Rim Fire

The Rim Fire was a forest fire in the Sierra Nevada. The fire was triggered on August 17, 2013 by an illegal, out of control fire of a hunter in the Stanislaus National Forest and was associated with an area of ​​more than 1012 km2 is the third largest forest fire in California history. On October 25, 2013 was the forest fire which caused a total loss of $ 127.3 million, completely erased. The name of the fire is derived from a vantage point in the Stanislaus National Forest, which is known as the " Rim of the World " (Eng. " Edge of the World "). Became internationally known through his fire spreading to the nearby in the Sierra Nevada Yosemite National Park.

Causes of fire

The Rim Fire broke on the afternoon of August 17, 2013 in a remote canyon of the Stanislaus National Forest east of the town of Groveland. After it was initially speculated that the eruption of the forest fire was linked to the illegal cultivation of marijuana in the Stanislaus National Forest, the studies on the cause of the fire was found in the course that the out of control fire a hunter was responsible for the fire.

The reasons for the rapid spread of the fire, the exceptional heat and drought of summer 2013 in California and former fire-fighting procedures are called in the National Park of Sierra Nevada. According to Hugh Safford, an expert from the U.S. Forest Service in California, the fast and effective measures to extinguish forest fires in recent decades had " can grow" the " woodpile ", which became the Rim Fire available. According to John Buckley, managing director of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center was even more difficult, already planned measures to thinning of the vegetation due to lack of funding by the Congress of the United States could not or only partially implemented. The implementation of projects for laying of controlled fire, Buckley, had " the Rim Fire undoubtedly made easier to control and prevent a major disaster policy. "

At the time of its discovery, the fire covered an area of 40 acres, but spread within the next 36 hours - favored by the dense vegetation in the steep canyons of the Stanislaus National Forest - exploded to 10,000 acres from.

Fire-fighting measures

On the measures to combat Rim Fire is fire-fighting units on the ground and in the air involved. Among the more than 3,400 workers there were also 673 prisoners of the initiative California Conservation Camp, which allows convicted criminals to help for a dollar a day in fighting fires in California. The ground units were supported by fire-fighting aircraft of the California Air National Guard, which are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System ( MAFFS ), a special system for fire fighting from the air. In addition to firefighting aircraft type Lockheed C -130J also fighting helicopters were used.

Part of the California Army National Guard's 1- 140th Aviation Battalion during fire fighting from the air

Firefighters advance to the redwood trees in the Tuolumne Grove

Since the fire threatened some of the located in Yosemite Park stock of millennia -old giant sequoia trees, installed fire department and park administration in two groves sprinkler systems. By deliberately placing three against fires, the risk of the Sequoias was finally averted. Giant sequoias survive forest fires usually without prejudice. However, the Rim Fire produced temperatures that would have meant the destruction for these trees.

The fire department had initially expected to completely have the fire on September 20, 2013 under control. After reaching out of the fire on high altitude and difficult to reach sections of the woods by a containment end of the fire was then in the meantime, however, considered on October 1. Completely deleted the fire was finally but only on 25 October 2013.

Effects

On August 23, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Francisco after the fire had damaged several properties located in the Sierra Nevada high voltage lines for electricity supply to the city and two hydroelectric plants in the Hetch Hetchy Valley had to be temporarily turned off. Due to this measure, the city of San Francisco had been forced to buy electricity for around 900,000 dollars on the open market. Fears heruntergefallende ash in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir would adversely affect the quality of drinking water in the San Francisco Bay Area, is not confirmed.

After reaching out of the fire on the Yosemite National Park California State Route 120, and thus one of the main access roads to the park for two weeks was opened across the east of the town of Groveland closed to car traffic and only on 6 September. The closure of the western park entrance, connected to a temporary deterioration of air quality due to smoke, led to a significant decline in visitor numbers in the national park.

Until the 5th of September, the fire had a total of 111 buildings were destroyed, including 11 homes. After completion of discharge on October 25, 2013, the total cost of damage was estimated at $ 127.3 million.

Studying the environmental consequences and reforestation activities

Even during the last phase of the forest fire began about 50 -strong team of scientists with an investigation of the effects of fire. The focus is on analyzes of the possible damage caused by erosion along the river Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy reservoir.

On September 10 launched the Tuolumne River Trust, founded in 1981, a non-profit organization, the campaign " Rim Fire Recovery" for the reforestation of the area around the Tuolumne River. The initiative has made it its mission to reduce erosion damage by targeted reforestation and to provide a better forest management in the years after the fire.