Polymerous said:
Then there are the incentives to squash it quickly: Proximity to the county seat (Mariposa) and the population cluster there is one reason. Then there's the close proximity to Yosemite - they're going to make every effort there, both for the park itself, and also all the tourism-related things (motels/inns/hotels/campgrounds/etc) that are spread out all over the area to the south of the park.

I suspect the proximity of Mariposa and Yosemite had a lot to do with an intense effort to contain the fire quickly.

Polymerous said: I'd be deliriously happy if this (and the one threatening the sequoias) were the only CA fires this summer, but October and possible rain is a long way off.

Fingers crossed, but it seems to me that September and October are the worst fire months, sadly. Oh, dear.

Your Friday evening update, as of 7:42 pm:

The Oak Fire is now 48% contained. The only growth was in an "incredibly steep, almost vertical terrain" area called 'Devil's Gulch', on the NE edge of the fire. They are using helicopter support there.

Apparently there was fire damage to PG&E infrastructure, and they are now working on repairs, with 730 of 3100 customers still without power. (I'd really hate to be up there in that heat without A/C!)

Doug's area is still under Fire Advisement, but unless something unexpected happens, it is looking more and more (to me) that he'll get through this okay (apart from any smoke damage, or damages due to possible power outage).

Andrea, I'm afraid that you are right about Sept/Oct being bad for fires, but we can hope (and pray), can't we?

Sigh....

Now there's a McKinney Fire up in Siskiyou county. Possible arson.

Temps up there in the 11x range. Prayers for the firefighters; those are worse temps than in Mariposa!

Polymerous said:
Now there's a McKinney Fire up in Siskiyou county. Possible arson.
Temps up there in the 11x range. Prayers for the firefighters; those are worse temps than in Mariposa!

Those are dreadful conditions. The poor firefighters!

AndreaD said: Those are dreadful conditions. The poor firefighters!

🙏🙏🙏

Good morning, and happy weekend!

The Oak Fire is now 52% contained, as of 7:22 am.

CAL FIRE anticipates that the only problematic area is the aforementioned Devil's Gulch, on the NE side of the fire. This is very steep terrain, "almost vertical". They are focusing their efforts there. There is no "uncontrolled growth" of the fire expected in all other areas.

Doug's area is still under a Fire Advisement.

PG&E repairs are ongoing, when and as it is safe to do so. The 730 customers still without power, are because some of the PG&E infrastructure was directly damaged by the fire. There is no ETA for when power will be back up for them.

Welcome to your Sunday am update!

The Oak Fire is now 64% contained. Efforts now seem to be largely focused on the "complex" situation at Devil's Gulch, at the NE part of the fire. Temperatures are expected to drop and humidity to rise, which should hopefully help that situation.

PG&E update: they now say 755 customers without power. They have armies of workers out there, but there was a lot of infrastructure (poles, etc.) damaged by the fire, and they can only work as the firefighters tell them it is safe to do so.

Doug's area is still under a Fire Advisement.

I think that while Doug may have it rough for a while (he may be one of those without power, and probably there is smoke damage and such to contend with), overall he should be okay.

Not so the McKinney Fire up at the CA-OR border. For those not following it, this started out with about a quarter acre fire on Friday, and as of this morning's CAL FIRE update, it is now at > 51,000 acres burned, with ZERO containment. News is a bit spotty... Around 60 hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail had to be evacuated, and as I understand it (this is from another forum I belong to) Yrkea west of I-5 is under evacuation orders. Temps up there are horrendous. Prayers for the firefighters (and everyone else) up there!

Sunday pm update:

The Oak Fire is now 67% contained, with 19,244 acres burned. It is holding at Devil's Gulch, thanks to round-the-clock efforts "in hazardous conditions".

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are expected to continue. There is a chance of rain and thunderstorms overnight.

Doug's area is STILL under a Fire Advisement.

In contrast, the McKinney Fire is now at 52,498 acres burned, and 0% containment.

Tuesday AM update:

The Oak Fire is now 72% contained with 19,244 acres burned. They are holding at Devil's Gulch.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are expected to continue, and there is a chance of thunderstorms.

Doug's are is STILL in Fire Advisement.

The McKinney Fire is now at 53,493 acres burned, and CAL FIRE still reports 0% containment.

Monday evening update:

The Oak Fire is now 74% contained. Focus continues on the Devil's Gulch area and Owl Creek area, but the "control lines are holding" and "current fire behavior is minimal".

PG&E has been working steadily; as of Sunday evening they have replaced 170 poles and "pulled" 3.7 miles of wire. 357 customers were still without power as of Sunday evening.

Doug's area is STILL under advisement.

Thanks,Marilyn.As it stands now,it looks like Doug has been spared which is great news.
I am not sure if he will be able to send out iris orders this year,but the important thing is seemingly his property has been spared.

I feel so selfish. I am embarrassed to admit that I desire Chinese Lantern Factory and Arizona Cave Painting so much that I feared they'd be destroyed and then I'd never see them. I need a psychiatrist of something, amirite?

KyDeltaD said: Thanks,Marilyn.As it stands now,it looks like Doug has been spared which is great news.
I am not sure if he will be able to send out iris orders this year,but the important thing is seemingly his property has been spared.

Today's update (sorry to be late)....

Oak Fire is now 76% contained. Control lines at Devil's Gulch and Oak Creek are holding and being reinforced. (We're more than 3/4 of the way there! )

PG&E continues work; only 242 people left to restore power to.

Doug's area is still under Fire Advisement.

LynNY said: I feel so selfish. I am embarrassed to admit that I desire Chinese Lantern Factory and Arizona Cave Painting so much that I feared they'd be destroyed and then I'd never see them. I need a psychiatrist of something, amirite?

I don't have any commercial orders this season, but I did think about the fire situation.

Some decades ago there was a S CA fire that went through a daylily nursery. Despite all the burnt/scorched ground, iirc they managed to recover at least some number of viable daylilies.

Given how tough irises are (more drought tolerant than daylilies are, that's for sure), I'd have to wonder if they would have a better chance of surviving a fire than daylilies do.

The questionable part here is the rhizome itself, which is half out of the dirt and so exposed to the flames (unlike daylilies, where the crown is beneath the soil surface). Roasted rhizomes? That doesn't sound like a prescription for viability.

Anybody care to experiment?

This will be my final update on the Oak Fire.

As of tonight, Tues 8-2 pm, the fire is 79% contained. Over 100 miles of fire hose still remain, and they are still working at Devil's Gulch.

PG&E continues to restore power.

Finally (best of all for those who were effected), ALL Evacuation Orders and Fire Advisements have been lifted in the "populated" areas.

So Doug should be at home now (if he wasn't already; I finally thought to look at his website, which as of 7-27 says that he refused the order to evacuate, as he had made his property "extremely" fire safe - "a fire safety island"!).

evelyninthegarden said: 🙏🙏🙏

I as well!!! That has to be horribly exhausting!