Cal Fire issued a final report on the Rocky Fire Wednesday evening, declaring it 95 percent contained and all but expired. At the same time, crews extended lines around the still aggressive Jerusalem Fire, holding 16 percent of the blaze.
But with Rocky consuming 69,636 acres and Jerusalem an estimated 20,500 as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the voracious pair have now blackened more than 90,000 in total.
For much of the day, radio calls reflected the quiet death of one fire and the active intent of the other. While crews working Rocky noted isolated, smoldering pockets in the interior of the burn area, those battling Jerusalem sought direction through the rugged brush.
“Getting crews in there has been difficult,” Cal Fire’s Jay Smith reported, citing the lack of improved roads. Instead, he explained, hand crews either hiked into tough spots or were dropped in by helicopter.
All mandatory evacuations associated with Jerusalem remain in place, running to both the Napa and Yolo County lines. Cal Fire shifted all but a few of the resources on hand over to the ongoing blaze, including 140 engines, 19 aircraft, 57 hand crews and 28 bulldozers — more than 2,000 men and women in all.
Fire crews gained a break in the afternoon, as Jerusalem turned to the north and met an area previously blackened by Rocky. With limited fuel, the fire slowed.
“That smoke you saw was the fire doing what we wanted it to do — burning into Rocky,” Smith said. “Obviously that can change.”
Cal Fire anticipates gaining the upper hand on Jerusalem within a week. They consider achieving containment by Aug. 18 promising, though admitting intangibles — terrain, wind, humidity — may affect the outcome.
Still, it was a day of victory over a blaze that dominated headlines nationwide.
Smith, who traveled from Merced and spend several days battling Rocky, said that several factors contributed to containment. He cited weather and the decision to hasten crews to the area. Most importantly, he added, was the commitment of those engaged.
“The plan was executed flawlessly,” he said.
Crews remaining on the Rocky site — 24 engines, 361 firefighters — will now dedicate their time to mopping up. This means locating and eliminating hot spots and implementing what Cal Fire refers to as a “suppression repair plan.”
Essentially, suppression repair involves steps to ensure that the environment recovers.
“Bulldozers and fire retardant can have an environmental impact,” Smith explained. “We go back in and repair that.”
The mop up operation is hardly a cakewalk. Cal Fire is abiding by water conservation goals, so crews will attack hotspots using hand tools to crush embers.
“It’s hard work,” Smith said.
