The Slinkard Fire was a wildfire in

Mono County Mono County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The coun ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The fire was reported on August 29, 2017. It was caused by a lightning strike. The fire was fully contained on September 12, after it had burned .

Progression

The Slinkard Fire was first reported on August 29, 2017, at 6:00 PM PDT. The fire was sighted west of

Topaz, California Topaz (also Topaz Post Office) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mono County, California, United States. It is located north of Coleville, at an elevation of . Topaz's ZIP Code is 96133. The population was 150 a ...

. It was started in Slinkard Valley by a

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

strike. By August 30, the fire had spread due to wind. It crossed

California State Route 89 State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in the north–south direction, serving as a major thoroughfare for many mountain communities in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. It starts from U.S ...

and started to move closer to Topaz. As of that day, Highway 395 was closed in the area and Topaz was evacuated north of State Route 89 and to the state line. Additionally, State Route 89 was closed between Highway 395 and California State Route 4. The fire had burned . It was fueled by

cheat grass ''Bromus tectorum'', known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southe ...

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

and juniper. That evening the fire grew to and remained 0% contained. Highway 395 was also closed at the junction of California State Route 182 in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

to the Nevada state line. The fire expanded into

Alpine County , other_name = , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Alpine County, California.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = Seal of Alpine Co ...

, California and

Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of th2020 Census the population was 49,488. Its county seat is Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

. The fire had grown to by the morning of August 31, burning to Highway 395 and crossing State Route 89. It remained in Slinkard Valley and had expanded to Antelope Valley. Power went out in the surrounding area. Closures and evacuation orders remained, with Highway 395 at Interstate 4 being closed. During the day and early evening, the fire traveled uphill and towards Alpine County. Overnight, the fire was described as "active and erratic." The fire had moved north and west, along slopes towards Highway 395. The California Inspection Station was threatened and saved by fire crews. Crews prioritized the protection of Holbrook Junction and the Leviathan Lookout. Topaz evacuations and all road closures remained in place. The fire moved very little on September 2 due to calm winds, with fire crews concerned about increasing temperatures, light wind and low humidity, all which could grow the fire. Highway 395 was opened throughout the area. As of September 3, the fire had burned and was at 35% containment. A small spot fire occurred on Highway 395, but was extinguished quickly. The next day, only Highway 89 over Monitor Pass remained closed. As of the morning of September 5, the fire had been 74% contained. The fire remained on the west slope of Antelope Valley, west of Topaz Lake, and eight miles north of Walker. The fire remained in Mono County only, no longer burning in Alpine County, California and Douglas County, Nevada. In total, 322 fire personnel, four helicopters, 24 fire engines, two dozers, and seven water tenders fought the Slinkard Fire. On September 12, the fire was 100% contained.

References

External links

* {{California wildfires by year 2017 California wildfires History of Alpine County, California History of Douglas County, Nevada History of Mono County, California Wildfires in Alpine County, California Wildfires in Douglas County, Nevada Wildfires in Mono County, California August 2017 events in the United States September 2017 events in the United States