Agenda Item Wording:
title
City Support of Coffee Pot Fire Incident - Receive a report on the City's support of the Coffee Pot Fire incident response.
body
Deadline for Action: 9/3/2024
Submitting Department: Administration
Contact Name and Phone Number: John Lollis, Assistant City Manager, 713-4323, john.lollis@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report of the City's support for the Coffee Pot Fire incident.
Background Discussion:
The Coffee Pot Fire started by lightening on August 3, 2024, southeast of Three Rivers in the southwest corner of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Case Mountain. Multiple crews responded to the fire and put a containment line around it. After nearly a week of no activity and being monitored, a burning tree within the perimeter fell and rolled over the containment line, and the fire began to grow. The Fire is being managed under Unified Command between California Interagency Complex Incident Management Team 5 (CIIMT5) and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) with a full suppression strategy, and is burning in very steep rugged terrain with dry fuels this time of year.
National Park Service (NPS) and CIIMT5 personnel began to arrive in Visalia in response to the Fire on Friday, August 16, 2024, being housed in various hotels (i.e. Comfort Suites, Hampton Inn and the Marriott), with the command center being initially established at the Marriott in its ballroom and communications center in its boardroom. On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the command center transitioned from the Marriott ballroom to the Convention Center's second story meeting rooms where the team is expected to remain until likely the end of September. The CIIMT5 and NPS command personnel have expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the assistance of City staff and the wonderful facility the Convention Center provi...
Click here for full text