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Mountain Fire October 26 2003
The fire started at approximately
1155 hours,
The
command structure was divided into four branches. The command post was set up at
Skinner Lake Recreation Area/
The ICP and base camp were established including a field contact for public information. Additional resources (including an Incident Command Team) were ordered. Due to the extent of major fire activity within the Region, these requests were met with only limited success.
A single extended shift occurred for the first 30 hours of the incident. Incident command transitioned to California Northern Region – Incident Command Team #2 (Chuchel) at 1800 hours on
All Incident Management and Control Objectives were met. The northwest side of the fire was a dirty burn and was left with unburned pockets of fuel, the largest being 200+ acres. This was a concern with the predicted 180 degree wind shift on
The Initial Attack resources did
an excellent job establishing the control lines and objectives which held
throughout the incident. The initial Incident Commander should be commended for
the aggressive action taken on the incident, establishing the command structure
in place and conducting the transition meeting. All were excellent!
Fireline suppression damage was minimal. Repair action quickly followed fire suppression. A Southwest Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve representative was consulted for all operational action taken on the fire.
Location
The fire burned in the Sage Area
which lies within the Southwest Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve (Dr. Roy
Shipley Reserve). This area includes
Weather At the start of the Mountain
Incident there were
Fuels Fuel types within the fire’s interior is fuel models 1 and 5. There were various large hardwoods and slash present. Grass and Mature Chamise were the primary carriers of the fire. This area burned in the 1993 fire siege (The California Fire).
Topography The terrain varied from flat to steep slopes. Rocky uneven terrain was located throughout the fire area. Structures are also located throughout the fire with many roads accessing them.
Special
Hazards The primary hazard during Initial Attack was the extreme fire behavior with extreme heat. The fire did experience spotting up to ½ mile. This area is in a four-year drought with the extremely low fuel moistures. Fire experienced erratic winds. Fire spread shifted 3 times due to shifting South West and North winds. Downed power lines/poles, venting propane tanks, some with safety valves burned off, and falling trees were all encountered.
A significant risk of death or
injury to firefighters and civilians in the path of the fire was present due to
the high rate of spread and spotting problem. The fire experienced erratic winds
and the fire shifted direction 3 times. This also increased the potential of the
fire to threaten communities of the Sage Area, Southwest Riverside County
Multi-Species Reserve (Dr Roy E Shipley Reserve), Glen Oaks Hills, City of
Values at
Risk Improvement values at risk
included: communities of Sage Area, Glen Oaks Hills, City of
Day # 1 Attack –
The fire started at approximately
1155 hours,
Day # 2 Transition meeting to Team
2, Monday, October 27, 2003 All IA resources worked a 24 hour
plus shift. A large firing operation held the northwest side of the fire, which
greatly reduced the fire’s potential of spreading to the City of
An ICP and base camp were
established including a field contact for public information. Additional resources (including an
Incident Command Team) were ordered.
Due to the extent of major fire activity within the Region, these
requests met with only limited success.
A single, extended shift was run
for the first 30 hours of the incident.
Incident command transitioned to California Northern Region – Incident
Command Team #2 (Chuchel) at 1800 hours,
The following incident objectives
were established and changed very little during the entire
incident:
CONTROL
OBJECTIVES:
MANAGEMENT
OBJECTIVES
Day # 3 Fire is holding on all sides with
the exception of a spot fire on the northwest side of the fire. This is in the
area of the large unburned area. The spot was a hold over outside the fire
control line. The spot fire was held to ½ acre. No additional resources were
needed to control the spot fire. A fire line suppression repair plan is being
developed with the Reserve staff. Continued mop operations is progressing well.
No other events. The winds changed to westerly with
an increase RH. Fire is 75% contained. A Demob plan was put in place and
activated. Day # 4 No significant fire activity. Fire
was contained at 1500. The Demob plan is active and resources are being
reassigned to other incidents in CSR. Unit personnel brought concerns about the
DAY# 5 Mop-up operations continued, with
significant demobilization being done. A meeting with the Paradise Fire Incident
Command staff was attended by the ICT 2 Incident Commander and Deputy Incident
Commander at the ICP in Day # 6 All equipment demobilized.
Transition from ICT 2 back to the Riverside Unit at 1000 hours.
Incident Command Team 2
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The Unit’s standard wild land response was augmented with
two (2) additional engine strike teams and seven (7) operational overhead
personnel.
Potential
of the Fire
The
Unit’s standard wild land response was augmented with two (2) additional engine
strike teams and seven (7) operational overhead personnel.
