[UPDATE 12:57 a.m.] Over 300 Lightning Strikes This Afternoon, Multiple Reports of Fires
We estimate over 200 strikes so far in the combined area of E. Humboldt, Trinity, and N Mendocino counties through about 5 pm.
— NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) July 30, 2015
Folks to the east can expect to see more lightning. The Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for isolated to scattered dry thunderstorms through 8 pm for Trinity County. There are reports from readers of strikes north of Laytonville (a fire was reported near the Hog Farm.) Readers in Trinity County are reporting multiple strikes and at least eight smoke columns–one northwest of Ruth Lake.
We’re going to keep a running report of any lightning fires here.
UPDATE 5:49 p.m.: Scanner traffic says, “First confirmed smoke in the Zenia area.” Alderpoint Fire folks have been called to respond.
UPDATE 5:55 p.m.: Folks near Alderpont are reporting some rain!
UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: We’re up to 300 lightning strikes now.
UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: There is an active storm cell over Zenia according to the scanner.
UPDATE 6:17 p.m.: Scanner traffic says, “Mendocino is working a number of fires in northern Mendocino.” Also, report of a fire east of Fort Seward.
UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: A structure has been struck by lightning at 1206 Casterlin Road. A metal shop was struck. A transformer is down. “Life threat!”
UPDATE 6:24 p.m.: Photo of a rain area north of Willits taken from a plane by Desirae Zuniga.
UPDATE 6:46 p.m.:Weott has lost power.
UPDATE 6:50 p.m.:
Weather Service stating, “Over 30 fires reported. If you live and/or will be driving in interior NW CA, be on the lookout for fire fighting vehicles on the roads.”
Scanner traffic says PG&E Substation in Fruitland is on fire following a lightning strike.
UPDATE 7:08 p.m: “Looking east from Garberville,” photo from Chris Wissing.
UPDATE 7:21 p.m.: Fire on Reed Mountain. (Shown below) Another on Pratt Mountain.
UPDATE 7:28 p.m.: Fire above rodeo grounds about 2 miles on East Branch. 1/4 acre grass and timber understory. Another fire in Blocksburg area.
UPDATE 7:30 p.m.: Numerous fires along Hwy 36, in Benbow and Blocksburg reported per scanner. “May need extra bodies later for evacuations.” Three lightning strikes on eastern side of Gilliam Butte.
UPDATE 7:50 p.m.: Cinnamon Paula, Executive Director of the Garberville Redway Area Chamber of Congress sent multiple photos of fires. She said, “We counted possibly 9 fires on our way toward Harris.” Here is one of the shots.
UPDATE 8:07 p.m.: Multiple fires as seen from this photo. “Larrabee Ranch sub division, off Sunset Ridge road, about one mile due west of Blocksburg. I was facing southeast-ish,” says the photographer.
UPDATE 8:11 p.m.: Scanner traffic reports a fire on Cemetery Road off of Alderpoint Road in the Fort Seward area. Structures nearby.
UPDATE 8:15 p.m.: Reminder to not only appreciate the firefighters but the hardworking inmate crews!
UPDATE 8:26 p.m.:
UPDATE 8:30 p.m.:
UPDATE 8:40 p.m.: Scanner says, Barn on fire on Alderpoint Road. Don’t have more precise information. Will try to get it.
UPDATE 8:47 p.m.: Transformers on fire at the Dobins Creek power plant, according to scanner traffic.
UPDATE 9 p.m.: Dobbins structure is on fire, according to the scanner.
UPDATE 9:16 p.m.: One fire in Bell Springs Road area is contained!
UPDATE 9:27 p.m.: Multiple columns of smoke rising as seen from Peak Road looking north towards Blocksburg. Photo by Hannah Minikel.
UPDATE 9:29 p.m.: Crews responding to three fires about 15 miles up Blocksburg Road. A structure is threatened.
UPDATE 9:50 p.m.: Natasha Carrico gave us permission to show her video of a helicopter getting water to drop on blaze near the Cal Fire Station at Alderpoint.
As of 9:45 p.m., Carrico writes, “That whole hillside is glowing red. [I]t looks like its about to break at the top of the ridge…almost can see flames.”
UPDATE 10 p.m.: Scanner traffic says line around Casterlin school fire. Contained at a half to 3/4’s of an acre. However, there is another fire near the Blocksburg Church.
UPDATE 10:05 p.m.: National Weather Service tweets, “Estimate nearly 400 lightning strikes in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties this afternoon/evening. Many fires reported.”
UPDATE 10:45 p.m.: Private water tender willing to stay at Casterlin School fire to allow firefighters to go to the next most needed space, says scanner. This is a constant theme. I know two private landowners fighting fires on their land by themselves. The scanner in among the constant firefighters at work breaks out with “locals did this and locals did that.”
Hurrah for the firefighters, the inmate crews and the locals who are right there stomping out fires and cutting line!
UPDATE 10:54 p.m.:
UPDATE 7/31 12:57 a.m.: Four new fires have been reported in the Alderpoint area, according to scanner traffic. The largest one is “six miles down Alderpoint Road towards Blocksburg.”
UPDATE 7/31 7:18 a.m.: New information on the Lightning Fires posted here.
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Thanks kym they’re reporting fires near Hayfork and Post mtn
/Trinity pines
Hearing thunder from the east…
rain? wow! that’s good news!!!! Thanks for the hope Kym! <3
Not enough rain to completely wet the surface of the ground, but it really cooled things off a lot. More coming from the west, nice thunder.
