 A U.S. Forest Service air tanker drops flame retardant on the Sherwin Lakes Fire Sunday. The blaze continues to burn out of control and, as of press time Monday, had charred more than 200 acres southwest of Mammoth Lakes. Photo by Dave Ness By Mike Gervais
Register Staff 8-5-2008 A wildfire burning southwest of Mammoth Lakes prompted evacuations Sunday evening as winds drove flames towards two campgrounds and a YMCA summer camp.
The Sherwin Lakes Fire, which is under investigation, broke out shortly after noon Sunday in the Sherwin Lakes area. Fire crews were dispatched to the 25-acre blaze, but erratic winds fanned the fire which continued to burn and spread throughout the night.
Now at well over 200 acres, the fire continued to burn yesterday south of Sherwin Creek Road, which was closed to the public. As of press time, the fire was less than a quarter of a mile from the road, but the Town of Mammoth Lakes itself was safe.
“There are no structures threatened yet,” said Mono County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Shannon Kendall.
The U.S. Forest Service and Mono County Sheriff’s Department issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Sherwin Creek Campground, Laurel Lakes Campground and a nearby YMCA camp Sunday evening.
“Nothing has been lost at those sites, it was a precautionary measure,” said U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer Nancy Upham.
More than 130 individuals were removed from those sites and taken to Mammoth Lakes High School, where a temporary shelter has been set up for displaced visitors and residents
U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Jon Regelbrugge, the Mammoth Lakes and Long Valley Fire departments and the Mono Lake Ranger District hosted a joint press conference Monday to discuss the blaze, which, as of press time, had burned about 230 acres.
A Type II Overhead Incident Management Team was called to the area Monday morning. According to Regelbrugge, the Type II team will be taking over the management of the fire.
That crew was expected to take control of management of the fire by 6 p.m. Monday evening or 6 a.m. this morning.
Having a Type II Overhead Incident Management Team allows the USFS to put this fire at high priority in terms of asking for more equipment and personnel to help in the firefight.
According to Upham, the Forest Service had five air tankers and four helicopters providing air support on the blaze Monday morning, with three more air tankers on the way.
“That is something very lucky at this point, that we’re getting all this air support,” Upham said. “Also, a good thing is that the Telegraph Fire (north of Yosemite) is winding down, and we’re going to get some resources from over there.”
The Forest Service was expecting to see as many as 15 engines from the Telegraph Fire and eight hand crews. A hand crew is 20 firefighters.
According to Long Valley Fire Chief Fred Stump, the Seven Points of Light Program has allowed fire management teams to order up to five additional hand crews consisting of 17 persons per crew as well as a bulldozer to protect the YMCA camp structures from the fire, which at one point was only one-quarter mile from the camp.
There were not enough firefighters available on Sunday to be effective battling the bulk of the blaze, so the management team sent the available crews to protect the YMCA camp.
Though there is not an estimate as to when firefighters will have the blaze under control, officials are optimistic.
“We do have a lot of resources coming in, and we’re fortunate that there aren’t a lot of other fires burning, so we can get these resources,” Upham said.
As firefighters work to contain the blaze and keep it away from residential areas, the Town of Mammoth Lakes is working to keep the public aware of the situation and out of harm’s way.
Town Manager Rob Clark said the Town is on full alert. “Public safety and public information are our main concerns right now,” Clark said. “We are ready to go in case the fire takes a turn for the worse.”
The Town has set up its public information phone line, (760) 934-8054, which will provide up-to-date information on the Sherwin Lakes Fire as well as information related to shelter sites in the area.
Also, the Mono County office of the California Highway Patrol is asking the traveling public to refrain from stopping on highways to photograph or view the fire.
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