Monument Fire Grew Another 2000 Acres in the Last Day, Containment Remains at 16%

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

The Monument Fire is currently estimated at 147,323 acres with 16% containment. That’s an increase of about 2,000 acres from Saturday.

Smoke will continue to smother the fire area today, choking off fire behavior until late afternoon when northwest winds could bring some clearing. The blanket of smoke blocks the sun from hitting the fire and keeps temperatures cooler. Based on the forecast, that trend will continue through much of the week.

“The main story the next several days is going to be lingering smoke,” Incident Meteorologist Angie Enyedi said.

Firefighters will take advantage of the passive conditions to continue work on primary, alternate and contingency fire lines around the fire while also mopping up existing containment lines farther into the burn area.

“With the smoke laying in as thick as it is it’s a challenge but it’s also an opportunity to get a lot of hard work in without having to chase spot fires,” Alaska Incident Management Team Operations Section Chief Karen Scholl said at Sunday’s morning briefing.

Firefighters will continue mopping up two spot fires on the west side of the New River in the Bell Flat area in the northwest corner of the fire, the biggest of which is about 50 acres. Fire activity did pick up on one of those spot fires early Sunday morning but firefighters monitoring that area were able to quickly respond. Firefighters will continue patrolling and monitoring the area for any additional spot fires that may pop up. The fire is backing down Ironside Mountain to the New River and fire managers are trying to keep it from crossing the river and moving toward Hawkins Bar and Trinity Village. Heavy equipment operators will continue work on a dozer line along Hoboken Ridge west of the New River in the event the fire does cross the river and residents in Trinity Village may see fire personnel in the area assessing structures as they develop a plan to protect the community if needed.
Firefighters are still wrestling with a chunk of fireline aound Knowles Gulch east of Pattison Ridge in what has been dubbed the “Haypress Triangle.” The fire is pushing to the west just below the ridge and firefighters are using small, tactical firing operations to square up fire growth and create direct containment line. Work will continue on a dozer line on Pattison Ridge and along Judd Creek on the south side of the fire east and northeast of Hayfork. A dozer is also being used to build control lines around the Bar 717 Ranch east of Hyampom.

On the northeast side of the fire, crews will continue cutting brush and dead trees along East Fork Road toward Hobo Gulch Campground and along a dozer line in the Canyon Creek area they prep the road and dozer line as potential control lines should the fire cross the North Fork Trinity River toward Weaverville.

Helicopters were able to get in the air Saturday afternoon and dropped almost 150,000 gallons of water on the fire backing down Ironside Mountain, the two hot spots in Bell Flat and the fire in Haypress Triangle. Helicopters will be used again to cool hot spots and conduct reconnaissance flights, weather permitting.

The Alaska IMT and CAL FIRE IMT 5 are coordinating with the Trinity County Sheriff daily to evaluate evacuation levels with firefighter and public safety the highest priority. Fire managers are doing everything possible to get residents back into their homes as quickly as possible.

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

Stats:

1,715 personnel, 23 hand crews, 135 engines, 13 helicopters, 50 dozers, 46 water tenders, 19 skidgines, 2 excavators.

Compelling Images:

The Plan:

https://www.facebook.com/ShastaTrinityNF/posts/3056796771219028

The Weather:  

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

Widespread, more persistent smoke is expected today with weaker, mainly terrain-driven winds. Temperatures will trend warmer with lower minimum humidities. The strongest west/northwest winds will develop in the mid- to late-afternoon, then quickly relax after sunset and become down-canyon by midnight as smoke once again blankets the area. Mild thermal belts will continue with moderate humidity recovery overnight in drainages and poor recovery overnight on ridges under light, late-night east winds.

The Roads:

This morning, Caltrans QuickMap and the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page report that the western edge of the closure on Hwy 299 moved further west to Pony Creek Road and the eastern closure is still 2.1 mi west of Weaverville.

The Maps:

• Operations Map –click on the map and download a pdf.OPS_OVERVIEW_ArchE_Land20210821_2159_Monument_CASHF001187_0822_day
• 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:

• Virtual Public Meeting:To view a recording of last night’s virtual public meeting, go to the Shasta Trinity National Forest or CAL FIRE IMT 5 Facebook pages or youtube.com//watch?v=5ef7etA_epU.
• 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
• Monument Fire Grows About 6000 Acres; With the Wind Changing, the Fire Is Expected to Move to the West Today
• Two Spot Fires From the Monument Fire Jumped the New River This Evening
• Monument Fire Claws It’s Way West But Firefighters Up Containment in Other Areas of This Massive Beast