9/28 King Fire Sunday Update: Wet Weather Continues To Help Firefighters

2:00 p.m. - Wet Weather Continues To Help Firefighters

Two days of cooler, wet weather has helped firefighters gain a strong upper hand on the King Fire, as mud and debris from the rain is now getting the attention of fire officials. Tahoe National Forest has some road closures, according to the InciWeb report on the fire.

There were still 5,863 personnel on the incident, which is down from more than 8,000 at the peak in the middle of last week.

From InciWeb:

Current Situation Zone 1 (north portion): Fire Suppression crews continue to mop up and improve existing control lines throughout Zone 1. Rain showers and isolated thunderstorms throughout the day have assisted with further containment. The Suppression Repair phase has been implemented and work has begun on the west side of the fire.

The demobilization process continues while facilitating the needs of the incident. The Tahoe National Forest has issued a route closure. This includes Mosquito Ridge Rd., Forest Service Rd. 22, as well as Western States trail, and Tevis Cup trails.

Current Situation Zone 2 (south portion): After the last two days of rain, the roads are being evaluated for potential mud and debris flow. Firefighters begin to prepare some homes and buildings with sandbags. Crews continue to mop up, hold and improve existing control lines.

Containment lines continue to be coordinated between Zones 1 and Zones 2. Fire Suppression Repair Teams are preparing to work in the fire effected areas. The demobilization process continues to release excess resources while maintaining an adequate amount of resources to meet incident needs. In an effort to prevent the spread of non-native weeds and diseases within the forest, a vehicle rinse station has been established using water conservation measures and run off containment.