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 United States census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridg ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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. Topaz's ZIP Code is 96133. The population was 150 at the 2020 census. ...

. It was started in Slinkard Valley by a

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

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 ...

and started to move closer to Topaz. As of that day,

Highway 395 Route 395 or Highway 395 may refer to: Canada * British Columbia Highway 395 * Manitoba Provincial Road 395 * New Brunswick Route 395 Route 395 is a long mostly North–South secondary highway in the northwest portion of New Brunswick, Cana ...

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 State Route 4 (SR 4) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, routed from Interstate 80 in the San Francisco Bay Area to State Route 89 in the Sierra Nevada. It roughly parallels the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a popular ...

. The fire had burned . It was fueled by cheat grass,

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...

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 State Route 182 (SR 182) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Mono County. The route connects U.S. Route 395 in Bridgeport to Nevada State Route 338 at the Nevada state line via the East Walker River valley. Route descriptio ...

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

to the Nevada state line. The fire expanded into

Alpine County Alpine County is a county in the eastern part of the U.S. state of California located within the Sierra Nevada on the state border with Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,204, making it California's least populous county. Th ...

, California and

Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County is a County (United States), county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,488. Its county seat is Minden, Nevada, Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ran ...

. 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 in the United States September 2017 in the United States