Authorities call for evacuations near Springville due to Pier Fire

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Officials say the Pier Fire is moving west and may pose a threat to the town of Springville.

A voluntary evacuation means residents should either evacuate or be prepared to do so.

Officials are asking residents to prepare to evacuate by gathering essential valuables, critical medications, changes of clothes, toiletries, and essential documents and placing those items in your vehicle. Also, be sure to prepare your animals to evacuate with you.

Park vehicles facing outward and keep vehicles fully fueled. If you have disabilities, transportation challenges, or other situations which would require extra time to evacuate, please consider leaving the area immediately.

Early this morning, officials called for a mandatory evacuation for the Upper Rio Vista and Cow Mountain areas. For further information please call at 559-636-5496.

PIER FIRE INCIDENT OVERVIEW

Size: 17,418 acres

Location: Highway 190 at Wishon Road 7 miles East of Springville

Planned Actions: Provide structure protection for threatened communities and infrastructure. Construct direct and indirect containment line where feasible. Plan and construct contingency line.

Weather Concerns: High pressure strengthens over the area today extending through to Sunday. Temperatures continue to increase combined with lowered relative humidity. Winds will turn to the east and southeast with most winds remaining terrain driven. The fire is well established in areas where trees are dead due to drought and beetle kill. Steep topography and hot, dry weather are conditions that promote potential fire growth.

Road Closures: Highway 190 east of Springville is closed to eastbound traffic at Balch Park Road.

Mountain Road 107 (Western Divide Highway) is closed to westbound traffic at Fox Road in Ponderosa.

Evacuations

Mandatory: Residences along Balch Park Road (County J37) north of Highway 190 to Bear Creek Road, Bear Creek Road (County 220) east of Balch Park Road, Scicon, Mountain Home Conservation Camp

Upper Rio Vista, Cow Mountain (Springville area), Sequoia Crest, Mountain Aire, Rogers Camp, Pierpoint Springs, Cedar Slope, Camp Nelson, Doyle Springs, Alpine Village, Wishon

Voluntary Springville, Ponderosa

Evacuation Center: Porterville College at the Student Conference Center, 100 E. College Ave., Porterville. Call 1-800 REDCROSS.

Fire Summary:

Fire continued to burns actively through the night, primarily on the south side of the fire, growing approximately 4,000 acres. Different from the previous nights the fire was mainly driven by dry fuels and not strong down canyon winds. On the east side of the fire crews continued to contain a thirty-acre spot through the night. An additional spot was also discovered in the area of Redwood drive near Sequoia Crest, while over the containment lines the spot fire is surrounded by roads with no threat to structures. At this time no structures have been impacted, and crews continue to work diligently to improve and construct containment lines around the fire. Crews had success in the Balch Park area with construction of a dozer line and a burn operation to help contain the fire and protect structures near the northwest of the fire.