For a downloadable, printable version of this update, click here.
Long-overdue
rain provides respite from dry conditions, 2-week firefight
The
Pinnacle Mountain fire received more than an inch of rain overnight, providing
much-needed relief for the drought-stricken area, for firefighters and for the
blaze itself.
Crews
are not being dispatched to the lines this morning out of concern for safety;
wet roads, slick terrain and soaked ground will not allow for line improvement
or backburning. Rain continues to fall in the area at the time of this writing,
and at least another half-inch is expected through mid-day. If the rain abates
when expected and conditions allow this afternoon, small teams may be sent to
scout the perimeter and make fireline assessments later in the day. Another
inch of rain is forecast for the area tonight, and all air operations have been
suspended for the day.
The
heavy cloud cover and precipitation also ruled out an overnight infrared
flight, which officials believe would reveal a successful burn-out of a large
interior portion of the fire Monday afternoon. Firefighters working just above
the western section of Table Rock Reservoir had just enough time before the
rain began yesterday to burn a well-established line connecting the easternmost
front of the fire and Buzzard Mountain Road. It will not be until another
infrared flight is made that officials will know how much of this “island”
between two sections of active fire on the eastern front has been burned.
Nearly
40 North Carolina firefighters and support personnel are providing assistance
on the northern perimeter of the fire, which crossed the state line Sunday.
While the North Carolina group is not assigned to the incident, they will
continue to coordinate with Pinnacle Mountain personnel to provide ongoing
support.
Incident
command officials reported this morning that the Pinnacle Mountain fire is the
third-highest ranked incident in the Southern Area Coordination Center’s
priority list. The incident was ranked as high as second a week ago when the
fire broke the northern perimeter of the original containment line. The SACC is
the national planning agency that determines how, when and where orders for
personnel, equipment and other resources are deployed to agencies making such
requests.
FIRE SIZE: 10,181 acres, as of Nov. 29, 2016 at 1
a.m.
CONTAINMENT: 57%
CONTAINMENT: 57%
EVACUATIONS: No current evacuations
ESTIMATED COSTS TO DATE: $4.2 Million (includes aircraft
costs, but not individual county costs)
CLOSURES: Table Rock State Park will reopen today
(Tuesday, Nov. 29). All facilities and roads will be open with the
exception of the Carrick Creek Trail, the Table Rock Trail, the Pinnacle
Mountain Trail and the Foothills trail portion that is located on Table Rock.
The trail to the Carrick Creek Falls overlook will be open, as will the
Pinnacle Lake trail. For more information, please contact the park
directly at 864-878-9813
or tablerock@scprt.com.
POTENTIALLY THREATENED STRUCTURES: Structure
protection teams are staged in high-risk areas holding line, evaluating homes
for risk and mitigating risks where possible. Structures threatened are in
Pickens Co. (112), Greenville Co. (523), and Transylvania Co., NC (171)
Populations effected are Pickens Co. (122), Greenville Co. (187), and
Transylvania Co. (132)
FIRE CREWS/RESOURCES: Type III incident
management team (IMT), three Type II hand crews, two Type II-IA hand crews,
three engines, one Type III Helicopters, three Type I Helicopters, 10 dozers,
two water tenders, two fire tracks, 11 ATVs and 316 personnel assigned. Two
additional hand crews arrived Monday afternoon to provide relief for crews
transitioning out of the incident Tuesday.
INJURIES: No injuries have
been reported.
FIRE BACKGROUND: Human-caused / Nov. 9, 2016 /
Table Rock State Park, 10.5 miles north of Pickens, S.C.
For a downloadable, printable version of this map, click here.
For a downloadable, printable version of this map, click here.
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