Hume Lake Christian Camp braces for worst with Rough Fire

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Rough Fire has grown to more than 39,000 acres with 3% containment.

Most of Hume Lake Christian Camp has been evacuated, but camp leaders say the fire is right at their front doorstep.

"We're at the very brink as I understand it," said John Yakligian, a Hume Lake Christian Camps Board Member.

Yakligian is a current board member for the camp, and was on staff for the first year of the camp in 1946. Two years later, he began building this cabin on the camp grounds with his own hands, and little help.

"There were no roads, no water, no electricity," he said.

Now, it's a fully-equipped house, and is one of more than 200 homes as part of a camp subdivision. Those homes are now in close proximity to the Rough Fire, which has been burning for a month.

Camp leaders have been monitoring the fire since it began. They're getting constant updates from the remaining staff still on site. Some are feeding firefighters, while others are gearing up for an electrical outage.

"This camp is not just structures, it's a lot more than that," said Dathan Brown, the camp's executive director. "It's the people involved, it's the partnerships with churches, and with community, all over the west coast and the United States."

Brown was evacuated on Wednesday, but he was still posting video updates Thursday from Fresno. The camp has received a tremendous outpouring of support from Christian churches, schools, and organizations around the world.

They're all "Praying for Hume." But they also know that the camp will carry on, even if it goes up in flames.

"If God chooses to save Hume Lake Christian Camps, our facility, we will praise God," Yakligian said. "If he chooses to burn it down, we will praise God."

Tanker Drops Retardant Along The Hwy 180 Area

Rough Fire Information

Size: 39,400 Acres, 3 percent contained

Location: 2.5 miles to the southwest of Spanish Mountain and 5 miles North of Hume Lake

Cause: Lightning/natural

The fire started on Friday July 31st, 2015 approx. 07:00 PM

Incident Overview

As of today, the John Muir Lodge, Grant Grove Cabins, and all campgrounds will be temporarily closed in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. This action is due to Rough Fire activity. The Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park remains open. The public may still visit the General Grant Tree, restaurant, market, and gift shop. There are moderate to heavy smoke impacts at times impacting vistas.

The fire continues to spread southeast up Redwood Creek towards Windy Gulch Grove of Giant Sequoias. Contingency lines continue to be established along the ridge between the north fork of Tenmile Creek and Lockwood Creek to keep the fire out of the middle fork of Tenmile Creek. These contingency lines continue to be challenged as the fire bumps the top of the spur ridge above Hwy 180 in the area of the Kings Canyon Lodge near the confluence of Tenmile and Indian creeks.

Firefighters conducted a burnout operation to remove fuels in advance of the main fire. This was completed from Hwy 180 below Hume Lake dam to the Tenmile Road. This buffer should help suppression crews to contain the fire near Hume Lake recreation area.

Today California Interagency Incident Management Team (CIIMT) 3 assumed command of the fire. The South Central Interagency Incident Management Team will transition to the north zone of the fire.

Fire information hotline 559-565-3704

Planned Action

A retardant plant will be utilized by heavy lift helicopters to establish retardant lines on the the fire.

Resources will continue to keep fire from spreading from Rodgers Ridge to the North Fork of the Kings River in Division B.

Division D, Improve control line, assess need for water support and continue working slop overs.

Division Y Secure the Hume Lake recreation area

Division Z, continue work on contingency line west of Converse Mountain towards Kings River

Weather Concerns

High pressure over the west coast will break down. Allowing for a gradual cool down along with improving overnight recoveries through weekend and into early next week