Tamarack Fire in Alpine County Updates for Sunday, August 8, 2021

Details: Last Updated: Sunday, 08 August 2021 18:56

tam88map
Map for Sunday, August 8, 2021
Note: 1,200 Pixels Wide
NOTE: Maps represent approximate information.

Evening Update: The Tamarack Fire as of Sunday evening is at 68,696 Acres with 80% Containment.

Basic Information

Current as of	8/8/2021, 5:53:10 PM
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Sunday July 04th, 2021 approx. 04:00 PM
Location	16 Miles south of Gardnerville, NV
Incident Commander	Scott Stephenson, IC Tom Raw, Deputy IC
Incident Description	This Incident Continues To Be Managed With A Full Suppression Strategy, However Steep Inaccessible Terrain In Division Alpha Necessitates A Suppression Strategy Of Confinement.
Coordinates	38.628 latitude, -119.857 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	322
Size	68,696 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	80%
Estimated Containment Date	Tuesday August 31st, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Timber (Grass and Understory) Chaparral (6 feet) Timber (Litter and Understory)
Significant Events	Moderate Single Tree Torching Backing Creeping Fire is in mixed conifer, pinyon-juniper, and brush fuel types.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Divs K & O - Keep fire south of China Spring and west of Highway 395. Keep fire south of Highway 88 and east of Blue Lake Road. Continue right sizing organization. Divs A & Q - Keep fire north of Highway 89 (Monitor pass) and Hwy 4. Continue right sizing organization. Hazard tree mitigation in Markleeville and Pleasant Valley areas.
Projected Incident Activity	12 hours: Dry conditions will continue across the mid-slopes and ridges overnight. Breezy conditions could result in 1 or 2 hours of critical conditions east of Markleeville. Smoldering and creeping behavior at night, with possible single tree torching due to gusty winds. 24 hours: Creeping fire with smoldering and limited to moderate potential for spread. Single tree torching. Drying trend with light winds.
Remarks	Acreage estimated from FireWatch flight on 7/29/2021 at 1322. Steep rugged terrain in Division Alpha necessitates a suppression strategy of confinement. Perimeter in Division Alpha represents 18% of the total fire perimeter. The remaining perimeter (82%) has been contained to 80%. 2% of the fire remains uncontained.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	Sunny, haze and smoke. Lingering smoke from the Dixie Fire covered the fire area. Dry conditions will persist into early next week with poor night time humidity recovery across mid-slopes and ridges. Today's max temp's 75-87. RH 13-18%. Light and variable winds in the valleys in the morning became S-SW 10-15 mph with G 25-30 mph. HAINES 5, LAL 1, CWR 0%. Tonight-widespread smoke and haze, then clearing. Min Temp 47-62 in valleys, 54-62 mid-slopes and ridges. Max humidity 50-60% valleys 28-32% mid-slopes and ridges. SW winds 10-15 mph G 25 mph. Haines 5. Monday-Widespread haze and smoke, sunny. Temps 83-90. Min RH 14-19%. Light and variable upslope winds to 6 mph, becoming WNW 5-10 mph afternoon and evening. HAINES 5, LAL 1 CWR 0%.

Update: Tamarack Fire Operations Briefing Videos for August 7 & 8, 2021

August 8, 2021 - The Tamarack Fire as of Sunday morning is now at 68,696 Acres with 80% Containment.

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Sierra Front Type 3 Incident Management Team 1

Scott Stephenson, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 775-434-8629 (public and media)

Email: 2021.tamarack@firenet.gov

Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special Note: Smoke from the Dixie Fire remains in the area this morning. To check local smoke conditions, see: https://fire.airnow.gov/#. Winds are forecast to pick up later this afternoon, which may improve air quality.

Current Situation: Hard work by firefighters on the Tamarack Fire has led to an increase in containment. Total containment is now 80%. The strategy for this fire continues to be full suppression using a combination of containment in Divisions K, O, and Q, and confinement in Division A.

Two suppression repair groups are working on priority areas to minimize impacts of fire suppression activities on natural and cultural resources. As part of this work, crews are distributing slash along dozer or hand lines to prevent soil erosion and water channeling. This helps restore plant communities and is not a fuel-concern. Crews are also removing hazard trees. Hazard trees are those that are fire-damaged and likely to fall on a road or developed site, threatening safety. Utility companies are also working in the fire area, removing trees that may impact power lines.

Divisions K and O – Crews on the west edge of the fire were able to add containment line. Division K is now in patrol status. An engine is supporting the repair crew and watching for any hot spots, especially near communities. In Division O, engines and crews are mopping up along the fire line and ensuring containment near homes and structures.

Division Q – This area currently has the most heat. We have four hand crews working to strengthen existing containment line and contain the remaining fire edge in the southwest portion of the division.

Division A – A second module of wildland firefighters is being added to this division. Because of the extremely steep, jagged terrain and the lack of fire movement, firefighters are using a suppression strategy of confinement in this area. Firefighters are ready to take action in the unlikely event that fire gets out of the surrounding rocky terrain. Helicopter reconnaissance flights, infrared mapping, and time-lapse cameras assist with observation 24 hours a day. In the unlikely event the fire crosses established Management Action Points, firefighters will use suppression tactics where feasible, with aircraft support.

Weather and Fuel Conditions: Widespread smoke and haze continue today. The predicted high is 90 degrees, with relative humidity as low as 9%. Winds are out of the south, with gusts up to 30 mph. Fuels remain very dry.

Closures, and Fire Restrictions: For closures and fire restrictions on National Forest lands, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices.

Tamarack Fire Statistics:

Size: 68,696 acres

Containment: 80%

Total Personnel: 407

Location: Markleeville, CA

Reported: July 4, 2021

Cause: Lightning

For More Information:

Public and media information phone: 775-434-8629

Public and media email: 2021.tamarack@firenet.gov

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7674/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tamarackfireinfo