Fork Fire

Unit Information

Eldorado National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
100 Forni RD Placerville California 95667
Placerville, CA 95667

Incident Contact

Fork Fire Information
Email: enfincident@gmail.com
Phone: 916-500-4712
Hours: 8AM-430PM

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A Type 5 organization is managing the Fork Fire. The Fork Fire is 1673 Acres with 85% contained fire activity has been minimal, however windblown needle cast over the completed fire lines and strong winds resulted in a 2.6-acre slop over on 10/27 . Fire resources were able to stop the forward fire progression. Full containment is expected on November 1 or when the Forest receives a significant amount of precipitation.

The Fork Fire started in the Crystal Basin near Gerle Creek under critical fire weather conditions. Driven by east winds gusting 30-50 miles per hour, the fire grew rapidly to the west. It is burning in the Rubicon River drainage and the 2014 King Fire burn scar. The Rubicon canyon is in an extremely steep and remote area which makes firefighting difficult. This area of the King Fire had burned at high severity with nearly 100% tree mortality, leaving large snag patches of fire killed trees. The standing snags are a significant safety hazard, especially in strong winds. There is also a high concentration of dead and down trees creating a heavy fuel load, as well as dense post-fire regrowth of 4-6 foot tall brush.

Basic Information

Current as of
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Tuesday September 08th, 2020 approx. 11:15 AM
Location	Crystal Basin/Gerle Creek, 15 Miles NE of Pollock Pines
Incident Commander	Rob Scott
Coordinates	38.99 latitude, -120.394 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	31
Size	1,673 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	85%
Estimated Containment Date	Sunday November 15th, 2020 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Fire is burning in King Fire scar, where fuels consist of heavy concentrations of standing snags and 4-6 foot brush.
Significant Events	Minimal creeping

Outlook

Planned Actions	Establish direct control lines where possible, utilizing indirect control line where direct control line is not feasible. Hold and monitor existing lines along current perimeter. Provide structure defense to residential structures in the threatened communities. Protect critical utility infrastructure and values at risk.
Projected Incident Activity	: WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Clear. Lows 37 to 47. Northeast winds up to 13 mph. THURSDAY...Sunny. Highs 69 to 76. East winds up to 13 mph. THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows 37 to 47. East winds up to 10 mph. FRIDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs 67 to 75. Variable less than 5 mph.
Remarks	Due to wind event on 10/26 the fire burned 2.6 additional acres.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	High pressure over the region will bring warm dry weather to the location the next couple of days with lighter winds. Poor humidity recovery is expected the next couple of nights. Winds will gradually transition into a diurnal pattern the next couple of days downslope winds at night becoming upslope during the afternoon.