The U.S. Forest Service says the fire has burned 32,400 acres but is now 75 percent contained, meaning crews have placed fire breaks – or containment lines – around 75 percent of the perimeter.
On Sunday, Southern Area Gray Team Operations Section Chief Mike Tapley says they took to the air to get a better visual of where the fire is burning.
"We did start incorporating a couple of recons with our helicopter,” he said, and added that allows them to focus their attention on the areas that need it most.
"To kind of get in here and look at these areas to see if additional heat is popping up out there, “ Tapley said, “Additional spots within the containment of the fire.
Tapley said fire engines and large equipment will continue to be on roads in the fire area, “We have a lot of heavy equipment, a lot of engines with water to support that effort up, up there.”
Large volume water pumps and equipment to flood along Black Swamp Road to raise the water table and help douse the fire there has arrived but will take several more days to be set up and operational.
Needles from the trees that burned continues to fall, creating fresh fuel that will flare up when it lands on hot areas, and Tapley said crews are patrolling and putting out those fires to make sure they don’t compromise firelines.
Tapley said the east side of the fire remains unmanned and there are no current concerns there, however, the helicopter will fly over the area to make sure there are no hot spots that need to be addressed.
