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Details On The Walker Fire Near Susanville

InciWeb

Editor's note: As of 9/13/2019, KUNR has stopped actively updating this web post. The U.S. Forest Service-Plumas National Forest is providing regular updates on Facebook.

09/12/2019 at 10:00 PM:

The burn area for the Walker Fire has grown to 49,272 acres, with 32 percent containment.

09/11/2019 at 10:45 PM:

The Walker Fire burning near Susanville is now 28 percent contained and has consumed more than 48,000 acres.
 
According to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service - Plumas National Forest: The Plumas County Sheriff has reduced the Evacuation Level from Mandatory to Advisory in all areas except the Murdock Crossing and Stoney Ridge areas. Those residents that return to their homes should continue to monitor the situation and be prepared to evacuate the area if conditions worsen. For the most current information regarding evacuation levels, please contact the Plumas County Sheriff’s office at (530) 283-6300.
 
09/10/2019 at 9:10 PM:

The Walker fire remains at roughly 47,000 acres and is twenty percent contained. 

According to the US Forest Service - Plumas National Forest:

Evacuations: The Plumas County Sheriff has reduced the Evacuation Level from Mandatory to Advisory in all areas except the Murdock Crossing and Stoney areas. Those residents that return to their homes should continue to monitor the situation and be prepared to evacuate the area if conditions worsen. For the most current information regarding evacuation levels, please contact the Plumas County Sheriff’s office at (530) 283-6300.

09/10/2019 at 12:40 PM:

The Walker Fire south of Susanville is roughly 47,000 acres and containment is 12 percent. Mandatory Evacuation Orders remain in place for Antelope Lake to the Plumas county line, the Genesee Valley road corridor, the Ward Creek area, and the Flournoy Bridge area. 
 
09/09/2019 at 9:50 PM:

The fire is now 10 percent contained. 

From US Forest Service - Plumas National Forest (entire statement here): Mandatory Evacuation Orders remain in place for Antelope Lake to the Plumas county line, the Genesee Valley road corridor, the Ward Creek area, and the Flournoy Bridge area. An Evacuation Center is set up at Lassen County Fairgrounds.

09/09/2019 at 4:40 PM:

More than 800 firefighters are battling the Walker Fire, burning in Plumas County.  The fire has burned nearly 44,000 acres and is seven percent contained.

The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office has lifted the mandatory evacuation order for residents along Highway 395 in the Milford area, reducing it to a warning. The other mandatory evacuation orders remain in place. They include:

Genesee Valley Road corridor

Ward Creek area

Flournoy Bridge area

From Antelope Lake to the Plumas County line

The highway remains open to through-traffic, but Milford community roads will be restricted to residents.

 

Here's the official press release copy:

The Lassen County Sheriff's Office is reducing the Mandatory Evacuation Order for the town of Milford to an Evacuation Warning effective at 11:00 a.m. on September 9, 2019. The Sheriff’s Office has established a repopulation plan that will aid in repopulating the area in an organized fashion while also maintaining security. Check stations will be located at the primary roads into Milford. The check stations will restrict access to Milford residents only. Security patrols will continue into the evening hours. The Evacuation Warning remains in effect and residents should be prepared to evacuate the area until the Evacuation Warning is cancelled. We appreciate the cooperation of the public, and the assistance of all of our public safety partners.

 
09/09/2019 at 8:50 AM

The Walker Fire has grown over night to 43,931 acres, and remains at sevent percent containment, according to InciWeb. The mandatory evacuations and road closures remain in place for now. 

Containment lines on the northeastern side of the burn area were secured near Round Mountain and Stoney Crek. Bulldozers and handcrews are making progress building the fireline along the west side of the fire, and will progress north. 

09/08/2019 at 10:00 PM:

Containment numbers are slightly up, according toInciWeb. The fire is now seven percent contained.  Firefighters are working in rough, tree-heavy terrain, which can be tough to build containment lines around. Officials expect the firefighters to build on the containment line numbers overnight.

09/08/2019 at 12:13 PM:

According to the Plumas National Forest, a community meeting will be held today at 3:00pm regarding the Walker Fire at Janesville Elementary School's gym. Fire Management personnel will provide a fire update and answer questions on planned actions.

09/08/2019 at 9:34 AM:

Plumas National Forest officials report the fire has grown to 38,049 acres, and has been five percent contained. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place. Officials have set up an evacuation center at the Lassen County Fairgrounds, and those who need shelter are asked to go to Quincy, and contact the Plumas County Sheriff's Office.

