CONTAINMENT UP ON FIRE THAT DESTROYED 40 HOMES IN CALIFORNIA

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

SWALL MEADOWS, Calif. (AP) -- Fire crews increased containment of a wind-driven wildfire that destroyed 40 homes, but they said Sunday they still didn't know when residents evacuated from two small California towns at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada would be able to return home.

Dozens of power poles have come down in the communities of Swall Meadows and Paradise, creating hazards for the roughly 250 residents who have been evacuated, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Liz Brown said. Crews were assessing trees in the two communities on Sunday to ensure they wouldn't come down.

"We would love to shoot for today, but I don't know," Brown said of the prospect of lifting evacuation orders. "Once it's open, it's open. We don't have the resources to escort people in and escort them out."

The fire started near a highway on the border of Inyo and Mono counties Friday afternoon. It blew up when 50 to 75 mph winds whipped through wooded areas near the two communities for about three hours, turning the flames into a "freight train," Brown said.

FULL story at link.



This image provided by Jim Stimson shows the Round fire burning at Wheeler Crest near Bishop Calif. Friday Feb. 6, 2015. Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a wind-driven wildfire that destroyed 40 homes, burned nearly 11 square miles and forced about 150 people to leave two small California towns at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. (AP Photo/Jim Stimson via CalFire)


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_WILDFIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-02-08-12-43-55

[Brother Buzz]

1. The rain hasn't been enough to completely put out the fire

Firefighters made progress after rain moved in, and they have since contained 65 percent of the 11-square-mile blaze.

But Brown said the rain hasn't been enough to completely put out the fire. A three-year drought across California has created extremely dry timber brush that fueled the flames and pushed them all the way up the Sierra slopes to the snow line around 8,000 feet, she said.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/02/08/3480642/progress-made-on-california-wildfire.html#storylink=cpy

[catchnrelease]

2. Oh no!

That part of the Eastern Sierra is one of my favorite places! I know it well. To see that photo is heartbreaking. Because of the normal climate conditions it can take decades for some of that landscape to come back. Just devastating.

I had not heard about this, thank you for posting.