[UPDATE 8:38 p.m.] Vegetation Fire North of Shelter Cove

According to scanner traffic, a vegetation fire has been reported in the Horse Mountain/Saddle Mountain area north of Shelter Cove. Cal Fire, Briceland Fire and Shelter Cove Fire are responding but the area is quite remote. It will take some time for engines to access the area.

“A good size column is visible,” says Capt. Diana Totten with the Briceland crew over the scanner about 7:45 a.m. She indicates that at least one dozer is headed in to the area.

UPDATE 8:01 a.m.:  Capt. Totten tells dispatch that the fire is about 5 acres already. She says it is burning in timber and is midslope burning uphill but there is not much wind.

UPDATE 8:06 a.m.: Totten says, “I don’t believe we’ll be able to get engines into the fire at this time.”

UPDATE 8:16 a.m.: Totten, who is the incident commander for the Horse Fire, says that the fire now looks to be 10 acres with “active torching” (that means trees are bursting into flames.) Engines are staging at the Horse Mountain Creek Trailhead. Larger equipment including the biggest engines are staging at the intersection of Kings Peak Road and Shelter Cove Road. This is a terrain and fuel driven fire, Totten says.

UPDATE 8:31 a.m.: Photo from Jeramias Deselva

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UPDATE 9:02 a.m.: Scanner talk states that there are no structures threatened and there is the potential for a 100 acre fire.

UPDATE 10:29 a.m.:

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: According to Laura Coleman from Cal Fire, the fire is holding at 15 acres. No homes are currently threatened.  She also wrote, “I don’t believe they have closed the bike trail but they have contacted hikers for information on first site of fire, doesn’t appear to be anyone in the area of the fire.

UPDATE 4:02 p.m.: KMUD does interview with local resident.

UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: 

UPDATE 8:38 p.m.:

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38 Comments
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Lou Iglesias
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Lou Iglesias
8 years ago

This area has a “Fire History” and can have potential to burn hot and fast if not quickly extinguished.

Scooter
Guest
Scooter
8 years ago

Been watching from Wilder Ridge. Smoke is heading north. It seems to have been burning for a while. No CalFire spotter yet.

Steve
Guest
Steve
8 years ago
Reply to  Scooter

They have specific start up and shut down times. Should be overhead shortly.

Patrick Keller
Guest
Patrick Keller
8 years ago
Reply to  Steve

I should be hearing em leave Fortuna in 9 minutes. Will let you know.

Steve
Guest
Steve
8 years ago

That is an odd place for a fire. No roads out that way. Trails are pretty far and few between that high up on the mtn. Any overdue aircraft? Missing Hiker/hunters?

silverlining
Guest
silverlining
8 years ago
Reply to  Steve

I think there are a few brutally steep top to bottom connecter trails in a few spots off of Horse Mountain. Or maybe just one.

Scooter
Guest
Scooter
8 years ago

First chopper on scene.

silverlining
Guest
silverlining
8 years ago

This is really going to get big. Very sad, everyone needs rest and now this.

August West
Guest
August West
8 years ago

Super scary with fire suppression efforts already tapped elsewhere. This has the potential for being a huge fire. It looks like it could have been campers who didn’t put their fire out.

psycho john
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psycho john
8 years ago

dire

Scooter
Guest
Scooter
8 years ago

2 or 3 choppers dipping buckets out of the Matole near Ettersburg and hauling them west.

Scooter
Guest
Scooter
8 years ago

OMG The DC10 just rolled in. Never seen that before!

trackback

[…] a new blaze burns in the King Range north of Shelter Cove, we’ll keep you informed on what is happening on […]

psycho john
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psycho john
8 years ago

yes !

Silverback Guerilla
Guest
Silverback Guerilla
8 years ago

We all need a MIRACLE!

Cowboy Bill
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Cowboy Bill
8 years ago

Sheesh! Not again….

Kathleen Hire
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Kathleen Hire
8 years ago

Any updates on this fire?

