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8-18 Southern Sierra fires contribute to smoky skies |
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Tuesday, 18 August 2009 |
 The Corral Fire near Kernville in the Sequoia National Forest is one blaze that is contributing to smoky conditions in the Owens Valley. Residents are also seeing the effects of the Blackjack Fire near Aberdeen when they see haze in the air. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
8-18-09 Residents in the Owens Valley are experiencing smoky skies thanks to two fires currently burning in the Sierra.
The Blackjack Fire, which has been burning since the July 18 spree of lightning-sparked fires, continues to burn as a fire-use fire west of Aberdeen, while the week-old Corral Fire burns in the Sequoia National Forest.
“That fire in the Sequoia National Forest is putting up a lot of smoke right now,” said a representative the Inyo National Forest Dispatch office who asked to not be named. “Depending on the winds, we might get a lot of smoke from that.”
The Corral Fire broke out at about noon on Friday, Aug. 7 approximately eight miles north of Kernville.
Helicopters are on scene at the Corral Fire and are drafting water from the Kern River to slow the fire’s spread.
At this time, the Forest Service has three air tankers, three helicopters, five engines, five crews, four patrols and one water tender battling the blaze.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation; however it is considered to be human-caused. The Forest Service is requesting the public’s assistance in locating persons of interest who were seen in or around the Corral Fire vicinity on Aug. 7. To report any information, call the National Forest hotline at (559) 294-4894.
Though the Corral Fire is located south of Inyo County, smoky conditions throughout the Owens Valley can partially be attributed to the blaze.
Here in Inyo, the Blackjack Fire continues to burn between Big Pine and Independence, but that blaze is a small, naturally-occurring fire that is being allowed to run its course, as it is not threatening any structures.
“Last we heard, it was burning up on the top of the hill up there,” the Forest Service Dispatcher said. “We occasionally send the helicopter up to monitor it. As long as it’s just up on the hill, we’ll leave it alone.”
The U.S. Forest Service will designate a blaze as a fire-use fire if it is caused by lightning and does not threaten any structures or towns.
The blazes are allowed to run their natural course, but are monitored by fire crews to be sure they do not change course and move towards inhabited areas.
According to the Inyo National Forest, naturally occurring fires keep the forest healthy by eradicating dead brush and shrubs, making way for new growth.
Natural fires also keep dead and dying brush from accumulating, which can cause dangerous fire conditions because the fuel piles up, creating larger blazes when the area does burn.
“We occasionally send a helicopter up there to monitor it, but we don’t have a crew on it all the time,” the dispatcher said. “What it’s doing is what we want it to do, just burning up all the dead and downed stuff, just cleaning things up.”
Because the Forest Service has not had a crew on the blaze, there is no way to know exactly how big the Blackjack Fire is.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 September 2009 )
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