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 social media.  More details will be available on Thursday.

Fuels on the Happy Camp Complex have started to dry, and fire behavior is picking up, primarily on the west side of the complex. Today, 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. The Malone fire continues to grow due to burning fuels rolling downhill from Titus Ridge and igniting vegetation below. It does have indirect dozer line around it.

Firefighters are going direct on the fire’s edge when possible but have been hampered by steep terrain and the potential of fire igniting below and burning back up toward them. Like the Malone, the Ufish fire is in terrain difficult to access. Crews have been unable to attack the Ufish directly at the fire’s edge. On the Elliott fire, crews continue to use existing forest roads, Dillion Creek and Hwy 96 to encompass the active fire area.

Minimal fire behavior has been observed on the Head fire, the largest fire in the complex. Hand crews and dozers are making steady progress on all flanks of the fire.

Direct and indirect fire lines are being constructed on the Gold and Scott fires. On the Lake fire, a hand line has been constructed on the north end, but fire crews are being challenged by difficult terrain on the south flank.

Work has gone well on the Den and Townsend fires, and staffing will be decreased tomorrow. Resources will be shifted to higher priorities in the complex.

WEATHER: Increased atmospheric instability will increase the chance of dry thunderstorms with strong outflow gusts on Thursday in the late afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service in Medford has declared a Red Flag Warning beginning Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and continuing through Friday at 8:00 a.m.

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/

• Fire Information:
• Public Phone: (530) 330-5441
• Media Phone: (530) 330-5452
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily
• Email: 2023.happycampcomplex@firenet.gov
• Incident Website: inciweb.wildfire.gov