
Nameless lake 1 mile west of Siesta lake nearest the fire.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 28, 2013 - 03:51pm PT
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Water bucket drops from helicopters are only useful for spot fires or small fires.
Not helpful on a fire with a wide front.
Big fixed wing tanker loads instead.
And tanker trucks for when the perimeter is near a road.
[edit:] khanom, yes, the water bucket is useful for parts of the fire perimeter where there's a defensible line. (Pilot Ridge is a good example). I was thinking more about the wide fire front above Hetch Hetchy and Evergreen Road, with the uphill slope to Crane Flat.
P.S. Sorry about the overly broad initial statement - I was trying to get in a quick reply. Should have been more careful.
I was trying to say something along the lines of "you can't just pour water on a forest fire to put it out" (there's not enough water delivery logistics to do that - you have to make dirt roads around it instead).
Crane Flat webcam - can it be stopped at the top of the slope?
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TwistedCrank
climber
Bungwater Hollow, Ida-ho
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Aug 28, 2013 - 04:06pm PT
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Run for your lives, bishes.
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lostinshanghai
Social climber
someplace
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Aug 28, 2013 - 04:22pm PT
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AS for what caused the fire: not known but:
Not confirmed so that means this might be incorrect information:
As for the fire getting out of hand a cell tower company was coming in from the valley to set up for communications for Groveland to better communicate data since the area had no source of sending or receiving signals like “Can you hear me now” If you live in outer area of Groveland there are areas with no service.
Guy is stopped by Sheriff and told to turn around. Tried to explain it to the sheriff but had no proper papers to show. Guy turned around and parked and tried to get through on his cell phone but was jammed or overloaded.
The delay in not getting that equipment or tower in where it was to go did help with fire spreading since more communication could have helped.
And again not confirmed info: Rumors? disinformation take your pick.
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lostinshanghai
Social climber
someplace
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Aug 28, 2013 - 05:15pm PT
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Told my girlfriend something weird just saw four fire guys having all the same face. Told her what would be the odds in that four brothers and having the same height, dark hair? No biggie she said. She also said most likely too much smoke from the fire getting into your head. So I agreed until this morning saw even more, wait a minute something is going on so had to check it out:
I asked and they said yes this is where we are getting most of our help from.
Anyway looks like the party is over for the big boys staying at the Casino which has been closed for a week they opened the road so now looks like they will be open for taking your money.
In our local paper said some Groveland people complained and were suspicious of couple of guys knocking on their doors and saying that they need to be evacuated. Both Couples thought kind of strange and reported it, sheriffs looking for a white pickup with small water tank and ages between 17-18.
Plus a drone is also hovering the area.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Aug 28, 2013 - 05:35pm PT
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saw the backfire today down below paper cabin.
they've re-opened tuolumne road.
duckwall held-- much better situ on the north side today. hope the dozers are getting good lines in coming down from dodge ridge.
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Aug 28, 2013 - 05:40pm PT
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does anybody know if the "iron-door bar" is open?
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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Aug 28, 2013 - 05:56pm PT
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FYI, Lost's picture is probably for a tent in fire camp where they are cloning radios, i.e., making sure everyone is on the same frequencies (air ops, ops, logistics, division freqs, etc.) Radio traffic can be out of control on big fires.
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lostinshanghai
Social climber
someplace
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Aug 28, 2013 - 06:31pm PT
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This is just across from that door.
And these guys are apologizing for taking our space up.
They did some back fire burns and there was one they did not recognize as of theirs. Four? there only suppose to be three, you could see them and you knew what they were doing, some feared it was coming but you had to say no; controlled burn. Anyway the forth one that was not theirs, guy intentionally burned down his barn for insurance. He said it came from their ashes and landed on roof. They looked and saw how come it looks like it started from this corner and a little gas smell. Idiot, do not know if he will be charged for fraud.
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Aug 28, 2013 - 06:58pm PT
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Mr K, I had a fire refugee at my house...He told me that the park service was making an exception with the retardant for this extreme fire event...
I also saw this memo . ..ssshhhh
From the IR flight this morning, the acres in the park are 43,310. Of note would be the burnout operation near Aspen Valley, and the isolated heat that was detected east of the fire, both of which are visible on the maps. The park did have a fire called the Pate which was lightning ignited last week in the area of that far eastern heat detection point.
The overall shape of the fire didn't change too much due to the uncertainty about its location yesterday. It looks as if perimeter stayed the same on the far eastern edge of the fire as it moves towards White Wolf, with the intense heat 'catching up' to that edge.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Aug 28, 2013 - 08:57pm PT
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wow, just found out that when the fire rushed paper cabin, it was my neighbor running that crew. they ran for their lives and called in air. i was listening on the scanner, but didnt know it was him.
lower 108 is looking a lot safer today-- several days of good conditions, at least so far as winds go, means things look a lot better despite the air quality.
drove up to p-crest and surround. at least 8 or 9 fully loaded logging trucks passed me, headed down from cutting line up below dodge ridge. i couldn't see any backfires up there, but the smoke was fairly bad and visibility marginal.
i also saw three leos-- 2 suburbans and a crown vic -- tooling 3 very unhappy looking youths along 4n06. not a good time to be tending crops or just burning one back in there. darwin award territory.
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monolith
climber
SF bay area
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Aug 28, 2013 - 09:28pm PT
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Here is a surface wind map. Probably not too useful for smoke prediction.
http://hint.fm/wind/
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