Inyo National Forest

News Release

US Forest Service

Inyo National Forest

Contacts: Nancy Upham, 760-873-2427

Printable version | Map of Fire Area

Clover Fire Update 7/9/08

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: 81 to 87° F
Winds:  On the slopes and in the valleys, winds will be light, downslope in the morning and upslope in the afternoon at 6 to 8 mph with gusts to 18 mph.  On the ridgetops the wind will start from the east and shift to the northwest in the afternoon with speeds of 8 to 12 mph.
Relative Humidity: 9 to 14%.

Fire Restrictions are in effect on the Sequoia and Inyo National Forests and Bureau of Land Management due to the HIGH FIRE DANGER!

Campfires, portable gas stoves or barbecues are only allowed in campgrounds, developed recreation areas and some fire exempt areas.  For a list of fire exempt areas call the Kernville District Office at 760-376-3781, or the Lake Isabella Office at 760-379-5646.

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

15,300 acres – 70% contained; Expect full containment on Tuesday, July 15th.

Status:  A team of sawyers cleared the Pacific Crest Trail of hazardous snags along the length affected by the Clover Fire in anticipation of reopening this section of the trail today.  An experimental unmanned drone aircraft operated by NASA and outfitted with heat detecting equipment flew over the fire area yesterday.  It detected two areas of heat, both well within the fire interior, and seems to hold promise as another firefighting tool.  Rehabilitation of fire lines, which includes constructing erosion control devices and returning the disturbed area back toward a natural condition, and backhauling of equipment continued along the northern perimeter.

Wednesday’s planned operations include continued rehabilitation and back-hauling of equipment.  Aerial reconnaissance for any existing smokes will be on-going.

Today’s forecast weather will be similar to Tuesday with temperatures in the 80’s and light winds, there is some moisture in the atmosphere that may cause a build-up of cumulus clouds but only a slight chance of thunderstorms exists.

At 6:00 this afternoon the command of the fire will be assumed by the Kern River Ranger District and Type 3 Incident Commander Dave Allen.  All the members of Cook/Hutton’s Northern Rockies Team want to thank the local communities for their friendliness and patience during our stay in the Upper Kern River Valley.

Committed Resources:

• 4 helicopters
• 78 total personnel

Pacific Crest Trail Information
The closure order for the Pacific Crest Trail and the Clover Fire Area has been lifted as of July 9, 2008.  Hikers are urged to use caution in the fire area.

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

Real Time Smoke Monitoring