Incidents All News

An increase in fire activity indicated today that the fuels around the Happy Camp Complex are drying out. The temperature rose, and relative humidity dropped as the inversion lifted. Fire behavior transitioned from surface fire to single and multiple trees igniting. The Elliot, Ufish, and Swillup fires experienced short-range spotting and rolling material, which was the primary growth mechanism. Tonight, crews are watching these fires closely and will use tactical firing when necessary to protect the values at risk.

Community Meeting: A community meeting will be held in Fort Jones on Thursday, August 24, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be at the Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, 9040 Sniktaw Lane. The meeting will be live-streamed on social media.  More details will be available on Thursday.

Fire crews have been taking advantage of the recent changes in the weather and are making good progress on the Happy Camp Complex. Overnight relative humidity recovered to 80-90%, and fire behavior was minimal. The wet conditions have allowed firefighters to construct fire line directly on the edge of most of the fires in the complex.

A community meeting will be held at 5:30 this evening at the Gail Zink Memorial Park in Happy Camp. *Please note: a new phone line has been established for media inquiries.

Today, firefighters moved in on the fires of the Happy Camp Complex. As predicted, fire behavior was significantly calmer than in previous operational periods. Up to 2 ½ inches of rain was received over portions of the Head Fire last night, making vegetation much less receptive to fire. The damp conditions provided an opportunity to go directly onto the fire’s edge on most of the 13 fires burning in the complex.

The Happy Camp Complex is comprised of 13 fires all burning on the Klamath National Forest over a large portion of Siskiyou County. The west side of the complex includes the Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot, Ufish, and Malone Fires. Additionally, the incident management team assumed command of the Swillup Fire this morning at 6 a.m. The Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot and Swillup are burning on the west side of Highway 96. Firefighters worked on prepping the structures along Highway 96 today.

The Happy Camp Complex is comprised of 13 fires all burning on the Klamath National Forest over a large portion of Siskiyou County. The west side of the complex includes the Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot, Ufish, and Malone Fires. Additionally, the incident management team assumed command of the Swillup Fire this morning at 6 a.m. The Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot and Swillup are burning on the west side of Highway 96.

The Happy Camp Complex is comprised of 12 fires all burning on the Klamath National Forest over a large portion of Siskiyou County. The west side of the complex includes the Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot, Ufish, and Malone Fires. The Canyon, Three Creeks, and Elliot are burning on the west side of Highway 96. Firefighters are focused on keeping the fires west of the highway and protecting structures along the corridor.

CURRENT SITUATION Outflow winds from thunderstorms early in the shift brought very active fire behavior into the overnight burn period. Consistent fire spread was observed in all fuel types. Overnight fire growth was further accentuated by the steep, complex terrain.

CURRENT SITUATION