11 big fires contained -- 32 rage in West
Gold Country blazes remain a danger

by Michael Pena, Larry D. Hatfield
San Francisco Chronicle - August 23, 2001

Almost 30,000 firefighters, helped by spots of cool and wet weather, have contained 11 major fires in the West since Tuesday, reducing to 32 the number of big blazes roaring out of control in nine states.

Cautious optimism prompted coordinating agencies yesterday to call off assistance from one of two military battalions, each consisting of about 500 people.

In California, cooler weather that passed over the Bay Area helped firefighters toe the line yesterday in the Sierra range, where thermostats dropped into the 90s from triple-digit highs. Forecasters say it isn't likely the Sierra will get much rain or cooler temperatures.

In fact, officials are worried that hot and dry weather expected to arrive Sunday throughout the West will stall further gains on the giant flames that have been burning for as long as two weeks.

"It's so dependent on how much progress the firefighters can make before the hot and dry weather comes in," said Arnold Hartigan, spokesman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

Flames have scorched more than 23,000 acres in California. Three major fires have been contained in the Golden State, but another six are still raging. Two especially dangerous ones are in Northern California's Gold Country.

Firefighters have the first one, the 11,500-acre Creek Fire in Mariposa County, 60 percent contained. The Leonard Fire in Calaveras County has consumed 3,800 acres and is only 30 percent surrounded.

The Creek Fire, apparently man-caused, threatens thousands of homes, cabins and businesses in steep canyon country just outside Coulterville.

Officials aren't expecting full containment until Saturday.

"We were getting calls from San Francisco, San Jose and L.A. with people asking, 'How's my home?' " said Dan Smith, a state Department of Forestry spokesman.

The Leonard Fire has chased about 200 residents from their homes, and more could be forced to evacuate if the Calaveras County fire continues to burn erratically.

That fire, sparked by a weed remover, is expected to be under control by tomorrow evening. It has caused $1 million in damage and gutted one house three other structures.

This year, federal officials said, the acreage burned by wildfires is about average compared with previous years, but firefighting efforts have cost almost $400 million so far.

There have been eight minor injuries to firefighters. Officials have determined that some of this season's blazes were intentionally set, while others were from natural causes, like dry lightning storms.

In Yosemite National Park, a lightning-caused series of fires a few miles southeast of Glacier Point was being allowed to burn itself out because it threatened no park facilities.

That fire has charred more than 4,500 acres. Highway 120 to Yosemite National Park has been reopened.

A deliberately set fire continued to burn 12 miles east of Dunlap, Fresno County, in the Sequoia National Forest. That fire, at 1,275 acres, was 10 percent contained and has closed Highway 180. Fire officials said it was still dangerous.

A 2,000-acre fire near Bass Lake in Madera County was 10 percent contained and was likely to spread. It has destroyed two homes and
threatens others.

Elsewhere in California, mop-up was under way on fires in Mendocino, Glenn, Colusa, Placer, Modoc and Lassen counties. In the Pacific Northwest, cooler and damper weather gave a big boost to beleaguered firefighters in Washington and Oregon. A wave of cool air and rain moved into the Cascades Tuesday, giving firefighters a leg up on a series of canyon fires near the resort town of Leavenworth, Wash.

Elsewhere in the West, Montana firefighters were not as optimistic as increasing winds helped spread a 2,000-acre blaze near Emigrant
in the mountains just north of Yellowstone National Park. Residents were advised to prepare for quick evacuation.

"Weather, fuels and topography are all working against us at this point," said Steve Frye, fire incident commander near Emigrant.

Gathering winds also doubled the size of a wildfire west of Glacier National Park in northwest Montana to 2,300 acres.

Nearly 29,000 firefighters and support personnel were involved in fighting fires throughout the West, and 500 soldiers from Fort Lewis, Wash., were expected to join the fire lines by the weekend.