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Mendocino National Forest’s fire personnel have cancelled the interagency prescribed burn at the Red Bluff Recreation Area planned for this week due to resource availability. After increased fire activity during red flag weather conditions, fire resources are committed to supporting suppression efforts in the region.

WILLOWS, Calif., June 13, 2024 – Fire personnel with the Mendocino National Forest’s Grindstone Ranger District are planning an interagency prescribed burn at the Red Bluff Recreation Area on June 20-21, pending favorable weather conditions. Firefighters will attempt up to 400 acres of understory burning to reduce nonnative starthistle. The location of the recreation area is south of Hwy 36 and east of I-5 and within the Red Bluff city limits.

After last week’s storms delayed planned ignitions, firefighters will again be attempting to burn up to 194 acres of machine piles this week. Ignitions are planned for Tuesday morning, pending favorable conditions. Units are located on Goat Mountain off the M5 Road on the Grindstone Ranger District.Also this week, Upper Lake Ranger District firefighters plan to burn up to 55 acres of handpiles in the Westshore project. Ignitions are planned Wednesday and Thursday, pending favorable conditions. Units are located on 19N81 Rd, off of Sanhedrin Rd.

This week firefighters on the Grindstone Ranger District are potentially burning up to 194 acres of machine piles, located on Goat Mountain off the M5 Road. Ignitions will begin Wednesday morning, pending favorable conditions. The objective of this prescribed burn is to clean up dead and down to reduce fuels in the Ranch Fire footprint. The district has plans to replant the area this spring, and cleaning up fuels will help create a safer area for replanting. On the Upper Lake District, crews continue to patrol burn units from last week’s burning along M1 Road. 

On Mar. 20-21 firefighters completed 47 acres of pile burning along the M1 Road. The units are still producing light smoke and heat in the interior, but there is no threat to the containment lines. As of this morning’s report, the burn piles were receiving precipitation, and the ground is wet. No additional ignitions are planned for today, and the units will remain in patrol status over the weekend and into next week. Low-intensity prescribed fires like this mimic the role of fire in the natural environment and help to reduce the hazardous build-up of fuels. 

This week firefighters on the Upper Lake Ranger District are planning to burn 100 acres of machine piles, located at Pine Mountain and M1 Road. Ignitions will begin Wednesday morning and continue potentially through Friday, pending favorable conditions.Firefighters from Covelo Ranger District as well as the Northshore Fire Department’s Hogback Ridge crew will be assisting on the burn. Weather conditions look favorable this week with precipitation coming in Friday and through the weekend. 

Today fire personnel on the Grindstone Ranger District are planning ignitions on approximately 4 acres of piles in the Red Bluff Recreation Area.

Firefighters are taking advantage of burn windows today and tomorrow ahead of moderate-heavy precipitation forecasted for Wednesday-Friday. Today fire personnel on the Grindstone Ranger District are planning ignitions on approximately 196 acres of machine piles in the M5 Hazard Tree Abatement project and another 199 acres in the Mill Brushing project along Trough Ridge. 

On Jan. 17, the Grindstone Ranger District completed 10 acres of pile burning on the Whiskey Ridge Fuel Break, located off the M4 Road near County Rd. 55.Also, this week fuels crews on the Upper Lake Ranger District are burning hand piles at the Westshore units. Next week fuels staff may burn machine piles located at Pine Mountain and M1 Road, with potential to burn 100-150 acres of piles. 

Tomorrow, Dec. 6, Grindstone District fire personnel are planning to burn approximately 40 acres of machine piles at Letts Lake Campground, pending favorable conditions. Burn units in the Westshore project remain in patrol status. No new ignitions are planned for the Upper Lake/Covelo District.To date, Mendocino National Forest has completed nearly 1,000 acres of prescribed burning this fall season.