09/08/2019 at 6 AM:

There were immediate, mandatory evacuations related to the Walker Fire overnight. Here is an update the Lassen County Sheriff's Office posted to Facebook at about midnight:

"The Lassen County Sheriff's Office has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the community of Milford. The mandatory evacuation area is from Thunder Mountain Road and 395, to the intersection of Laufman Grade (Old Hwy 59) and Hwy 395. Sheriff's Deputies and other law enforcement personnel will be going door to door in this area to make notifications. 1-Gather all family members. 2. Gather all pets. 3- Gather only essential items. 4. Be sure to bring essential medications with you. 6- Lock your home. An evacuation Center will be opened at the Lassen County Fairgrounds."

There have been no changes to the original mandatory evacuations issued for Antelope Lake through the Plumas County line, along with the Genesee Valley Road Corridor, Ward Creek area, and Fournoy Bridge area.

The U.S. Forest Service-Plumas National Forestis also regularly providing updates about this fire on Facebook.

09/07/2019 at 9:20 PM:

The U.S. Forest Service released an update on Facebook on Saturday night, which included the following statement:

"The Walker Fire is burning on the Plumas National Forest approximately 11 miles east of the community of Taylorsville, California. The fire is 5% contained and an updated acreage will be obtained during an overnight mapping flight.

No new evacuations have been ordered and no structures have been lost. The fire’s progression slowed earlier in the day as a result of cloud cover and reduced fuel to the north as it entered the previously burned Antelope Fire area. The fire spread to the north up Wheeler’s Peak drainage and east around the Antelope Fire scar reaching a mile and a half south of Murdock Crossing.

Aerial and ground resources working together made good progress on the Walker Fire today, taking advantage of the reduced fire activity. When smoke and wind conditions permitted, VLAT’s (Very Large Air Tankers) capable of dropping up to 10,000 gallons of retardant, slowed the fire’s spread to the northeast and on the western flank in the Wheeler Peak drainage. Aircraft support gave crews working in conjunction with dozers time to construct fireline along the southern edge of the fire which crews and dozers will continue advancing around the fire this evening. Two Super Scooper aircraft dropped water and controlled two spot fires out in front of the main fire to the east. Resources continued patrolling and secured the fireline along the southwest edge of the fire, removing the threat to structures. Tonight, crews will continue securing the 25N42 road while other night shift resources look for opportunities to construct containment line along the fire’s edge where possible as well as areas further out from the fire with the highest probability of successfully containing the fire.

Evacuation Orders- Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, Plumas County Office of Emergency Services (OES) in conjunction with Lassen County Sheriff’s Office and Lassen County OES have ordered mandatory evacuations of Antelope Lake to the Plumas county line. Mandatory evacuations for the Genesee Valley road corridor, the Ward Creek area, and the Flournoy Bridge area are still in place, (issued through CodeRED). Residents who need accommodations should proceed to the Quincy area and contact the Sheriff’s Office.

Road Closures- Janesville Grade is now closed. Genesee Valley road is closed at the Flournoy Bridge. Antelope Lake road is also closed from the Flournoy Bridge to Antelope Dam. At the Flournoy Bridge turnoff, the 111 Beckwourth-Genesee road is closed through the fire area.

It is recommended that any public in an area potentially affected by the fire, continue to monitor fire information, have an evacuation plan, and sign up for the CodeRED emergency messaging system at: https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/BFB7CC4C6C0A

Breezy conditions along the ridgetop are expected as a weak weather system passes through this evening. Forecasted cloud cover and cooler temperatures are expected to raise the relative humidity tonight which may contribute to a decrease in fire activity. For updates: http://www.Facebook.com/usfsplumas or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6568/."

 
 

09/07/2019 at 5:22 PM:

Plumas National Forest officials say the Walker Fire burning south of Susanville near Taylorsville is prompting mandatory evacuations in areas west of US Highway 395.

The fire has burned 24,040 acres according to reports from InciWeb, and has zero percent containment. 

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Antelope Lake through the Plumas County line, along with the Genesee Valley Road Corridor, Ward Creek area, and Fournoy Bridge area, according to the Plumas County Office of Emergency Services.

Officials ask those who are evacuating who don't have accommodations to go to the Quincy area and contact the Sheriff's Office. 

Bree Zender is a former host and reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
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