Category Archives: safety

Fire grows to 5,044 acres in El Dorado, Placer counties

July 3, 2016 admin Leave a comment

The wildfire in El Dorado and Placer counties has now burned 5,044 acres and 20 percent contained, according to Cal Fire officials Sunday.

About 2,600 structures are threatened by the fire but none were reported damaged or destroyed by the fire so far, officials said.

Fire crews continue to monitor fire lines, hoping to slow down the so-called Trailhead Fire, especially near the Volcanoville area.

The containment lines held overnight in Placer County, where fire crews patrolling and monitoring fire lines, officials said. Residents in Todd Valley remain under voluntary evacuation.

Placer County mandatory evacuations have been downgraded to voluntary: Only residents with photo ID will be allowed beyond the staffed roadblocks. All homes east of Green Ridge Road to Oakwood Lane to Nugget Drive, Skyview Terrace Mobile Home Park, Oak Wood Court, Vinewood Court, Trail Head Court, Green Pine Court, Alton Trail Court, Gray Court, Tevis Court and White Tail Court and homes to the west of the above.

As for road closures in Placer County, Nugget Drive and Oakwood Lane are restricted to residents only, officials said.

The favorable temperatures overnight helped fire crews maintain containment lines on the El Dorado County side of the Trailhead Fire, Cal Fire said.

Crews have completed the line from west of Jakeys Hill, west to Buckeye Point and eventually to the American River, officials said. Several spot fires occurred Saturday night but firefighters were able to stop them and hold the fire at the river. Crews will continue to monitor Sunday.

In the Volcanoville area, fire crews are continuing to strengthen the fire lines west of the community in areas around Volcanoville, Kentucky Flat and Bottle Hill, officials said. There is still a mandatory evacuation order in effect for those areas.

The only campground directly affected by the fire is Dru Barner in the Georgetown Ranger District, which is within the fire closure area, Cal Fire said. No roads or campgrounds are closed in the Tahoe National Forest due to this fire.

Access to the middle fork of the American River from the Oxbow Reservoir put-in and Ruck-A-Chucky take-out is temporarily closed, officials said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Fire, Fish, Rafting, safety, Wildlife

River access closed off due to Trailhead Fire

July 2, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Access to the Middle Fork of the American River From Oxbow Reservoir put in to Ruck-A-Chucky take out was closed Friday to protect firefighter and public safety, due to the continued growth of the Trailhead Fire.

The fire near Foresthill, in Placer and El Dorado counties, was up to 2,151 acres with 12 percent containment being reported Friday.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, no structures had been damaged or destroyed; all evacuations were still in effect.

Nearly 2,000 firefighting personnel were battling the Trailhead Fire along the Middle Fork of the American River.

At 5:30 p.m., a spokesperson from CalFire said there had been a shift on the eastern side of the fire, with a run up Jakey’s Hill that was getting close to Volcanoville.

Several dozer lines had been constructed and it was hoped that early diurnal winds down the hillside would keep the fire from reaching the Volcanoville area.

Firefighters did use some firing on the southern side of the fire to try and burn out fuels, and have been holding the fire to the north at the Placer County Line.

Crews were able to complete and strengthen lines overnight to prevent fire spread up Peachstone Gulch, and contingency lines are in place to protect the community of Todd Valley.

More at TheUnion.com >>>

Fire, safety, Water

Trailhead fire in Sierra foothills grows to 2,151 acres

July 1, 2016 admin Leave a comment

A wildland fire in the Sierra foothills grew to 2,151 acres Friday, forcing the evacuations of 1,650 people as it threatened scores of structures, officials said.

The Trailhead fire started Tuesday afternoon along the Middle Fork of the American River, in steep and hard-to-reach terrain near Todd Valley in El Dorado and Placer counties, roughly 130 miles northeast of San Francisco.

The fire was just 12 percent contained Friday morning and had spread from just 350 acres on Wednesday.

More at SFGate.com >>>

safety, Water

65-foot jump off Highway 49 bridge near Auburn ends in injury

July 1, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Ignoring warning signs, a man was injured today and airlifted to a hospital after jumping off the Highway 49 bridge near Auburn into the shallow American River.

The 46-year-old man jumped at 1:15 p.m. off the bridge into the water below, swam to shore but asked a woman 15 minutes later to call 911 because he was injured and encountering numbness, State Parks Ranger Guy Chrisos said.

The call touched off an emergency response that sent Cal Fire and Auburn Fire personnel to the confluence, about 2 miles below Auburn in the American River canyon. The man, whose name was not released by authorities, was placed in a backboard and carried by emergency personnel up to a waiting California Highway Patrol helicopter for transport to a hospital at 2:15 p.m.

Chrisos estimated the drop off the bridge is about 65 feet and the water below is perhaps 10 feet to 15 feet deep.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Fire, safety, Wildlife

Trailhead Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe grows to 1,264 acres

June 30, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Nearly 2,000 firefighting personnel are battling the Trailhead Fire that continues to scorch hundreds of acres of land west of Lake Tahoe.

