As containment improves on the northern portion of the fire, resources are now shifting toward the southern flank where crews are continuing suppression efforts, conducting structure protection work, and chipping vegetation along South Base Road.
Source: Seven Cabins Fire (via Facebook)
Images: Courtesy
Fire crews battling the Seven Cabins Fire near Capitan continued to gain ground Monday as containment increased and firefighters completed a successful offensive firing operation through Capitan Gap.
According to Monday evening fire officials, the blaze has now grown to 28,750 acres and is 46% contained, with more than 1,070 personnel assigned to the incident. Fire managers said interior pockets of unburned fuel continued to burn Monday, contributing to the increase in acreage.
As containment improves on the northern portion of the fire, resources are now shifting toward the southern flank where crews are continuing suppression efforts, conducting structure protection work, and chipping vegetation along South Base Road.
Incident managers reported that firefighters successfully carried out a large ignition operation along Base Road and Capitan Gap Road, taking advantage of higher humidity and cloud cover to strengthen containment lines.
“Some old-school firefighting happened today when air operations were shut down at 10:30 this morning,” Operations Section Chief Ely Pfoutz said in Monday’s update, noting firefighters were forced to hold containment lines amid erratic winds without aircraft support.
Aircraft were utilized earlier in the day before thunderstorms again moved into the area. Crews also continued structure protection work near Lone Tree Bible Ranch and Arabela while improving secondary “check lines” intended to temporarily slow fire growth if needed.
Officials said the eastern side of the fire remains relatively quiet, with firefighters continuing patrol and mop-up operations to prevent hot spots from threatening containment lines.
The human-caused fire, which began May 14 in the Capitan Mountain Wilderness, continues burning in heavy dead fuels within the Peppin burn scar area.
Forest closures, Stage 1 fire restrictions, and temporary flight restrictions remain in effect around the fire area. Evacuation orders also remain in place, including GO status evacuations between Highway 246 and Boy Scout Mountain, while additional SET status areas remain active near Fort Lone Tree and South Base Road east of Capitan Gap Road.
Fire managers continue urging the public to avoid flying drones near the fire, warning that unauthorized aircraft force all firefighting aviation operations to stop immediately.
You must be logged in to post a comment.