Wildfire
Prescribed Fire
Burned Area Response
OtherFork 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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The next formal update for the Fork Fire will be on Monday September 28th, unless conditions on the fire change substantially during the weekend.
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 | Matt Brown |
| Coordinates | 38.99 latitude, -120.394 longitude |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 148 |
| Size | 1,667 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 70% |
| 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, backing and smoldering observed. |
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 | Mostly clear with max temperatures in the low 80s. Minimum humidity of 18-22%. 20 Foot winds out of east/downslope winds of 3-5 becoming west/upslope 5-8 mph in the afternoon. A Red Flag warning goes into effect that evening. |
Current Weather
| Weather Concerns | Hot and dry conditions will develop Saturday and Sunday and will persist into early next week. East/downslope winds are expected, especially during the overnight and morning hours Saturday night into Monday, with critical fire weather conditions possible. |
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