RefFan
Guest
RefFan
8 years ago

Can we get some new pics of the fire, anyone?? Jeramias Deselva, got any newer pics you can post since it has grown? Stuck in the office and can’t get out to check the progress.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
8 years ago

Being so close to ocean why can’t helicopters get water from there instead of the mattole?

nines
Guest
8 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Better fresh water than salt for the plants, and they will be taking it out of the Mattole where it’s almost not going to be fresh water anymore anyway. No harm, no foul, river-wise, on this.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
8 years ago
Reply to  nines

Dipping water out of the ocean is problematic. I worked a fire in that area where the chopper pilots were not happy with ocean filling. It seems the sensation when a swell rolls over your bucket is not fun. Actually had a chopper over rotate trying to lift a bucket out of a swell that was pulling the chopper down and a Ericsson sky crane pilot refused to do it again. Wound up finding a hole on the Mattole and used that instead.

LostCoaster
Guest
LostCoaster
8 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

It’s too foggy over the ocean for it

August West
Guest
August West
8 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I would think the swells in the ocean could pull a helicopter out of the sky, plus the salt water would ruin the equipment.

Steve
Guest
Steve
8 years ago
Reply to  August West

You can dip out of the ocean. You just time it between swell and dip offshore. As far as the equipment you can run distilled water through the jet engines at the end of the day and rinse/wash the rest.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
8 years ago
Reply to  Steve

We used our water tender hose to flush the turbines on the choppers when they came back from the ocean.

Fire Updates
Guest
8 years ago

Get updates on the fire at http://www.calfireupdates.com. We have over 19 fires burning in CA right now.

Danielle
Guest
Danielle
8 years ago
Reply to  Fire Updates

It seems that page hasn’t been updated since Aug 2, I will stick with Kym’s page, she is on top of it!!! 🙂

Liz
Guest
Liz
8 years ago
Reply to  Danielle

This is the web page> http://www.calfire.ca.gov
It was updated last night (Tuesday). The fire was at 30 acres, zero containment.

Uti
Guest
Uti
8 years ago

I didn’t see the giant 3 engine DC10 tanker fly in, but I did see a smaller DC-9 (aka MD87) tanker fly in at 12:03pm from Telegraph ridge. I think this is a contract tanker operated by Erickson Aero Tanker according to the fire Aviation website. The tail number is their 105 tanker .

Uti
Guest
Uti
8 years ago

Wasn’t much to see from the Telegraph Ridge side of the King Range today except for the copters going back and forth for refueling. I could see them flying back and forth from the Mattole above Ettersburg. They were busy all day long and didn’t stop until sunset. That’s not a copter in the photo—it’s a member of the Mattole Air Patrol.

Robin Praszker
Guest
Robin Praszker
8 years ago

How might this affect hikers on the Lost Coast Trail? I have some loved ones on it right now, in Big Flat which appears to only be a few miles away.

Mary Ann Machi
Guest
Mary Ann Machi
8 years ago
Reply to  Robin Praszker

I’d estimate Big Flat is five miles north of the fire and about a mile inland as the crow flies. Might be best to vacate the area just to be safe. Are you in contact with your people? You can call the Shelter Cove Fire Dept. 986-7507 for info on which direction the fire is moving.

Mary Ann Machi
Guest
Mary Ann Machi
8 years ago
Reply to  Mary Ann Machi

Correction: Fire is about 1 mile FROM THE COAST as crow flies.

silverlining
Guest
silverlining
8 years ago

Just another red dawn this morning.

tourist
Guest
tourist
8 years ago

Anyone know any updates on fire? Is area smokey? I was thinking of coming this wknd, wd next wknd b btr?

joe phillips
Guest
joe phillips
8 years ago

just came of the mt. did a repair on a pickup…they got a huge crew of men,cats and choppers…..busy place..

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
8 years ago

Hey Kym what’s going on you haven’t updated since last night can you please give out more details planes and choppers all day which way is this fire heading?