Monument Fire Grows About 6000 Acres; With the Wind Changing, the Fire Is Expected to Move to the West Today

A Sikorsky Skycrane maneuvers after a water drop.. [Photo and Caption from InciWeb]

An infrared flight late Thursday night mapped the entire fire area at 142,250 acres, an increase of almost 6,000 acres over yesterday. Containment remains at 10 percent.
A wind shift is expected over the fire today with winds coming out of the northwest rather than the northeast. The change in wind direction is expected to clear smoke out of the northwest side of the fire. The clearer air will allow more sun to bake the fire, which will likely result in increased activity on the northwest portion of the fire that is most active.

“Expect the (smoke) cap to lift off the west side of the fire today,” Incident Meteorologist Ryan Walbrun said. “The fire will want to stand up.”

Alaska Incident Management Ream Fire Behavior Analyst Brad Washa said more sun will definitely impact the fire. “Looking at past large fires in the area, solar radiation is one of the main drivers of fire growth,” he said.

While less smoke means increased fire behavior, it should also allow aircraft to get off the ground so fire managers can get a better look at the fire. Clearer air should also allow the use of helicopters to address areas of concern with water and/or retardant drops.

On Thursday, fire activity picked up on the northwest side north of Burnt Ranch, resulting in an evacuation warning being issued for the communities of Denny, Hawkins Bar and Trinity Village. The fire is backing down Ironside Mountain to the New River east and south of those communities. Fire managers are trying to keep the fire east of the New River so it doesn’t threaten those communities. Helicopter water drops were used Thursday to cool the fire as it backed down the mountain. A similar strategy will be employed today to keep the fire in check.

The number of personnel working on the North and South zones of the fire increased by more than 600 on Thursday as CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5 mobilized additional crews and engines to the fire. CAL FIRE IMT 5 is managing the South Zone of the fire from Junction City to Hayfork while the Alaska Incident Management Team is managing the North Zone of the Fire from Hayfork to Burnt Ranch to Junction City. The number of hand crews increased from 12 to 25 while the number of engines on the fire jumped by more than 30. An additional 25 dozers were brought in and the number of water tenders increased from 6 to 30.
The Alaska Incident Management Team (North Zone) and CAL FIRE IMT 5 (South Zone) will continue to share resources and prioritize where those resources will focus their efforts.

Today, crews will continue patrolling for spot fires, securing existing control lines, and constructing indirect contingency lines. Crews will continue to clear brush and snags along East Fork Road to open it up for use as a control line, if needed. Crews have made it 3-4 miles up the road and will continue to forge their way north toward Hobo Gulch Road. Crews will also continue to push a dozer line down the Pattison Creek Jeep Trail on the south side of the fire. The goal is to connect the dozer line with a control line being constructed by CAL FIRE IMT 5 west of Hayfork to seal off a chunk of unburned fuel and prevent the fire from moving west toward Hyampom. Once completed, the dozer line could be used as an anchor point for a firing operation, if needed.

We’ve gathered the most important information about the Monument Fire and organized it below for our readers.

Stats:

1,583 personnel, 25 hand crews, 128 engines, 11 helicopters, 40 dozers, 30 water tenders, 12 skidgines, 2 excavators.

The Plan:

https://www.facebook.com/ShastaTrinityNF/posts/3055263141372391

The Weather:  

According to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Public Affairs Office,

Today’s forecast calls for west winds in the afternoon that should start to clear the air across the west side of the fire. As the inversion breaks this afternoon, fire activity may increase but heavy smoke over the eastern portion of the fire will prevail. Highs in the mid 80s with minimum humidities of 15-25%. Winds will be out of the west at 5-10 mph with gusts of 15 mph.

The Roads:

Hwy 299 is closed from 2.1 mi west of Weaverville to 4.6 mi west of Burnt Ranch.

The Maps:

• Operations Map –to see details either zoom or click on the map and download a pdf.
• KMZ Map–Zoom for detail or for 3D imagery, click on the map and download a file that connects with your Google Earth program.

Evacuation and Help Information Including Community Meetings:

