Monument Fire Mostly Calm After Weekend Rain; Hot and Dry Weather Returning

Tired hotshot on the Monument Fire [All photos by Zacharie Fansler]

The Monument Fire is approximately 218,666 acres (+209) and 54 (+1) percent contained.

Yesterday afternoon crews in the southern part of the fire were met with easterly gusting winds up to 25 miles per hour. Despite unfavorable conditions another ½ mile on containment line was constructed near the Butter Creek Meadows area. Mop up and snagging operations continued from Butter Creek Meadows through Hyampom Road and up to Miner’s Creek. Work to reopen the road to the Burnt Ranch School’s communications tower has been completed. Mop up continued near Deny Road and along the dozer and hand lines to Trinity River. Helicopter water drops were used on the northeast side of the fire to contain areas of active fire. Crews continued to improve Hobo Gulch Road up to Hobo Campground. On the east side of the fire dozers and hand crews worked to enforce contingency lines.

Overnight, snag removal, mop up and patrol work continued.

Today’s operations will continue to concentrate on mop up and felling of hazard trees. Creation of direct line is planned from Hobo Gulch Road to the North Fork and strengthening of the contingency line from Hobo Gulch Road to East Fork and down to Helena Dip. Structure protection will continue in Trinity Village.

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

Compelling Images:

Stats:

1,213 personnel, 22 hand crews, 89 engines, 7 helicopters, 15 dozers, 8 water tenders, 14 masticators, 3 excavators

The Plan:

The Weather:  

According to InciWeb,

Warmer and drier weather will continue over the fire today. Winds will turn back to the southwest and relative humidities will be lower. As fuels continue to dry out from this weekend’s rain showers, fire behavior is expected to increase.

The Roads:

• Hwy 299 Schedule

According to InciWeb,

• Denny Road is closed at the intersection of Ziegler Point Road.
• Hyampom Road is closed between Grassy Flats and James Creek.
• Forest Service Road 3N08 northwest to Oakridge is closed.
• Tule Creek Road at Jesse Road is closed to everyone except those with proof of residency.
• Big Creek Road, Soldier Creek Road, Barker Valley Road, Barker Creek Road, and Carr Creek Road are closed.
• Big French Creek Road and Big Mountain Road are closed.
• A segment of State Route 299 between mile post 7.4 (near Burnt Ranch at Berg Road) and mile post 36.3 (just west of Helena) is open to through traffic and residents on the following schedule: Monday through Sunday, from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M., an escort vehicle leads traffic through the closure every 30 – 45 minutes. Overnight, from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M., the road is open to the public.

Evacuation and Help Information Including Community Meetings:

•  The next Monument Fire public meeting will be face-to-face at 1 P.M., today, Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at the Hawkins Bar Volunteer Fire Department Station, 71 Trinity Court, Burnt Ranch, CA 95527. The meeting will be outdoors with speakers from the Six Rivers National Forest, Shasta- Trinity National Forest and the Incident Management Team. There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the speakers’ portion of the meeting.On Wednesday, September 22 there will be two face-to-face community meetings. The first will be at the Hyampom Volunteer Fire Department in Hyampom at 11 A.M. The second will be in Hayfork at Hayfork Park off of Highway 3 at 3 P.M. The format will be similar to today’s meeting at Trinity Village.
• Evacuation Centers are at
  • The American Red Cross has a shelter for #DixieFire and #MonumentFire evacuees at Shasta College, 1155 Old Oregon Trail, Building 1900, #Redding, CA.
  • McKinleyville Seventh Day Adventist, 1200 Central Avenue, McKinleyville
  • Fireman’s Hall Pavilion, 9 Park Street, Fortuna
  • 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.”

• 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. 
  • Redding Rodeo Grounds (large animal) 715 Auditorium Drive Redding, CA
  • Trinity County Animal Shelter, 563 Mountain View St, Weaverville, CA
  • Warehouse (small animal) 145 Locust Street Redding, CA

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
• Monument Fire Grew Another 2000 Acres in the Last Day, Containment Remains at 16%
• Monument Fire Containment Increases to 20% After Another Day of Heavy Smoke Suffocating the Flames
• Monument Fire Tops 150,000 Acres, Pushes Towards Being in the Top Twenty Largest Wildfires in California History
• Big Flat, Big Bar and Del Loma Reduced to an Evacuation Warning
• Junction City Reduced to an Evacuation Warning
• Burnt Ranch Reduced to an Evacuation Warning on the Monument Fire
• The Monument Fire Active North of Hayfork Tonight
• 50 Structures Destroyed on the Monument Fire
• Monument Fire Swallows Another 2200 Acres; Firefighters Face Challenging Conditions Today
• Monument Fire Likely to Reach Top Twenty Largest Fires in California Over the Weekend
• Monument Fire Became the Twentieth Largest Fire in California History Yesterday; Shows No Signs of Stopping Soon
• Monument Fire Active Today (Evening Update)
• Hyampom Road Closed After Monument Fire Makes New Push
• UPDATED Evacuation Orders Along Hyampom Road
• Three of the Top Twenty Largest Fires Ever in California History Burning Now, Monument Fire in Trinity County Now the 18th on the List
• As Monument Fire Continues to Push South, Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Issues Evacuation Orders and Warnings for the Hayfork Area
• Red Flag Warning on the Monument Fire Tomorrow; Spot Fire Jumps Hyampom Road
• The Monument Fire Throws Spot Across Hyampom Road; It’s Now 300 Acres
• Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Issues New Evacuation Orders as Monument Fire Pushes Hard to the South
• With Wind Gusts of Up to 45 MPR in Areas, the Monument Fire Advanced Aggressively Today
• Firefighters Face Another Hot, Dry, Windy Day on the Monument Fire After Flames Conquered Large Areas Yesterday
• Trinity County Sheriff’s Department Issues New Evacuation Order for Hayfork Area
• The Monument Fire Blew Through Nearly 13,000 More Acres Today
• The Monument Fire Expected to Push to the North and Southwest as Temperatures Heat Up and Fuels Dry Further