Creek Fire update, Nov. 4: Firefighters worry about high winds this week. Will rain help?
Hitting its two-month mark, the largest fire in California history continued to burn Wednesday.
The Creek Fire reached 378,730 acres on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service, and remained 70% contained. It stretches across Big Creek, Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake, Mammoth Pool, and San Joaquin River Canyon. The cause is still under investigation.
Officials expect the containment to remain stagnant at about 70%, as firefighters struggled to access much of the rugged terrain where the fire activity is happening, according to the daily report.
The flames in the northeast portion of the fire are “hop-scotching from fuel source to fuel source in the rocky terrain,” according to the U.S. Forest Service daily report. That’s happening in the Cold Creek drainage just north of Thomas A. Edison Lake, near Pincushion Creek, and the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.
The weather isn’t helping much, either. Unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions are expected to continue through Thursday, according to the U.S. Forest Service, when a cold front is expected to arrive. Wind gusts associated with the weather change “could be problematic,” the Forest Service reports. But rain and snow showers will be possible by Friday afternoon, which could be a pattern that lasts through mid-November.
A total of 896 people are battling the wildfire.
Firefighters constructed nearly 600 miles of fireline over the last two months, relying on bulldozers to clear vegetation. They are now using equipment to build water bars and pull foliage back to help the forest begin its return to normalcy, protect wildlife and discourage the formation of off-road vehicle trails.
As of Tuesday night, they had repaired about 64% of the firelines, according to a Facebook update.
Full containment isn’t expected until Nov. 15.
FEMA registration center opens
A Federal Emergency Management Agency Mobile Registration Intake Center opens Wednesday to serve Creek Fire survivors. Located at the Heritage Center, 3115 N. Millbrook Ave., Fresno, the mobile center will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., until further notice.
Fire survivors will find out if they are eligible for financial assistance like rent, home repair, home replacement, and other needs such as childcare, transportation, medical, funeral, or dental expenses by registering with FEMA.
You can also register online at DisasterAssistance.gov; by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or downloading the FEMA app.
The deadline to register is Dec. 16.
SQF Complex
The SQF Complex Fire stood at 170,682 acres and 80% containment on Tuesday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The California Interagency Team 13 took over command of the fire from the Eastern Area Gold Incident Management Team on Wednesday morning.
“Lots of good work has been accomplished and a seamless transition to the new team will ensure that progress on the fire will continue safely,” the U.S. Forest Service reported in its daily update on Tuesday.
Most fire activity is confined to the northwest corner of the fire around Hockett Meadow and Sand Meadow. Maggie Dip, in the center portion of the fire’s north edge, has shown more activity, according to the daily report. The northeast corner of the fire on the west side of the Kern River remains active.
The Castle and Shotgun Fires were ignited by lightning around Aug. 19 and later managed as one incident called the SQF Complex. Full containment is expected for Nov. 20.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Creek Fire update, Nov. 4: Firefighters worry about high winds this week. Will rain help?."