d n News-caloes-CREEK_FIRE_D

08/21 492

CREEK FIRE DOMINATES STATE FIRE RESOURCES

From: Governor's Office of Emergency Services

SACRAMENTO--

The Governor's Office of Emergency Services stepped up its aggressive attack on Tuolumne County's Creek Fire Tuesday morning, doubling the engines for a total of 205, with an additional 65 engines that just arrived to the scene from across the state at about noon.

What has now been determined to be a human-caused fire, has grown from 4,000 acres and 50% contained as of 7 p.m. on Monday to 10,265 acres and 0% contained by 6 a.m. today. The communities of Big Oak Flat, Groveland and Smith Station, all located along Highway 120 in Tuolumne County - have been added to the list of cities with evacuation order. Three homes have been destroyed, and an additional 3,000 are threatened. There have been two injuries reported. Evacuations are being made to the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and the Coulterville Community Center.

OES continues to manage the Mutual Aid System resources on four Northern California Fires. In all, OES has committed 420 OES and local government engines (including 86 OES engines) and 11 California

National Guard helicopters to fight four California wildfires. Those fires are:

·Creek Fire in Mariposa and Tuolumne counties at 10,265 acres, 0% contained with 270 OES and local government engines. Since the fire started 5 p.m. on Saturday, it has injured 3 and threatened 3,000 homes.

·Ponderosa Fire in Placer County which is 2,750 acres and 90% contained, with 75 OES and local engines. Since the fire started at 2 p.m., Friday, it has threatened 200 homes.

·Leonard Fire in Calaveras County, which is 3,155 acres, 20 % contained, with 90 OES and local engines. Since the fire started at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, no injuries, 300 homes threatened, evacuations in progress.

·Highway Fire in Fresno County, which is 1,000 acres, 0% contained, with 5 local engines. Since the fire started at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, threatening 12 homes and six outbuildings. A Red Cross shelter has been established in Dunlap.

OES-related resources committed include 320 local government fire engines, which represent approximately 32% of all local government engines available through the mutual aid system (there are approx. 1,000 total available). There are also 86 OES engines currently committed to the fires, which represents 78% of all OES engines (there are 110 fire engines total).

The OES Fire and Rescue Emergency Operations Center in Sacramento remains activated to coordinate the response to the multiple statewide fires 24-hours a day as needed. OES' Inland Region and State Operations Center are activated in support of local government EOC activations. Representatives from OES Executive, Law Enforcement,

Inland Region and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are co-located in the Fire EOC.

- OES -

For more information contact: OES Public Affairs - (916) 262-1843

EDIS-08-21-01 1249 PDT

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), August 21, 2001