[UPDATE 10:34 p.m.] Smokejumpers Ordered to Remote Trinity County Fire Burning Near South Fork Mountain
Helicopter at the scene of a fire in a remote area of Trinity CO. [Image from ALERTCalifornia]
A load of smokejumpers was ordered to the incident, and Cal Fire Copter 611 was dispatched to assist. An ALERTCalifornia camera image from the Limedyke camera around 6 p.m. showed a Cal Fire helicopter flying near a visible column of smoke rising from the forested slope.
According to Watch Duty, resources had reached what was estimated to be a 3- to 5-acre vegetation fire with a slow rate of spread. The fire was reported burning on the lower quarter slope on the east side of the South Fork of the Trinity River. A dozer was reportedly en route, though access to the area remained challenging.
No structures were reported threatened Thursday evening.
This story is developing, and information may change as additional details become available.
UPDATE 10:34 p.m.: Press release from Shasta-Trinity National Forest:
Forest Service firefighters are actively engaged in a new fire near Limedyke Mountain in Trinity County Thursday evening.
Firefighters are aggressively fighting the Limedyke Fire, in the South Fork of the Trinity River drainage between the Limedyke Mountain lookout and McClellan Place. Six smokejumpers have been deployed and are on the ground, hiking through rugged, steep terrain to reach the fire. Aerial resources are on the scene, actively making water drops on the fire. The Forest Service is employing a full-suppression strategy on this fire. Firefighters will be working through the night.
The fire, currently estimated to be 3 to 5 acres with a moderate rate of spread, is burning in timber, brush and snags. In addition to the resources now actively engaged, more aerial and ground-based resources are being ordered. CAL FIRE’s Kneeland Helitack is assisting in the response.
We’d like to remind the public to stay away from areas where firefighters are conducting operations, and to do their part in preventing new fires. Be sure you’re not dragging chains behind your vehicle and keep your tires properly inflated. Be sure to put out any campfires and never leave a campfire unattended.
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Tons of lightning strikes out there awhile back.
Festus with all those lightning strikes have you heard of any more fires that have been started?
Sounds like the cal fire helitack crew and USFS smoke jumpers are on their own for a while!
You bet there on their own for a while. It is a hot and dangerous job, but these guys will go feet first and start working a soon as they hit the ground. I pray this fire season will not bring any serious injuries or deaths to our brave men and women from Cal Fire or any volunteer firefighters.
“A dozer was reportedly en route, though access to the area remained challenging.” That’ll take some bxlls!
Yout obviously are not familiar with that area
Our woods are dark and deep…and can kill while eating a sandwich.
Have they not learned that full suppression is not the way to go?
The Trump administration changed all Federal firefighting to full suppression no matter where. No more letting fire clean up landscapes.
Yeah… let’s clean up landscapes !
Right on Bozo. Thanks for the picture of what these recent “managed fires” have done to the landscapes of Northern California
They hit it hard this morning, it’s done.
This would have been a great opportunity for “good fire”. Every acre will burn eventually. You can burn on your own terms at a good time of year (like now), or you can run for your life on a strong hot easterly wind in August. This choice should be ours as a community (yes I live in the South Fork). This “put it all out immediately” strategy simply hasn’t worked so why keep doing it?
the let it burn isn’t working at all! We just drive through the millions of torched acres burned in the many recent fires