RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail Story
Piute fire 'could reach Havilah in a day'
| Tuesday, Jul 8 2008 10:38 AM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jul 9 2008 6:50 AM
Cold water gushed onto a small burnt hill in the Piute Mountains as ash fluttered away and steam rose sizzling in the air.
BAKERSFIELD.COM HOT TOPICS:
Loading Stories
Advertisement
Photos:
U.S Forest firefighter Zac Maring was a part of a "mop-up" crew on the southeast side of the Piute wildfire last week, which is working on putting out hot spots. "The fire can work its way down into the tree's roots and pop up later," explains Maring as he sprays a near by tree.
Smoke can be seen rising through the pine trees on the southeast side of the Piute wildfire, which has consumed a little more than 30,000 acres.
U.S Forest firefighter Zac Maring is a part of a "mop-up" crew on the southeast side of the Piute wildfire, which is working on putting out hot spots.
Related Stories:
- Smoky skies, heat to last all week
- Piute fire still 26 percent contained
- Piute fire grows to 16,000 acres
- Army of firefighters on Piute fire grows as spread slows
- 'Nasty' weather conditions fueling Piute fire spread
- Piute fire doubles again, has burned 2,500 acres
- Wildfire burns 1,000 acres near Piute Mountain, no sign of containment
“We put the wet stuff on the hot stuff,” said Sequoia National Forest Engineer Joe Scott.
Spraying water onto hot spots or “mopping up” was all firefighters could do Tuesday in the southeast section of the Piute Mountains.
“You won’t see very many flames here,” said Sequoia National Forest Engineer Alex Barrera.“Which is probably a good thing.”
As flames subsided in some areas of the mountain range, the fire grew to a total of 33,152 acres on Tuesday, up from 26,285 acres Monday evening, according to firefighters.
Dry southeasterly winds pushed the fire Tuesday into the upper Erskine Creek Valley, Dry Meadows and Bob Rabbit Canyon to the north.
Fires were about a quarter of a mile away from the first house in the Cortez community, said Jim Whittington, information officer with the Pacific Northwest Command. Dozers carved lines around homes and firefighters parked fire trucks near dwellings in the area.
On Monday, the fire had spread to the west and was heading toward Havilah. People living on both sides of Caliente Bodfish Road were told to evacuate.
Flames were about three and a half miles away from the town on Tuesday, Whittington said. A dozer line was built east of Havilah toward Walker Basin, around South Lake to Mountain View and east toward Kelso Valley, firefighters said.
“We’re at a point where it (the fire) could reach Havilah in a day,” he said. “It’s difficult to say.”
On the southeastern front of the fire, lingering smoke and charred branches littered this hilly terrain.
For the firefighters from Sequoia National Forest Engine 44 and 46, they were making sure no fires would start again.
“The wind could just pick up the hot embers and start another fire,” Sequoia National Forest Firefighter Zac Maring. “We just try to get the heat out.”
As the rest of his crew went to lunch Tuesday afternoon, Maring stayed behind to look for hot spots.
He knew he found a hot spot when water hit the ground and sizzled.
“It’s easy work now,” he said.