Woodfords, Alpine Village join Markleeville in evacuations due to Tamarack Fire; no containment, size revised
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 07/17/2021 - 6:57pm
UPDATE SUNDAY, 11 a.m.: According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire size has been revised to 18,299 acres and is still 0 percent contained. There is a red flag warning today from 11 AM through tomorrow at 11 AM. There are thunderstorms predicted today in the afternoon that may cause erratic winds in the fire area.
Today, firefighters will continue to actively suppress the fire where they can do so safely. Crews will be focusing on preserving life and property with point protection of structures and putting in containment lines where possible. Aviation resources are available to assist with water delivery when smoke conditions allow. The fire continues to impact the community of Markleeville and the surrounding areas.
Evacuations: Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations.
Closures: Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. Please slow down and drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will continue to arrive and use the Highway to access the fire. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.
UPDATE: As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the Tamarack Fire had burned 21,000 acres and was zero percent contained. Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations. "The Mesa" is under a voluntary evacuation (as of 3:00pm) but conditions are changing fast.
Closures: Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. Please slow down and drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will continue to arrive throughout the evening. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.
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UPDATE AND CORRECTION 4:39 p.m.: The Tamarack Fire was not started on Friday, as previously reported, but was caused by a lightning strike on the 4th of July and rose in strength on Friday due to high winds.
According to Inciweb, the current information is as follows:
The 6,600 acre Tamarack Fire burned actively through the night and has consumed 6,600 acres. The fire continues to burn in a northerly direction backing towards Highway 89 south of Markleeville towards the Carson River. The fire is 0% contained.
Today, firefighters will continue to utilize aviation resources to support handline construction where they can safely do so to minimize the spread of the fire towards areas of unburned fuels and structures. In addition, structure protection fire engines from the local area with support from wildland fire engines will continue to suppress the fire as it encroaches into the community of Markleeville and the surrounding areas. A local hotshot crew will utilize suppression tactics to take advantage of natural barriers and areas of opportunity to increase the containment throughout the burning period. Additional suppression resources have been ordered and will be arriving throughout the day to support the firefighting efforts.
As per the Alpine County Sheriff's Department, mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations. "The Mesa" is under a voluntary evacuation (as of 3:00pm, 7/17/21) but conditions are changing fast. Please stay out of these areas to allow emergency personnel to do their jobs.
Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. The public is reminded to drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will be arriving throughout the day. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.
With active burning throughout the night and predicted fire activity today, the Carson Valley and surrounding areas may be impacted by the smoke and light ash fall throughout the day and into the evening hours.
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According to the Humboldt-Toiyabe USDA National Forest Service, Alpine Village and Woodfords are now being evacuated due to the Tamarack Fire, joining Markleeville which was evacuated yesterday.
"The Carson Valley can expect to be impacted by heavy smoke as the fire increase in size," said the Forest Service in a twitter post.
Highway 88, 89 and 4 have all been closed to the public in the proximity of the fire, and helicopters are attempting to control the fire from above while ground crews work from below.
The current Air Quality Index for Gardnerville is 170, or “Unhealthy,” while Carson City’s is 167, also “Unhealthy," according to AirNow.gov
