Lightning Sparks Wildfires in Northern California; More Thunderstorms Possible

Lightning near Orick on July 1. [Photo by Danessa Secor]

In the Klamath National Forest, three fires have been confirmed so far. Two are located on the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll District:

• The Muck Fire, burning northeast of Tom Martin Peak and about three miles west of Scott Bar, is estimated at ¼ to ½ acre and spreading moderately.
• The Trap Fire, situated in the Beaver Creek drainage north of Buckhorn Lookout, remains under assessment as firefighters continue to access the area.
• A third blaze, the Big Cliff Fire, is burning on the Salmon/Scott River District roughly three miles south-southeast of Idlewild Campground. Crews estimate it at about three acres.

Firefighters from the Orleans Complex and CAL FIRE’s Siskiyou Unit are assisting efforts, with additional smokes under investigation and an early morning reconnaissance flight scheduled for Thursday.

Meanwhile, on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, two new fires were reported Wednesday:

• The Ski Fire, located southeast of Red Butte near Mount Shasta, is at 0.1 acre.
• The Squirrel Fire, 0.1 acre in size, is burning northeast of Trinity Center and south of Coffee Creek.

These incidents follow a string of 12 other fires in the region between July 25 and 27. Crews are in full-suppression mode and urge the public to steer clear of active fire zones for everyone’s safety.

The National Weather Service warns that the storm threat is not over. According to a graphic issued by the NWS Medford office (see above), elevated lightning risk continues Thursday and Friday across much of the most northern parts of western California and Southern Oregon, including areas near Yreka, Happy Camp, and Mount Shasta. Affected regions could see cloud-to-ground lightning, small hail, heavy rain, and gusty outflow winds up to 40 mph.

“When thunder roars, go indoors!” the NWS urges, recommending that those with outdoor plans have a backup strategy and avoid exposed areas such as mountain summits and large open fields during storms.

Fire officials caution that some fires may not become visible for hours or even days after a strike, and monitoring will continue as the region braces for more weather activity.