Last updated: 09/29/02 09:34 AM

Acres burned: 22,750

Containment: The fire was declared 100% contained at 6:00 p.m. Friday, June 28, 2002.  It burned a total of 22,750 acres.

Location: Walker, CA., about 75 miles south of Reno.

Cause: The fire is thought to be human-caused; the cause is under investigation.

Date/Time Started: June 15, 2002, noon.

There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for a 8 nautical mile radius around the fire with a 14,000 ft. ceiling.

The fire camp continues to downsize. There are now around 200 firefighters in camp. Preparations are underway to move the fire camp back into Coleville High School. The U.S. Forest Service plans to have DeBaun's team remain on the fire until the 5th of July. At that time, responsibility for patrolling the fire area will be handed over to the U.S. Forest Service, Bridgeport Ranger District, who will be carefully monitoring the fire for the rest of the summer.

Over the next few days, fire crews will finish rehabilitating the areas damaged by firefighting efforts.  By Tuesday, operations expect to have the fire on patrol status only.  Incident Commander Bob DeBaun hopes to arrange for an aerial infrared scan of the fire zone so that firefighters can be completely comfortable that there are no hidden hot spots when the fire is handed over to the Forest Service on Friday.  

A Burn Area Emergency Rehabilitation team has been working on site for the past several days.  The team includes a hydrologist, geologist, archeologist, biologist, botanist, soil scientist and geographic information systems specialists from the Humboldt-Toiyabe, Inyo and adjacent National Forests. It also includes representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and Bureau of Land Management.

Team members have finished most of the fieldwork and will be coordinating their findings over the next few days. On Tuesday, July 2nd, the BAER team will hold a public meeting at the Walker Community Center at 7:30 p.m. to present preliminary findings and discuss recovery of the burned area with community members.

New fire news:  On Friday around 3 p.m., a new fire was reported burning in Wilson Canyon east of Smith Valley, NV. The fire was burning in moderate to heavy brush on both sides of the Walker River.  Cannon Fire camp officials mobilized a task force in preparation to fight the fire. One of the helicopters helping with mop up at the Cannon fire was also sent to help fight this new threat.  Officials fighting the Wilson Canyon fire did not need to call up the ground force out of the Cannon Fire camp.  Instead, they were able to stop the fire using local initial response forces, the helicopter, and one air tanker dispatched out of Minden, NV. The fire was completely contained at around 3 acres.

Campgrounds and roads: Over the last few days, motorists on Highway 395 have been spotting some smoke columns to the west and reporting them to the firefighters. These columns are well within the burn zone and do not pose a threat.  They should subside as the last of the brush in those areas is consumed over the next few days.  The Mono County Sheriff's office reports that they have received a number of 911 calls about the smoke and would like to reassure residents and tourists that the smoldering areas are being attended to by firefighters. Motorists on Highway 395 are strongly cautioned to slow down in the Walker River Canyon to ensure public and firefighter safety. 

Extreme fire restrictions are in place in most of the West.  Please take care as we approach the 4th of July and check with your local authorities for specific details.

Agencies represented: The U.S. Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bridgeport Ranger District has jurisdiction over the fire, but fighting the fire is a multi-agency effort involving the U.SW Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Nevada Division of Forestry; California Division of Forestry; area municipal and county fire departments, including Reno, Sparks, Lake Tahoe, Douglas County, and Mono County; Mono County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marine Corps, and numerous private contractors. 

Injuries: Three fatalities occurred due to the air tanker crash. The water truck driver was injured and was taken to a hospital in Reno. No other injuries were reported Tuesday.

Important message: Current fire conditions in the west are extreme. According to experts, we have already reached August levels of fire danger in June. Firefighters nationwide have gone to their highest level of preparedness to fight fires. The Forest Service has authorized severe restrictions on fires in all but developed recreation sites where there is a host and a fee is charged. The ban includes no smoking except within a vehicle, no campfires or charcoal barbecues, no welding or fireworks. Additionally, the restrictions prohibit operating vehicles off of existing gravel or dirt roads in wildland areas, and drivers in these areas must carry, at the least, an axe, shovel and one gallon of water. Contact your local Forest Service or BLM office to learn more about these restrictions. Agencies involved will be “aggressively citing those who do not comply.” Fire management officers encourage people to enjoy state and federal lands responsibly during these explosive fire conditions. 

Public and Fire Fighter Safety Is Number One Priority

Official Pacific Northwest Team 3 website: http://www.pnw-team3.com/cannonfire.com/

Estimated Costs-to-Date: $7.9 million

AIR TANKER CRASHES ON CANNON FIRE

Coleville, CA - A Hawkins and Powers contract C-130 air tanker assigned to the Cannon Fire crashed in Walker, CA., approximately 75 miles south of Reno, this afternoon around 3:00 p.m. The Mono County, CA., Sheriff, acting as the County Coroner, said there were three people killed in the crash. The Sheriff began his investigation shortly after the crash. The names of the crew and other details of the crash are being withheld until all notifications have been made.

Witnesses said the air tanker crashed as it completed its fire-retardant-dropping run. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Forest Service are traveling to the crash scene.

At the same time, a water truck assigned to the fire was destroyed in a roll-over accident near Walker.  The injured driver was taken by helicopter to Reno for treatment. The water truck driver was responding to a fire started by the crash of the air tanker.

Strong winds continued to push flames into unburned areas. Spotting ahead of the fire was a problem for fire fighters all day. At about 2:30 p.m., the fire burned into Walker Canyon, south of Walker, and spotted across U.S. 395.  The fire then made runs up the steep slopes east of the river.

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