Inyo National Forest

News Release

US Forest Service

Inyo National Forest

Contacts: Nancy Upham, 760-873-2427

Printable version

Bishop, June 30, 2008

Clover Fire Update 6/30/08

Fire Information:  www.inciweb.org or 760-376-3781 Ext. 699
cloverwfu@gmail.com 

Sequoia National Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/news/

Today's Weather:
Temperature: 73-78° F
Winds:  South 7-10 mph
Relative Humidity: 9-14 %

SMOKE: Smoke is a concern for the Kennedy Meadows, Kern River Valley, Olancha and the Hwy 395 corridor traveling north.  California is plagued with 45 uncontained wildfires that continue to cause smoky conditions for residences and firefighters.

Clover Fire Activity
Location: Sequoia and Inyo National Forests in the South Sierra Wilderness, north of Kennedy Meadows and south of Beck Meadow, California.

Acreage: 15,262 acres. - 50% Contained

Status:  The forecasted fire weather watch ended at 8:00 pm last night as the system moved east of the fire area.  There was little active spread of the fire last night.  Today firefighters will concentrate on holding the fire on the south flank and keep it from moving towards the Kennedy Meadows community.  Firefighters continue to construct handline, improve existing handline, and mop up interior hot spots with the aid of water-dropping helicopters.  Steep rugged terrain, dry fuels and higher temperatures continue to hamper firefighter efforts. 

Johnson's Type 2 Incident Management Team is managing the Clover Incident

Some firefighters and support personnel are being reassigned from the Clover Fire to assist on the Piute Fire burning south of Lake Isabella in the Piute Mountains of the Sequoia National Forest.

Committed Resources:

• 5 helicopters
• 16 handcrews
•  6 engines
• 1 dozer
• Total of 513 personnel assigned

New Fire: As of 6:00 am today, the Piute Fire is reported as 2,560 acres and burned actively throughout the night.  Extreme fire behavior and long-range spotting up to 1.25 miles was observed.  Road closures include Piute Mountain Road, Saddle Springs Road and Cold Springs Road.  Evacuations were put in place for forest visitors at Brown’s Meadow fire safe area and some seasonal cabins at French Meadow.  An evacuation advisory notice was issued to residents in the Claraville area. An Evacuation Center has been opened at the Senior Citizen’s Center in Lake Isabella.

Pacific Crest Trail Information
A temporary fire area closure has been issued through July 8, 2008, to maximize fire suppression efforts and to provide for public health and safety.  The closure affects portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  Kennedy Meadow Campground is within this closure area.  Alternate hiking routes around the fire are available to connect to the PCT from Kennedy Meadows to Monache Meadow which includes Jackass Trail (35E13), Albanita Trail (35E06), Jackass Peak (35E03), Snake Creek Trail to Monache Jeep Trail (34E38).  Trails will be signed "PCT Detour".  A trail guard remains on duty at Kennedy Meadows

Please contact the Kernville Ranger Station at (760) 376-3781 or visit the Forest website at:  www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia for more specific information on the closure.

Important Internet Links
View South Sierra fire areas by Webcam  http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/swfrs/Pages/WebCam.html

Real Time Smoke Monitoring