Tuolumne County Recognizes 10 Year Anniversary Of Rim Fire

Sonora, CA — On August 17, 2013, a small fire was located in a difficult-to-access river canyon in the Stanislaus National Forest.

After a couple of days, the fire started to explode, eventually burning 257,314 acres, on its way to becoming, at the time, the third largest in the state’s recorded history.

The location of the fire was difficult to pinpoint at first, and the initial report back to dispatch was that it was near the Rim of the World Overlook near Highway 120, so it was quickly named the “Rim Fire” (it was actually in the Clavey River Canyon).

Two months later, on October 24, following active suppression efforts, and heavy rainfall, the fire was declared contained. A year passed before it was declared fully extinguished, with no smoldering logs, on November 4, 2014.

The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday to celebrate the restoration and recovery efforts that have followed over the past decade and to recognize the first responders and community members who stepped up during that time.

You can read the full proclamation by clicking here.

Forest Service officials at yesterday’s meeting noted that 10,300 acres of reforestation have successfully been completed, and there is more still to be done. It started with salvage logging, followed by mastication, herbicide site prep, and the planting of new seedlings. There has also been thinning work across 3,500 acres, fuel breaks constructed on 750 acres, and meadow restoration over 100 acres.

The Board of Supervisors praised the accomplishments and also highlighted how communication lines have improved amongst the various local, state, and federal agencies over the past decade.

District Two Supervisor Ryan Campbell summed up, “As far as I’m concerned, there are two Tuolumne Counties; Tuolumne County before the Rim Fire and Tuolumne County after. There is a significant change from how the county has operated in terms of a fire safety and preparedness perspective.”

A timeline of the Rim Fire can be found here.