Updated totals for the Telegraph Fire:

33,705 Acres -40% Contained -4,448 Fire Personnel -51 dozers- 57 Water Tenders 101 Engines -13 Helicopters -12 Fixed Wing Aircraft- 61 Hand Crews Including 6 Camp Crews

Projected demobilization start date: August 1, 2008 0800hrs

Today’s observed fire behavior:
“North end of the fire is a running surface fire with occasional single tree torching and short range spotting. The remainder of the incident is experiencing moderate fire behavior.

Significant events today:
Active fire behavior is primarily in the northern and eastern flanks of the fire. Hwy 140 to Yosemite National Park was restricted for a period of time yesterday; CHP will be escorting traffic through one lane only when air operations is not working in the area. Logistical support is now available at Kassabaum Spike Camp. On 7/30/08 at 0700 operational briefings will be held at both camps. The northern portion of the fire is mow in fuel model 10. The incident is now operating in an Area Command (Hodson), with north and south operational areas. ICT 6 will command the north area and ICT 8 will command the south area. The Merced River will be the operational area break. Fire suppression repair has begun. Some residents in Div A, B, and S were allowed to renter this evening

Actions planned for next operational period:
Keep the fire east of Highway 49, north and west of Highway 140 and south of Highway 120. Dozer and hand line will dominate suppression efforts due to the extreme topography and fuels. Air support will be critical in holding efforts. No significant demobilization is planned for 7/31; however plans are in place to demob Type 1 Engines starting on 8/1. Resource orders have be placed to facilitate the demobilization plan. Fire activity may alter this plan”

Thanks to the “Anon” email, much appreciation. The Telegraph incident working map has been as tightly held for some reason. Eisenhower didn’t enjoy such secrecy!

Click maps to enlarge

The afternoon incident 209 is out and not much has changed since the previous filing posted at midnight.

Acreage is still 32,060 but the fire is now at 40% containment. 3,790 firefighters on scene.

At the moment the Martin Mars air tanker AND Tanker 910 are lining up to make drops over the fire. All three heavy air tankers parked overnight at Fresno are working the fire as well as 2 MAFFS C-130′s waiting in the queue.

Anyone close to the fire is witnessing a quite a show! 13 helicopters and 12 fixed wing aircraft are working the fire today.

Legend included for Patty, click map to enlarge

Notes from the 209 filed noon July 30–

Given the current constraints, when will the chosen management strategy succeed?
Likely in the southern area. Still very difficult in the northern area

Remarks:
The communities of Coulterville, Midpines, and Greeley Hill are threatened. El Portal, and Yosemite National Park may be threatened. The fire will continue to cause partial or complete restrictions of Hwy 140 leading to the main entrance to Yosemite National Park. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa Elementary School. Kassabaum Spike Camp is now operational. Preliminary damage inspection was conducted by Mariposa County; the incident will continue damage inspection over the next several days.

Significant events today:
Active fire behavior is primarily in the northern and eastern flanks of the fire. Hwy 140 to Yosemite National Park was restricted for a period of time yesterday; CHP will be escorting traffic through one lane only when air operations is not working in the area. There was a town hall meeting conducted by command staff in El Portal to inform residents on the current fire status, over a two hundred residents attended. Logistical support is now available at Kassabaum Spike Camp. On 7/30/08 at 0700 operational briefings will be held at both Base Camp and at Kassabaum Spike Camp. Today the northern portion of the fire transitioned from a fuel model 6 to a fuel model 10. The will be transitioning into an area command at 1200. The incident will have a North operations area (ICT 6) and a South operations area (ICT8).

Over the next 12 hours the fire will continue to grow in Branches III.”

Jim Wells, one of the good guys at Kat Country 103.3fm in Modesto sends a message of good will and an offer to help any way they can to the firefighters working long hours on the Telegraph Fire

In addition to offers of help Jim would like to put a few firefighters on the air to describe what they are dealing with on the fire lines.

Jim can be contacted at KATM.com.

The midnight 209 offers lots of hope for Mariposa County residents. The fire grew by 10% in the last 24 hours to 32,600 acres. Containment is at 20%.

Damage assessment shows 22 homes have been burned, a downward revision from the 25 reported yesterday. 32 outbuilding have been consumed by flames.

Just under 3,800 firefighters are assigned to the incident. 15 firefighters have been injured since the fire began 5 days ago.

