[Photo Update 9 p.m.] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today
A large column drew eyes to the Lassic fire this evening as smoke boiled over the top of the mountain. (See photo above.) The incident, stemming from the lightning storm which ignited blazes in eastern Humboldt and Western Trinity almost two weeks ago, laps over from Trinity County into Humboldt just west of Ruth Lake.
Structures to the north of the fire are threatened and a voluntary evacuation is in place along Swayback Ridge Road. Today, the good news is that the fire did not leap Blanket Creek to the north which would trigger mandatory evacuations.
But, that is the about only good news. First, the fire headed north then it reversed directions and burned aggressively to the south. However, the Forest Service fought back with both fixed and rotary winged craft. Retardant and water drops were used to impede the forward run of the fire. The incident is now bumping up against Dutchman Camp to the northeast.
Luckily, the wind wasn’t as harsh as expected which helped. However, winds are expected to pick up after eight p.m. and the conditions are ripe for the fire to expand further.Seven to eight engines are stationed along Swayback Ridge to protect the structures there but to the west and south there are only handcrews (the area is designated a wilderness area which means that heavy equipment can’t be used except to protect human life and prevent significant property losses.)
More information should be released this evening on Lassic and we’ll update as soon as possible.
UPDATE 9 p.m.: More photos of the Lassic Fire taken from the Charles Mountain Ranch in the Blocksburg area by Andrea Pergens.
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[…] UPDATE 8:06 p.m.: Lassic, a fire burning in eastern Humboldt and western Trinity threw up a dramatic column of smoke today. Firefighters are reporting it “blew up.” For more on this, click here. […]
the forest service doesn’t want to put the fires out . They want to manage them. This is the opposite of calfir
Speculation or fact? Is this insider intell? I have no idea, so I need to ask.
thebigdeal you are an idiot
They get over time when the fire burns for more then 10 days. They will fight with CalFire over who is in charge. They are green because they are not ripe.
Thank you firefighters!!
Thank you to all firefighters, you are doing a wonderful job!!!
Wow! The last pic looks like a big Jet layin down one hell of a drop. You can just make out the guide plane in front.
Man that looks like it would be a kick in the butt to have that job.
‘Out’ is an interesting concept. None of these large fires can be put completely out. Physically impossible. What you can do is contain them, then let them burn out within the contained area. Then keep an eye on them. For months. A fire in 2013 in Siskiyou county was put ‘out’, went through winter, then had a flare up in 2014 after things dried out as a result of smoldering… A log, a stump, underground roots… Fire can hide and bide it’s time. So firefighting teams have learned to go back and check on areas where fires have happened months afterward to make sure things are OK as best they can.
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]
[…] Lassic Fire, West of Ruth, Expanded Today […]