Ramsey Fire in Ebbetts Pass

   UPDATE:  August 19, 2012 7:30 PM The Ramsey fire is now 95% contained at 1155 acres. They received trace amounts of rain yesterday. They are asking visitors to the Hwy 4 corridor to be extra cautious as mop-up operations are ongoing near the Hwy.

 

    UPDATE:  August 18, 2012 at 8 AM. Good News! There has been no further progression of the fire in the last 24 hours. It is considered to be 70% contained.  They are beginning demobilization of fire units today. All recreation areas and Hwy 4 are now open to the public, per USFS.

    UPDATE: We just received at 9:10 PM an official update of this fire. There is no reported increase in the number of acres lost of 1155 . Containment is now at 50%.. see webcam next page.


UPDATE: As of August 17, 2012 at 7AM Ramsey fire is now 45% contained. 
at 1155 acres.

UPDATE:  August 16, 2012 at 2 PM  The Ramsey fire is now at 1150 acres and is 30% contained. Hwy 4 continues to have CHP escorts one lane each direction.

   UPDATE:  August 15, 2012 at 8 PM  The Ramsey fire has now consumed over  1000 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest as a result of an escaped campfire on Saturday August 11, 2012.
     Crews are hoping a line drawn along the bottom of the Stanislaus River
will prevent it from moving to the South side of the river. The heat, terrain and winds make this a difficult fire to contain. Helicopters, air tankers and dozers will continue their effort today.
   They continue to suppress spot fires on the North side of Hwy 4 as the fire continues to move eastward. 329 firefighters are assigned to this fire.
     Containment is now 15%. 16 structures are currently threatened. Hwy 4 will continue to be intermittently closed until the fire is contained.  .

UPDATE:  August 14, 2012 at 2:45 PM. The total number of acres burned by this fire is now 800. Hwy 4 is still closed intermittently due to fire on both sides of the highway. It is still only 10% contained.

   UPDATE:   August 14, 2012 @ 11 PM  The Ramsey Fire has burned 650 acres at a cost of $750,000 to date. It is currently 10% contained.


   UPDATE:  August 13, 2012 at 6 PM Due to the Ramsey fire spotting on the other side of Hwy 4, the Hwy had to be closed.  See photo next page....

.UPDATE:  August 13, 2012 at 9:30 AM  The fire at Cottage Springs is officially called the Ramsey Fire.  CHP will again be assisting is traffic control on Hwy 4 in the fire area. Hwy 4 has not been closed, although the fire was only 1/4 mile from the highway.



   We spoke with Jerry Snyder of  the Stanislaus National Forest and he let us know that this was an escaped campfire caused fire. The total number of acres burned at this time is 400 and containment is estimated at 20%.


There are three helicopters assigned to fighting this fire and tanker planes with be used when the smoke is clear enough for safety  They do expect this fire to grow today.

8::UPDATE:  August 13, 2012 at 9:20 AM Calaveras County is filled with a haze of smoke from the fire in Ebbetts Pass. A helicopter is back in action this morning attacking this fire.
UPDATE:  August 12, 2012 at 6:30 PM  The above picture is the most recent from Bald Mountain. You can see the fire is still spreading and is not contained.

UPDATE:  August 12, 2012 2:30 PM. The fire near Hwy 4 at Cottage Springs is now around  200 acres and 5 or 6 homes are threatened.  Traffic is being controlled by CHP in the area due to people parking and getting out of their vehicles to look at the fire.
  Poison Springs Vista Point is blocked off to traffic with cones. Do not drive up Hwy 4 in that area unless you live there. Hwy 4 is not closed, as smoke is drifting away at this time. CHP remaining in area.
UPDATE: August 12, 2012 at 11:30 AM Please do not try to stop and look at the fire off Hwy 4. It is creating a traffic hazard in the area in Ebbetts Pass. The fire has grown, and they have not posted it in the fire incidents on the website.
  Several residents said maybe it was out because the smoke is less, but the fact is that the wind is blowing it the other direction for the time being.
   When we asked someone why the USFS does not answer their phone, they said they think they're all out at "Candy Rock".
   There are rumors that this fire was started by an illegal campfire in the area, but this has not been confirmed.
UPDATE:  This is a Stanislaus National Forest fire with CalFire Assisting. A helicopter is headed for the Bald Mountain helipad and then to help with the fire at Cottage Springs.
   We do not yet have an update, but you can see from a webcam that  the fire is still fairly large.
You can also see what appears to be  the clear-cut areas all over the mountain from this vantage point, a sad sight.
 UPDATE:  CalFire reports there is a 20 acre fire (as of 5:50 AM August 12, 2012) at the old ski resort near Cottage Springs in Ebbetts Pass. CHP has received reports that traffic near Black Springs is backed up due to looky-loos watching the fire.
Sunday, August 12, 2012 5:42 AM
   We are receiving questions why there is smoke in Ebbetts Pass this morning. We are currently making calls to find out and will report when we receive details.