Inn Fire near Mono Lake started Thursday

Last Thursday, May 22 a wildfire started along Highway 395 near Mono Lake. Named the Inn Fire, it began at approximately 3:36pm and spread rapidly on both sides of the highway.

The fire started at approximately 3:30pm on Thursday, May 22. By the time this photo was taken, at 4:45pm, a plume of smoke was visible throughout the Mono Basin. Photo courtesy of John Ljung.

Local Lee Vining and Mono City Volunteer Fire Departments responded along with fire departments from other Mono County communities of Bridgeport, June Lake, Mammoth Lakes, Long Valley, and Antelope Valley. Inyo County communities also sent help to support local crews.

At 4:51pm the fire had climbed up the mountainside west of Highway 395 and was beginning to be blown east toward the Mono Inn, Mono Lake County Park, and residences nearby. Photo courtesy of John Ljung.

Unusually dry fuel conditions for May and moderate winds made early containment impossible, but a number of structures, including the Mono Inn, were protected. Unfortunately one home was lost, but there were no reported injuries among local homeowners or first responders. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

By 5:35pm the fire was swirling and growing in all directions on both sides of the highway. Photo courtesy of John Ljung.

Highway 395 was closed shortly after the fire erupted and fire crews from the Inyo National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and CalFire responded through Thursday afternoon and evening. Evacuations remain in place for the northwest shore of Mono Lake and Mono City. The highway remains closed as of Saturday afternoon (May 24) as interagency fire crews and equipment work to contain the fire and protect sensitive resources. Southern California Edison crews have also been working along the highway to repair and replace power lines and poles that burned during the fire.

Aerial firefighting resources arrived quickly, thankfully. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

As of this afternoon the Inn Fire was at 726 acres and 15% contained. The fire burned down to the shoreline of Mono Lake; it burned a significant portion of County Park and the nearby Thompson Ranch. The fire also burned toward Mill Creek and Mono City and up the mountainside west of the highway. Interagency helicopter resources and fire crews continue their work throughout the burned area.

As the fire moved east of Highway 395 evacuation orders were put in place for the communities of Mono City, Lundy Canyon, and the group of homes close to Mono Lake east of County Park. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

Mono Lake Committee staff who live near in Mono City, Lundy Canyon, and near the Mono Inn are all currently displaced, along with all our neighbors, as the evacuation order remains in place.

The Inn Fire has made national news, appearing yesterday in the New York Times.

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By nightfall on Thursday the fire was highly visible from Lee Vining and surrounding areas. Photo by Elin Ljung.

Top photo courtesy of John Ljung.