Wildfire

“The Almanor Branch of the American Red Cross is officially on two-hour standby to open a shelter in the Chester Memorial Hall,” lead volunteer Linda White said at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 17.

The emergency trailer containing water, cots, bedding and comfort kits for 100 people has already been moved to the facility, which is located on the corner of Stone and Gay streets, one block off Main Street in Old Town Chester.

Favorable weather conditions enabled firefighters to make good progress today, increasing containment lines from 20% to 34%. In mid-afternoon, the smoke cleared enough, and three Type 1 helicopters dropped water to support crews on the ground, particularly in the Caribou Road area.

In the Clear Creek drainage near Butt Lake Reservoir dam, crews and dozers have started building a new containment line on the east flank of the fire. The goal is to keep the fire away from Seneca, Canyondam, and the Big Meadows subdivision.

The containment line from Yellow Creek Campground to the west shore of Butt Lake Reservoir is complete.

Firefighters conducted direct attack on a 15 acre spot fire in the Red Hill area on the southeast perimeter of the fire.

On the west perimeter, crews continue to build containment lines along the fires edge, working to the south.

Today crews on the southern, western and northern perimeters will hold, patrol and mop up line following MIST tactics. On the Eastern perimeter crews will complete indirect line and prepare for firing operations. A warm and dry air mass will continue over the fire today. Temperatures will be about 2 degrees warmer than yesterday.

Firefighting efforts continue to be focused on protecting structures and controlling the growth of the fire. Favorable weather conditions and management tactics utilizing current resources, have allowed crews to make increased progress on this fire and keep the perimeter as small as possible.

Minimal fire spread over the northwest portion of the fire may occur from short range spotting over the next few days.

According to information from the Plumas County Sheriff dispatch center and the Forest Service, there was an injury accident on the Chips Fire Thursday afternoon.

A dozer transport vehicle overturned near Humbug Road.

According to the 911 call, one person suffered a head injury in the accident that occurred just before 1 p.m.

A Plumas District Hospital ambulance responded with a fire engine escort, according to the 911 log.

The California Highway Patrol and Quincy Tow also responded. Quincy Tow was advised to send a “heavy-duty” transport. The CHP was conducting the accident investigation.

The identity of the injured person and severity of the injury were unknown.

This report will be updated as information becomes available.

10:00 a.m. update

Click here to see the most recent Chips Fire map

(New today)

Overnight, firefighters continued to hold the fire south of the Humbug Road in the Grizzly Campground area. Crews also made significant progress burning from Yellow Creek Campground to Butt Valley Reservoir.

The spot fire below the Butt Valley Reservoir Dam continued to burn overnight. It remains a significant concern and crews and supervisors continue to scout and plan suppression tactics in the area between Butt Valley Reservoir Dam and Seneca.

Despite lingering smoke yesterday afternoon, helicopter pilots were still able to fly six hours of missions dropping water on various areas of the fire. With smoke expected to clear earlier in the day, air operations anticipate additional opportunities today.

After CalTrans crews cleared rocks and debris from Caribou Road yesterday morning, firefighters kept the fire west of the road overnight. This project will continue today. Firefighters will also continue to attack persistent spot fires near the telecommunications towers on Red Hill.

The 940 structures that are considered threatened are in the following communities: Lake Almanor West, Almanor, Prattville, the Big Meadows subdivision, Canyondam, Belden, Rush Creek, and Seneca, and structures along Caribou Road. Residents in these areas will continue to see CalFire and Office of Emergency Services engines from various city fire departments moving through neighborhoods as they plan structure protection tactics. Bulldozers and other heavy equipment will continue building and improving contingency lines running southeast from Seneca Road.

PG&E representatives are working closely with the fire management team, and are prepared to de-energize transmission lines as needed for firefighting efforts, including the use of aircraft.

Fire Behavior and Smoke:

Clear skies brought cooler temperatures overnight, resulting in heavy smoke in the canyons this morning. As the inversion lifts, firefighters will be looking for the earliest possible launch times for helicopter bucket drops. Fire behavior will be moderate in the morning and increasing as the inversion lifts. Prevailing winds out of the southwest will return in the afternoon.

Public Safety:

Motorists are encouraged to use caution on roads within the vicinity of the fire, particularly on Highway 70 and Highway 89 due to increased fire traffic. Travelers should check highway conditions regularly at 800-427-ROAD or http://www.dot.ca.gov/.

Smoke will continue to pose health concerns for the public. Residents are encouraged to visit the "Protect Yourself from Smoke" website for smoke protection information at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/.

Local air quality conditions and forecasts are available at http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_state

For tips on how to prepare for a potential evacuation and what to do if you are evacuated, residents in and near evacuation areas are encouraged to visit the "Ready, Set, Go" website at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/article/3052/15480/.

To report and get updateson power outages please call PG&E's 24-hour emergency and customer service line: 1-800-743-5002.

Mandatory Evacuations - The community of Seneca remain under a mandatory evacuation. Rush Creek has been down graded from a mandatory to a voluntary evacuation. The Caribou Road from the junction of Highway 70 to Butt Lake Dam as well the Butt Lake Dam, Ohio Valley Road, Butt Lake Road, Humbug/Humboldt and all additional secondary roads West of Highway 89 between Canyondam and the Humbug/Humboldt Road are under a "Hard Closure". Additional evacuations may be necessary depending on fire activity.

To register a cell phone with the Plumas County Emergency Notification System visit http://countyofplumas.com/index.aspx nid=2163.

Sheriff's Voluntary Evacuations are now in place for Canyondam, Big Meadows and Rush Creek.. The Sheriff's Advisement for other communities along Highway 89 including Prattville, Almanor, and West Almanor and East Shore Residence (Hwy 147) remains in effect. Residents between Tobin and Twain on Highway 70 are under a Sheriff's Advisement to develop a family evacuation plan. This area includes Belden, Maggie's Trailer Park, and Little Haven. Planning to provide shelter arrangements for local residents will be based on the locations and extent of any new mandatory evacuations issued by the Sheriff's Office.

Butt Valley Reservoir recreation facilities administered by PG&E (Ponderosa Flat Campground, Cool Springs Campground, Ray Adams Day Use Area and Boat Launch, as well as Yellow Creek Campground) are closed due to the fire. Gansner Bar, North Fork, and Queen Lily USFS campgrounds remain closed. The Little Grizzly dispersed camping area and High Lakes OHV area, are also closed.

Communities west of the fire area including Paradise, Jarbo Gap, and Concow are not threatened at this time.

In the interest of firefighter and public safety, the Plumas and Lassen National Forests have expanded the original closure areas due to the fire's growth. The closures will remain in place until the area is safe for the public to enter. Please see the Forest Orders and closure maps on InciWeb (address above). Pacific Crest Trail hikers may bypass the affected area by hiking Highway 70/89 or catching a bus with Plumas Transit to Chester, CA (weekdays only).