Hill Fire Now 53% Contained

Crews utilize Forest Route 1 as control line while battling Hill Fire on the west flank of the fire on July 19. [Image from InciWeb by Harold Reed]

Press release from Hill Fire Incident Command:

Yesterday, firefighters continued to mop up and patrol the perimeter of the fire. Personnel identified some isolated hotspots in the Spike Buck Mountain, Buck Creek, and Mosquito Creek portions of the fire. Crews continue to mop up the Sugar Loaf Mountain Spot Fire, with limited hotspots remaining. The spot fires located to the northwest of the main fire have been completely mopped up and are now fully contained. All hotspots are well interior and the fire continues to remain within containment lines. The improved weather conditions will remain, helping mop up efforts as crews continue to patrol the fire perimeter.

Suppression repair efforts began yesterday. These operations will progress through the coming days utilizing hand crews and heavy equipment, under the guidance of resource advisors. The improved weather conditions will help in supporting the recovery operations.

Personnel continue to face hazards within the fire perimeter. These hazards include steep terrain and fire weakened trees. Smoke may still be visible as some of the heavier fuels continue to burn well within the fire containment lines.

WEATHER:
A cutoff shortwave trough passing over the area today will create a complex but generally moderate fire weather environment. Southeast wind in the morning will generally enhance the surface inversion and delay afternoon sea breeze, similar to how it did Friday. That said, cool marine air easing into the area will continue to gradually decrease temperatures and increase RH, especially in the afternoon. Winds will generally be terrain influenced, with gusts generally below 15mph. Marine influence will only increase Sunday, with slightly better smoke mixing.

ECLOSURES:
Forest Closure Order currently in effect for the area impacted by the Hill Fire. It is temporarily prohibited to be on any national forest system land, trail, or road within the closure area. To view the closure order and map of closure area visit the following link www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1191963.pdf.
Road closures are currently in place on Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Service Route 6N06, Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Route 5N01 and Friday Fridge Rd. at Forest Route 5N04. For updated road closure information, visit protect.genasys.com or humboldtsheriff.org/emergency.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS:
Forest fire restrictions also went into effect on July 12th. Campfires and stove fires are restricted to those developed areas listed in the forest order located at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1188610.pdf. Smoking, welding, and operating an internal combustion engine also have restrictions in place.

EVACUATIONS:
Humboldt County: Evacuation order and warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit https://www.facebook.com/HumboldtSheriff and https://humboldtgov.org/2383/Current-Emergencies.

Conditions are subject to change at any time, visit https://protect.genasys.com/search for a full zone description. Sign up for Humboldt Alert emergency notifications at https://humboldtgov.org/2014/Emergency-Notifications Trinity County: Evacuation warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064589806351 and https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES

Total Resources: 1351 personnel, 36 Crews, 81 Engines, 22 Heavy Equipment, 9 Helicopters

Earlier:

• Lightning Activity Starts Fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• At Least 50 Lightning Strikes in the Six Rivers National Forest Cause Multiple Fires
• Evacuations as the Hill Fire South of Willow Creek Grows
• Hill Fire in Humboldt County Jumps to 3,437 Acres, 0% Containment
• Extreme Fire Behavior Possible on the Hill Fire Today Due to Weather Conditions
• Hill Fire Grows to about 4600 Acres, Still 0% Containment
• Pyrocumulus Cloud Forming Over the Hill Fire Early Today
• Firefighters Still Have 0% Containment on the Hill Fire Burning South of Willow Creek
• New Evacuations in Place as Hill Fire Continues to Grow
• Brand New Evacuation Orders and Warnings Issued This Afternoon on the Hill Fire
• Hill Fire Grows to 5,563 Acres with 4% Containment
• Hill Fire Barely Grew Yesterday as Firefighters Slowly Corral It
• Hill Fire: Hotter, Drier Weather Could Be Problematic Today
• Heavy Winds Caused Spotting on the Hill Fire Yesterday
• Containment on the Hill Fire Burning South of Willow Creek Continues to Grow
• Containment on the Hill Fire in Humboldt County Continues to Grow