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EDM Monday Briefing: I-70 Remains Closed due to Grizzly Creek Fire

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Grizzly Creek Fire Arsenault

Emergency and disaster management briefing for August 17, 2020: The Pine Gulch fire experiences critical fire weather and rapid growth; I-70 remains closed between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum due to the Grizzly Creek Fire; the FDA has issued a recall for frozen shrimp due to salmonella contamination concerns; the majority of the West Coast of the United States remains under an Excessive Heat Warning until at least Wednesday; the Japanese cargo ship that ran aground and spilled oil off the shore of Mauritius has split in two; Iowa’s governor is seeking $4 billion in federal aid following last weeks deadly and devastating derecho; a lightning ignited wildfire that quickly spread led to evacuations in a small town in Northern California; and a fire tornado was spotted in Northern California near the Nevada border shortly after the NWS issued a rare fire tornado warning Saturday morning.

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1) The Pine Gulch Fire continues to spread in Colorado as a result of critical fire weather that is creating extreme fire behavior. Fuel moisture levels remain low, humidity dipped to 6%, and high temperatures, along with strong winds, caused running, group torching, and a high resistance to any fire control. The lightning-caused wildfire has scorched more than 82,800 acres. Due to the need for an increased fire management structure, a Type I Incident Management Team (Type I IMT) was requested on Friday.

2) Interstate 70 between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum remains closed indefinitely due to the Grizzly Creek Fire. The wildfire is burning in the Glenwood Canyon, with Stage 2 fire restrictions in place for most area locations along with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) closures. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for residents of Aspen Meadows, Lookout Mountain and Spring Valley. The blaze has scorched at least 25,650 acres, and ground crews continue to work on containment lines supported by helicopters and air tankers dropping water and fire retardant.

3) A recall has been issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for various frozen shrimp products due to concerns of salmonella. Kader Exports from India imported the shrimp, and the potential exposure of the product to salmonella occurred through cross-contamination, which has now allegedly been eliminated. The shrimp products were sold at various retailers, including Costco, BJs Wholesale and The Fresh Market. They can be returned to stores for a full refund.

4) The majority of the U.S. West Coast remains under an Excessive Heat Warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) that continues through Wednesday and includes the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The excessively high temperatures resulted in the issuance of a Stage 3 emergency by California state power grid managers on Friday, which led to rolling power outages in several locations, including Oakland. Although the emergency rolling outage was short-lived, it triggered a 50,000-gallon raw sewage spill into the Oakland Estuary due to an equipment failure at the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

5) The Japanese cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius, causing an oil spill, split in two on Saturday. The ship initially spilled about 1,000 gallons of oil when it ran aground, but the remaining oil onboard the ship was pumped off and taken to shore. Various supplies and equipment were sent to help contain the oil, and tugboats were en route Sunday to tow the front part of the ship hundreds of miles out to sea, where the vessel will be sunk.

6) At least 83,000 people remained without power as of Sunday night in Iowa, following a particularly devastating and deadly derecho that swept through the area last week. The storm, which packed hurricane-force wind gusts in excessive of 100 mph, resulted in three deaths, destroyed utility poles and lines, and destroyed or damaged 8,200 homes. The governor of Iowa is seeking nearly $4 billion in federal assistance due to an estimated $3.78 million in agricultural losses, along with losses for private utilities, homes, and public assistance.

7) Residents in a small community in Northern California were forced to evacuate on Sunday after lightning in the area ignited a wildfire. The Elk Fire began burning in Glenn County and quickly consumed over 700 acres. Although evacuation orders have been lifted, CalFire cautions residents to remain on alert and practice fire safety due to an excessive heat warning for the area, along with some predicted storm activity that includes dry lightning.

8) The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno, Nevada, issued a rare fire tornado warning for parts of Northern California on Saturday due to critical fire weather that led to extreme fire behavior. Last Friday, the Loyalton Fire began due to lighting and exploded Saturday afternoon because of very strong fire-generated winds, high pyrocumulous clouds, and extreme temperatures. The rare warning came shortly before a fire tornado — a condition that places firefighters in extreme danger — was spotted near the Nevada border. The dangerous wildfire has rapidly advanced, consuming nearly 36,300 acres. New evacuation orders were issued early Monday, while previous evacuations remain in full effect.

 

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