Storrie Fire

The Storrie Fire was a large wildfire in the U.S. state of California's Plumas County and the second-largest of California's 2000 wildfire season. The fire began on August 17 and was fully contained by September 9; it burned 55,261 acres (22,363 hectares) in total and resulted in minimal property damage or casualties. The fire was accidentally begun by Union Pacific Railroad workers, who were using a saw tool to repair train tracks in the Feather River Canyon near the community of Storrie.

Storrie Fire
The Storrie Fire began in the Feather River Canyon and progressed northeast through Plumas and Lassen National Forests.
Location	Plumas County, Northern California, United States
Coordinates	39°55′3″N 121°19′24″W / 39.91750°N 121.32333°W / 39.91750; -121.32333Coordinates: 39°55′3″N 121°19′24″W / 39.91750°N 121.32333°W / 39.91750; -121.32333
Statistics
Cost	$22 million (cost of firefighting)
Date(s)	August 17 – September 9, 2000
Burned area	55,261 acres (22,363 hectares)
Cause	Sparks from railroad track repairs
Buildings destroyed	1
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	5+
Map
The Storrie Fire burned in the northern Sierra Nevada, largely in Plumas County.

The cost of containing the Storrie Fire amounted to $22 million. In an effort to recoup the costs of fire suppression as well as damages to federal lands, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit against Union Pacific over the Storrie Fire in 2006. Two years later, after a landmark ruling by a federal judge that allowed the federal government to seek compensation for the full value of the land harmed by the fire, the lawsuit was resolved when Union Pacific paid the government a $102 million settlement.

Background factors

The Storrie Fire was preceded by a long period of hot and dry conditions.^[1] It started and continued to burn within the Feather River Canyon, which runs much of the width of the Sierra Nevada range, winding northeast from Lake Oroville to near Indian Valley and Lake Almanor. The canyon is steep and rugged, in places rising more than 5,000 feet from the Feather River to surrounding peaks.^[2][3]

The Feather River Canyon has witnessed many large wildfires since the 1990s besides the Storrie Fire, including the 1999 Bucks Fire, the 2008 BTU Lightning Complex Fire, the 2012 Chips Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire (infamous for its fatal wind-driven run out of the Feather River Canyon), and the 2021 Dixie Fire, the largest single wildfire in recorded California history.^[4][5] However, in 2000, only 12% of the Storrie Fire's total area had ever burned in the previous century.^[6] In later years, 45% of the Storrie Fire burn area reburned in the Chips Fire,^[7] and nearly all of the Storrie Fire burn area reburned in the Dixie Fire.^[4][5]

Fire progression

August 17

The Storrie Fire first ignited on August 17, around 2:00 p.m. PDT.^[8] A five-person Union Pacific crew was conducting track repair work on the Feather River Route in the Feather River Canyon near the community of Storrie, in a rugged and remote area of the northern Sierra Nevada. The work involved using a saw to cut the rail before smoothing the cut with a grinder; the sawing process, tests showed, could throw small fragments of hot metal nearly 40 feet away. The workers did not employ spark shields and did not clear the area of flammable material.^[9] While they were cutting the rail, sparks ignited a bed of dry leaves. The crew may have performed various actions to put out the fire—their own accounts clashed with each others'—but 15 minutes after they departed, a train passed through the area and the turbulence from its passage fanned the remaining embers.^[10] When the fire was first spotted on a steep slope near Storrie that afternoon, it was reported as 20 acres (8.1 ha) in size.^[11] At 5:20 pm, officials closed a 40-mile section of Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon between Jarbo Gap and the intersection of Highways 70 and 89.^[8][12] The fire burned 200 acres (81 ha) by 8:00 pm.^[8]

August 18–31

 

A Union Pacific freight train in the Feather River Canyon in March 1983.

On August 18, the fire grew further, as hot, dry, and windy conditions pushed the fire from 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) to over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha). Because of the steep and dangerous terrain, the nearly 1,000 assembled firefighters were unable to directly tackle the fire. The majority of the effort was instead carried out by nine fixed-wing air tankers and seven helicopters, dropping water and fire retardant. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) de-energized two 230 kV electric power transmission lines for the aerial attack.^[11] The fire moved in a northerly direction, and the station chief for the Plumas National Forest declared that he thought they would be dealing with it for the rest of the summer.^[13]

On August 19, windy conditions continued to drive the fire as the burned area more than doubled to about 11,000 acres (4,500 ha). The fire spotted (i.e. started a spot fire) more than a mile ahead of the main fire front when embers were carried downwind into the Indian Creek drainage. The fire also jumped across the Feather River Canyon and Highway 70 for the first time near Rodgers Flat, beginning to burn in the Bucks Lake Wilderness. Voluntary evacuations were instituted for the Feather River Canyon communities of Belden, Seneca, Caribou Road, and Butt Lake, as well as the Three Lakes Campground near Bucks Lake. By evening the fire was burning in the lower portions of the Chips and Yellow Creek canyons and was 5% contained.^[14][15]

