Firefighters responded to a wildland fire today, east of the town of Onyx. The “Nicolls Fire”, reported at approximately 2:00 p.m. this afternoon is presently reported at 800 acres. The fire is located in the Scodie Mountains, within the boundaries of the Kiavah Wilderness Area. Initially the fire was called an air show – an area in which only aircraft can provide immediate access. Kernville Helicopter 523, first on scene, reported the fire was actively burning in brush, timber and juniper, and making runs, spotting and crowning. Kernville Helibase kept busy as 9 helicopters and an air attack dropped water on the fire. The Porterville Air Tanker base was equally busy as 5 air tanker assisted with retardant drops. Over 250 fire fighters from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Kern Co. Fire Department were on scene within minutes, including engines, hand crews, patrols, dozers, water tenders and fire management overhead. An additional 300 firefighting personnel have been ordered and are enroute. This evening a helicopter landing zone (helispot) was completed and handcrews are being shuttled into the fire. A Type-2 Incident Management Team has been ordered and will arrive tomorrow to take over management of the Nicolls Fire. Incident Commander Ernie Villa stated, “The fuels are extremely dry this time of year. The quick response by air resources assisted in establishing a loading zone (helispot) for firefighters to access the area.” The cause of the fire is under investigation. For further information, please call the fire information line at (760) 376-3781.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 12:31:14 +0000
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