August Complex: Highway 36 Remains Closed From Southfork Summit Mountain East to Hwy 3

An aerial view of the August Complex Fire near Ruth Lake on October 3, 2020. The shadows are produced by the sun shining through the cabin of the helicopter, behind the photographer. [Photo by Barry Schullanberger, USFS]

The August Complex Fire is 1,032,497 acres, 93% contained.

Today humid ocean air will push inland, bringing with its cooler temperatures. Highs are expected to range from 55 in low lying areas to 70 degrees at higher elevations. Cloudy skies will raise the relative humidity and prevent radiant solar energy from reaching the fire. Winds will be mild, from the northwest at 5-mph with gusts to 12. These weather conditions will moderate fire behavior.

The August Complex’s western flank is fully contained, except for a section of line near the West Branch of Van Duzen River. Here crews have successfully held the fire within its current footprint and prevented additional growth. Expect containment Sunday, after which the west side of the fire will be fully contained from the south fork of the Trinity River to the Mendocino County line.

The night shift continues to patrol and monitor the fire perimeter and taking suppression action if needed. Suppression repair is picking up throughout the fire, especially in the critical watershed areas along Ruth Lake. Crews are coordinating with resource advisors (READs) to implement the repair.

Evacuations and Closures – The Trinity County Sheriff’s office and the Trinity County Office of Emergency Services (OES) lifted the Evacuation Warnings on all zones in Trinity County. There are currently no Evacuation Warnings or Evacuation Orders within Trinity County at this time.

Highway 36 remains closed from Southfork Summit Mountain east to the Highway 3 intersection. Eastbound and westbound traffic is currently being escorted through the closure at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily. Cal Trans is asking motorists to take alternate routes.

Hunting and Recreation are prohibited within the August Complex Fire closure area.

Trinity County Private Property Damage Assessment Info., contact: 530-623-8223 or https://www.trinitycounty.org/recovery

Road Closures: For updated Road Closure information, visit Caltrans at https://roads.dot.ca.gov/.

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

For more information, visit > https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983/