HIDDEN VALLEY >> After the Jerusalem Fire doubled in size in the early morning hours, firefighters were able to exact some revenge by Tuesday evening.
For the first time since it erupted on Sunday afternoon, Cal Fire forged a containment line — just 6 percent as of 7 a.m. Wednesday with 16,500 acres blackened, but the numbers represent a clear step forward after hours in which the new blaze ran rampant.
“Fire is dynamic,” said Cal Fire’s Jay Smith. “It’s up to the crews out there and we have the best.”.
Jerusalem doubled in size overnight from Monday to Tuesday, advancing from 6,000 to 12,000 acres. It continued to snatch up land throughout the day. By 11 a.m., however, the 1,660 firefighters involved had turned it into somewhat of a stalemate.
Before noon, Cal Fire secured a retardant line and began punching bulldozer lines forward. On Monday authorities expressed hope that Jerusalem would join with the burned out areas left by Rocky. This occurred on Tuesday afternoon, giving crews one less flank to worry about.
But the Jerusalem Fire continued to advance, moving south and east throughout the day — away from the homes of Hidden Valley, but into tinder-ready wildland.
“Right now it’s the territory,” Smith said, describing the firefighter’s biggest enemy. “There are hardly any roads. Fire is going to do what it wants. It’s Mother Nature.”
Cal Fire continued to transfer assets from Rocky to the aggressive Jerusalem Fire. By 9 p.m. on Tuesday, only 775 firefighters and 33 pieces of heavy equipment — engines and bulldozers — patrolled the perimeter of Rocky, listed at 88 percent contained. The majority of resources, including 22 air assets and more than 130 trucks and tracked vehicles, focused on the new blaze.
“It’s what we do,” Smith observed. “It’s fire season. We can mobilize a small city anywhere in California.”
There are currently 10,000 firefighters jousting with 18 large scale conflagrations around the state.
Rocky Fire remains the largest in California this year to date, holding at 69,636 acres. At press time Cal Fire expressed concern only for isolated pockets of smoldering fuel. For instance, shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, a plume of smoke attracted the attention of a helicopter patrol. Moments later the crew eased fears. The flare up was surrounded by blackened territory.
Crews report minimal fire activity on Rocky’s perimeter as of Tuesday night. The new Jerusalem Fire occupies the firefighter’s attention for now.
“There are unburned fuels,” Smith said, contemplating the effects of four years of drought. “This year will be a unique year.”
