Wet sleeping bags may mean it’s time to fight the Coffee Pot Fire with fire

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Firefighters are considering using fire to barricade and extinguish the growth of the Coffee Pot Fire after waking up in wet sleeping bags, officials say.

According to the California Interagency Incident Management Team (CIIMT), firefighters stationed near the northwestern tip of the Coffee Pot Fire have been waking up in wet sleeping bags. To crews, this uncomfortable phenomenon revealed that the relative humidity was up, which in turn meant the fire’s fuel was likely also wet.

In response, CIIMT says fire crews will begin a strategic firing operation to test burning conditions, likely on Monday afternoon. If tests are successful, a backing fire will be used to control the fire’s intensity and rate of spread on the western perimeter of the fire, near Case Mountain down to South Fork Drive.

The planned ignitions will likely result in a rapid growth of acreage burned, which was reported at 3,434 acres as of Monday afternoon by CIIMT. The fire is still 0% contained, but according to officials, 63% of primary and indirect control lines have been completed.

Indirect control lines have been established along the western perimeter of the fire from South Fork Drive up to Case Mountain. Control lines have also been established along half of the northern boundary from Case Mountain to Mineral King. Hose will be laid down along these indirect lines by the end of the day on Monday.

CIIMT says crews are also beginning work to tighten up the present lines along the western perimeter in hopes of reducing the future width of the fire. New lines will run along the ridge where the Helipads are constructed (shown in the purple numbers on the map below).

Officials say crews are working to remove brush around the edges of Mineral King Road which will function as a control line along the eastern half of the northern boundary. Crews have also identified a ridge to the east where they will construct indirect control lines.

A Public Information Officer will be at the Three Rivers Village Market daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide fire information and answer questions. A live update will be available online at 6 p.m. Monday.

Closures :

According to CIIMT, the portion of South Fork Drive within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and trails accessed from the road, including the LadyBug and Garfield Grove Trails, are closed.

Evacuation warnings:

Zones TLC-E128-B and TLC-E094-B, the area north of South Fork Drive, east of Skyline Drive (Salt Creek Fire Control Road), south of Mineral King Road, and west of the National Park Boundary are under evacuation warnings.

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