After the rainy weekend

Well, a couple of big storms made their way through our area over the weekend. Not much damage at our place, but the road is impassable to get in or out. let's see how long it takes the county to repair...

And another ten min...

Shortly after this photo, came the rain this morning... Amazing how fast a storm can build...

Ten min later...

Big storm last night...

We knew it was coming, just a matter of time.... Last night it arrived, first really big storm. Today, I'm guessing more of the same...

Finally some rain!

Rain, wash-outs, ash from or local fire a few weeks back, and more of the same threatening this afternoon... Yep I love it!

Enjoying some much needed rain!

We received quite a bit of rain yesterday, and are being treated to a nice sprinkle today. Nice to finally get some rain!

Gonna be a hard tea morning

Been a wild week at work, can't wait for a full day off. Than back for a wild second half of the week.

Dean Peak, Potato, and Hayden peak fire updates.

On Monday we had two new fires sparked by lightning, both are 100 per enter contained, but still no word on the acreage involved.

BLM officials also announced Monday that the 5,400-acre Dean Peak Fire has been designated as 100 percent contained.

Also a statement was made that they "...will continue to have a helicopter on standby at the Kingman Airport just in case another fire in the area starts." Which is great news to hear this year.

Fire season 2013

Watching yet another forest fire in the Hualapai mountains. Another lightening strike, this time accompanied by 3 inches of rain! I'm hearing there are helicopters on it already. This time our is located in the potato patch valley, behind the Mohave county park, one of my favorite hiking spots :( hope it is put out quickly this time. I would hate to see the loss of the aspens!

Dean Peak Fire Update

Now this it's what I like to see! Cloud coverage and rain falling on the Hualapai mountain range... And it looks like more to come.

Dean Peak Fire update

Officially we are still at 90% containment. We have seen a few flare-ups here and there. Mostly on the ridges in the burned out areas. Local fire crews are up the mountain working on containment and rehabilitation on the fire line. Our biggest concern, is the possibility of regional flooding from monsoons that are in the forecast for this weekend. Water from the burn area on the East side, could effect the main road into our area. But rain is a good thing, even if it causes flooding!

Dean Peak Fire update...

Still officially at 90% contained. Several days since we've seen any signs of smoke. Residence are back in their homes. Now if we can only get a little rain before the next lightning!

This just in, Dean Peak Fire update

90% contained, 285 personnel still on site. Roads open to residents only 15 mile an hour speed limit due to personnel still walking across and along roads. Please use headlights also. The memorandum on non-residents is still in place.

Freshly painted sign

Our neighbor repainted our private road sign... I love it! What are your thoughts?

Dean peak fire info to go along with evacuation cancellation.

FIRE PREVENTION ORDER NO. AZ-310-13-02 PUBLIC LAND CLOSURE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT COLORADO RIVER DISTRICT KINGMAN FIELD OFFICE Under the authority of the Federal Land Management Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et. Seq.) and pursuant to 43CFR§ 9212.0-3, § 9212.0-5, § 9212.0-6, § 9212.1, § 9212.2, § 9212.3 and § 9212.4, this Fire Prevention Order “Closure”, restricts public access for all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered public lands within the Kingman Field Office, in the area located in Mohave County, and east of DW Ranch Road, north of Hualapai Mountain Road, north of Hualapai Mountain County Park, north of the Pine Lake Community, north of Wheeler Wash Road, west of Blake Ranch Road and south of Old Highway 93. In the interest of public safety and effective Saturday, July 6th, 2013 at 5:00 PM., the location described herein is closed to public access due to threats to the public from the Dean Peak Fire. This closure will remain in effect until the threat to the public has lessened and this order has been rescinded. Exemptions to this order include Dean Peak Fire authorized firefighting personnel in the performance of their official duties and those individuals authorized by the Dean Peak Incident Commander, BLM/Kingman Field Manager, BLM/Colorado River District Fire Management Officer or the BLM/Kingman Assistant Fire Management Officer. Penalties for any person who knowingly and willfully violates the regulations at §9212.1 of this title shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or to imprisonment of not more than 12 months, or both. Signed at Kingman, Arizona this 6th day of July, 2013 ____________________ _____________ Ruben Sanchez Field Manager Kingman Field Office

This just in... Dean Peak Fire update

Evacuation has been lifted, residents only at this time.

Hot off the Twitter Feed a Dean Peak fire update

Dean Peak Fire (@DeanPeakFire) tweeted at 5:43 PM on Sat, Jul 06, 2013: The Dean Peak Fire containment increased to 65% tonight and grew 100 acres to 5,400 acres. 458 personnel are assigned to the incident. (https://twitter.com/DeanPeakFire/status/353675725968121857) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

Saturday Dean Peak Fire update

Fire Behavior: Small pockets of interior burning with short upslope runs were observed on Friday. Significant Events: On Friday, a fire line was complete in Wheeler Wash, and a dozer line was completed in the Falls Spring area. A fuel break was also completed on the north side of the Pine Lake community.

Dean Peak fire update Friday

I see a flare up on the fire, first sign of smoke I've personally seen in two days. Although officially BLM is stating 37% contained! On Saturday, crews will begin rehabbing fire line on the southwest side of the fire. Rehab of dozer lines near Wheeler Canyon and Falls Spring will also begin. Crews will check for hot spots near the perimeter of the fire line on the southwest and northeast portions of the fire.

Dean peak fire update...

Made a doughnut run to Dunkin this morning, official word is still 25%. No visible smoke this morning, and on the back side we did get a lot of heavy rain. In fact our main road was washed out in several places. I don't know of any of that made out to the burn site, but I'm sure the boost in humidity has helped some.

