Walker Fire Day 16
8 a.m., Sept. 19: The Walker Fire is 97 percent contained and 54,612 acres. Personnel are beginning to be released; as of this morning there were 1,073 assigned to the fire, down from a high of over 2,000. Nine structures were destroyed, including two cabins. The fire broke out about noon on Sept. 4, 11 miles east of Taylorsville in Plumas County’s Genesee Valley. The cause of the fire is still under investigation though it is known to be human caused.
According to this morning’s briefing: Overnight, a half an inch of rain fell throughout the fire area assisting with extinguishing lingering hot spots. Smoke may continue to be visible over the following days as the fire creeps and smolders in unburned fuels within the fire’s interior. (Any uptick in fire acreage has been a result of additional burned areas within the fire’s interior; the perimeter has held.)
Fire personnel continue to complete suppression repair focusing on mitigating disturbed areas caused by suppression activities. Hand crews and excavators are actively restoring dozer lines in the fire area and returning the slope back to its natural condition by pulling topsoil and vegetation into the disturbed areas where fireline was constructed.
The removal of fire hose and other equipment from the fireline is near completion. Crews brought in approximately 83 miles of hose (the distance from Taylorsville to Reno, Nevada) which will be inspected and potentially reused for future incidents. In addition to the recovery of equipment and supplies, the Plumas National Forest partnered with a private contractor, Human Eco Recycle, to reduce the amount of garbage generated throughout the incident. Approximately 380 pounds of batteries, 187 bags of plastic bottles and 74 yards of cardboard have been recycled.
Forest Closure: Plumas National Forest has issued a Forest Order for the Mt. Hough and Beckwourth Ranger Districts. Please see Inciweb for closure information and a map of the closure area.
Road Closures: Janesville Grade, Genesee Valley Road at the Flournoy Bridge, Antelope Lake Road from the Flournoy Bridge to Antelope Dam, and beginning at the Flournoy Bridge turnoff, the 111 Beckwourth-Genesee Road is closed through the fire area.
