Red Salmon Complex: 75% Containment

Firefighter on the Red Salmon Complex. [Photo from InciWeb]

A Red Flag Warning will be in effect over the fire area for strong winds and low humidity levels from Sunday morning through midday Monday.

Yesterday: Creeping and backing fire continued yesterday to include the West Fork of Plummer creek, east of Dees Peak, east of Potato Mountain and along the East Fork of the New River. Fire continued actively backing, cleaning up unburned fuels in its way.  Active snag burning was observed. The majority of work in the remaining divisions consisted of suppression repair assisted by resource advisors and the back haul of accountable property and equipment.

Weather and Fire Behavior:  A cold front moved in from the northwest last night providing for increased cloud cover, lowering temperatures and increasing humidity values.  The cloud cover will help to maintain the cooler temps and higher humidity’s through Saturday night.  The humidity will drop again on Sunday and winds will pick up Sunday evening.  The higher wind and low humidity will trigger a Red Flag warning from Sunday morning through midday Monday. Fuel moisture levels will remain low allowing the fire to remain active for the near future with moderate fire behavior. Rain is not forecast in the immediate future. Smoke impacting the area remains likely due to continued burning in the interior of the fire area. For information on smoke impacts and how you can lessen your exposure, go to www.airnow.gov.

Today’s Operations: Crews will continue monitoring and strengthening lines along Plummer Creek, conducting suppression efforts where needed and doing line repair work. Suppression repair and equipment back haul operations continue in the remaining divisions, As fire containment increases, crews shift operations from suppression tactics to suppression repair work and the collection and return of the miles of hose, water pumps, and portable water tanks back to fire camp for cleaning, packaging and shipping.

Closures: For Firefighter and public safety, fire officials remind visitors that areas and roads within and near the perimeter of the fire are closed.  More information is available on forest websites: www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices | www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/srnf/alerts-notices | www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/stnf/alerts-notices