August Complex: With Critical Fire Danger Rolling Across the Region, ‘Let’s Just Pray That All Goes Well’
Firefighter walks down the fireline on the North Zone of the August Complex.[Photo from InciWeb]
Firefighters and residents near the fire line are bracing for a tough couple of days as the August Complex enters critical fire danger weather.
A Red Flag Warning goes into effect at 5 a.m. Sunday for parts of the fire with very severe fire weather conditions. During the last similar event, the fire spotted up to a mile ahead of the advancing edge of the flames. Look for problems in the Forest Glen area tomorrow, but firefighters are preparing hard for that situation.
Firefighters are battling through today’s “relatively” quiet weather–it is still not going to be an easy day–to secure the lines as much as possible for critically dangerous weather beginning tonight and ramping up tomorrow through Monday.
Firefighters will be trying to bring the fire to Hwy 36 with burning operations and then using the highway as a containment line and moving the fire east along it. The Northwest winds today will help.
“Firefighters are working with dozers and other heavy equipment east of Ruth to “secure, control and gain depth along the fireline there,” said Operations Section Chief Jon Glover in the press release from the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team. “This is critical operation to complete before the wind shift on Sunday.”
Some good news is the West Zone in southwestern Trinity County in the part of the fire aimed at Southern Humboldt County is almost totally contained.
The Complex stands at 870,200 acres and is 43% contained but as today’s tough conditions roll into tonight’s tougher conditions and Sunday’s critically dangerous conditions there is chance the acreage numbers could increase quite a bit.
As Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team Public Information Officer Kale Casey said this morning, “Let’s just pray that all goes well.”
The Images:
The Plan:
The North Zone Plan:
https://www.facebook.com/ShastaTrinityNF/videos/4584357974940171
The Ruth Plan: Trying to bring fire down to the lines and have the fire in a holding pattern rather than in a burning pattern when weather gets adverse tomorrow.
The Post Mt plan:
The West Side Plan:
The Weather:
Today is going to be relatively quiet. But tonight the wind is going to change from blowing from the northwest to coming from the north and eventually to coming from the northeast. The wind is going to increase by tomorrow to 30-35 mph gusts especially near the fight for Ruth and also along Hwy 36. The humidity tomorrow is going to drop into the teens and temperatures are going to rise in to the Eighties.
The Smoke:
The Roads:
Here is the latest information: (This includes maps of Trinity County roads now closed.)
The Maps:
- Public Information Map for North Zone:
- 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.
- Information Boards are updated daily at the following locations:
- Platina Store – 4554 State Route 36W, Platina, CA
- Harrison Gulch Guard Station – 2555 State Route 36W, Platina, CA
- Wildwood Inn and RV Park – 2721 Wildwood Rd, Wildwood, CA
- South Fork Mountain Vista – Horse Ridge Lookout Rd & State Route 36W, Mad River, CA
- The Watering Hole (Mad River Burger Bar) – 2515 State Route 36W, Mad River, CA
- Mad River Ranger Station – 741 State Route 36W, Mad River, CA
- Southern Trinity High School – 600 Van Duzen Rd, Mad River, CA
- Dinsmore Store – 43819 State Route 36W, Bridgeville, CA
- Hayfork Ranger Station – 111 Trinity Street, Hayfork, CA
- Hayfork Post Office – 7180 State Route 3, Hayfork, CA
- U.S. Forest Service – Six Rivers National Forest
- U.S. Forest Service – Mendocino National Forest
- 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
- 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.
- GoFundMe for Post Mountain 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
- August Complex: The Fight to Hold the Flames Back From Hwy 36
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Superb information! Thanks so much!
Ditto.
Kym can be a life saver in the coming days and I might be one of them.
Thinking of you every day!
Thank you!
Hugs at you, Dave.
Kym your work here is commendable!
Thank you!
Pray all the men and women firefighters will be safe and out of harms ways!
There was a burn not to long ago on the south side of 36 up to the road in the Trinity Pines area. This burnt area will help keep the fire from hitting the road in that area with a head of steam. A small plus but just the same.
For people who plan on staying put and fighting to save their land in Trinity Pines, please reconsider if the fire is a rager before it hits 36. Getting out thru 36 is the only out for youze guys and if the fire looks like it will cut off access between Forest Glen and 3/36 interchange get out before that happens. As the FS has said they aren’t going to endanger their lives for people who decide to stay behind.
Ya, I’m not so sure about that. That area has thick brush that has grown up for acres around the standing dead trees. If theres any kind of wind on it then its going to roll through there fast. Hopefully they’ll have it slowed enough by time it gets there and can hold it.
This ain’t their first rodeo buckaroo
There’s also access to the Pines off of highway 3, not just 36. Not sure if everyone in the Pines can easily access that road but there is a major road off of 3 that is used by many Pines residents.. there’s always a lot of traffic going in/out when I’m driving to Hayfork so they do have that route.
You’ve got that right Guest. What I’ve seen of the Pines in the last couple weeks is theres no defensible space.
I think they were going to try and do a back burn in that area today but your right, if its a highly flammable brush like manzanita then it might make matters even worse. I stand corrected. Get out now.
https://twitter.com/CAFireScanner/status/1309977092948283392?s=20
CA Fire Scanner
@CAFireScanner
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6m
#AugustComplex – AA requesting 2 VLATs + 4 large air tankers, will be reinforcing retardant on the north side of Hwy 36 in the Forest Glen area. #AugustComplexNorthZone
This complex is the cause of all that drift smoke in the Bay Area.
https://fr24.com/apps
Ullr, I apologize for my acidic comments in the covid forum yesterday. Uncalled for. I was in a really bad mood all day. The problem I have is that there is so much misinformation going around about covid, and when data is taken out of context, even unintentionally, I have to say something. I’ve done it too, posted about research or studies without getting a good handle on what the data was really saying.
But anyway I apologize cause I respect your input (especially about fires) and hope I wasn’t too obnoxious.
your friend researcher
Hey, it’s ok. The Internet requires a thick skin. I appreciate your comment.
N12DA is actually a smaller aircraft. An AirTractor Fire Boss.
Basically mini scoopers. They fly in packs of 3 tho so its pretty cool to watch.
Yup. Maybe the bombers were on higher priority fires…
Firefighters will be trying to bring the fire to Hwy 36 with burning operations and then using the highway as a containment line and moving the fire east along it. The Northwest winds today will help.
Glad I’m not in Wildwood.
There is no rain in sight fire will burn for 1 more month seek the lord to save your life end the sin come to the lord
If you are ever in doubt, get out!