Notes from the report;

Today’s observed fire behavior:
North end of the fire is a running surface fire with occasional single tree torching. The remainder of the incident is experiencing moderate fire behavior.

Significant events today:
Active fire behavior is being observed on the northern and eastern flanks of the fire. Hwy 140 to Yosemite National Park was restricted for a period of time today; CHP will be escorting traffic through one lane only when air operations is not working in the area. Logistical support is now available at Kassabaum Spike Camp. On 7/30/08 at 0700 operational briefings will be held at both Base Camp and at Kassabaum Spike Camp. Today the northern portion of the fire transitioned from a fuel model 6 to a fuel model 10.

Major problems and concerns:
There are significant road closures in the area of the fire; specifically Hwy 140 a route to enter Yosemite National Park was completely restricted for a period of time yesterday due to the fire behavior and Air Ops. The power to Yosemite Valley is out. The water supply system for the Mariposa Public Utility District is threatened. The northeast flank of the fire is posing an immediate threat to the Stanislaus/Sierra National Forest within Federal Responsibility Area. Accessibility problems continue to damper suppression efforts due to terrain that is bisected by deep drainages, rock outcroppings and the Merced River Canyon.

Credit good firefighting and expert use of air resources. This fire had hundreds of homes in it’s sights. The LA Times should revise their criticisms of the use of air tankers on fires after reviewing how they were used here.

Well done CalFire, hats off to all air attack and all ground forces!

Click maps to enlarge

The map below indicates the fire is approaching the Fergusun (sp) landslide on Highway 140. There’s no way to know how accurate MODIS is at this point.

The next map is looking east from Highway 49 towards Yosemite National Park.

This map is an overhead shot looking to the west from over Yosemite Valley.

The afternoon 209 reveals very little news, almost a rubber stamp from the last two. Acreage has not been upgraded. There have been 12 injuries to firefighters since the Telegraph Fire commenced July 25.

Note from afternoon 209-
“The communities of Mariposa, Coulterville, Midpines, Mt. Bullion, and Greeley Hill are threatened. The Merced River BLM Wilderness Study area is immediately threatened. Coulterville, Greely Hill, El Portal, and Yosemite National Park maybe threaten. The fire is moving toward the boundaries of the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests. The fire will continue to cause partial or complete closure of Hwy 140 leading to the main entrance to Yosemite National Park. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa Elementary School. Kassabaum Spike Camp will be operational beginning tomorrow at noon. Preliminary damage inspection was conducted by Mariposa County; the incident will continue damage inspection over the next several days.”

The early morning incident report was sobering. Resident were informed at a community meeting that 25 homes have burned so far. 27 outbuilding have been consumed as well. 4,000 homes remain threatened. 9 firefighters have been injured since the fire began on the afternoon of July 25. The fire is 10% contained.

3,458 firefighters are assigned to the Telegraph Fire, half of which are CalFire personnel. A spike camp is being established on the north side of the fire east of Coulterville. Visitors to Yosemite should consider using the south entrance on Highway 41.

Notes from the morning 209-

“The fire is very active on all flanks. Long distance Spotting has been observed on the north, south and west flanks.

The community of Mariposa is being impacted by the fire at this time. A pre-evacuation advisement was issued to the communities of Midpines and Briceburg. Active fire behavior is being observed in all directions primarily in the south and east flanks near the advisement areas. Hwy 140 to Yosemite National Park was closed for a period of time today; CHP will be escorting traffic through one lane only. There was a town hall meeting in Mariposa to inform residents on the current fire status. Kassabaum Spike Camp will be operational beginning tomorrow at noon.

There are significant road closures in the area of the fire; specifically Hwy 140 a route to enter Yosemite National Park was completely closed for a period of time today due to the fire behavior. The power to Yosemite Valley is out. The water supply system for the Mariposa Public Utility District is threatened. The northeast flank of the fire is posing an immediate threat to the Stanislaus/Sierra National Forest within Federal Responsibility Area. Accessibility problems continue to damper suppression efforts due to terrain that is bisected by deep drainages, rock outcrops and the Merced River Canyon. “


Maps not to scale and not representative of actual fire perimeter.

