Humboldt-Del Norte Cal Fire Units Preposition in Sacramento Valley Ahead of Red Flag Warning

Cal Fire’s Humboldt-Del Norte Unit sent crews to the Sacramento Valley on Tuesday to preposition ahead of critical fire weather conditions, Battalion Chief Tran Beyea told Redheaded Blackbelt Wednesday.

A strike team, including a strike team leader and five engines, have been deployed to the valley in response to a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service.

The warning, in effect through late afternoon Thursday, June 11, covers the Northern Sacramento Valley and portions of the North Bay, with forecasters citing gusty north winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures as drivers of elevated fire risk. Wind gusts are expected to reach 30 to 40 mph in some areas, with relative humidity dropping to as low as 9 percent.

Prepositioning is a standard strategy that allows fire crews to stage in high-risk areas before fire weather conditions peak, reducing response time if a fire ignites.

The concern proved well-founded Wednesday. Crews in the valley were already engaged on the Putah Fire, an 869-acre blaze in Yolo County that started June 8 after a prescribed burn escaped control lines near Winters. As of Wednesday morning, the fire was 30 percent contained, with Highway 128 reopened after being closed earlier in the week. Evacuation warnings have been lifted, though advisories remain for some zones in the area.

New ignitions also emerged during the warning period. According to Watch Duty, a Pioneer Fire broke out near Woodland, holding at a quarter acre, while the Jefford Fire ignited near Cottonwood and had grown to 20 acres as of Wednesday afternoon. The Jefford Fire, burning in the area of Jefford Lane and View Drive southwest of Cottonwood in Tehama County, prompted a response from Cal Fire’s Tehama-Glenn Unit and the Tehama County Fire Department, with 97 personnel assigned including 18 engines, 9 hand crews, 4 water tenders, 3 dozers and 2 helicopters. The cause of both fires is under investigation.

The Red Flag Warning is expected to lift by late afternoon Thursday as winds ease.