RIM FIRE, August 29th, INCIWEB.ORG 7.30 A.M. UPDATE

(from Blythe:  I find these inciweb.org updates to be the most accurate and in depth updates)

INCIDENT UPDATED 26 MIN. AGO

Approximate Location

37.857 latitude, -120.086 longitude

Incident Overview

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The Rim Fire Information Lines have been experiencing technical difficulties. We appreciate your patience during these times.
Fire Update as of August 29, 2013
Last night firefighters continued their burning operations near Duckwall Mountian and Pilot Peak, and will continue to construct fireline north to Fahey Cabin, and provided structure defense. Firefighters prepared for burning operations south of Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park. Burning operations are also expected near Duckwall Mountain and near Old Yosemite Road. Crews will continue with burning operations as long as weather conditions allow, and will construct and improve firelines and provide structure defense.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM
Location	Groveland Range District, Stanislaus NF
Incident Commander	Wilkins/lawshe

Current Situation

Total Personnel	4,840
Size	192,737 acres
Percent Contained	30%
Estimated Containment Date	Friday September 20th, 2013 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Brush, Oaks, and Pine
Fire Behavior	Active fire behavior through the overnight hours. Night time fire intensities were increased compared to the previous two nights.
Significant Events	Mandatory evacuations south of Highway 120 and north of Old Yosemite Road. Closure of Tioga Road West of Yosemite Creek Picnic Area. Structure defense around Aspen Valley by ground and aerial resources was occurring in the afternoon. An evacuation advisory continues for areas on the Highway 108 corridor from Tuolumne City to Pinecrest. A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Several locations on the west side of Yosemite National Park have had closures implemented as a result of the fires spread. Contingency planning, indirect line construction and preparation to the east of Highway 108. Access and difficult terrain remain concerns for crews and equipment. Burnout operations were completed along the northwest edge of the fire near Paper Cabin Ridge.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Line preparation and burnout and south of Highway 120 along southern edge of the fire from Pilot Ridge to the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station. Continued direct and indirect line construction accompanied by burnout operations where accessibility and safety allows along the northern and eastern edges of the fire. Continued contingency line construction along the western edge of the fire in advance of the communities along the Highway 108 corridor. Large burnout operations planned for the southeast edge of the fire in Yosemite National Park when weather is favorable.
Growth Potential	Extreme
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Remarks	Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior continue to hamper suppression efforts. A significant utilization and reliance upon aerial resources with heavy air tankers including the VLAT DC-10 and MAFFS is occurring with structure defense preparation of locations in advance of the fires spread, control of spot fires and slowing the fires advancement through terrain inaccessible to ground resources to allow time for indirect line construction to be completed. Type 1 helicopters are providing point protection and cooling areas where direct line construction can be achieved safely. Approximately 4,500 structures remain threatened in advance of the fire on both the east and west. Fire is expected to continue its eastward spread farther into the west side of Yosemite National Park east of Aspen Valley. Several residents remain under mandatory evacuation in the Scotts Ridge area south of highway 120. Evacuation advisories issued to areas from Long Barn north to Pinecrest. Due to inaccessible steep terrain and extreme fire behavior suppression efforts on active portions of the fire are being significantly challenged. Heavy reliance on aviation resources has been critical in an effort to slow the fires progress to allow suppression resources to establish indirect control lines in areas where accessibility and safety can be achieved. The availability of heavy aircraft is pertinent to the success of suppression efforts.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	8 mph E
Temperature	64 degrees
Humidity	46%