Chips Fire 16 percent contained

UPDATE: 8/9/12 - 5:30pm
Communities around Lake Almanor do not face the greater threat of power outages like the Plumas County communities of Quincy and the Feather River Canyon are facing from the Chips Fire, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) said today.

The Lake Almanor Basin has two transmission power lines serving it: the Caribou-Westwood line and the Hat Creek-Westwood line. Should the line from Caribou be impacted by the Chips Fire, all customers in the basin will receive power from Hat Creek. No fires are threatening the Hat Creek-Westwood line.

Action PG&E is taking:

To help ensure the two transmission lines near the Chips Fire remain powered, crews are clearing brush around transmission poles within 5 miles of the Caribou Substation. If the fire threatens beyond that range, crews will continue to clear around poles. PG&E is prepared to treat poles with fire retardant where possible. PG&E is bringing in seven utility-scale generators so it can continue to power 3,400 customers in the Quincy and Feather River Canyon areas should fires damage the two transmission lines serving these communities. Connecting utility-scale generators to substations is complex and labor intensive, but PG&E is making the effort in the interest of serving customers. Dozens of workers are preparing the substations to accommodate the generators.

How you can prepare and stay safe: PG&E recommends having the following items on hand: a battery-powered radio, flashlights, a first-aid kit, a supply of food or snacks that does not require cooking, and extra water. Treat all downed power lines as if they are “live” or energized. Keep yourself and others away from them. Call 911, then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002. Report and get updates on outages at PG&E's 24-Hour Emergency and Customer Service Line: 1-800-743-5002

UPDATE: 8/9/12 - The Lassen and Plumas national forests have closed portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and several recreation sites in areas deemed unsafe due to activity associated with the Chips Fire near Belden, California. The closures are part of larger area closures on both national forests.

The PCT is officially closed from Three Lakes (in the Bucks Lake Wilderness) on the Plumas National Forest northbound to the Cold Spring trailhead at the Humbug Road (Plumas County Road 307) on the Lassen National Forest. Additionally, using the Caribou Road (Forest Route 27N26) is prohibited, as the area is also officially closed.

Hikers and equestrians are advised to avoid travel on the portion of the PCT from Bucks Summit, north to Hwy 36 (west of Chester). In order to re-route themselves most expeditiously, at Bucks Summit, northbound trail users may travel on Plumas County Road 414 east to Quincy, pick up Highway 70/89 to Chester and then Highway 36 west to resume the trail. Southbound travelers may reverse the process.

UPDATE: 8/9/12 - The Chips Fire remains at 10 percent containment. Expected containment is not expected until Aug. 31. The fire has burned 18,681 acres thus far. 

UPDATE: The fire has burned 18,000 acres.

Firefighters remained vigilant in holding containment lines last night. Today crews will continue to aggressively attack an area where the fire escaped containment lines into the Mosquito Creek drainage. Aircraft will assist throughout the day by dropping water on hot spots near the fire’s advancing edge as smoke conditions allow.

The fire is expected to slowly creep downslope towards Highway 70 on the southern flank where crews will mop-up along the line to secure additional containment. Fire activity along the western flank of the fire was minimal last night and crews will resume construction and improvement of western flank containment lines.

Containment objectives for the Chips Fire are to keep the fire south of Humbug Summit Road, north of Highway 70 and Tobin, west of the Butt Lake transmission lines, and East of Philbrook Reservoir. Crews are stationed in communities along the Feather River Canyon to provide structure protection.

Contingency lines beyond the primary containment lines are planned and the north contingency line along Humbug Road is now under construction.

UPDATE: 3:30pm - Plumas National Forest - The Feather Falls Campground, Trail and Trailhead parking lot will be closed Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12, 2012. The closure will accommodate Butte County (CA) Sheriff search and rescue vehicles, flight operations and other activities associated with helicopter search operations for a hiker swept over the falls earlier this year. All facilities will be reopened no later than 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 12. For information about the search and rescue operation, contact the Butte County Sheriff’s office at 530/538-7389. For information about other recreation opportunities, contact Feather River Ranger District at 530/534-6500 or visit the Plumas National Forest website at: www.fs.fed.us/plumas.

UPDATE: 8/7/12 - 3:15pm - Plumas County Public Health Officer Dr. Val Armisen advises residents with sensitive health conditions to stay alert to changing smoke levels caused by the Chips Fire and be prepared to act accordingly.

Smoky conditions can be hazardous for certain high risk groups such as young children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions or chronic lung disease such as asthma and bronchitis, and individuals with other respiratory ailments. Residents in these high risk groups who are in areas of heavy smoke should be prepared to stay indoors and limit their activity.

Contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or severe fatigue. This is important for not only people with chronic lung or heart disease, but also for individuals who have not been previously diagnosed with such illnesses. Smoke can "unmask" or produce symptoms of such diseases. Keep airways moist by drinking lots of water. Breathing through a warm, wet washcloth can also help relieve dryness.

The use of masks is not recommended for people with lung diseases such as asthma or emphysema, elderly people, and others who may have trouble breathing. It takes more effort to breathe through a mask, increasing the risk of heat stress or enhancing your lung disease. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseous or become disoriented, go to a smoke free area and get medical attention.

What to do if there is smoke present:
•Stay inside with windows and doors shut.
•Use the recycle or re-circulate mode on the air conditioner in your home or car.
•Avoid cooking and vacuuming, which can increase pollutants indoors.
•Avoid physical exertion.
•Asthmatics should follow their asthma management plan.
•Keep at least a five-day supply of medication on hand.
•Contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or severe fatigue. This is important for not only for people with chronic lung or heart disease, but also for individuals who have not been previously diagnosed with such illnesses. Smoke can “unmask” or produce symptoms of such diseases.
•Keep airways moist by drinking lots of water. Breathing through a warm, wet washcloth can also help relieve dryness.

For information on fire conditions and local air quality updates, please visit www.plumascounty.us

UPDATE: 8/7/12 - 2:30pm - The Chips fire is posing a significant threat to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) electric facilities. Please be aware that fire damage could cause outages for many customers. Our crews will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power, though remote and hazardous terrain may slow those efforts.

What PG&E is doing:

•PG&E has many resources deployed to the area, ready to begin power restoration when access is deemed safe by fire officials.
•PG&E already has identified three electric distribution poles that need to be replaced in the Beldon area, and we’re assessing for further damage.
•We are proactively developing contingency plans to supply back-up power generation to minimize the size and length of outages.
•PG&E teams, including our Mobile Command Vehicle, are staged in Quincy and are assessing at-risk facilities and pre-treating poles for fire protection where accessible.
•In some cases, we will de-energize power lines for firefighters’ safety.

How you can prepare and stay safe:
•PG&E recommends having the following items on hand: a battery-powered radio, flashlights, a first-aid kit, a supply of food or snacks that does not require cooking, and extra water.
•Treat all downed power lines as if they are “live” or energized. Keep yourself and others away from them. Call 911, then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
•Report and get updates on outages at PG&E's 24-Hour Emergency and Customer Service Line: 1-800-743-5002
For more safety information, go to www.pge.com/safetycentral

UPDATE: 8/7/12 - 1:15pm - Please note that an expanded fire emergency closure area is in effect on the Lassen National Forest. The expansion includes the area north of the fire and Grizzly Peak Campground. The accompanying attachments include the Forest Order and map.

UPDATE: The Chips Fire is 10 percent contained and has burned 15,334 acres. The cost of the fire to date is $5,200,000. 

Butt Valley Reservoir recreation facilities administered by PG&E (Ponderosa Flat Campground, Cool Springs Campground, Ray Adams Day Use Area and Boat Launch as well as Yellow Creek Campground) are closed due to the fire.

Belden, Maggie’s Trailer Park, and Little Haven are under a precautionary evacuation notice. Voluntary evacuation notices have also been issued for the Rush Creek area. The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office is also encouraging residents along Highway 70 from Tobin to Twain to begin developing evacuation plans. A voluntary evacuation is in place for areas south of Highway 89 that includes Butt Valley Reservoir and Humbug Reservoir.

A hard closure remains in place along Caribou Road from Highway 70 to Butt Lake. Gansner Bar, North Fork, and Queen Lily USFS campgrounds remain closed. The communities of Meadow Valley, Chester, Canyon Dam, Greenville, and Susanville area are not threatened at this time, nor are those west of the fire area including Paradise, Jarbo Gap, and Concow.

A fire closure area has been established for both the Plumas and Lassen National Forests and will be in place until the area is safe. Please see the Forest Orders and closure maps on InciWeb (address above). Pacific Crest Trail hikers may bypass the affected area by hiking Highway 70/89 or catching a bus with Plumas Transit to Chester, CA (weekdays only).
Motorists are encouraged to use caution on Highway 70.

BELDEN, Calif. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) -- The Chips Fire burning in Belden, Calif. in Plumas County is back down to 0 percent containment.

The fire has now burned more than 13,000 acres. Full containment is not expected until Aug. 21. Currently, 26 residential and four commercial structures are threatened, and four injuries have been reported.