On August 20, the fire burned another 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), bringing the total to more than 17,000 acres (6,900 ha). The fire continued to spot ahead of itself, though slackening winds smothered the region in thick smoke and reduced fire activity. Two dozen Forest Service dozers were positioned on the ridge west of the Feather River Canyon should the fire have progressed in that direction. That night more than 20,000 people temporarily lost power from Quincy and Lake Almanor to Susanville, as the fire damaged electric power transmission infrastructure. Meanwhile, Highway 70 reopened, and containment of the fire notched upwards to 7%.^[16][17] On August 21, the fire grew to more than 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) by late afternoon, though smoky conditions prevailed again as 1,100 firefighters and aircraft continued to tackle the fire.^[18] As it continued to burn north towards Lake Almanor, firefighters lit backfires to contain the fire's southwestern perimeter near Storrie and marked the fire 20% contained.^[19] By August 28, it was about 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) and 62% contained.^[20]

September

The Storrie Fire's burned area surpassed 45,000 acres (18,000 ha) by September 5, with more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of that in the Bucks Lake Wilderness portion of the fire. Even as the fire closed to within 10 miles (16 km) of the town of Chester, continued backfires and aircraft operations hampered the fire's progression to the point where the Forest Service declared online "decreased potential for significant fire spread."^[21] The fire area also received 2/10ths of an inch of rainfall over the Labor Day weekend (September 2–4), which aided firefighters.^[22]

Some newspapers reported a September 7 containment date,^[23][24] but the Forest Service and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) records show a containment date of September 9.^[25][26][22] The fire's burned area constituted about 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) on the southern side of the Feather River in the Bucks Lake Wilderness area, with the remainder of the fire having burned up the wooded drainages of the Feather River Canyon to the north until stopped by fire crews at the top of the ridge.^[23][24] However, even as the fire remained contained, a previously unburned 5,000 acres (2,000 ha)—referred to as an 'island'—within the perimeter of the fire near Soda Creek and Soda Ridge began to burn, further increasing the fire's eventual size.^[27][26] The incident's management responsibility was returned to Plumas and Lassen National Forests from California Interagency Incident management team 2 by September 13,^[28] and the fire was fully controlled on September 27.^[29] By that point the Storrie Fire had burned 55,261 acres (22,363 ha),^[25] requiring more than 2,500 firefighters for fire control and suppression at its peak.^[29] It was the second largest wildfire of 2000 in California, surpassed only by the 74,439-acre (30,124 ha) Manter Fire, which burned in the southern Sierra Nevada in late July and early August.^[25]

A holdover fire—not uncommon in large wildfires—smoldered over the winter inside a Douglas fir snag and ignited on June 12, 2001, before being reported the following day and extinguished one day after that by three handcrews. The fire was confined to a few acres within the larger already-burned area, but Plumas National Forest workers continued to scout for other holdover fires nearby.^[30]

Impacts

No fatalities were associated with the Storrie Fire. However, it did result in a number of injuries among firefighters; three were injured on August 17 by falling rocks in the Feather River Canyon that sent at least one to the hospital, and two more developed heat exhaustion.^[11][13]

Closures and evacuations

The Storrie Fire forced the closure of the Pacific Crest Trail between the community of Belden and Humboldt Summit from August 18^[11] until at least September 28.^[29] As Forest Service officials warned that the fire was advancing up through the trail, Plumas County sheriff's deputies searched for possible hikers or campers in its path on August 18.^[11]

The 40-mile portion of Highway 70 between Jarbo Gap and Highway 89 was closed on August 17^[8] and reopened on August 20.^[16]

Damage

On August 20, the fire damaged transmission lines and transformers, knocking out power to approximately 20,000 homes and businesses for several hours.^[16][31] The fire also damaged dozens of wooden power transmission line poles owned by PG&E in the Feather River Canyon, who were forced to install new poles via helicopters working in concert with ground crews in the steep terrain.^[32] Highway 70 also sustained damage that necessitated repairs to infrastructure (including culverts, drainage and rock catchment systems, and guardrails), debris removal, and erosion controls.^[33] Apart from the infrastructure damage, property damage in the Storrie Fire was limited to a single structure in the Rich Bar area—a shed containing hazardous materials that firefighters said could not be easily protected.^[22]

Environmental

 

This topographic USFS map of the Storrie Fire shows non-forested land in beige, forests remaining after the fire in green, and deforested areas in red.

