Rim Fire Spares Some Camps, Reaches 32 Percent Containment

Editor's note: As a survivor of the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, I have tremendous respect for the helicopter pilots who carry out water drops during wildlands fires. The accompanying video shows an airborne view of a  California National Guard helicopter crew performing a drop during the Rim Fire. Learn more about the video below the main story.

By Bay City News Service

Some popular camps that have been threatened by the fast moving Rim Fire in the past few weeks reported Friday that they appear to be out of danger, even as the fire continues.

Officials at Camp Tawonga, a Jewish camp on the Tuolumne River, reported Friday that they lost three buildings, including two staff houses and the camp director's residence, in the fire.

In addition, the ropes course and outdoor amphitheater were damaged. However, the rest of the property remains "intact and unharmed," which Forest Service officials have attributed to the camp's attention to fire prevention efforts and maintenance, Camp Director Jamie Simon-Harris said Friday.

Staff were evacuated from Tawonga last week without injury, and were able to rescue some important belongings before they left including the camp's Holocaust-era Torah scroll, Simon-Harris said.

Fire officials have told camp officials they are probably not at further risk from the fire at this point, Simon-Harris said in a letter sent to staff, campers and families.

San Francisco's Camp Mather, which has served as a base of operations for firefighters, also escaped without major damage.

It did not lose any structures but did see some damage to roads, irrigation, water pipelines, Birch Lake and the surrounding forest, according to Phil Ginsburg, general manager for San Francisco Recreation and Parks.

"We are still fighting occasional spot fires in and around the camp so we are not completely out of the woods, but the worst has moved on," Ginsburg said.

Less fortunate was the city-owned Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp, which was destroyed on Sunday. San Jose Family Camp also lost 12 tent cabins, an outbuilding, and equipment including several vehicles.

The Rim Fire, a wildfire that has burned 201,894 acres since it started Aug. 17 in the Stanislaus National Forest, was listed as 32 percent contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant.

It has grown steadily since its start and is now considered the fifth largest wildfire in the state's recorded history, Berlant said.

Nearly 5,000 firefighters are working to protect an estimated 4,500 structures threatened by the flames.

In addition to camps, the fire has threatened the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, a key part of a water system that supplies 2.6 million customers in San Francisco and around the Bay Area, and damaged hydroelectric plants in the area owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Water quality at Hetch Hetchy remains good, in part because the reservoir is surrounded by granite and limited brush.

While some ash has hit the surface of the water, drinking water is withdrawn at 260 feet below the surface, according to the SFPUC.

Water officials are also moving additional water from Hetch Hetchy into local reservoirs as a precautionary measure, maximizing water storage in the event that the Hetch Hetchy becomes unusable.

Two power stations owned by the SFPUC in the area remain offline due the fire. Repairs have been completed at the Kirkwood Hydroelectric Powerhouse, while the Holm Hydroelectric Powerhouse sustained fire damage to its roof.

The Moccasin Powerhouse remains in service.

Power transmission lines are being cleaned before they are reenergized, and crews are working to clear trees near them that could be hazardous, officials said Friday.

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Video details: California Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Two Scott Smith and Bryan Bartucci from the 1-140th Aviation Battalion (Air Assault), based out of Los Alamitos, fly their UH-60 Black Hawk from the dip site at the Cherry Lake dam just west of Yosemite National Park to a drop point five minutes away.

Another 140th aircraft is returning from a Bambi Bucket drop and Smith and Bartucci pause as yet another Black Hawk completes their precision 700 gallon water drop.

The pilots move in, directed by the Cal Fire manager, Fire Capt. John Zungea, who spots a U.S Forest Service fire fighter on the ground waving a flag at 1:24 near a large tree and Spc. Michael Beatty, the crew chief from Garden Grove, drops their bucket of water drenching the tree and the area around the ground crews who are cutting lines.

As the bird banks away to return to the dam you can spot another pinked painted Black Hawk at 1:59 emerging from the smoke to hit the same area. (U.S. Army National Guard video by Master Sgt. Paul Wade/Released)

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