Thank you for all the comments. When I get a chance later I will post some of the important links sent by locals regarding damage assessment and impacted addresses

Click Images To Enlarge

On a personal note I intended to get close enough to get some photos but stopped short and paid a visit to Hornitos. The smoke was too thick even from there and I saw no point in getting onto Hwy 49 contributing to clogging roads. My general impression is the fire could work up the Merced River drainage east and towards Highway 120 northeast.

There’s a lot of equipment available to branch directors. With numerous helicopters on scene it’s easier to chase spots before they get too well established. On that subject, according to scanner traffic there are numerous spots developing as the afternoon progresses.

Tanker 910 and other heavies are making drops on the Telegraph. 48 dozers and 89 engines, 41 crews and 30 water tenders round out the manpower on scene.

This is a tough incident to follow. The ICS-209 reports are offered at odd hours and there is nowhere I can find that has official maps of the fire perimeter. MODIS is proving to be slow. I consider the maps I post to be outdated. All the “old media” news outlets seem to be doing is setting up for a remote field report with flame in the background. Not one reporter, (National or Local) has asked a pertinent question!!

Area residents reading this blog should not interpret any information posted here as official.

Update as information becomes available. If anyone has images please send me a note through comment section, thanks!

Update: CalFire posted (finally) a Telegraph Incident Map (PDF) .

The Telegraph fire grew by 40% yesterday to 26,000 acres. Twelve homes have been destroyed. 2,512 firefighters are assigned to the Telegraph with many more en route. Three firefighters have been injured on the Telegraph Fire.

Significant quotes from the most recent Incident Report:

Today’s observed fire behavior

*The fire is very active on all flanks. Spotting has been observed on the active flanks.

*There are significant road closures in the area of the fire. The power to Yosemite Valley is out. The water supply system for the Mariposa Public Utility District is threatened. Repeater sites and Mount Bullion Conservation Camp are threatened. The northeast flank of the fire is posing an immediate threat to the Stanislaus National Forest within Federal Responsibility Area. Accessibility problems continue to damper suppression efforts due to terrain that is bisected by deep drainages, rock outcrops and the Merced River Canyon.

*Communication towers for television and radio as well as repeater sites are threatened. Damaged 70kv transmission lines have left Yosemite Valley and other areas without power. The sole source watershed for 2,000 Mariposa residents is being compromised. A majority of the BLM Wilderness Study area has burned and the fire threatens the remainder.

*The communities of Mariposa, Coulterville, Midpines, Mt. Bullion, and Greeley Hill are impacted by the fire. Coulterville, Greely Hill, El Portal, and Yosemite National Park maybe threatened. The fire is moving toward the boundaries of the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests. The fire may cause the closure of Hwy 140 leading to the main entrance to Yosemite National Park. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa Elementary School. The Team is planning to establish a spike camp east of Coulterville in the Greely Hill area. All three reported injuries are minor resulting from lacerations and heat exhaustion.

Updates as information becomes available.

Upon signing out for the day Telegraph Air Attack reported to Telegraph Operations the fire is doing “much better than yesterday“.

He described how earlier in the day they successfully worked from the south then north. He acknowledged he couldn’t see through the smoke to give a final overhead impression of the activity occurring in the east and northeast flanks.

Division R is trying to keep the fire from running in to the Rancheria Creek Road and Colorado Road area just west of Midpines.

The evening 209 is not yet published so no new acreage figures are available.

Here is a video taken by a Mariposa resident yesterday. This is what contributed to the 40,000 ft convection column visible from all points in the Central Valley of California. Ash from the Telegraph Fire covered cars in Fresno and Clovis 50 miles away.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R-HDf0G_lM&hl=en&fs=1]

View Larger Map

A hard closure is being requested for Jenkins Hill as numerous residents are sheltering in place. Listening to the scanner feeds, (highly recommended), Branch 1 suggests the “Whitlock” and “Blue Oak Ridge” area is looking active and evacuations may be in order, shortly.

General traffic activity suggests the west side of the fire (Bear Valley) is looking better but fire activity on the east is another story.

Structure protection at Mt Bullion Camp is being beefed up. Crews within Branch 1 are chasing spots, supported by engines and helicopters when available. Some crews have been pulled back to safety zones in a hurry in another division.

Latest report is the fire is moving briskly north/northeast deeper into the Merced River canyon. Further evacuations are being contemplated.

If you choose to listen to the scanner (linked above) you will hear air attack and tactical nets.

