Lightning Fires Across Northern California Char Thousands of Acres

Smoke looming over the valley from the South and Red Bank Fires as seen from the Eagles Nest Camera in the Shasta Modoc Alert Wildfire

Smoke looming over the valley from the South and Red Bank Fires as seen from the Eagles Nest Camera in the Shasta Modoc Alert Wildfire network about 7 p.m.

A lightning storm that moved through northern California this Wednesday night and Thursday morning left a trail flames over the landscape. Dozens of small fires and a number of larger fires expanded from this trail. Over 9000 acres are currently burning and most of the bigger fires have little or no containment.

Below is a quick summary of the fires with the most amount of acreage in flames over northwestern California: (From largest at the top of the list to smallest at the bottom–the words in red are linked to more information.)

  • The Red Bank Fire which is west of Red Bluff in Tehama County is 7,340 acres and 7% contained. Multiple structures are threatened. There are mandatory evacuations and road closures in place. There is a possibility it could eventually effect Hwy 36.
  • The South Fire is west of Red Bluff and not far from the Red Bank Fire in Tehama County. It is 1200 acres.
  • The Henthorne Fire, northeast of Covelo about 15 miles and in Trinity County, is 291 acres and 5% contained, according to Cal Fire at 5:16 p.m. The smoke from it can be seen from several places in Humboldt County including Pratt Mountain. It is moving westward and further into state owned lands.
  • The Lime Fire near Lime Gulch in Siskiyou County. It took off today about 2 p.m. and is now 200 acres.
  • The Middle Fire located in Trinity County near the Canyon Creek trailhead could affect hiking areas. It is 20 acres.
  • The Cutthroat Fire near Big Bar in Trinity County could eventually threaten travel on Hwy 299 so firefighters are focused on it. It is 15 acres.

Smoke from these fires will likely begin to move westward on Saturday. Below is a gif from the National Weather Service in Sacramento showing the projected path and density of the smoke through today and tomorrow.

With dry weather persisting, more fires may bloom and grow. Shasta Trinity National Forest one of the regions most affected issued a press release saying, “Aerial reconnaissance flights and ground patrol efforts will continue across the forest for the next few days to help locate these newly identified fires.  To report a new fire, please call 911.”

Images from Matthew Henderson, On Fire Photos, of the Red Bank Fire last night and this morning are embedded below.

Earlier Chapters:

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LevelheadedGenXer
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LevelheadedGenXer
4 years ago

Over 9000???!!??!!!!

Sil
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Sil
4 years ago

I saw the lightning from Redway last night.
Unlike LoCo you actually report on it.

Liz
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Liz
4 years ago
Reply to  Sil

It seems to me they focus on different subjects. No need to compete when they can work together to get everything covered. They both print press releases.

R
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R
4 years ago
Reply to  Liz

These fires cover a large area. It might seem easy just to manage them all together, but the distance between them affects coordination. You want the Incident Commander focused on the ground that makes sense. Do you really think having one public information staff would make a difference?