August Complex: Hwy 36 Reopening from the County Line East to Mad River Road and Other Evacuation Order Changes

POSTED 11:20 a.m.

Burned home in the Kettenpom area. [Photo by LaDonna Auxier]

According to the Northwest Zone Management Team,

Northwest Zone – Structure protection groups worked in the Ruth Lake and South Fork Trinity River areas yesterday. Crews continued to hold dozer lines east of Hwy (SR) 36 to South Fork Ridge. Firefighters worked to improve containment and contingency lines from Ruth Lake through the Gobler and Lassic Fires burn scars to below Mule Ridge, with firing operations to eliminate unburned fuels between constructed lines and edge of the fire. Crews worked diligently to improve and build lines from Coffee Pot to Kettenpom. The smoke lifted yesterday, allowing for helicopter water drops near Eel River.

Today, firefighters are monitoring and patrolling lines around the Ruth Lake area, including north of Journey’s End. Structure groups continue to work in Ruth Lake and South Trinity River areas. Fire personnel are constructing direct line from west of Van Duzen to Mule Ridge. With some fire activity in the old Lassics Fire footprint, crews in the area are focusing on improving lines from Coffee Pot north to Goat Hill and up to Mule Ridge. Aviation support will help crews in this area tomorrow.

Effective 10/08/2020 at 1000 hours Trinity County Sheriff’s Office plans to lift the evacuation order and place the communities of Van Duzen and Mad River under an Evacuation Warning. The Highway 36 road closure at the Humboldt County Line will be moved east to Highway 36 and the Mad River Road. The Van Duzen Road south to the Van Duzen River bridge will be placed under an evacuation warning with a hard closure located at the Van Duzen River Bridge on the Van Duzen Road. Highway 36 east of the Mad River Road to Highway 3 will remain on a hard closure. The Mad River Road South of Highway 36 will remain on a hard closure. 

All other orders and closures remain in place. 

According to the Northeast Zone Management Team,

Firefighters on Wednesday dealt with more active fire behavior in some locations due to clearer skies in the afternoon and low humidity. The area of the fire south of Irish Mountain and west of Copper Hill was especially active as the decrease in cloud and smoke cover warmed the highly combustible vegetation.  Existing dozer and hand lines south of Post Mountain held well despite the weather change.  Throughout this area, firefighters are mopping up and holding the fire along containment lines. Utility companies are hard at work inspecting and repairing infrastructure along Route 36, an effort expected to last several days.

Fire crews made good progress in constructing hand line directly around the fire perimeter in the Middle Fork of Beegum Creek near Round Mountain and utilized helicopters to drop retardant along the southern portion of the fire. North of this area along Hwy 36, firefighters have been completing structure protection, installing hose lays, and other efforts to safeguard communities.

Today’s operations will include the contributions of the newly arrived 250-person, U.S. Marines Corps Engineer Support Battalion from Camp Pendleton. The Marine Corps will strengthen the ability of firefighters to contain the fire.

Clear to the south above Lake Pillsbury, there was a 300 acre push over the containment lines but firefighters are making good progress in corralling the escaped flames.

The Images:

Flames and smoke rising out of smoke as the August Complex neared the Zenia Kettenpom area. [Photo taken at approximately 11:00 p.m. on 10-6-20 from Paradise Ridge]

The Kettenpom Store.

The Kettenpom Firehouse filled with donations for firefighters and those residents still in the area.

The Plan:

The North Zone Plan:

The Northwest to South Zone Plan:

Cal Fire’s West Zone:

The Weather: 

Today starts a cooling trend and humidity will begin to rise also. Hopefully, culminating in showers over the fire area on Saturday.

The Roads:

For the latest information, click here.

The Maps:

• PIO Map:
• Firemapper: This is an unofficial representation of heat from satellites showing on the ground fire. Zoom or click the map to go to the full site which covers the whole fire and allows you to look at other fires.

Evacuation Area information:

• Trinity County: See here.
• Mendocino County: See map
• Humboldt County: See map

USEFUL Information:

For Trinity County Evacuation, please contact: 530-276-8034 or visit: trinitycounty.org/OES 

For Humboldt County Evacuation, please contact: 707-268-2500 or visit: humboldtsheriff.org 

Road Closures:

• Rattlesnake Road at SR 3 
• Post Mountain Road at SR 3 
• SR 36 from Humboldt County Line to SR 3 
• Zenia Bluffs Road at Humboldt County Line 
• Zenia Lake Mountain Road at Peaks Road 
• Kekawaka Creek Road to Mendocino County Line 

Forest Closures are still in effect and can be found here: 

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/stnf/forestorders
• Mendocino National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices
• Six Rivers National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/srnf/alerts-notices

Damage Assessments 

Trinity County Office of Emergency Services will conduct structure damage assessments when it is safe to do so. They may be contacted at: 530-623-8223. 

Forest Closures: Shasta-Trinity, Mendocino, and Six Rivers National Forests.  

Each forest has closures in place. Individual forest closure information is available online:

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/stnf/forestorders
• Mendocino National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices
• Six Rivers National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/srnf/alerts-notices.

• 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
  • 15 minute packlist
  • 30 minute packlist
  • Sixty and 120 minute packlist

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
    • Hafoundation.org
  • American Red Cross
    • Redcross.org
  • Humboldt CERT
    • Humboldtcert.com

Earlier Chapters: (Because there are so many earlier chapters, we’ve eliminated all but the last few days. However, they can still be easily accessed by clicking on the first title and scrolling down the list posted there)

• August Complex: Smoke, Flames, and Burning Homes
• August Complex: Flames Continue to Consume Structures
• August Complex: Fire, Fear, Frustration
• August Complex: Red Flag Warning Conditions on the Southern Half of the Fire; Anger in the North Zone as Residents Claim Homes Are Lost Unnecessarily
• August Complex: In the North, Fire Pushing Towards Zenia and Also Towards Bear Wallow, In the South, Another Critical Fire Danger Day
• August Complex: Now a Million Acres