Single Publication

Fire Update

2023 SRF Lightning Complex & Redwood Lightning Complex

Friday, September 15, 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 Notes: Having completed our 14-day assignment on the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex and Redwood Lightning Complex, the Rocky Mountain CIMT1 will transfer command of the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex to the Eastern Area Type 2 Gold Team at 7:00 am Saturday morning. The contained Redwood Lightning Complex will be transferred back to the Redwood National and State Parks at that time. The Rocky Mountain team is grateful for the hospitality and cooperation of local communities, agencies, and the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa Tribes during our stay here.

This update covers 8 of the 20 fires being managed as part of the Complexes. The remaining 12 fires are listed in the accompanying Complex Overview. Those fires, totaling 2,486 acres, are contained and in patrol status. They are checked daily, and their size and containment are unlikely to change.

Current Situation: The 20 fires in this incident total 21,270 acres and overall containment is 16%. The 8 uncontained fires described below total 18,784 acres. These fires are all in Six Rivers National Forest. In total, 948 personnel are assigned to the incident.

Fire, weather, and fuels conditions on the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex continue to be favorable for using strategic firing operations to accomplish fire suppression objectives and protect communities, cultural resources, and other values. Strategic firing under current conditions is proving successful in cleaning up accumulated excess fuels on the forest floor with low intensity understory burns showing 2 to 4 foot flame lengths. Firing is progressing at a methodical pace that permits monitoring of effectiveness and making adjustments as needed. Engines are being deployed at night in locations where firing has occurred to guard against any unexpected fire behavior.

Pearch Fire (5927 acres, 9% contained) – Crews continue to patrol completed firelines and mop up and secure the fire perimeter on the south and west sides of the fire. Structure Groups are present on the fire during both day and night shifts in the event they are needed. Yesterday, the Structure Group conducted point protection drills as training to ensure they are ready if called upon. No firing occurred on the Pearch fire again yesterday as the Firing Group focuses on Bluff #1 and Mosquito Fires at this time. An area of active fire continues to back downslope into the Butler Creek and a portion of Somes Creek drainages on the northeastern side of the fire, well within indirect control lines. No fire movement occurred on the north side of the fire nearest Somes Bar. A night shift of engines continues to work the Pearch Fire. Today’s activities will be similar to yesterday’s.

Bluff #1 (2544 acres, 16% contained) and Mosquito (3196 acres, 15% contained) Fires – Strategic firing operations continued on these fires yesterday using the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS or drone)  and hand ignition. Helicopters were not used due to smokey conditions. Fuels on the south end of Bluff #1 Fire were cleaned up with firing by the UAS. Crews conducted hand ignition along the Bluff Creek Road north of the fire to widen control lines in preparation for future aerial firing.

On the Mosquito Fire, crews extended the hand ignition along Cedar Camp Road further to the north as the UAS was concurrently used to ignite fuels along a ridgetop west of the road.

Crews were held on the fires later in the evening to evaluate the success of the firing operations and ensure the fires remained where intended. A night shift of engines remained on the fires throughout the nighttime hours. Firing operations will continue near Bluff #1 and Mosquito Fires today, conditions permitting. Hand firing will continue to progress northward along Bluff Creek Road and Cedar Camp Road, and aerial firing will fill in the terrain between the two.

Blue Creek #2 (3888 acres, 0% contained), Marlow (1673 acres, 0% contained), and Copper (1471 acres, 0% contained) Fires – These fires are bounded by indirect control lines to the east and south and prior fire footprints where fuels are lighter. Fire growth over many days has been moderate, and no values are currently threatened. Blue Creek #2 and Copper Fires have now burned together, which was expected. Yesterday, an 8-person Wildland Fire Module was inserted into the fire area to assess conditions on the ground. Masticators are continuing brush removal work along the Nickowitz Road to open access to the south end of the fires.  Fire managers from the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex are coordinating daily with fire managers on the Happy Camp Complex due to the proximity of the Elliot Fire (part of Happy Camp Complex).

Monument (2 acres, 0% contained) and Let er-Buck (82 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 very little fire growth has been observed.

Weather: Hot and dry conditions will continue today as strong ridging remains overhead. Winds will be mostly terrain driven with light NE downslope winds at night and W winds in the afternoons. Up-canyon winds 10-15 mph will develop this afternoon and evening in larger valleys. Highs will be in the mid to upper 90s in the valleys and mid 80s on ridges. Onshore flow developing Saturday will cool temperatures 3-5 degrees.

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

NOTE: For information about the Elliot or Hancock Fires which are part of the

Happy Camp Complex, please visit https://linktr.ee/happycampcomplex2023 .