[UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: Hwy 36 Likely to Close at 8 a.m. Tomorrow] August Complex: The Fight to Hold the Flames Back From Hwy 36
A Lassen Hotshot pauses during burning operation on the northwest flank above Ruth Valley on Sept. 22, 2020. [Photo Credit: Mike McMillan/USFS]
One firefighter was injured in the southern part of the fire last night and were flown to the hospital but they are doing well today, according to Cal Fire.
Today, firefighters in the northern part will be pushing hard to slow the fire. They want to hold it south of Hwy 36. The dangerous winds forecast for yesterday fortunately didn’t show up and firefighters were able to successfully complete a firing operation removing “significant amount” of vegetation between the fire and Hwy 36, according to the North Zone management team. This will slow the fire’s northward advance.
According to the management team, “Taking advantage of cooler temps and higher relative humidities, strategic burning tactics will be employed coming off Rattlesnake Ridge in the South Fork Trinity drainage. These efforts will slow the fire and strengthen the firelines that have been built to hold the fire south of Hwy 36. Temporary road closures can be expected due to increased fire traffic and potentially smoky conditions.”
UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: Hwy 36 Likely to Close Tomorrow Morning and Remain Closed Through the Weekend
UPDATE 10:18 p.m.: Hwy 36 Closed Due to Wildfire
The Images:
The Plan:
The Ruth Store Plan:
The Post Mt plan:
The West Side Plan:
A Quick version of the West Overview:
#AugustComplexWestZone | Operations Brief | September 24, 2020 AM pic.twitter.com/T96xcPyRw8
— CAL FIRE Mendocino (@CALFIRE_MEU) September 24, 2020
The Weather:
Moist and showery this morning in the north but hot and dry conditions are coming. Firefighters using the cooler temperatures and higher humidity to prepare today.
According the the North Zone management team, “The National Weather Service in Eureka has issued a Fire Weather Watch for critical fire weather conditions beginning Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 90s and humidities will drop. Winds are predicted to come out of the north/northeast.”
The Smoke:
2020-09-24-NorthernCentralValley-OutlookThe Roads:
Here is the latest information: (This includes maps of Trinity County roads now closed.)
The Meeting:
The South Zone will have a virtual public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday. It will stream on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
The Maps:
- Operations Map for North Zone –to see details either zoom or click on the map and download a pdf.
- Mendocino County’s Interactive map
Evacuation Area information:
USEFUL Information:
- Evacuations for animals Mendocino:
- The Laytonville rodeo grounds are open for livestock. They are located at Harwood Road Laytonville, call ahead at 707-984-8100
- Covelo Rodeo Grounds for small/large animals/livestock (22830 S. Airport Road in Covelo)
- Evacuation place for Trinity residents:
- Evacuees are encouraged to proceed Hayfork Fairgrounds where a temporary evacuation point has been established. This is not a shelter location, it is a point where evacuees can pick up hotel vouchers and proceed to hotels that have been procured in Lewiston and Weaverville. The previous temporary evacuation point in Humboldt County is no longer in service.
- Evacuation place for Mendocino Residents-
- Covelo High School for people (76280 High School Street)
- The Laytonville rodeo grounds are open for livestock. They are located at Harwood Road Laytonville, call ahead at 707-984-8100 Harwood Hall is also open for residents feeling the Hopkins fire. They are located 44400 Willis Ave, Laytonville
- Information Boards are updated daily at the following locations:
Platina Store – 4554 State Route 36W, Platina, CAHarrison Gulch Guard Station – 2555 State Route 36W, Platina, CAWildwood Inn and RV Park – 2721 Wildwood Rd, Wildwood, CASouth Fork Mountain Vista – Horse Ridge Lookout Rd & State Route 36W, Mad River, CAThe Watering Hole (Mad River Burger Bar) – 2515 State Route 36W, Mad River, CAMad River Ranger Station – 741 State Route 36W, Mad River, CASouthern Trinity High School – 600 Van Duzen Rd, Mad River, CADinsmore Store – 43819 State Route 36W, Bridgeville, CAHayfork Ranger Station – 111 Trinity Street, Hayfork, CAHayfork Post Office – 7180 State Route 3, Hayfork, CAU.S. Forest Service – Six Rivers National ForestU.S. Forest Service – Mendocino National Forest
- You can listen to Trinity County Scanner by clicking here Trinity County Public Safety
- You can listen to Southern Humboldt County Scanner by clicking here Humboldt County Law, Fire and EMS – Eureka and South
- You can listen to Mendocino County Scanner by clicking here Mendocino County Sheriff, Fire, EMS, Cal Fire and CHP
- Good fire and smoke info here: Click here. (Please remember the info here isn’t always up to date. If you are given an evacuation order, leave–no matter what this says.)
