Bear Valley, CA…The Donnell Fire area is approximately 36,288 acres and continues to burn on the eastern perimeter into and within the Carson-Iceburg Wilderness. Yesterday the fire continued to slowly burn through mixed conifer, timber understory and the forest floor with very short range spotting into islands of available fuels. The fire burned in a mosaic, patchy pattern versus a continuous flaming front. The main fire camp and incident command post have moved to Bear Valley Mountain Resort to better support the crews working on the north and east sides of the fire. The satellite camp in Kennedy Meadows and command post at Pinecrest School remain to support firefighters working on the southeast side of the fire area.

We took a few shots of the new Incident Command Operations in Bear Valley yesterday.

Firefighters are focusing on building and strengthening fire lines on the northern and eastern edge of the fire. This portion of the fire is in remote, rugged country and crews are spiking out to work in these areas. In addition, the Redding Smokejumpers, who are largely self-sufficient on the fire line, are assisting with these efforts and looking for opportunities to build fireline directly ahead of the fire.

Crews will continue to scout and seek opportunities along the north side of the fire using a combination of direct and indirect tactics as well as confine and contain with natural barriers strategies. To the south crews will mop up and patrol the fire line and continue fire suppression repair as well as hazard tree mitigation.

The fire closure area and trail closures remain in effect. Firefighters are actively working on fire suppression repair and hazard tree felling to mitigate impacts and eventually reopen the area to the public. Please respect these closure and stay out of this landscape for your own safety and that of the firefighters working in the area.

Trail Closures: The Pacific Crest Trail is closed between Highway 108 and Highway 4.

The fire area is closed underFire Closure Order STF-16-2018-011. However the order opened Highland Lakes Road (Forest Service Road 8N01) to Tryon Meadow only. Pacific Valley Campground is open but the trails at the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness boundary are closed.

Forest Closure Area: The forest area impacted by the fire remains closed. Please check Fire Closure Order STF-16-2018-011 on the Stanislaus National Forest Webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alert/stanislaus/alerts-notices. This includes all residences and campgrounds along Eagle Meadow Road (5N01), the Highway 108 corridor, and the Clark Fork Road area. Property owners may obtain permits for access through the Summit Ranger District.

OPEN: Highway 108 for through traffic only – please do not stop while we continue to work between Eagle Meadow Road (5N01) and Sonora Pass. Kennedy Meadows Resort, Baker Campground, and Deadman Campground are open.

For more information about the Stanislaus National Forest, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus

Fire Statistics:

Location: Stanislaus National Forest

Date Started: August 1, 2018

Acres: 36,288 acres

Percent Contained: 63%

Structures Threatened: 220

Structures Destroyed: 54

Injuries/Accidents: 6

Minor Structures Destroyed: 81

Total Personnel: 654

Fire Resources include: 16 Hand Crews, 7 Helicopters, 20 Engines, 5 Water Tenders