Chips Fire in Plumas and Lassen National Forests

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UPDATE:  August 20, 2012 at 7:15 PM. The fire grew in the past 24 hours to 50,860 acres. Prattville, Canyon Dam and Big Meadows are now under mandatory evacuation orders. The fire is 32% contained.  Chester Memorial Hall is now being used as the evacuation center.


UPDATE:  August 20, 2012 at 11 AM. The total acres burned has not increased per the USFS. A contractor working with the USFS suffered a possible broken leg from a fall yesterday. The containment is 32%.
  UPDATE:  August 19, 2012 at 8 PM. Not a good day. The total acres burned is now 47,040 with 32% containment. Type 1 helicopters now essential to prevent spread as winds continue. There were three new spot fires this afternoon.


UPDATE:  As of Auguest 19, 2012 at 11 AM. As you can see by the map, the fire made a run to the east, adding 450 acres due to winds yesterday. They are considering expanding the evacuation areas at this time.


UPDATE: August 18, 2012 at 7 PM The total areage has increased to 44, 793 and containment is 38%
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UPDATE:  Saturday at 9 AM August 18, 2012. The total acreage has increased to 44, 343. Containment lines are holding at 34%.  except in the area on the east side, which is threatening the town of Seneca.

UPDATE: Friday August 17, 2012 at 9 PM The new total for acres burned in the Chips fire is  Cost so far is $20, 476,000 and containment is now 34%. 940 structures are currently threatened..


UPDATE:  Friday August 17, 2012  at 12 Noon  The total acreage burned increased to 43,746, nearly 1000 acres more than yesterday. The cost so far is $19,000,000. Plans for structure protection in the towns of Belden, Almanor, Prattville, and other small subdivisions in the Lake Almanor area. This fire is 20% contained.

courtesy of usfs

UPDATE:  Thursday August 16, 2012 at 7:30 PM.  The total acreage increased to 42,964 today. Updating the maps the forest service provides us shows the growth.

   120 engines, 29 dozers, 12 helicopters, and all of the other usual firefighting tactics are being used on this fire.at a cost of $17,500,000 to date. 900 homes are currently threatened and the containment level is still only around 20%.

UPDATE:  Thursday August 16, 2012 at 8 AM Less acreage was lost in the last 24 hours. The total burned is now around 43,000. It is challenging the attempted containment lines, but it is 20% contained as of this morning.

UPDATE:  Wednesday August 15, 2012 at 6 PM  The Chips fire is now at 42, 215 acres, and  is  20% contained. Parts of Hwys 89 and 70 are still intermittently closed. A rock and debris slide on Caribou Rd.has had to be cleared so that fire equipment could  access the fire today.


UPDATE: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 8 AM. Another 1500 acres was added to the total burned out forest which is now 36, 750.



UPDATE:   August 13, 2012 at 8:30 AM  The cost of fighting this fire to date is $13, 800,000.  Currently threatened are 600 residences, 4 commercial buildings and 36 outbuildings. 7 injuries have been attributed to this fire. That does not include the animals in the forest. 35,233 acres have been destroyed to date. See map next page.


Tonight they have a scheduled community meeting in the town of Chester, on Lake Almanor. They will be discussing evacuation procedures, gathering of family photos and important documents.


UPDATE: August 12, 2012 at 9 PM  After the community meeting, it was announced that contingency lines will be drawn to protect the communities around Lake Almanor. This fire has not been held by any containment lines to date, as crews continue to be required to pull back due to fire activity.

UPDATE: August 12, 2012 at 6 PM A community meeting will be held tonight at the Canyon Dam Mkt where fire officials will be available to answer questions from the public. Some powerlines may have to be de-energized because of the fire.  Containment is only 8 %. The acreage burned is now 31, 720.


UPDATE:  August 11, 2012 at 6 PM  Reading the Incident Command Post log is like reading a horror story. Nearly 10,000 acres burned yesterday alone. The Command Post is now at Lake Almanor Recreation area near Chester. The Commander seems to be begging for help. See updated map next page....


UPDATE:  August 11, 2012 at 11 AM The Chips fire is now 30,000 acres, adding another 3000 acres since the last report. Containment is not expected until at least August 31, 2012.


UPDATE: August 10, 2012 at 11 PM  The Chips fire is now 27,000 acres, 7000 acres more than last report, and 7% containment, less than the last report. This fire does not seem to be well managed, according to local residents we've spoken with. They are very nervous.

     The Incident Command Center has been moved to Lake Almanor Recreation area (Chester) to better assist the firefighters. The commander says it is imperative he receive the additional resources he has requested in order to achieve containment of this fire. .

UPDATE: August 10, 2012 at 6 PM  There is no good news about this fire. It has grown to 20,000+ acres and a you can see on the new map there is another spot fire in the north. More later... See the new map on the next page. Containment is now at 15%.


UPDATE:  August 9, 2012 at 10 PM  Backfires, called torching continue in an effort to slow down this fire. This has had varying results. In some cases the fire jumps the containment lines and contingent lines have had to be formed..

UPDATE:  August 9, 2012 at 11:30 AM  The CHIPs fire is now 18, 600+ acres and growing. The fire is expected to reach Hwy 70 today, therefore drivers of the Feather River Canyon should use extreme caution throughout that area.
UPDATE: August 9, 2012  7:30 AM.  This fire is over 18,000 acres of devastation and has cost the taxpayers $7.7 million to date, and is still only 10% contained.
  It is reported this morning that the towns of Susanville and Chester, which we have had many questions about,  are not threatened at this time.
UPDATE: August 8. 2012 at 6:30 PM  We spoke with one of the communications people on this fire. She was sent to help with this fire from Oregon.
     She explained that in many instances it was simply too dangerous to send firefighters in to fight this fire, and that allowed it to spread to what it is now.
UPDATE:   August 8, 2012 at 8 AM. This fire has grown to 18,000 acres and spot fires continue to spread the flames.
 There are some angry residents in that area, as this massive forest fire has been allowed to continue to devastate the Plumas National Forest, 2 miles N/W of Belden. The cause is still under investigation.
  Over 1000 firefighters are working this fire.
   Precautionary evacuation plans are in progress for Belden, Little Haven and Maggie's Trailer Park. Voluntary evacuations are in effect for Rush Creek area, south of Hwy 89.  New map next page.

UPDATE:  August 7, 2012  The Chips fire is now  15,333 acres, only 10% contained and not far from the town of Chester.
  UPDATE:  August 6, 2012
    While nobody was apparently watching, the Chips fire is now a large one, having  spread to 13,687 acres in the Plumas National Forest.
   We recently spoke to someone who lives in the area who says it concerns them because they seemed to have let it spread and now its too close to their town for comfort.
   Last night it crossed the Feather River and attempts to contain that spot fire is continuing. Another crew is attempting to hold containment lines at Hwy 70 near Caribou Rd.
   Due to the rough terrain and inaccessibility in most locations, this fire has been difficult to contain. they don't expect containment until around August 21, 2012