[UPDATE 10 p.m.] Day 19: Lightning Fires

Monday, 17 August 2015, 8:46 am Kym Kemp 15 comments

Snags are one of the primary hazards to firefighters [Photo from InciWeb]

Snags are one of the primary hazards to firefighters [Photo from the River Complex on InciWeb]

Since the fires began we’ve been keeping you informed. Today’s big news is no new growth is expected on any of the Humboldt Lightning Complex Fires though the Lassic Fire from the Mad River Complex continues to expand into the county.

As we update each incident until late evening, we’ll note the time the facts were posted so you can quickly see if there is something new. Look for the most recent general updates on the bottom but new information for individual fires is posted in the summaries below in blue. (Newest maps of the fires here.) Those that have expanded 20% or more will have their acreage in red bold type.

Fork Complex (Trinty Pines and north to Hayfork):(Current as of 7:30 p.m.) 33,473 acres burned and 52% contained. Structures Destroyed: Residences 8, other buildings 4, Firefighter injuries to date: 7, Total Personnel: 2,518. “Containment of the Fork Complex fires continues to steadily increase as weather conditions have kept fire behavior moderate.The Barker Fire saw some increased fire activity within its interior, but containment lines are holding. The Blue Fire is holding and remains quiet in terms of fire behavior activity.” (More info here.)
Video of the Coon Fire posted yesterday on Gasquet Fire Complex InciWeb.
Gasquet Fire: (Current as of 8:40 p.m.) 4926 acres burned and 20% containment. Total Personnel: 631. “Increased activity present on all fires.” (More info here)
Humboldt Complex (Alderpoint and surroundings):(Current as of 7:15 p.m.) 4,883 acres burned and 97% contained. Structures Destroyed: 1 residence, 6 outbuildings. Firefighter injuries to date: 14, Total Personnel: 1,392. “Currently, no additional fire growth is anticipated. Fire suppression repair has begun on the Pine Fire and is ongoing on the Steelhead, Wildcat, Dobbyn, Bluford, Blocksburg and Winchester fires.” (More info here) containment. Structures burned: 9 residences, 18 outbuildings. Telephone number (707) 967-4208
Mad River Complex (Ruth Lake and Surroundings):(Current as of 8:40 p.m.) 23,628 acres burned and 65% contained. Estimated Cost to Date: $23.1 million Injuries: 5, Total Personnel: 1,152, Structures Destroyed: 2 residences, 2 outbuildings. “The fire continues to spread to the east, west, and south. Crews have discovered spot fires across the Little Van Duzen River on the west portion of the fire, and they have the potential for significant runs…Mandatory evacuations have been issued for residents on the 1S14 Road which is off the 1S07 Road off of Van Duzen Road.” (More info here) Telephone number for the public information officer is 707-574-6289.
River Complex:(Current as of 7:15 p.m.) 39,445 burned and 18% contained. Total Personnel: 818. “The fire remained active today due to low humidity and higher temperatures. Heavy smoke prevented air operations from assisting with suppression efforts. Fire challenged the southeast containment lines where crews and engines fought to keep it north of the 5N18 Road and caught numerous spots caused by rolling debris.” (More info here.) Telephone number for the public information officer 530-276-8559. Estimated containment: October 01st, 2015
Route Complex (south and west of Hyampom and Buck Mt. area):(Current as of 1 p.m.) 28,861 acres burned and 30% contained. Structures destroyed: 2 outbuildings. Total Personnel: 907. Injury: 1. “Increased fire spread will result in expansion of the fire perimeter west of Pilot Ridge.” (More info here.) Telephone number for the public information officer is 707-574-6865.
South Complex (north and west of Hyampom):(Current as of 6:40 p.m.) 21,288 acres burned and 35% containment. “Crews today made good progress on the Castle Fire, building a key piece of line from the ridge north of the structures on Garrett Road to the river to stop southwesterly spread. No spots were reported across the river this afternoon, but the heavy smoke inversion is making visibility difficult throughout the Complex.” (More info here)

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Here’s our tools to keep you abreast of what’s happening:

Newest Info: Next, the twitter feed near the bottom right of our home page is continuously updated with the latest tweets from Cal Fire, other local news organizations, the National Weather Service, etc.

Above that are two scanner feeds–one that will take you to Eureka/north coverage. The other that will take you to Eureka/south coverage.

Past Info: Reminder, at the bottom of this post under Earlier Chapters are links to our previous coverage. Much of it still very relevant. Particularly note our newest fire maps.

Don’t miss a post: In our right hand column is a subscribe box (for those accessing on mobiles, scroll down to the bottom and the box is just above recent posts.) Fill that out and a link to every story will appear in your email.
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UPDATE 9:44 a.m.: As usual Terri Klemetson from KMUD has outstanding coverage of the Humboldt Complex and the Lassic Fire. Here’s her Facebook post.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: For current Information on Evacuations and Road Closures Per Trinity County Sheriff, click here.

UPDATE 7:54 p.m.: Lassic Fire is heading towards homes. Sheriff evacuating residences now.

Click here for more information.

UPDATE 10 p.m.: Almost 155,000 acres burned so far and that isn’t counting the Humboldt Complex.

Multiple spot fires popped up on several fires in the complexes burning on the @SixRivers and @ShastaTrinityNF. pic.twitter.com/Lhk1mpZzun

— Shasta-Trinity NF (@ShastaTrinityNF) August 18, 2015

Earlier Chapters:

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