Containment Up To 29 Percent on Washington Fire near Markleeville
Submitted by editor on Sat, 06/27/2015 - 7:17am
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — The Washington Fire, located 3 miles south of Markleeville, California has burned 17,622 acres and is 29 percent contained as of Saturday morning. The primary objective of suppression efforts remains the protection of the community of Markleeville.
Thunderstorms are forecasted that could bring stronger winds and lightning, which could hamper firefighter’s efforts.
Highways 4 and 89 in the Monitor and Ebbetts Pass areas remain closed. An area closure has been issued by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for the fire area. Go here and here for additional information on trails, campgrounds, and travel. The Pacific Crest Trail remains open.
Resources assigned to the Washington fire include the following; 34 crews, 53 engines, 12 water tenders, 11 helicopters and support personnel. There are 1,173 personnel assigned. Estimated Cost to Date: $6.4 million.
The town of Markleeville and the Grover Springs Hot Springs Campground is no longer under an evacuation advisory and the public may return to these areas. The public is encouraged to use caution when driving in these areas as fire apparatus are utilizing these roads to travel to and from the fire.
The availability of water to support firefighting efforts is a concern in large portions of the west this year. Thanks to a generous donation by Park Ranch, L.L.C. and support from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife the use of Heenan Lake water is contributing to the suppression of the Washington Fire.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Fire Warning for Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. and a Fire Weather Watch from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Sunday. A high pressure system will settle over Nevada and remain through the weekend, bringing with it thunderstorms, warmer-than-usual temperatures and strong outflow winds with gusts up to 55 mph. The warning has been issued for the Western Sierra Front, Mono and Eastern Alpine counties, Surprise Valley, Eastern Lassen County, Northern Washoe County, Mineral County and Southern Lyon County.
For full coverage on the fire, including maps, graphs, video and stories go to Carson Valley Times here.
Go here to keep up-to-date on the status of this fire, and for other resources, go here and here for air quality updates. For more information on the health implications of wildfires, go here.
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