Smoke from the Storrie Fire filled much of the Sierra Nevada between Susanville to the fire's northeast and Auburn to the fire's south. On August 21, drifting smoke caused the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District to issue a health advisory for Plumas, Nevada, and Sierra counties.^[34]

Some of the Storrie Fire's footprint reflected higher-severity fire effects; a Forest Service spokesperson said only about 15% of the watershed area had "burned intensely"^[35] but a 2019 fire severity analysis recorded that "high severity effects accounted for approximately one third of the Storrie Fire area".^[6] In October 2000, about a month after the fire, ash in storm runoff from the Storrie Fire area contaminated the holding pond that Belden used as a water source, turning tap water brown and forcing the resort there to temporarily shut down operations.^[36]

Multiple proposed post-fire salvage logging operations by the Plumas and Lassen National Forest became hamstrung by environmental concerns. Lassen forest officials proposed to conduct logging on 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) southwest of Lake Almanor. The forest's plan was appealed by several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, and the appeal was upheld in October 2001 by the Forest Service regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region over the plan's unproven benefits to fire danger and possible impacts to endangered species, such as the spotted owl and Pacific marten.^[37] A similar 1,798-acre (728 ha) Plumas National Forest proposal was rejected the following November after environmental groups appealed.^[38] Some environmentalists charged forest officials with attempting to pass healthy trees as doomed so as to log even more,^[39] and by the time the projects were approved in August 2002, two years after the fire, the trees in question were beginning to rot and logging companies were disinterested.^[40]

Lawsuit

Trial

In 2006, the U.S. federal government sued Union Pacific for $200 million in damages relating to the Storrie Fire. The five crew members whose repair work had started the fire all provided sworn pre-trial testimony, and their accounts of how the group had handled the fire differed: two testified that they put water on it, two testified that they did not; two testified that they had stomped on it, three testified that they did not.^[10] Union Pacific blamed the discrepancies on the length of time between the fire and the government's suit.^[41]

In February 2008, during the course of the trial, U.S. district judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that the government could seek damages beyond just the destruction of timber and the cost of suppressing the fire. The ruling allowed for the government to seek at least $168 million, including for damage to habitat and wildlife, "the area's grandeur", as well as the loss of recreational usage; the judge also ruled that the government could seek reforestation costs.^[10] In remarks on the ruling, U.S. Associate Attorney General Kevin J. O’Connor called it a national precedent that "that will let us assess the true, inherent value of forest land."^[42] Legal experts called the decision to expand the assessment of wildfire impacts beyond timber losses an important development.^[9]

Settlement

 

Many tree snags remained in 2011, eleven years after the Storrie Fire.

Union Pacific settled with the federal government in July 2008 for $102 million.^[10] The settlement marked the largest recovery in U.S. Forest Service history thus far for a wildfire case.^[43][9] The civil settlement was also then the largest ever in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott called it "the most significant civil case in the history of the district."^[10] The settlement was scheduled to be paid in three installments of $32–35 million each on July 2, August 15, and October 15. The money, after recouping costs from the $22 million spent on fire suppression, was directed to the Plumas and Lassen National Forests for alleviation of the ecological damage from the fire.^[43][9]

The settlement was agreed upon without requiring the five Union Pacific workers to admit liability for the Storrie Fire. A Union Pacific spokesperson said "We feel our employees did all the right things," and called the circumstances of the fire's ignition "extraordinary".^[9] In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Union Pacific noted that the company had incurred a $10 million liability at the time of the fire and that the settlement itself would be paid from insurance proceeds, leaving the company's 2008 earnings and cash flow unaffected.^[42][44]

See also

• Glossary of wildfire terms
• Moonlight Fire (2007)
• North Complex Fire (2020)

