LOS ANGELES — Helicopter crews braved dangerous smoke and flames Tuesday to reach more than 100 hikers, campers and other people stranded in remote locations of the Sierra Nevada by the destructive Creek fire.
Officials hoped to transport another 65 people out of the area through the day.
The blaze exploded to more than 100,000 acres over the Labor Day weekend, moving too fast to allow easy passage out for people enjoying the holiday at many recreation areas.
U.S. Forest Service Supervisor Dean Gould told reporters Monday night that the Creek fire was an “unprecedented disaster,” adding it was “in a class by itself.”
On Monday night, the Fresno Fire Department said crews tried to get to people at Lake Edison and China Peak, but “rescue efforts were unsuccessful (as) military pilots tried valiantly to land, but heavy smoke conditions prevented a safe approach.”
Pilots were able to complete some rescue missions early Tuesday, though. Three pre-dawn helicopter flights pulled 35 additional people from the Sierra National Forest, the California National Guard said.
Since the early morning hours, the California National Guard reported transporting nearly 100 people, as well as five dogs, primarily from Lake Edison.
On Saturday night, some 200 campers trapped by flames at Mammoth Pool Reservoir were rescued by two California National Guard helicopters. Officials described the chopper runs as unprecedented in size and scope for a fire rescue.
“I spoke with the crew members afterward and they said it was one of the greatest missions they’ve ever done just because of the feeling of relief the individuals who were rescued had,” said Col. Dave Hall, commander of the Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade.
Damage to property and homes has been more difficult to assess. The fire is burning so dangerously and intensely that crews that normally count destroyed houses and buildings have been told to stand down for their own safety.
Fueled by millions of dead trees, the Creek fire has raced through mountain communities such as Big Creek and vacation getaways such as Huntington Lake and Shaver Lake, confounding firefighters with unpredictable behavior. Its smoke plume reached nearly 50,000 feet into the air, causing lightning strikes. Forests seemed to explode.
“There is a lot of tree mortality in the area, and it is really heavily brushed, so the fire is being fueled by the intensity of the vegetation,” said Jaime Williams of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
A lengthy drought weakened many trees, making them susceptible to fatal attacks by beetles. The insects have killed as many as 33 million trees, and in the fire area, up to 90% of the trees are dead, according to officials.
“These trees, being so dry and brittle, tend to explode when they catch on fire, which would tend to cause spotting ahead of it,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Alex Olow said.
