Single Publication

River Complex Fire Update
Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Etna, CA — Favorable weather, higher humidity and smoky conditions will result in moderate fire behavior over the River Complex today. The Cronan Fire currently has fireline around the entire perimeter and crews continue to monitor and patrol for hot rolling material across Sawyers Bar road and spots across the 21 Road on the western edge of the fire.  Growth in the Haypress Fire was observed in the Coffee Creek drainage north of Coffee Creek in the Hickory and Deacon drainages. The spot fire southeast of the Haypress is estimated at 300-acres and most actively burning on the southeastern flank as it backs into Swift Creek and Parker Creek. Fire crews will continue to control fire intensity using firing operations strategically to limit the overall fire growth.

Weather:  Smoke will again determine fire weather conditions across the fire area Tuesday. Smoke may linger in the steeper drainages into the afternoon, although some thinning at ridgetops and pockets of clearing are possible Tuesday afternoon across the River Complex. Areas with less smoke can expect elevated fire weather conditions, and those areas with thicker smoke will see moderate fire weather. The upper-level smoke will continue to drift off to the east and northeast during the day Tuesday.

Today:  

• Continued assessment of fires and fire locations.  Continue point protection of values at risk.
• Scout, perform structure triage assessments, and build contingency lines on private timber stands in the Trinity Center, and Hwy-3 corridor.
• Continued implementation of structure defense plans throughout the day in fire-threatened areas.
• Continue mop-up and patrol of existing control lines, monitor for spot fires and slop-overs on all River Complex fires.  Construct and improve fire lines in all divisions where conditions allow, and personnel and equipment are available.
• Continue direct and indirect line construction and firing operations on the north side of the Summer and the south side of the Haypress to keep the fire from moving towards communities.
• Conduct firing operations where feasible to strengthen containment lines by removing available fuels. 

Fire Behavior:

Haypress:  On the Haypress fire, there are several places where the fire continues to grow towards the planned control lines. On the northern flank, the fire is backing down from the 'I Am Up Ridge' towards the planned control line of the east fork of the Salmon River. Dense, dry fuels combined with complex terrain are causing spotting issues for crews. The crews worked to contain several spot fires that ignited in this area between the river and the Cecilville/Callahan Road. The fire is well established on both sides of Upper Coffee Creek Road in the area of Three Sisters Gulch and will continue to progress north in Hickory and Deacon Creeks and back east towards Battle Creek. The Parker Meadow spot fire was estimated at 300-acres yesterday afternoon and will continue back down the ridge to the south into Swift Creek. 

Summer Fire: The Summer fire is holding on the control lines along the northern flanks. It continues to hold on the 16 road and along Sainte Claire Creek on the western perimeter. Growth on the Summer fire will be focused on the southwest portion which is backing through the 2006 Bake Oven fire in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. 

Cronan Fire:  Focus on the Cronan fire will be to secure and hold the control lines and the spot fires that occurred over the last several operational periods. 

Fire Statistics: Total complex 87,782 acres, 10% containment.  Haypress 60,705 acres.  Summer 21,167 acres. Cronan 5,873 acres.

Evacuations: 

Evacuation Order: Cecilville, Summerville, Petersburg, and Coffee Creek Road Past Sugar Pine Trailhead in Trinity County.

Evacuation Warning: Sawyers Bar, Coffee Creek, Trinity Center

For specific information regarding evacuations, please visit https://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/emergencyservices or https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES

An evacuation order means there is an immediate threat to life and is a lawful order to leave immediately.   An evacuation warning means there is a potential threat to life or property.  Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave now.

Road Closures: Trinity County has issued a hard closure of Coffee Creek Road at North Fork Trailhead west of Hwy 3. The Callahan-Cecilville Road is closed from approximately one mile west of the community of Callahan to Cecilville.  The Sawyers Bar Road is closed from Forks of Salmon to Forest Road 40N51. 

Forest Closures:  The following National Forests are under Emergency Forest Closure, effective from August 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. through September 6, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.: Klamath National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Plumas National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, and Lassen National Forest.

For more information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/

Resources:  667 Personnel • 14 Crews • 7 Helicopters • 39 Engines • 14 Dozers • 20 Water Tenders • 4 Masticators

Smoke Report:  https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/NorthernCalifornia