Single Publication

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 the Klamath National Forest Facebook page and YouTube (On YouTube, type in CIIMT5).

Today, there will be weather transitions over the Happy Camp Complex. This change is expected to lead to more active fire behavior. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for the area from 5:00 p.m. today through 8:00 a.m. Friday morning for thunderstorms and abundant lightning. The storms are expected to be dry, with less than a tenth of an inch of rain falling. The inversion will lift later this morning, and fire activity is expected to pick up on the west side. The east side will become more active later today as fuels continue to dry out.  

WEST SIDE OVERVIEW (ACRES/CONTAINMENT): Elliot (1,862 acres, 3%), Swillup (1,168 acres, 0%), Malone (276 acres, 7%), Ufish (945 acres, 0%)

Yesterday, the Canyon, Three Creeks, and Elliot fires burned together and will now be known as the Elliot fire. The Swillup, Ufish, and Malone fires remained active through the afternoon.

Last night, crews executed two tactical firing operations. The first to tie the Elliot fire into Highway 96 by removing fuels between the fire’s edge and the highway. The second operation tied the north end of the Swillup fire to the 24 Road. Today, crews will focus on mopping up and holding the line along the roads. On the Elliot fire’s south end, firefighters will work to keep the fire from crossing Dillon Creek.

EAST SIDE OVERVIEW (ACRES/CONTAINMENT): Head (6,489 acres, 13%), Block (0.1 acres, 100%), Townsend (81 acres, 100%), Den (294 acres, 95%), Gold (968 acres, 60%), Scott (352 acres, 45%), Lake (174 acres, 5%)

The east side of the complex exhibited smoldering fire behavior overnight. Fuels are still holding moisture following the rains but are expected to dry out as relative humidity drops today. Crews and dozers have been constructing fire line directly on the fire’s edge along all fires on the east side of the complex. Conditions have allowed crews to achieve high containment levels on the Townsend, Den, and Block fires. Many of the firefighting resources from these fires have been moved to higher-priority fires in the complex.

Today, firefighters will continue to build direct lines on all the fires on the east side of the complex. Containment is increasing as they move forward. Additional resources have been moved to the Head fire from lower-priority fires in the complex. A hose lay has been installed across the top of the Gold fire to strengthen the hand line and assist with mop-up.

EVACUATIONS: View current Siskiyou County evacuation orders, warnings by visiting: community.zonehaven.com. Siskiyou County residents are encouraged to sign up for rapid emergency notifications using the CodeRED emergency alert system. https://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/emergencyservices/page/codered-emergency-alert

An evacuation center has been established at the Kahtishraam Wellness Center, 1403 Kahtishraam, Yreka, CA 95097. Call (530) 340-3539 if you have questions regarding the shelter.

ROAD CLOSURES: Highway 96 is closed from Seiad Creek Road to two miles east of Horse Creek.  Scott River Road is closed at Kelsey Creek Road. Fire and debris flow will continue to impact the Highway 96 corridor. Please check the Cal Trans website before traveling in the area, quickmap.dot.ca.gov.  County Road closures will be listed on the Siskiyou County Public Works website: https://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/publicworks/page/closures-and-delays. If you are traveling and encounter mud or debris flow across the roadway, do not attempt to cross over the flow. Vehicles can easily be swept off the roadway.

FOREST CLOSURE: Two closure orders have been implemented: Happy Camp Complex Emergency Fire Closure, No.05-05-23-06; Happy Camp Complex Emergency Fire Closure, No. 05-05-23-07. Please refer to https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices to view the orders and maps.

TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTION (TFR): A TFR has been established over the fire area. Flight restrictions include the use of drones. The operation of drones under the TFR is prohibited.

PACIFIC CREST TRAIL: The Pacific Crest Trail has been impacted by the Happy Camp Complex and a portion of the trail is within an Emergency Closure Order on the Klamath National Forest. The trail is closed between Etna Summit and the Oregon border.

AIR QUALITY: For information regarding smoke impacts and what you can do to protect yourself, visit: https://www.airnow.gov/