[env-trinity] Pigeon Fire perplexes crews: Big Bar blaze flighty in hot, dry, breezy weather

Thu Sep 7 10:06:11 PDT 2006

Pigeon Fire perplexes crews: Big Bar blaze flighty in hot, dry, breezy
weather

John Driscoll / Times-Standard

http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_4291760

  <http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_4291760> 

Mark McKenna / Times-Standard

A plume of smoke billows from a burn-out, a controlled burn meant to
deprive a fire of fuel, near the junction of East Fork Road and US
Highway 299.[Watch Video]
<http://northcoast101.com/nc/video_player.php?v=15> 

BIG BAR Firefighters lit fires ahead of the 

Mark McKenna / Times-Standard 

>From left to right: Joe Lindaman, Mike Wakoski, and Dennis Lang monitor
radio traffic for crews working fires in the Trinity County, while
eating lunch at the Straw House. The coffee shop and eatery has been
open 24 hours a day to serve fire crews working the blaze.[Watch Video]
<http://northcoast101.com/nc/video_player.php?v=15> 

BIG BAR Firefighters lit fires ahead of the newly started Pigeon Fire
Tuesday, trying to starve it of fuel as it threatened the historic town
of Helena, and watched closely as the weather shifted and fanned the
flames.

The little communities of Big Bar and Big Flat along the Trinity River
were quiet, as many residents had heeded evacuation orders. Fire
managers were concerned the fire that blew into the upper reaches of
Manzanita Creek over the weekend could sweep down the drainage and into
Big Flat. Fire engines were parked at the ready there and in Big Bar in
case the fire came back down the hill. 

The fire on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest has torched more than
5,000 acres, and has twice blown over fire lines carved by bulldozers.
Starting on the roadside Saturday morning, the burn has been unwieldy
and unpredictable. Burning embers have started fires ahead of the blaze,
which has thrived on the dry wood and brush blanketing steep slopes, and
with high temperatures and fickle winds. For now, fire managers are
unable to tell residents of the area just where the blaze might spread
in the next three days. 

"We can't be certain how this will set up," said fire information
officer Chris Worth. 

Firefighters expected the fire to eventually fuse with the larger Bar
Complex 12 miles away. That wildfire, which is being managed with the
Pigeon Fire, has burned 32,019 acres in the rough wilderness near Denny.
State Route 299 was reopened to controlled traffic mid-day Tuesday. But
travelers had to be stopped occasionally as rocks tumbled onto the
highway from burnt slopes. 

That hazard kept Labor Day revelers from driving from the coast inland
to Trinity Lake. Before the official reopening, some motorists took
their chances and headed back home. 

Gary Pelton of Redding got lucky, being held up at a traffic stop for a
few minutes in his RV before being let through on his way home. 

"I thought about staying another day at the casino," Pelton said. "I won
$260 last night."

The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. used a helicopter to assess power lines
consumed by the fire, which knocked out power to central and southern
Trinity County. Power has been rerouted to Weaverville and Junction
City. 

The fire had disastrous consequences on tourism in the area this past
weekend. The Trinity River was closed to rafters and boaters, and
campgrounds were empty. Many trails in the Trinity Alps are closed, and
Worth said hunters have been inquiring about what areas are accessible
for upcoming deer season. 

Some of those who stayed behind became an informal part of the
firefighting effort. The Straw House a popular cafe and cappuccino stop
was staying open 24 hours a day to serve firefighters. Employees slept
on air mattresses over the weekend, hoping the business wouldn't fall
prey to the blaze. 

"Up in the Trinity Alps we're protected from a lot of things," said
employee Kieara Kiefel. "The one thing that can destroy us is fire."

A sign in front of the store thanks firefighters. About 530 are working
the blaze, with a total of about 1,100 on the Bar Complex. 

Three firefighters from Southern California sat on the Straw House
patio, taking a break from the smoky work to grab a bite to eat. Mike
Wakoski is working his seventh fire of the season.

He said the Pigeon Fire has potential to become big, and predicted its
merger with the Bake-Oven part of the Bar Complex. And while he may be
gearing up to leave, he expected others will have to stay on the fire
for a long time. "This fire will burn until it snows," Wakoski said. 

There is no rain in the forecast, and meteorologists are expecting hot
and dry conditions and increased variable winds later in the week. 

Officials are also keeping an eye on several other fires in the region.
The Orleans Complex has burned 15,710 acres and is considered 90 percent
contained. No significant fire activity has been reported there. 

The Happy Camp Complex has burned 4,650 acres, and has made some short
runs, torched trees and sent burning embers ahead of the blaze recently.
A small fire aboard a helicopter forced the pilot to land, but no one
was injured. 

The Uncles Complex in the Marble Mountains Wilderness is made up of
three fires totaling nearly 19,000 acres. The Hancock Fire is expected
to continue to spread to Portuguese Ridge. The Uncles Fire is projected
to burn down Deadman Gulch and into the North Fork of the Salmon River. 

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