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The Sacramento Bee
Crews double containment of Crozier Fire and keep it from growing for 24 hours, Cal Fire says
By Rosalio Ahumada,
12 days ago
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.
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.
Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Jeff Loveless refers to a map to show where the Crozier Fire is active during a town hall meeting at Sutter’s Mill School in Placerville on Sunday. Lezlie Sterling/lsterling@sacbee.com
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.
People packed the multi-purpose room at Sutter’s Mill School in Placerville during a Crozier Fire town hall meeting by Cal Fire and El Dorado County officials on Sunday. Lezlie Sterling/lsterling@sacbee.com
“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.
Tammi Baker, who had to evacuate her home in Mosquito, holds her dog Odie during a Crozier Fire town hall meeting at Sutter’s Mill School in Placerville on Sunda.y. Lezlie Sterling/lsterling@sacbee.com
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.
Chelle Stephens sits with her dogs after evacuating her home in Swansboro as she and other concerned residents attend a Crozier Fire town hall meeting at Sutter’s Mill School in Placerville on Sunday. Lezlie Sterling/lsterling@sacbee.com Cathy Sharp of Swansboro listens to a concerned citizen ask a question during a Crozier Fire town hall meeting at Sutter’s Mill School in Placerville on Sunday. Sharp and her husband Mickey evacuated with their five dogs and are waiting to return home. Lezlie Sterling/lsterling@sacbee.com
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