Firefighters gain ground on Garnet fire in Shaver Lake

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Garnet fire continues growing, now at 57,100 acres with 17% containment.

Thursday night, fire crews filled the Shaver Lake Community Center and gave an update on the latest fire numbers. When the new numbers were announced, the room erupted in ‘whoas’ and cheers.

In one day, the fire grew less than 100 acres. That’s a sign that firefighters are getting the upper hand.

“The firefighters are using the weather, the opportunity right now. The humidity levels have gone up. It’s cooled off,“ Public Information Officer with the U.S. Forest Service Nathan Judy said.

More moisture in the air is a positive sign, but fire crews are prepared for a challenging weekend.

“The weather is supposed to get a little warmer, a little bit drier. That’s why we’re going to use these next few days to get out there and to contain this fire,” Judy said.

Dinkey Creek Road remains closed because there is a lot of access to areas that are still on fire.

“It’s going to take some time even after we get containment around this fire,” Judy said.

An army of fire personnel is needed to fully contain the blaze.

“We have 3,069 firefighters on the line and support personnel to help fight this fire,” Judy said.

That includes the Shaver Lake Volunteer Fire Department. They’re not assigned to the fire, but they’re still lending a helping hand.

“We put this team together to a certain degree on Sunday, and that’s when the fire blew up. In a sense, we were concerned, especially going to the Blue Canyon area,” Judy said.

The fire is still expected to grow.

“We’re expecting it to go back maybe 60,000 acres,” Judy said.

Although fire containment is progressing, the U.S. Forest Service still expects more fire personnel from around the country to join the firefight.