From the recent 209;
The northeast end of the community of Mariposa (Avaca Vale, French Camp and Penny Royal Roads) is is being impacted by the fire at this time. A pre-evacuation advisement was issued to the commumities of Midpines and Briceburg. Active fire behavior is being observed in all directions primarily in the south and east flanks near the advisement areas.

The map below shows the active burning areas discussed in the 209. MODIS has not caught up with reported fire movement.

GeoMAC supports the 209 regarding the active burning areas. GeoMAC also indicates spotting well ahead of the main fire to the north.

More from the incident report filed midday today:

*Today’s observed fire behavior: The fire has not started major movement at this time, however the fire is very active on the south and east flanks. Spotting has been observed on the active flanks.

*There are significant road closures in the area of the fire. The power to Yosemite Valley is out. The water supply system for the Mariposa Public Utility District is threatened. Repeater sites are threatened. Mount Bullion Conservation Camp is threatened. The northeast flank of the fire is posing an immediate threat to the Stanislaus National Forest within Federal Responsibility Area. Accessibility problems continue to damper suppression efforts due to steep, rocky and isolated terrain.

*The communities of Mariposa, Coulterville, Greenley Hill may be impacted. The Merced River BLM Wilderness Study area is immediatly threatened. The fire is moving toward the boundaries of the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa Elementary School.

Click images to expand.

Information on the Telegraph Fire is tough to obtain this morning. The last incident 209 report was generated at midnight. I cannot find any local bloggers with new information and the local newspaper is relying on reports from Telegraph Fire command to this point.

Some amazing images of the fire can be viewed here.

I wanted to get these maps up with current fire numbers but I’ll update as soon as the 209 is available.

To view this fire and all active fires nationwide download Google Earth here. The map above is a KML overlay on Google Earth processed by this US Forest Service office.

The image below is generated by GeoMAC. (The Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Group)

The Telegraph Fire is burning in an area that has no recorded fire activity. The fire has the potential to overrun communities. Midpines on Highway 140 and Bear Valley on Highway 49 are the most vulnerable overnight. No one is sleeping with both eyes closed in Mariposa tonight.

Power has been lost in Yosemite Valley.

This is a multi-headed fire with no containment. Resources are pouring in from all points to augment the force of 800 plus already assembled. 600 of the 800 on scene are Cal Fire personnel.
This is a State fire so Cal Fire will maintain command unless it moves into Federal land. Even if the Feds. assume command Cal Fire structure protection resources will stay as long as a threat exists.

From the updated 209-

Values at Risk: include communities, critical infrastructure, natural and cultural resources:
Next 12 hours: Communities of Midpines, Mariposa, Greeley Hill, Coulterville, Bear Valley, Mt. Bullion Camp 70kv transmission lines that feed the Yosemite Valley are out. Communication towers for television and radio, as well as repeater sites are threatened.

Remarks:
If the fire continues in the current paths, the communities of Mariposa, Coulterville, Greeley Hill, Midpines,and Bear Valley will be impacted. The Merced River BLM Wilderness Study area is threatened. The fire is moving toward the boundaries of the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forest. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa High School.

Above you can see the fire burning west towards Bear Valley. The fire will make a run downhill towards Bear Valley and try to cross Highway 49. The fire already breached the east side of Highway 140 near Midpines.

Below is the view as seen from Google Earth looking north from Mariposa. (click image to enlarge)

Here is a picture of the ice cap from above at approximately 5:00 pm local time from RAMSDIS. Click the link and then refresh your browser for an updated image. Mariposa is center/right on the image below.

The one day old Telegraph Fire has burned 1,000 acres in Mariposa County. The fire is minimally contained and is presenting accessibility problems for incoming equipment.

The fire is throwing up quite a plume. RAMSDIS offers a very clear satellite image of smoke from all active fires in California.

View Larger Map

From the initial ICS-209

If fire continues in its current paths, the communities of Mariposa, Coulterville, and Greely Hill will be impacted. Currently the Merced River BLM Wild and Senic is threatened and will have fire spread there today.

Evacuation Warning to 150 homes with Potential for warning and advisory to 300 homes. Because of diverse topography dozer line and hand line will dominate efforts. Most significant progress was dozer line construction in Branch III, Telegraph Ridge to Telegraph Peak.

Local Images.
More as information becomes available.