• Evacuation Centers are at
  • The American Red Cross is opening a shelter for #DixieFire and #MonumentFire evacuees at Shasta College, 1155 Old Oregon Trail, Building 1900, #Redding, CA.
  • The shelter at Trinity Valley Elementary School will move to Willow Creek Bible Church, 39 Barannan Mountain Road, Willow Creek, CA 95573.
  • Trinity County Fairgrounds announced, “Evacuees: The Fairgrounds is currently Open, if you have vehicles, boats, trailers, etc. that you would like to move to our parking lot please complete a form, located on our bulletin board and put into the mailbox. Everyone is welcome to use this space if you feel it is safer than your property.”
• Areas under Evacuation Warning are
  • In effect for Weaverville, Douglas City, areas south from Barker Mountain
  • Hayfork–South section (See here for details)
• Areas under Evacuation Order are:
  • Barker Mountain
  • Big Bar
  • Big Flat
  • Burnt Ranch
  • Canyon Creek
  • Cedar Flat
  • Coopers Bar
  • Del Loma
  • Areas Northwest of the Hayfork Summit (See here)
  • Hayfork–north section (See here for details)
  • Helena
  • Junction City east to Oregon Summit including:
    • La Grange Road,
    • Castle Road
    • Slattery Gulch Road
  • Red Hill
  • Sky Ranch Road
• Anyone impacted by Wildfires in Trinity County can receive free referral support, group support, and one-on-one crisis intervention by reaching out to (530) 461-0257 and [email protected].
• According to the Trinity County Animal Shelter, “If you are being evacuated and need help moving or a place to take large animals please call either the sheriffs office at 530.623.2611 or us here at the shelter at 530.623.1370.” More information here: Animal Shelter Evacuation Information From the Trinity County Sheriff’s Department
  •  In addition, Domestic + Large Animals can be taken to the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds on Pine Creek Rd in Hoopa, CA. Click here for a map. 
  • Trinity County Animal Shelter, 563 Mountain View St, Weaverville, CA
• Mandatory evacuations caused by fast moving wildfires in the local area have resulted in the temporary closures of several Trinity County Post Offices. Customers impacted by these closures may pick-up mail at alternative locations. See details below:

Earlier Chapters:

• Evacuation Warnings Issued for Del Loma Area Along Hwy 299; 1000 Acres and 0% Contained
• Hwy 299 Closed at Big Bar Due to the Monument Fire
• Hwy 299 Reopens, But ‘Subject to Closure at Any Time’
• Trinity County Sheriff Issues Evacuation Orders Tonight in Big Bar Area as Monument Fire Grows; Hwy 299 Closed!
• Breakout Spots From the Monument Fire Crossed 299 and Trinity River, Threaten Structures
• [UPDATE 6:52 p.m.: Monument Fire Now 9000 Acres, 0% Contained] Evacuation Order for Cedar Flat and Evacuation Warning for Burnt Ranch Areas Along Hwy 299
• Monument Fire’s Behavior Causes Sheriff to Issue Evacuation Warning for Big Flat
•  Monument Fire Grows Another 6000 Acres, Now at 15,000 and 0% Contained
• Monument Fire Grows Over 2500 Acres Today
• About 240 Customers Without Power as the Monument Fire Continues to Disrupt the Lives of the Small Communities Along Hwy 299
• Monument Grew Another 7000 Acres to Almost 25,000 and Remains Uncontained
• Evacuation Warning For Helena, Junction City, Coopers Bar, Red Hill, and Canyon Creek
• Trinity County Sheriff Issued an Evacuation Order for Big Flat
• Monument Fire: New Evacuation Orders and Warnings as Fire Ramped Up Activity Today
• Structures in the Tiny Tourist Town of Big Flat Burned as Monument Fire Swallows Another 10,000 Acres, Still 0% Contained
• Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Issues Evacuation Order for Helena
• Monument Fire Grows to 42,567 Acres, Still 0% Containment
• Spot Fire Northwest of Junction City
• Monument Fire Just Under 50,000 Acres and 0% Contained as It Spread Quickly Overnight
• Monument Fire Surpasses 50,000 Acres
• Evacuation Order Issued for Burnt Ranch Area
• Temporary Evacuation Point Set Up for Evacuees From the Monument Fire
• Monument Fire Captures Just Under 58,000 Acres, Firefighters Hold at 3% Containment
• Thirty-One Structures Destroyed so Far as the Monument Fire Takes 62,490 Acres
• After a Night Where the Fire Grew a Mile to the East in One Area, Red Flag Warning Will Challenge Crews Battling the Monument Fire Today
• Red Flag Conditions Again Today as Monument Fire Closes in on 75,000 Acres With Only 5% Containment
• Monument Fire Swells Another 4000 Acres; Containment Remains at 5%
• Wind and Hot Dry Temperatures Could Challenge Crews on the Monument Fire Particularly on the East Side Today
• The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Issued an Evacuation Order on the Monument Fire for Sky Ranch Road
• Leaping Almost 15,000 Acres Since Yesterday, the Monument Fire Closes in on 100,000 Acres
• As Monument Fire Grows, Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Issues an Evacuation Warning for Wildwood Road to Hayfork Summit
• New Evacuation Orders Issued on the Monument Fire (MAP)
• Monument Fire Roars Over Another 22,000 Acres in the Last Day
• Smoke From Fires Cooled Temperatures and the Monument Fire Had a Calmer Day Than Expected
• Monument Fire Continues to Push Towards Hayfork, Growing Almost 7000 Acres Overall