Creek Fire live updates: Shaver Lake waste facility damaged, causing re-population delays
The fire was at 22 % and 248,256 acres earlier Saturday.
There are 2,915 personnel helping combat the fire.
Some evacuation orders had lifted as of Saturday morning and officials are advising people how to get back to homes or cars abandoned during the Creek Fire.
People in
The Creek Fire has forced a total of 1,024 families to evacuate from the region.
A wastewater treatment plant in
And those who do return home are advised not to flush their toilets for the time being or even take a shower.
Fresno County Public Works engineers completed a preliminary survey of the
Fire damage to the holding ponds and the facility itself were still being evaluated.
The sheriff's office said it's essential that effluent (raw wastewater) does not continue to flow into the facility because it will only make the issue worse.
So until operation can be restored, customers are advised to not flush toilets, shower, or allow the flow of water into the sewer system.
The area currently is under an evacuation order.
"Public Works and Planning is working with State authorities, a private engineering firm, and contractors to determine the next course of action," said
-- M8 (
-- M9 (Old Central Camp area)
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-- M21 (
-- M22 (Parcels of Paradise)
For the latest overview, go to the official evacuation map: http://bit.ly/creekfireevacmap
For specific questions about a zone, call 844-668-3473.
Residents are reminded to monitor the situation in their area and be prepared to take immediately action if a mandatory evacuation order or advisory evacuation warning is issued.
"The problem is some people wanted to stay in
"Everybody does have a place to go," Huge assured.
Several evacuees visited the high school Saturday, looking for packs of water bottles as they prepared to return home to assess the damage when evacuation orders were lifted.
But they had little luck.
Several people dropped by the center to drop off donations, like hand sanitizer and water bottles, but were sent to local churches instead.
"Managing high volumes of donations can really shift our attention from getting people into safe housing. The folks specifically who have been amazing partners are
Maul said those looking to drop off donations should call local churches or check in with local
The
"It's been a cool thing to see the community rally," Maul said. "It really does take the whole community."
The Creek Fire evacuation center at
On Sunday, services for residents will be available by calling 1-800-REDCROSS.
On Monday, a new multi-agency Local
It will be open daily from
Traffic to the evacuation center has tapered off, so they will consolidate efforts at the Veterans Memorial,
The center will connect people with resources from several state and local agencies. Services include critical document replacement, social services, economic recovery and financial services, motor vehicle services, healthcare, mental health services and
The Bullfrog Fire burning 43 miles northeast of Clovis was 5% contained Saturday, marking the first time firefighters have announced any containment of the fire.
It has burned 890 acres, according to a
The fire is growing slowly, with winds torching single trees here and there. Firefighters planned to use mules Saturday to scout for locations where more firefighters could be working on the ground. The firefighters are working in hazardous conditions, with falling trees in rocky terrain and lots of flammable material.
Aircraft are dropping water when possible.
The threat to
The fire has destroyed 842 structures, with about 90% of the survey complete on Saturday, according to
But some properties remain unlisted, so people continue to visit the command center at
"It's just been agonizing," Proudian said. "We're trying to find out every single day what's going on and we just can't get a definite answer."
The area remains under evacuation orders.
"It was a huge investment of time, labor and love and to have it all gone would be really sad," she said. "All our friends are praying and hoping good thoughts for us."
Helicopters, tankers return to fight
As the smoke lifted over the past two days,
Most of the fire activity remains in the northern flanks, which are mostly wild forest areas. The clearer air also brought gusts of wind, although acreage had not increased much, Thompson said. The fire is contained near the most populated areas to the west and south.
In the northern part of the fire zone, the fire is most active in the
Spot fires near China Peak
"A lot of spot fires" continue to burn around China Peak, Thompson said, as the area has burned in patches. Those are difficult to reach because firefighters don't want to be caught between the fire line and unburned trees or brush, he explained. The ski resort area remains largely unharmed.
In the southern part, fire growth was expected to be slow. Firefighters are focusing on stopping growth of the fire east of
But the fire is expected to slow as it hits rocky areas in higher elevations.
"We feel pretty good about it," Thompson said.
After winds Friday night died down, weather was expected to remain calm for the next several days, according to the Saturday morning Creek Fire update. But it will get warmer and drier over the next few days, which is expected to moderately increase fire activity.
No more rain is expected, though humidity is expected to remain high, which can keep the fire from growing.
Crews are continuing to focus on protecting communities and building a containment line around the fire. They are using bulldozers and other heavy equipment and firefighters working with hand tools in some areas. Significant challenges to completing the line remain as it moves into steep, mountainous terrain where bulldozers cannot go.
Some evacuations lifted
Some evacuation orders have been lifted and others were downgraded to warnings, particularly in the
But
Firefighters and utility workers continue to clear hot spots in the area.
How to get back to your home or car
As areas previously off limits begin to reopen, the
Once evacuation orders have been lifted, residents must have a document with their address on it to get back in. It can be a driver's license, utility bill, or similar document.
Some residents may have to travel through an evacuated red zone to get to their home in a yellow zone. People should not linger in red zones and can be arrested for doing so, according to the sheriff's department.
The sheriff's office also is finalizing plans to shuttle people into the high Sierra who abandoned vehicles at campsites.
Those people should email [email protected], and include their first and last name, phone number, license plate number, vehicle description, name on vehicle registration and location of the vehicle.
They are encouraged to answer calls from blocked numbers as the sheriff's office could be trying to reach them.
The office is prioritizing retrieval of cars parked at campsites, not homes.
Firefighter who died in
Firefighters working on the Creek Fire honored the firefighter who was killed in
Firefighters and military personnel working on the fire stood as a firefighter played "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes, in a video shared on the
The fallen firefighter was killed in the
The SQF Complex Fire grew to 133,488 acres and remained 12% contained as of Saturday morning.
The fire, a combination of the Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire, is burning in the wilderness east of
Firefighters are focusing on the growing western edge of the fire.
Air quality
Most Fresnans awoke Friday and Saturday to healthy air quality, following nearly a week of very hazardous air where residents were advised to stay inside.
A shift in wind is now sending smoke toward
The air is expected to stay relatively healthy in the
A health caution remains in effect until the fires are out.
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