According to Califre, the blaze that’s burning in the community of Foresthill in Placer and El Dorado counties has grown to 1,264 acres as of 7 a.m. Thursday, and is now 12% contained.

It’s currently burning along the Middle Fork of the American River near Todd Valley. An estimated 2,600 structures were threatened by the blaze, and smoke from it began to filter over Donner Summit and into the Truckee area Wednesday afternoon.

Foresthill is roughly an hour and a half drive from Truckee; as the crow flies, it’s roughly an hour west of Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe region is not in any danger from the fire.

More at TahoeDailyTribune.com >>>

Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Evacuations ordered in Todd Valley as fire rages in American River Canyon

June 29, 2016 admin Leave a comment

The Trailhead Fire was at 300 acres as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, CalFire said. The blaze began at 2 p.m. off Drivers Flat near Todd Valley.

Fire retardant lines are keeping the Trailhead Fire boxed in, though with little containment of its 250 acres in El Dorado County and 50 acres in Placer County. Mandatory evacuations continue given the steep and inaccessible terrain to firefighters.

CalFire has entered into a unified command on the fire with Eldorado National Forest with assistance from Placer County Incident Management Team.

There were 250 personnel, 48 fire engines, five crews, six dozers and three watertenders among the resources responding according to CalFire, not including the air tankers and other craft that flew overhead.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety

American River Parkway Alcohol Restriction For ‘Rafting Gone Wild’

June 23, 2016 admin Leave a comment

For safety, the Regional Parks Director has issued an alcohol restriction on the American River from Hazel to Watt Avenues in preparation for a non-permitted event – Rafting Gone Wild – June 25, 2016.

In 2012, The Rafting Gone Wild event resulted in multiple arrests, destruction of public and private property, and presented a significant threat to the safety of the public and our community in large part due to the intoxication level of the participants. The event being advertised for Saturday has a strong focus on alcohol consumption, which contributes greatly to public safety concerns.

As a result of the potential risks to the community including park visitors, rescue personnel and law enforcement, the Director of Regional Parks has issued an alcohol restriction for June 25, 2016. Violations of the alcohol restriction will be strictly enforced.

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Aerial spraying to control West Nile Virus scheduled

June 21, 2016 admin Leave a comment

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District announced today that aerial treatment for mosquitoes that carry the potentially fatal West Nile virus is scheduled for north of the American River (Arden-Arcade and Carmichael) on Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23, from approximately 8 pm to midnight. Vector Control reports the spraying is necessary to reduce the risk of human infection and protect public health.

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

West Nile Virus cases spike in Sacramento County

June 20, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Sacramento County is reporting an abnormally early and strong start to West Nile Virus cases, with numbers that are second highest in the state.

According to the California Department of Public Health West Nile Virus website, Sacramento County has 47 cases in which the virus was found in dead birds and 16 cases where it was found in mosquito samples.

In comparison, at this time last year, there was one case, total.

“We have one of the largest surveillance programs in the state, so obviously the more mosquitos you trap, the more that you collect, the more you test, and the more activity you are going to find,” said Luz Maria Robles, with Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control. “We have about 23 species of mosquitos within our two counties, and out of 23 only two are capable of transmitting West Nile Virus.”

Robles said the increased rain, combined with heat, is the perfect breeding ground for the virus-carrying mosquitos.

“Heat accelerates a mosquito’s life cycle so that means they more quickly go from an egg to an adult mosquito,” Robles said. “So this year it’s like we got a little bit of a head start, or we started the season off with a bang, because we did have rain followed by that warm weather.”

The hardest hit areas of West Nile Virus are north of the American River from Arden-Arcade through Carmichael. Robles credits residents as being an important tool by reporting dead birds.

More at KCRA.com >>>

safety

Full weeklong Rainbow Bridge closure begins June 20

June 14, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Major repair work to protect and preserve the century-old Rainbow Bridge in Folsom will require a full weeklong closure from 6 a.m. on June 20 to 5 p.m. on June 24.

Riley Street will be closed between Scott Street and Greenback Lane at Folsom-Auburn Road. Motorists can expect traffic delays and are encouraged to take Lake Natoma Crossing to Natoma Street to Riley Street as an alternate route. Detours will be clearly marked and message signs will alert motorists in advance of the closure before work begins. Local access will be available for Sudwerk’s Grille, the bicycle trail on the north side, and to the Powerhouse State Park.

Rainbow Bridge, which spans the American River at Greenback Lane, has provided a major connection for businesses and residents on both sides of Lake Natoma for nearly 100 years. More than 25,000 motorists cross the bridge daily. Work will include bridge resurfacing, barrier rail repairs and pavement repairs on the roadway approaching the bridge.

The closures are necessary to perform work on the Rainbow Bridge Maintenance Project. The rehabilitation project will extend the lifespan of the historic bridge and provide a smoother and safer drive for motorists. The $1.1 million project is funded largely by a federal grant administered by the Caltrans Bridge Preventative Maintenance Program.

More at FolsomTelegraph.com >>>