Constant lightning and thunder to the north of Alderpoint.
Subsiding in Alderpoint. Now active over to the west towards Garberville.
Very brief power outage in Alderpoint a few minutes ago, and some flickering since then. More thunder.
Power out in Alderpoint
Thanks for the info !! Any fires around Alderpoint ??
Not that I know of.
Oh lord people hold on.becareful.we will be praying!!!thanks for the great up dates,much appreciated
Has anyone heard reports of a wildfire near crescent city. Not sure if it’s a thunderhead or a plume of smoke.
KMUD says 5 fires in Pratt Mt.
Can see 2 possibly 3 plumes of smoke on the east face of Pratt towards the top. Due east of Alderpoint.
Due west, sorry
You get some awesome pictures, you have surpassed LOCO in a major way, thank you
Up vote
Ed , what’s that chopper doing up towards Fire Camp?
So I live near Whitlow. Saw post about fire at Fruitland PGE, they’ll be all over that. Anyone seeing anything else?
Is there a fire in rancho seqouia
There are up to six fires on the Kinsey Ranch. One west of Ray’s Creek and one in the Squaw Creek drainage. Others are scattered around in the timber. If you are a praying person, please pray for us!
I appreciate this coverage. Thanks 🙂 Phillipsville
Looking west from Zenia at about 645 just after the rain and lightning. Counted 6 fires at least
wow — incredible photo!
Gorgeous! And scary.
Fires are still blazing. Can only see the one in this photo but I can actually count 3 separate fires
Please tell us roughly where you are and what direction you are facing. (And Thank you for the photo.)
We are in Zenia facing west the Pratt mt. Area I believe. One for sure is still strong and appears to be spreading.
Thanks so much for your updates!
I’m in Fortuna and praying for every one close to the fires and firefighters.
Add in those hardworking inmate crews.
All the bombers are on previous larger fires for right now I assume. These might end being complexes before this is over.
Fantastic updates & photos. God bless our firefighters, stay safe everyone!
Worried about my brother and his family in Fort Seward…he said there’s fires all around him. Please keep us updated, Kim!
Doing my best. The fire crews are working their butts off!
Heard house and barn burned to the ground out Casterlin Rd.
So glad got my internet up and running yesterday after moving to Piercy. Quiet here. Thanks so much Kym for keeping us posted.
Air recon found 60 fires between big bar and mendo along south fork mt..no aircraft available today, so big air show Friday if aircraft are available, they did put smokejumpers on some fires..
That looks scary. I sure hope it stays calm with no wind.
Fire crest just went past my house. Hopefully that good news that they got the small fire past the rodeo grounds in benbow.
Have heard from a neighbor in Trinity Village (Hawkins Bar)…fire on ridge above the village.
Julie, can you ask your neighbor to send me a photo? [email protected]
Sorry…I just read your post. We are headed up that way soon….no cell or internet service where we are. Can send photos sunday evening or Monday if things progress.
Any Reed Mt. fire activity? Thanks for the updates.
Them Heitack Boys are gonna be bizzy tomorrow!
Thank you a million times over for your updates Kym. I’ve got family at Harris and would be in the dark but for your info. Thank you again, keep up the good work.
Thank you for the updates
Chopper with bucket working on a fire due north of Alderpoint, over the ridge, making many runs to the Eel river for water, near our house, around 7:30-8 pm. Tried to get pictures but it is harder than you would think. The fire was visible only as a tall plume of white smoke arising behind the ridge. There was black smoke a bit to the east of that. The chopper stopped working around 8:30, and there is no red glow visible to the north so i guess they got the fire under control. Seems like Dobbyn’s creek might have been a closer source but perhaps its dried up or too difficult to access. That smoke we saw could have been from the Casterlin Road fire.
I’m on the west face of Pratt mtn. I can smell fire as the wind blows downhill. Any news about fires on Pratt mtn?
I’m in Alderpoint, can see them from my back porch. It appears they’re getting them under control. See headlights in the area and less flames. There are two fires from my vantage point.
thank you…this is an awesome resource!
The oak forests on west side of Pratt like amazing!
Any word on dinesmore area ?
Any update on the East Branch Rd in Benbow?
East branch fire out just before dark no smoke I am on east side of reed
Locals have contained 7 or 8 fires between upper Tooby to Dyerville
Active crown torching at midnight near the top of Picket Peak, that is the cell tower from Dinsmore to the Pines, also above 36 on that steep crap going into Forrest Glen heading east. Get you fair judgings in early SoTrin.
Loosing a critical tower for such a large area, if someone has an email address info for the next 3 days of lightning for emergencies it would be helpful. [email protected] goes to the sheriff but I don’t know if that is best.
The fire at Ruth is slowly growing up on the ridge behind the rec . It’s looks like we will be smoked out by morning. 🚒♨️
Yes I’m concerned about Pickett Peak very much seems to be a ring of fire around Hayfork too
At least 2 fires on the north side ofbuck mountain. One was too close for comfort had to get the hell outta there. Pickets peak fire as raging when I left.
thank you for all your hard work.
Thank you, Kym, for all your updates. You are doing the community a great service
This sad news to wake up to. If you live nearby lease be safe, please seriously clear around your home.
[…] As the sun struggles through a thick blanket of smoke to the east, Emerald Triangle government agencies and local fire departments are trying to determine how many fires are still burning, what structures are threatened, and how to fight back. We’ll be updating with information today on the fires in this post. (See yesterday’s photos and information here.) […]
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