Rough Fire

The Rough Fire was a wildfire of the 2015 California season. It burned 151,623 acres (61,360 ha) of land, a season record, and was extinguished by 3,742 firefighters.[1]

Rough Fire
The Rough Fire on August 8. The area where this picture was taken was burned in the fire one week later.
LocationSierra National Forest, Fresno County, California
Coordinates36.874°N 118.905°W / 36.874; -118.905
Statistics[1]
Date(s)July 31, 2015 (2015-07-31) – November 5, 2015 (2015-11-05)
Burned area151,623 acres (61,360 ha)
CauseLightning
Buildings destroyed4
Non-fatal injuries10

Progression

The fire, caused by a lightning strike on July 31, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) North of Hume Lake, burned mainly in the Sierra National Forest and Sequoia National Forest.[1]

On September 2, over 2,500 people were safely evacuated from Hume Lake Christian Camps and surrounding area. All camp events were cancelled and only security personnel remained.[2][3]

On September 5, the fire reached Kings Canyon National Park as it crossed the 85,800-acre (347 km2) mark.[4]

On September 7, a severely burned firefighter was airlifted to the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.[5]

On September 10, officials at Kings Canyon National Park began evacuating all visitors and employees from the Wilsonia and General Grant Grove areas. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Dunlap, effective September 11.[6]

On September 11, Fresno health officials reported an unprecedented increase in hospital emergency department visits due to respiratory problems, and urged residents to avoid outdoor activities when the air is smoky.[7]

On September 15, as the fire slowed and with favorable weather conditions, evacuation orders and warnings in Dunlap and Squaw Valley were lifted.[8] By that time, 3,742 firefighters, 345 engines, 19 helicopters and 45 bulldozers had been deployed.[9]

As of November 5, the Rough Fire is 100% contained.

Area by ownership

As of October 6, 2015, the total burned area breaks down into:[1]

Owner Acres Km2
Sequoia National Forest82,573 334.2
Sierra National Forest58,541 236.9
Kings Canyon National Park9,413 38.1
Private lands1,090 4.4
State lands6 0.0
Total151,623 613.6

References
  1. "Rough Fire". InciWeb. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  2. "Forest fire continues to spread". Porterville Recorder. September 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  3. "Rough fire focus of community meeting in Dunlap". fresnobee. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  4. "Rough fire reaches Kings Canyon National Park". The Fresno Bee. September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  5. "Rough Fire forces new evacuations, firefighter injured". KSBY. September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  6. Ginise, Megan; Appleton, Rory (September 10, 2015), "Rough fire forces evacuations in Dunlap, Grant Grove, Wilsonia", Fresno Bee, retrieved September 12, 2015
  7. Aliferis, Lisa (September 11, 2015). "In Fresno, 'Unprecedented Increase' in ER Visits Due to Rough Fire". KQED. San Francisco. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  8. "Evacuation Orders and Warnings Lifted". InciWeb. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  9. "Rough Fire Update AM September 15, 2015". InciWeb. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
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