Douglas County declares state of emergency as Tamarack Fire grows to over 59,000 acres

9:30PM UPDATE: More firefighting resources are headed to the Tamarack Fire including two "Super Scoopers" that can pull out 1,600 gallons of water from lakes in just 20 seconds. There are now 1,425 personnel assigned to the fire.

Homes have been lost in Douglas County, but fire officials said they will not know how many until an assessment team can go in after they are able to get the fire contained. Alpine County saw 15 structures lost.

Crews today gained some containment though it remains at 4 percent since the fire did grow. There will be updated fire maps Saturday morning.

Air resources may be grounded tomorrow, depending on smoke and flying conditions.

6:30PM UPDATE: Firefighters have been making headway on the Tamarack Fire burning from Alpine County towards Lyon County. Progress is being made with small victories throughout the fire area, according to fire officials at a 6:00 p.m. meeting.

"The plan for suppression is working, slowly, but working," said Dan Dallas, the Incident Commander. "You can expect slow but noticeable reduction in fire behavior. More importantly, as its safe, re-energization of power lines, being able to reenter your homes. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when that will be.

The fire at this time is reported at 59,112 acres with 4 percent containment. There has been no number released on the number of buildings burned or destroyed. Crews are in property protection mode along Crystal Springs Road and Woodfords, the northeast area and Topaz Lake areas.

US-395 remains closed in both directions from China Springs Road to the California state line, SR-88 remains closed in both directions from Pickett's Junction to the state line. SR-89 remains closed from the junction of US-395 to the junction of SR-88.

Alpine County has created a property-check map where the status of homes is listed. It is updated at least once a day - https://www.alpinecountyca.gov/593/Maps

Friday morning's update for the attached map:

Branch I: Division K, the northern portion of the fire didn’t move much yesterday. Hotshot crews were inserted at the two spots fires north of the East Fork Carson River and were able to accomplish some good work to contain the spots. Crews continued to make good progress along Hwy 89 and increased the length of containment line in the Carson River Road corridor and Diamond Valley Road. Today, crews will continue to secure line and complete prep on dozer lines south of China Springs Youth Camp. Crews will continue construction of indirect line between Leviathan Road and Carson River. Structure protection work continues for the Washoe Indian Colony and the Diamond Valley Road areas with patrol and mop up along the edge of the fire.

Division O remains a high priority and faces significant fire behavior with wind driven runs. Yesterday, the fire made a hard push and jumped east of Hwy 395 near Holbrook Junction where by 4 p.m. it had grown to 2,500 acres. Last night, crews improved firelines around Holbrock Estates and air operations dropped retardant in the Topaz Estates area. Structure protection forces remain present in the Spring Valley area. Today, firefighters will identify contingency lines east of the highway and scout potential direct fireline options to tie into the old Washington Fire. Crews will continue to map structure locations and conduct firing operations along Hwy 395 as conditions allow. Night crews will continue point protection throughout the area and will continue mop-up and patrol around structures.

Division Q is unstaffed due to limited resources and higher priority in Div O. It will continue to be monitored from the air. This area continues to show limited fire growth.

Branch II: On the south end, there was little movement of the fire. Divisions T and Z were lightly staffed due to higher priorities. Personnel continued to scout the area and identify options for direct and indirect fireline construction. Monitoring from the air continues.

Branch III: Division A, the SW portion of the fire, will continue to be monitored from the air. The fire is creeping but has had very little movement. As need dictates and additional resources arrive, crews will begin to construct fireline in the area.

In Division F, fire continued to back and flank towards Hwy 88, with minimal growth. Today, crews will continue burnout from Monroe Ranch Road to Crystal Springs and mop up fireline from Davis Ranch to Monroe Ranch Road. Crews will work to hold the fireline from Davis Ranch to Crystal Springs. Crews will continue to strengthen established firelines and hold the fire south of Hwy 88 while continuing to scout for contingency lines, including natural barriers and roads. The structure protection group will continue to provide point protection in Sierra Pines, Woodfords, Mesa Vista, Markleeville and Grover Hot Springs, along with other structures in the division

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Since the Tamarack Fire crossed the state line into Nevada on July 21 it has been spreading towards, and over, US395. Portions of the fire showed extreme fire behavior on Thursday, July 23 and it spotted to the east side of the highway near Holbrook Junction. By 4:00 p.m., air resources estimated the spot had grown to 2,500 acres. It is now well established on the ridge northwest of Topaz Ranch Estates. Firefighters on the ground and aircraft continue to battle the fire under exceptionally difficult weather and fuel conditions. An additional 1,369 people were evacuated primarily from the US395 corridor, bringing the total number of those evacuated to 2,439.

The fire grew about 7,000 acres yesterday to 58,417 acres. The fire is still 4 percent contained overall, though containment along the Carson River Road Corridor and portions of Diamond Valley Road increased. There are 1,353 personnel working on the fire and more resources are on order. Firefighting operations continue around the clock, with additional crews added to the night shift. Night operations include structure protection and firing operations when conditions are right.

Firefighters have continued to keep the fire south of the SR-88. Both SR-88 and SR-89 remain closed in the fire area to all traffic except incident personnel. A portion of US395 remains closed for firefighter and public safety.

A virtual public fire information briefing will be held Friday night at 6:00 p.m. It can be viewed on the fire operations Facebook site, www.facebook.com/tamarackfireinfo or on their Youtube, https://bit.ly/TamarackVideo. It will be shown at the evacuation centers.

Today, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners declared a State of Emergency as a precautionary action due to the Tamarack Fire burning in parts of Alpine County, California, Lyon County, Nevada and Douglas County, Nevada. The declaration will be submitted to the State of Nevada and will allow regional partners to speed up the delivery of resources required to respond more effectively to the emergency and meet the needs of the community.

Many Federal, State, and Local government agencies including East Fork Fire, Douglas County, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office as well as organizations and businesses are cooperating to respond to the fire. Evacuations have occurred in Douglas, Lyon and Alpine Counties, and other communities in Douglas County have been warned about potential evacuations.

Douglas County provided the primary locations for shelter evacuations at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center, Topaz Ranch Estates (TRE) Community Center. On July 21, Lyon County opened its doors to Smith Valley High School, taking in Douglas County residents when the TRE Community Center was closed due to potential fire danger.

Douglas County is asking residents to stay vigilant, pay attention to emergency phone alerts, and have a plan in place for evacuations. In addition, plan for power outages and road closures. Have a transportation plan for animals and livestock. Think about fuel, medications, documents, keepsakes, and groceries needed. Think about loved ones on oxygen or anyone who may need assistance leaving their home.

Should more evacuations occur, residents will receive an emergency alert notification their phone. Residents who do not have a cell phone or landline, please keep in contact with friends, neighbors and family.