Single Publication

Fire Update

2023 SRF Lightning Complex & Redwood Lightning Complex

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 530-536-0767

Email: 2023.lightningcomplex@firenet.gov

Information Staffing Hours: 8 am to 8 pm

Special Note: This update covers 9 of the 19 fires currently being managed as part of the Complexes plus one recent initial attack fire. The remaining 10 fires are listed in the accompanying Complex Overview. Those fires, totaling 1,748 acres, are contained and in patrol status. They are checked daily, and their size and containment status are unlikely to change.

Current Situation: The 19 fires in this incident total 17,803 acres and overall containment is 21%. The nine uncontained fires described below total 16,055 acres. Hog 2 Fire and Lost Fire are in Redwood National and State Parks. All other fires described in this update are in Six Rivers National Forest. Fire managers have begun rightsizing staffing for current fire conditions. In total, 1,304 personnel are assigned to the incident. Very light smoke was reported from fires in the Complexes yesterday, but a warming, drying trend over the next few days may produce more smoke as fuels on the interior of the fires are consumed.

Hog 2 Fire (0.2 acres) – This fire, detected last Saturday in the southern end of the National Park, has been renamed due to a previous Hog Fire in the vicinity. It was an initial attack assisted by the Rocky Mountain team and is not an official part of the Complex. The fire is a lightning strike in a single cedar tree. The burning tree has been felled and the fire is lined and nearing full containment.

Lost Fire (740 acres, 68% contained) –Completed fireline surrounds this fire except for a steep, rocky section on the northwest corner that firefighters cannot safely be put into. Suppression repair work such as recontouring dozer lines is in progress. An unmanned aerial systems aircraft (UAS) is being used to search for remaining hotspots using infrared technology.

Pearch Fire (5130 acres, 8% contained) – The southern end of the fire in Divisions Z and J is contained, and crews continue to patrol and further secure these areas. Crews are targeting hotspots identified by aerial infrared imagery on the western side of the fire. No additional firing operations are planned on the fire at this time. The structure protection group continues structure assessments along the Salmon River corridor to the east of the fire in Division Y. The assessments will be compiled into a database that will be useful to local agencies in the event of any future emergencies. Hoses, sprinklers, and other structure equipment have been deployed in some locations as a preventative measure, and unneeded equipment is being backhauled. A night shift of engines continues to work the fire.

Bluff #1 (2049 acres, 26% contained) and Mosquito (2575 acres, 24% contained) Fires – Mastication and chipping on an indirect fireline north of Mosquito Fire is done. A dozer line along a portion of Bean Ridge has been cleaned up, and hand crews completed the line northeast to Highway 96. A combination of masticators, fallers, and hand crews is working to extend the line further north along the 13N13 Road. The east side of Mosquito Fire is contained by direct line along the Cedar Camp Road in Division M. An indirect line has been completed westward from the southeast corner of Mosquito Fire in Division M. Mastication has been completed along an indirect line that runs from north of Bluff #1 Fire, along the west side of that fire, and southward in Division N. Crews are working on connecting the south end of this line down into Bluff Creek and across to the line running west of Mosquito Fire with handline. This should take another 2 days to complete. Four chippers are working to remove slash from the masticated indirect lines north, west, and south of Bluff #1 Fire. Two of 15 miles of chipping have been completed. Work on these two fires, as well as others in the Complex, is being closely coordinated with tribal resource advisors.

Blue Creek #2 (3132 acres, 0% contained), Marlow (1542 acres, 0% contained), and Copper (809 acres, 0% contained) Fires – These fires are being patrolled by aerial resources as weather conditions allow. They are bounded by indirect control lines to the east and south, and significant movement of these fires is not expected.

Monument (2 acres, 0% contained) and Let er-Buck (75 acres, 0% contained)  Fires – Due to limited values at risk, the remote, steep terrain and associated safety concerns for our firefighters, and the low probability of success using standard suppression tactics, these fires are being addressed with a confinement strategy. Terrain, natural fire barriers such as rock outcroppings, and old fire footprints where fuels are limited will be used to confine fire growth until season ending precipitation extinguishes the fires. These fires are checked regularly by aerial patrols to ensure they remain within acceptable bounds, and little to no fire growth has been observed.

Weather: A warming, drying trend will continue this week with temperatures ranging from the 70s to 90s depending on elevation. Winds will be light from the west. No rain is forecast through the weekend as high pressure continues to build through early next week.

For information on Closures, Evacuations, and Alert Notifications please see the accompanying Complex Overview.

Fire Information Contacts

Phone: 530-536-0767 | Email: 2023.lightningcomplex@firenet.gov

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/casrf-2023-srf-lightning-complex

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2023SRFRedwoodLightning

Redwood National and State Parks Information Hotline: Phone: 707-464-6101

https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Hoopa Information Hotline: Phone: 530-618-2995 | Email: serene.oes@gmail.com

More Fire Information Links: www.linktr.ee/srffirepio

www.linktr.ee/srffitrpio