On another note, at our local fireworks show last night, a worker was critically injured, causing the show to be cut way short. No word on the workers condition this morning.

So everything comes in threes right? A fireworks display in Bullhead sparked a brush fire, causing what I heard on the radio as becoming a structure fire. I'm still looking for more info on that one...

As for the weather, a balmy 80 degrees this morning, with a large thunderstorm building to the East of us... I love this time of year!

Dean Peak Fire good news update...

Officially announced that the fire is 25% contained!

Dean Peak Fire Update, Map and pics from other sources.

No new official word on the state of the fire, unofficially seeing very little smoke this afternoon. It is currently 100 at the airport, wind is West-Southwest at 22mph, gusts up to 26mph. We are still in an excessive heat warning, until 11pm tonight.

Updated burn map as of Thursday July 4th

Credit: Herberta Schroeder

Credit: Herberta Schroeder

Great shot of a tanker dropping retardant around the Pine Lake community. 

Dean Peak Fire Update

Currently at 5400 acres, with 420 personnel.

Official news release:
KINGMAN, AZ – The evacuated communities of Pinion Pines and Pine Lake remain safe. Fire crews were able to protect these subdivisions by utilizing an existing fuel break established by the Bureau of Land Management 10 years ago. Interagency cooperation between the Arizona State Forestry Division, Pinion Pines Fire Department, Pine Lake Fire Department, and the Bureau of Land Management have proved to be invaluable in the prevention of damage to any structures in these communities.
Weather today is expected to be hot and sunny with high temperatures from 103 to 104, winds 8 to 12 mph with gusts to 20 mph this afternoon. Humidity will be 15-20 percent. Crews will continue to work in the communities of Pinion Pines and Pine Lake to strengthen existing fire lines and fuel breaks.
A public meeting was held last night in Kingman at the Mohave County Board of Supervisor’s Auditorium. More than 200 residents attended to receive a fire update and to have questions answered. Additionally, more than 1,000 people viewed the meeting streaming live online.
There are no new closures or evacuations. The mandatory evacuation order for the Pine Lake and Pinion Pines subdivisions remain in place and Wild Cow Campground will remain closed until further notice. Old Highway 93, Blake Ranch and DW Ranch roads are closed except to local residents. The road closure at M.P. 4.6 on Hualapai Mountain Road has been moved back to the intersection of DW Ranch Road and Hualapai Mountain Road.
# # #

Dean Peak Fire update

The fire actively backed down slope today with single and group tree torching; occasional short duration crown fire runs were observed where slope and winds aligned.
Significant Events
There is a mandatory evacuation for the Pine Lake community. The reception center is at the Kingman High School located at 4182 N. Banks Street in Kingman, AZ.
The Pinion Pine community and communication sites on Getz Peak continue to be threatened at this time.
CLOSURES: Old Highway 93 is closed and Hualapai Mountain Road is closed to Pine Lake. DW Ranch Road and Blake Ranch Road are also closed except for local residents. Hualapai Mtn. County Park and Wild Cow Campground will be closed until further notice.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Crews will continue preparation work in and around Pinion Pine, Atherton Acres and Ponderosa Lake and initiate preparation work on Hualapai Mountain Road and along Wheeler Wash to the south of the fire to serve as containment lines. Additional containment line will be created up Soap Canyon from Yellow Pine Ranch into the retardant line applied by air tankers.

Officially we are at 5k acres burned! 215 personnel. Evacuees are at the Kingman high-school and are being attended by the American Red Cross.  Who are still taking donations. The firefighters are at Lee Williams high-school and are no longer in need of donations. 

Dean Peak fire update

It's a bit warm tonight, and very humid. We had a small thunderstorm build in the area, but didn't produce too much wind. It did however cause a large flare up. I'm not seeing any official updates besides the community meeting, which I did post a link to earlier.

On a personal note, I would like to give a shot out to some coworkers, and friends. Some have a personal reason to help and donate their time, others are doing it just because it needs to be done. None of them have had a decent night sleep since it started. The Home Depot has donated their time, effort, and product to both support the fire fighters and the American Red Cross. From delivering fans, to pulling freezers out to store donated ice, our team has turned our store, and their personal lives upside down to help our fellow citizens. I'm so proud to be a small part of this team.

Thank you, even when you call at 1 in the morning, I know you are doing everything you can to help. And thank you The Home Depot, for supporting the communities you are a part of.

Community meeting Dean Peak Fire Update

new.livestream.com/mohavecountyus/deanpeakfire
Some notes, officially 7 square miles, no loss structures, no injuries!

Great team of presenters, very knowledgeable all in all, worth the hour to watch. 

Official Dean Peak Fire press release.

We would like to thank the community for all of the donations we have received thus far. Unfortunately, we are not set up to receive donations and ask that the public please refrain from dropping off any new items. Thank you for your kindness and consideration of our firefighters. You may contact the American Red Cross, http://www.redcross.org/ or the Wildland Firefighters Foundation, http://www.wffoundation.org/ for monetary donations. Thank you, Northern Arizona Type II Incident Management Team Dean Peak Fire

Cedar Hills Wednesday morning Dean Peak fire update

Just drove down to check my mail, after the phone calls yesterday I thought to see some devastation. Glad I was wrong. Waiting on an official update.

Dean's Peak Fire Updates

Just received a call, the fire has made a turn for the worse. Over 5000 acres have gone up in flames! We are expecting a major flow of evacuees into our local high school, doing what we can to round up donations of coffee, and munchies. No official word on damages.