The Washington Fire in Alpine County, which began June 19 as a lightning strike and briefly threatened the town of Markleeville, is 94 percent contained with full containment expected soon, fire officials said.
The fire area received an abundance of rain over the past 48 hours, allowing fire crews the opportunity to make good progress towards containment. Fire crews will continue to construct the remaining fire line and mop up hot spots along the perimeter, according to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.
There is a Flash Flood Watch for Alpine County until 8 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
A smaller contingency of firefighters and equipment will remain on the incident with the type 3 management organization while still meeting incident objectives as outlined in the transfer of command.
As of Saturday morning, there were 429 personnel at the fire, including 10 hand crews, 12 engines, 2 water tenders and 4 helicopters. The estimated cost of fighting the fire, $12.1 million.
Great Basin Team No. 4 will transfer command of the Washington Fire to a type 3 incident management organization on Sunday, July 5 at 6 a.m. The new incident management organization will continue to work towards full suppression of the fire in addition to rehabilitating the fire perimeter. Public and firefighter safety will still continue to be paramount as the incoming team works towards 100 percent containment.
Holiday travelers are reminded to use caution while traveling through the fire area over the weekend. State Highway 4 and State Highway 89 remain open but fire crews continue to work along the roadway along the fire area.
The Forest Service closure is still in effect around the fire. The public is encouraged to check the closure link below before recreating as law enforcement will continue patrols in the closure area. Currently, the Bureau of Land Management has no active closures in the area.
An area closure is still in effect for the fire area and can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts- notices.