- Good Social Media Site–FIRE EVACUEE INFO – Humboldt/Northern Mendo/Trinity Fires: Click here
- Wildfire Evacuation Checklist
How You Can Help:
- GoFundMe for Trinity County’s Southern Trinity VFD. Click here.
- If you would like to donate, the addresses for Southern Humboldt Fire Departments can be accessed by clicking here.
- To volunteer or donate to assist regional wildfire evacuees, please contact:
- Pay it Forward Humboldt
- Volunteer: 707-499-2364
- Donation: 707-499-3840
- [email protected]
- Humboldt Area Foundation
- American Red Cross
- Humboldt CERT
- Pay it Forward Humboldt
Earlier Chapters:
-
- Evacuation Warnings Sent to Southeastern Humboldt–Island Mountain, Palo Verde, Alderpoint, and Harris–as August Complex Spreads West
- Fire Forcing Evacuations in Three Forks, South of Ruth Lake
- Hopkins Fire in the August Complex Burning in Trinity County and Moving Towards Humboldt
- Elkhorn Fire (New Name for Fire Causing Evacuations in Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino) Slowed With Cooler Weather
- Wind Shift Helps Keep Fire East of the Main Stem of the Eel River This Afternoon But Drives ‘Erratic Fires’ in Zenia/ Kettenpom area
- Good News: Hopkins Fire–Still Holding East of the Main Eel River, Lots of New Resources on the Ground, and Rain Predicted Next Week
- Reinforcements Arriving! Firetrucks From Texas in SoHum
- Last Night, Firefighters Fought a Battle for the Community of Ruth as They Conducted a Firing Operation on the Hopkins Fire in the Massive August Complex
- Northern California Regional Evacuation Shelter established for wildfire evacuees
- Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Increases Evacuation Orders and Warnings
- Evacuation Orders Downgraded for Hopkins Fire, Some Progress Made, and Firefighters Say, ‘We Feel Loved, But, Please, No More Food’
- Firefighters Are Still Keeping the Hopkins Fire Out of Humboldt County
- Possible Light in the Tunnel of Ash for Growers: Law Enforcement, Cal Fire, and OES Working on a Plan to Allow Cultivators Access to Their Cannabis Crops
- Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Issues New Evacuation Orders for Their Residents
- Dangerous Fire Weather Today in the Areas Between Ruth Lake and Island Mountain
- Pyrocumulous Cloud Formed in the North Fire Areas Yesterday and the Main Complex Pushed About Five Miles Westward Forcing New Evacuations in Mendocino County
- Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Issues More Evacuations Orders for Forest Glen and Warnings for Post Mountain and Trinity Pines
- Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Issues New Evacuation Orders
- Evening Update on the North Zone of the August Complex
- Evening Update on the West Side of the August Complex
- Firefighters Struggling to Hold the Southwest and North Line of the August Complex
- August Complex Grows to Almost 800,000 Acres
- New Evacuation Order Wednesday Night: The Areas of Post Mountain and Trinity Pines are Under an Evacuation Order
- Evacuations in Trinity Pines, Active Fire in Horse Ridge Area Above Ruth, and More in Tonight’s Update
- More Evacuations to the North as the August Complex Grew Over 60 Square Miles Yesterday
- Evacuation Order downgraded for communities south of Casterlin Road
- Residents of the Hettenshaw Valley Can Return Home; The TCSO Has downgraded the Area to an Evacuation Warning Only
- August Complex Calmer Under Cooler, Moister Weather
- Good News: Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Reducing Evacuation Orders to Warnings in Areas Near the Humboldt County and Southwestern Trinity Borders
- Good News: Hettenshaw Valley, Zenia, and Kettenpom Downgraded to Evacuation Warning
- August Complex Moving Towards Hwy 36
- Warmer, Drier Weather Today Over the August Complex Which is now 836,871 Acres
- August Complex Closing in on 850,000 Acres
- At Least 152 Structures Destroyed as Flames From the August Complex Swept Through Trinity County
- August Complex: Firefighters Struggle Against Tough Weather Conditions to Keep Fire South of Hwy 36
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Good coverage Kym. Anything anyone needs to know about the August Complex is there.
Sat to Wed is going to be a bear it looks like. Hopefully the weather conditions predicted don’t happen. Covelo is forecast to hit the low 100s. If the wind shows up it won’t be good. But the wind is more unpredictable, unlike the temps. If the winds don’t show up the fire will do isolated torching but no crown runs and will be manageable.
Soul stirring videos. Thanks to the people who plan, the people who execute and the people who report.
Thanks for the update and great pictures Kim
We have choppers and alot of fire fighters here on the south end of the fire fire is burning south east of covelo
And shit ton of dozers hopefully we can hold it 🤝gonna be a sauna.
🕯🌳Prayers to all those involved in fighting these fires and keeping the rest of us safe, thank you and God bless. 👨🚒🚁🚑🛐
Amazing video footage! Thank you so much for the wonderful videos.