Crews double containment of Crozier Fire and keep it from growing for 24 hours, Cal Fire says

Firefighters within 24 hours doubled the containment of the Crozier Fire as the El Dorado County blaze burned into its seventh day on Monday but stayed within its footprint since Sunday morning.

The Crozier Fire had burned 1,938 acres and was 36% contained as of 6:44 a.m. Monday morning, according to Cal Fire. The state firefighting agency reported the wildfire was measured at 1,938 acres and 18% contained as of 7:24 a.m. Sunday.

The wildfire started about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday northwest of Slate Mountain. The Crozier Fire grew to about 244 acres Wednesday then nearly tripled its size by Thursday morning.

More than 1,700 firefighting personnel on Monday were assigned to tackle the Crozier Fire. Cal Fire was in unified command with U.S. Forest Service officials from the Eldorado National Forest as they continued to battle the wildfire.

At a Monday morning operational briefing, Cal Fire officials said the control objectives were to keep the wildfire north of Mosquito Road, south of Wentworth Springs Road, east of Darling Ridge and west 12N53 and 12N56 roads in the Eldorado National Forest.

Chris Baldoni, who leads night operations for Cal Fire, said in Monday’s briefing that fire crews were “super productive” overnight as they increased the depth of mop-up operations to find and extinguish any smoldering spots.

Humidity on Monday morning was 10% higher than the previous day and temperatures were expected to be cooler, providing more favorable conditions for firefighters. But Cal Fire anticipated some windy weather Monday with gusts up to 20 mph from the southwest to the northeast over exposed ridges.

Vegetation outside the wildfire perimeter remained critically dry and highly flammible, said Kyle Ferris of the Cal Fire inicident management team. At Monday’s briefing, Ferris told firefighters the Crozier Fire “continues to remain within containment lines with no expected growth,” but there’s still a threat of reignition.

On Sunday afternoon, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office announced that some residents in the communities of Georgetown, Garden Valley, Volcanoville and Quintet were being allowed to return to their homes. Sheriff’s officials asked those residents to be cautious and look out for emergency personnel, vehicles and equipment that will still be in the area.

“Due to the hard work that you have done so far, we were able to repopulate the majority of our evacuation zone. And in speaking with (residents), they’re eternally grateful.” El Dorado Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Lensing told fire crews at Monday’s briefing. “They want you to continue what you do, and we’ll support you 100%.”

Other areas remained under mandatory evacuation orders, and an immediate surrounding area remained under an evacuation warning. Sheriff’s officials have asked residents to visit perimetermap.com to view the evacuation map . Residents can enter their address in the search bar to see the latest information.

The California Highway Patrol Placerville Area Office on Monday reminded drivers that road closures remained in place on Mosquito Road at Buckboard Road and Rock Creek Road at Trail Gulch Road.

Law enforcement officials were actively patrolling the areas under evacuation orders. The Sheriff’s Office on Sunday announced that authorities over the past few days conducted numerous traffic stops and questioned others found in evacuated zones, which has led to arrests, citations and people being escorted out of the area .

On Saturday afternoon, The U.S. Forest Service announced an area closure of the El Dorado National Forest due to the Crozier Fire. The closure prohibits the use of areas, roads and trails seven days a week and 24 hours day.

“This closure has been put in place to protect public and firefighter safety,” said Jen House, Acting Forest Supervisor. “We have over 1500 firefighters here and many residents affected by the Crozier Fire. For their sake, we ask that the public respect the closure so we can concentrate on getting this fire contained as quickly as possible.”

El Dorado County health officials warned residents on Friday that air quality is being intermittently affected by smoke from wildfires in the region and reminded them to take precautions if wildfire smoke affects areas where they live, work or recreate. They warned residents that wildfires smoke can cause health problems, particularly for children, older adults and those with heart disease or respiratory issues. Health officials advised residents to limit outdoor activity and exposure if they see or smell smoke.

For those displaced by the Crozier Fire evacuation orders, a new temporary evacuation center has been opened at the Cameron Park Community Services District at 2502 Country Club Drive in Cameron Park. That location is an overnight shelter, and pets on a leash or in a kennel are welcome, El Dorado County officials said.

The El Dorado County Animal Services Shelter, 6435 Capitol Ave. in Diamond Springs will be open to house animals displaced by the evacuation order.

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