Dome Fire (2020)

Due to a strong high pressure system to California's west, in mid-August temperatures were abnormally hot statewide, including in the High Desert. Relative humidity was low, and an abnormal lack of moisture from the monsoon that summer meant vegetation was even drier than usual. Nearly 11,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded, very few accompanied by significant precipitation. The frequent lightning and gusty outflow winds combined with the heat and dry vegetation ignited many quick-spreading fires throughout the state, creating an immediate draw on firefighting resources. == Progression ==

The fire began after one such lightning strike near Deer Spring, an old ranching qanat located on Cima Dome, at approximately 3:22 p.m. PDT on August 15. The Mojave National Preserve fire crew, composed of roughly a dozen personnel, was already at the preserve and arrived on the scene near 5:00 pm, when the blaze was around 70 acres. The fire, driven by erratic winds, was burning into inaccessible wilderness areas, and passing thunderstorms caused the head of the fire to switch directions rapidly, creating extreme and potentially unsafe conditions for firefighting. The combination of challenging firefighting conditions and the inability to get more firefighting resources meant that the crew was forced to pull back for the night. By 11:00 a.m. the next morning (August 16), the Dome Fire was more than 16,000 acres. This made the fire difficult to stop, and it experienced its largest single day of growth, increasing to more than 40,000 acres. During this time it exhibited active fire behavior, including pyrocumulus clouds and fire whirls. More resources finally arrived on the 16th, a team of smokejumpers from Redding, California, a helitanker, and multiple fixed-wing aircraft. During these first two days, crews also lit backfires—or controlled burns—to stop the Dome Fire's progression to the east, which threatened habitat for the critically endangered desert tortoise. Another challenging factor was the lack of bulldozers, often used to create a firebreak clear of vegetation so as to stop a fire's spread. The ecologically sensitive nature of the preserve meant much of the firefighting had to be done by hand, with aircraft supporting when available. In the afternoon of August 17, the fire's management was transferred to a Type 2 incident management team, which was able to requisition more personnel and resources. Eight aircraft continued to drop water and fire retardant to halt the fire's spread, which also slowed as it encountered rockier areas with sparser vegetation. During the peak of the suppression and mop-up effort, more than 180 firefighters were assigned to the Dome Fire. On August 20, up to 0.5 inches of rain fell over the burn area, further helping the firefight, and on August 24, the Dome Fire was declared 100% contained. The fire's advance was stopped at Morning Star Mine Road to the east, Powerline Road to the south, near Aiken Mine Road to the west, and near the intersection of Cima Road and Zinc Mine Road south of Striped Mountain to the north. == Effects ==

Trails and facilities in the immediate of the area were closed for safety, including the Teutonia Peak Trail, multiple primitive campsites, visitor's centers, pit toilets, and the Lava Tube. The fire's smoke plume drifted over Interstate 15 to the north, but remained aloft and did not impair visibility. Preserve scientists suspect this was the result of cattle grazing until the establishment of the preserve in the 1990s. Cattle may have grazed on many other plants but let flammable blackbrush alone, which shielded many Joshua tree seedlings. The eventual combination of blackbrush, flammable invasive species like red brome, and dense Joshua tree stands led to a wildfire-receptive ecology. Joshua trees are split into two varieties—an eastern and a western—and while the Cima Dome population was of the less-threatened eastern kind, the western species was, at the time, a candidate for threatened status under the California Endangered Species Act, though it did not ultimately become listed as such. The Mojave National Preserve's lead wildlife biologist estimated that small animal mortality had been low, under 20% for small reptile and mammal species such as snakes, lizards, and rabbits. The Dome Fire also burned in areas considered habitat for the desert tortoise, a critically endangered species, but "no direct tortoise mortality" was found during or after the fire in surveys, and total mortality was estimated at "perhaps a dozen individuals." == Recovery ==

The majority of the Dome Fire footprint burned at a moderate severity, leaving intact the root systems of many native shrubs and grasses. According to the National Park Service, "Joshua trees have poor seed dispersal and may only migrate about 100 feet for every 20 years," making these projects critical for the long-term recovery of the species in the Cima Dome region. Additionally, Cima Dome has been modelled as a climate refugia for Joshua trees, making their existence there important for the long-term health of the species. == See also ==