The McKinney Fire remains at 95 percent containment, but some changes will be taking place today. California Interagency Incident Management Team 2, under the direction of Incident Commander Nickie Johnny, working in a unified command with CalFire, has been managing the fire since Aug. 2. California Interagency Incident Management Team 12, under the direction of Incident Commander James Aragon, will be taking over the incident as of 7 am today.
Firefighters continue suppression repair efforts and are patrolling throughout the fire perimeter. Crews are paying particular attention to areas of unburned vegetation within the interior of the fire containment lines, which have been producing smoke and heat. Aircraft was brought in to conduct aerial suppression operations on one of these pockets in the southwestern fire area. Three hand crews and a strike team of engines also conducted ground suppression and the “hot spot” posed no threat to the containment lines. Additionally, firefighters have been granted access to the McKinney Creek Road area, and repair work will begin within the next few days.
As of Sunday evening, firefighters have constructed 62 miles of containment line by hand, and heavy equipment has constructed 142 miles of containment line. Only two miles of the fire is considered “uncontained” at this time. Forward progression of the fire has stopped, but steep terrain and the abundance of hazard trees are making it difficult for firefighters to perform mop-up in this area. Crews will keep working as safety allows.
Sunny and warm conditions are expected to continue throughout the week, with temperatures in the upper 90s in lower elevations and in the low-to-mid 80s on the ridgetops. West/northwest winds are predicted to be light, with gusts between 18-20 miles-per-hour.
The McKinney Fire remains at 60,392 acres and has been burning for 16 days. 1,511 personnel are working the incident that has injured 11 and killed 4 people overall.