References

1. Nemens, Deborah G.; Kidd, Kathryn R.; Varner, J. Morgan; Wing, Brian (August 25, 2022). "Recurring wildfires provoke type conversion in dry western forests". Ecosphere. 13 (8). doi:10.1002/ecs2.4184. ISSN 2150-8925. S2CID 251849263.
2. "Feather River Scenic Byway-Feather River Canyon". Sierra Nevada Geotourism. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
3. "The Feather River Canyon". PlumasCounty.org. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
4. "California Wildfire History Map". CapRadio. NPR. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
5. "Dixie Fire Update: Summer & Fall 2022". PlumasCounty.org. September 19, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
6. Lydersen, Jamie M.; Collins, Brandon M.; Coppoletta, Michelle; Jaffe, Melissa R.; Northrop, Hudson; Stephens, Scott L. (December 9, 2019). "Fuel dynamics and reburn severity following high-severity fire in a Sierra Nevada, USA, mixed-conifer forest". Fire Ecology. 15 (1): 43. doi:10.1186/s42408-019-0060-x. ISSN 1933-9747. S2CID 209162660.
7. Coppoletta, Michelle; Merriam, Kyle E.; Collins, Brandon M. (September 23, 2015). "Post‐fire vegetation and fuel development influences fire severity patterns in reburns". Ecological Applications. 26 (3): 686–699. doi:10.1890/15-0225. ISSN 1051-0761. PMID 27411243.
8. "Storrie Fire expected to burn 1,000 acres by today". Chico Enterprise-Record. August 18, 2000. pp. 1A, 2A. Retrieved January 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Pierson, David (July 23, 2008). "Cost of fire goes beyond timber". Los Angeles Times. from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
10. "US government to announce $102m forest fire settlement with railroad". The Guardian. McClatchy Newspapers. July 22, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
11. "Winds help push fire to 5,000 acres". Chico Enterprise-Record. August 19, 2000. pp. 1A, 2A. Retrieved January 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Blaze spreads toward Tobin". The Sacramento Bee. August 18, 2000. Retrieved January 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Moormeister, Robyn (August 19, 2000). "Fire closes Highway 70". Paradise Post. pp. A-1, A-10. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Little, Jane Braxton (August 20, 2000). "Wind drives fire across Feather River". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Fire still out of control in Plumas Forest". Chico Enterprise-Record. August 20, 2000. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Welter, Greg (August 21, 2000). "Storrie fire exceeds 17,250 acres, spawns a second blaze". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Little, Jane Braxton (August 21, 2000). "Smoke choking Plumas towns". The Sacramento Bee. pp. B1, B5. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Storrie fire started by railroad workers". Chico Enterprise-Record. August 22, 2000. pp. 1A, 8A. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
19. Moormeister, Robyn (August 24, 2000). "Over 27,000 acres lost in Storrie wildfire". Paradise Post. pp. A-1, A-12. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
20. Michael, John (August 29, 2000). "Storrie wildfire is 62 percent contained". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
21. Moller, Dave; Metcalf, Victoria (September 5, 2000). "Fire keeps smoke rolling in but some relief is possible". Lassen County Times. pp. 1A, 14A. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
22. Moller, Dave; Metcalf, Victoria (September 12, 2000). "Storrie Fire contained after scorching 47,000 acres". Lassen County Times. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "Storrie Fire is fully contained". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 8, 2000. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
24. Little, Jane Braxton (September 8, 2000). "Plumas wildfire circled". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
25. (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. April 19, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2004.
26. "Fire contained, but still burning". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 11, 2000. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Storrie Fire still burning in spots". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 16, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "National forests take over Storrie fire". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 13, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
29. "Facts about the Storrie Fire". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 28, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
30. Metcalf, Victoria (June 20, 2001). "Storrie Fire smolders still: Flare up reported in Canyon". Feather River Bulletin. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
31. "2 Forest Fires Go Unchecked in California". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 22, 2000. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
32. "Canyon power set to rights". Feather River Bulletin. September 6, 2000. pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
33. "Storrie Fire restoration project begins in Canyon". Feather River Bulletin. September 6, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
34. Towhey, Jessica (August 23, 2000). "Plumas forest fire adds to air pollution in foothills". Roseville Press-Tribune. Gold Country News Service. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
35. Aylworth, Roger H. (November 1, 2000). "Storrie Fire is finally out – down to the last puff of smoke". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
36. Farris, Will (January 10, 2001). "State shuts down canyon's water system". Feather River Bulletin. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
37. Mitchell, Larry (October 24, 2001). "Forest Service official blocks salvage logging near site of fire". Chico Enterprise-Record. pp. 1A, 7A. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
38. Mitchell, Larry (December 4, 2001). "Environmentalists again block timber salvage". Chico Enterprise-Record. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
39. Sommer, Scott (January 20, 2002). "Debate grows over logging in burned forests". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo). Associated Press. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
40. Knudson, Tom (October 15, 2006). "Restoration lags in charred forests". The Sacramento Bee. pp. A1, A13. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
41. "Union Pacific Railroad OKs $102 million settlement in California blaze". Los Angeles Daily News. Associated Press. July 23, 2008. from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
42. "Storrie recovery: Railroad to pay $102 million in worker-caused fire". Chico Enterprise-Record. Associated Press. July 23, 2008. from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
43. Scott, McGregor W. (July 22, 2008). "Largest Settlement Ever in a Forest Fire Case: Union Pacific Railroad Company Pays $102 Million to Settle the United States' Claims Arising Out of the 2000 Storrie Forest Fire" (PDF) (Press release). Department of Justice. (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
44. "Form 8-K Current Report, Union Pacific Corporation". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. July 22, 2008. from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.