Fire officials have 'assumed command' of Woodward Fire at Point Reyes National Seashore
POINT REYES, Calif. - Steady air support and help from an out of town incident management crew helped firefighters gain ground on the Woodward Fire at Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County officials said Monday.
More accurate mapping has the blaze just under 2,500 acres, down from the nearly 2,700 reported on Sunday. Crews have successfully cleared fire breaks and began to decrease the fire's size.
"We have assumed command of the fire itself," said Mike Granger, operations section chief for the Northern Rockies Type 1 Incident Management Team. His crew was called in to assist local efforts.
The southwest portion of the fire, an area known as Division Whiskey, has been moving toward Bear Valley Trail. Two type 1 crews are working to halt this progress.
"Operations there yesterday went quite well, and I’m optimistic we should get around the forward movement of that fire today if the situation -- the weather -- doesn’t change on us," said Granger.
Though progress was made, the blaze is just 5 percent contained and officials are still dealing with active fire along the eastern portion of its perimeter. But crews were able to establish fire break lines ahead of this path and feel good about their position.
Should the weather shift or if the fire picks back up, Granger and local firefighters surveyed the blaze from a hill on Sunday and mapped out action points, or areas that will receive a planned attack should the fire expand.
No injuries, deaths, or structural damage have been reported.
Mobile users click here to watch the 9:30 a.m Woodward Fire update
The National Park Service on Friday closed Point Reyes National Seashore until further notice due to the Woodward Fire. All park roads and trails have been closed, and campground operations have also been suspended.
The Incident Command Post and Basecamp has been relocated to 5800 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Geronimo, due to the original base camp location at the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center in Olema falling in the evacuation zone of the Woodward Fire.
Evacuation warnings remain in effect for all areas west of Shoreline Highway between Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Olema south to
Bolinas; west of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Blvd to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, including the communities of Olema, Inverness, Inverness Park and Sea Haven; and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, continuing to the Bolinas Ridge Fire Road and the McCurdy Trail.
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Bay City News contributed to this report.