Single Publication

Acres: 86,748

Containment: 21 percent

Cause: lightning

Start Date: Aug 15, 2023

Resources: 35 crews, 75 engines, 10 helicopters, 3 drones, 14 dozers, 16 masticators,

2 skid steers, 27 water tenders

Total Personnel: 1,773

CURRENT SITUATION: Monday’s cool, humid weather was not conducive for firing operations in most places around the fire. However, crews did finish a low-intensity burn around the Coon Creek Bridge on the Kelly Fire’s southwest side. On the southeast side, a shaded-fuel-break project began Monday on a previously constructed hand line on Table Mountain. A shaded fuel break is less impactful on the landscape than a traditional fuel break. Rubber-tired mechanized equipment—a forestry harvester, forwarder, and feller buncher—is used to minimize disturbance to brush, plants, and the forest floor. Equipment operators will be limbing trees and selectively removing some dead or mature trees to open the forest canopy that has grown too thick and close together. The purpose of such a fireline is to reduce the ability of fire to move from the ground into the crowns of trees and increase the likelihood that firefighters could successfully stop an advancing fire. Firefighters do not anticipate conducting firing operations from this shaded fuel break. Rather, this fireline is part of the secondary, or backup, strategy. While it is unlikely that the fire will progress to the shaded fuel break, a good suppression plan considers and prepares for that eventuality.

An incident management team transition is underway today as Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 (SWAIMT2) prepares to transfer command of the fire to California Interagency IMT 4 on Wednesday at 7 a.m. SWAIMT2, under the leadership of Incident Commander Dave Bales, thanks the community for their support and patience during the team’s two weeks managing the suppression effort of the southern Smith River Complex.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER: Fire behavior and smoke production could be moderate on the west side of the Hurdy Gurdy Fire Tuesday but minimal on the Kelly Fire–South. Tuesday brings a return of seasonably warm, dry weather that will increase through the week. The residual effects of Monday’s cool, damp weather will hamper firing operations Tuesday.

CLOSURES: Highway 199 is open, but closures with little advanced notification are possible. Piloted traffic is reduced to one lane between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31). Delays can be excessively long as fire and construction crews are cutting and clearing hazard trees, removing hazardous rocks, replacing guardrails, and clearing debris from the roadway. Caltrans provides current highway conditions online (roads.dot.ca.gov) or by phone (800-427-7623).

Six Rivers National Forest lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites in the vicinity of the complex are closed (Forest Order No. 10-23-06). View the Order and closure map on the Forest’s website: tinyurl.com/4atens8c.

 AIR QUALITY: Smoke Outlooks with air quality and forecast information are available here: tinyurl.com/258mfms3.

EVACUATIONS: Five Del Norte County evacuation zones remain under either a Level 2 (Get Set) or Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation order. An interactive evacuation map is available here: tinyurl.com/yp3d99sr.

FIRE INFORMATION:     

Email: 2023.SmithRiverComplex@firenet.gov (South and North)

Phones: 707-383-9727 (South), 541-801-3495 (North)

Facebook: facebook.com/SixRiversNF