This is a post from 2008
Head to our Home Page for the latest updates.
This is from the Sierra Wave web site:
At about 3:45 Tuesday afternoon, firefighters were called out to the Bishop Creek area to respond to a wildfire. With dark clouds and lightning strikes in the area, this fire was burning in sage brush and pinyon pines above the four Jeffrey Campground on Bishop Creek.
Winds pushed what fire fighters are calling the Big Trees fire across the steep hillside, igniting the pinyon pines, and sending a large often black smoke cloud into the sky. Fire Fighters from Cal Fire, the Forest Service BLM, Bishop Fire, and Wheeler Crest Fire, along with others responded. The initial report listed the fire at five to ten acres.
Shortly after the fire started, air resources were called in. At least two SEAT planes could be seen dropping retardant on the downhill side of the fire. A larger P2V tanker was working the area as well. While the planes were re-loading in Bishop, a helicopter was dropping water on hot spots, again on the downhill side toward the Four Jeffrey Campground.
Terrain, and perhaps the brief but heavy rain may be helping the fire fighters. As the fire spread around a ridge, there was a steep rocky stretch that appeared to slow the fire. One report heard on the scanner at 6:30 appeared to indicated that firefighters had halted the rate the fire was spreading.
There have also been reports of spot fires east of the main fire. Five handcrews and six engines have
