CA National Forests Temporary Closure (includes Plumas NF)

VALLEJO, Calif., September 9, 2020 – Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing a temporary closure of an additional ten National Forests, meaning all eighteen National Forests in California are now closed. The closure of the additional ten forests will be effective at 5:00 pm today.  These additional forests include the Eldorado National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.  This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.

We had closed eight National Forests on Monday evening, Sept. 7, 2020. Explosive growth of fires throughout California during the day and late evening of Sept. 8th led to this updated decision.

“The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing across the State is historic," said Regional Forester Randy Moore. "These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely. I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires."

The Forest Service thanks our partners and the public for their cooperation and understanding of this monumental fire threat. It is critical that all Californians and national forest visitors follow these important closures and restrictions for their own safety and the safety of our firefighters. Citizens with specific questions within their area amy call their local forests for more information.

The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses over 20 million acres across California, and assists forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more  information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.
 
 

Current Situation

Winds tapered off this afternoon and shifted east. The next few days will see a shift in winds to a southwest flow more typical of this time of year. Warm and dry conditions are expected to continue. For specific smoke impacts to your area, visit www.airnow.gov.
 

Forest Closures

Plumas County
Plumas County residents who have shelter needs due to an evacuation please contact Plumas County Social Services at 530-283-6350. Due to the small amount of individuals who have expressed a shelter need we will be handling those needs requests as they come in for now. We will continually reassess. For animals in need of shelter, both large and small please contact Plumas County Animal Services at 530-283-3673. We have locations prepared for animals.

11:15 a.m.
A Mandatory Evacuation Order is in effect for Bucks LakeFrom Bucks Lake Rd (Highway 162) at the Plumas/Butte County Line east to Bucks Lake Road at Big Creek Road. This includes Bucklin Road from Mill Creek Campground south to Bucks Lake Road and, all residents, recreational reactional facilities, campgrounds in the Bucks Lake area. You should leave the area immediately! If you remain, emergency personnel may not be able to help you. If you have shelter needs please contact Plumas County Social Services at 530-283-6350.

11:00 a.m.
Plumas County
An Evacuation Advisory is in effect for:Meadow Valley: From Bucks Lake Road at Big Creek Road east to Snake Lake Road. andFeather River Canyon (HWY 70): From the Plumas/Butte County Line east to Belden, this includes the Community of Belden. Please make preparations to evacuate. If you have special needs, you may want to evacuate now. If you have large animals, you should make arrangements to move them immediately. If the situation changes, additional alerts may be sent with updated information.

10:50 a.m.
Yuba County
New Voluntary Evacuation Advisory: Due to ongoing threat from nearby fires, Yuba County Sheriff Department is now calling for a voluntary evacuation of the Oregon House/Dobbins region that is north of Marysville Rd between French Town Rd to the west, Indiana Ranch Rd to the east and Forsythe Rd to the north. Code Red Alerts are going out to the region pictured below. All other evacuation orders in the region remain in place. Evacuate to Marysville Rd southbound to Marysville. Evacuee staging area at Yuba Sutter Fairgrounds, Franklin and Garden Hwy, Yuba City. 

10:00 a.m.
Butte County- EVACUATION WARNING - FROM THE TOWN OF PARADISE -
An Evacuation Warning has been issued for Paradise Zone 14, east of Pentz Rd. Evacuation warnings have been issued for the Concow area. Cal Fire is closely monitoring Pentz Rd. for spot fires. Please be aware of dark intersections due to the current PSPS. Treat dark intersections as a 4-way stop.

7:45 a.m.
Butte County- EVACUATION WARNING The Butte County Sheriff’s Office is issuing an EVACUATION WARNING for the North side of Hwy 70 in the area of LOWER CONCOW.

Current Situation

The North Complex Fire experienced extreme fire behavior and growth throughout the night after jumping the
Middle Fork of the Feather River yesterday morning. Topography, high winds, and dry fuels aligned to produce unprecedented fire behavior.  Spread rates of 1,000 acres per 30 minutes resulted in an additional 80,000 acres being added to the North Complex to the southwest of the original footprint. This is an evolving incident; maps and current fire size are constantly being updated and will be shared when available. 

Firefighter and public safety remains the highest priority. Multiple communities have been evacuated with a likelihood of additional evacuations today. In light of this quickly evolving situation, the most up-to-date information will be found at the sheriff office websites shown below for Plumas, Butte, and Yuba counties. 

A Virtual Community Meeting will be broadcast tonight on Facebook at 6 p.m. 

Evacuations and Road Closures

Mandatory evacuation areas continue to be expanded. Evacuation shelters have been established. Check the appropriate county’s Facebook Page for their latest information as the situation is being constantly updated.

Mandatory evacuation areas continue to be expanded. Evacuation shelters have been established. Check the appropriate county’s Facebook Page for their latest information as the situation is being constantly updated. 

Plumas County Sheriff's Office
Butte County Sheriff's Office 
Yuba County Sheriff's Office 

Weather and Air Quality

A USFS order prohibits the use of any ignition (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) and the closure of all developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California. No overnight camping of any kind, including dispersed camping, is allowed on the Plumas National Forest except within the wilderness area and alongside the Pacific Crest Trail. An earlier order remains in effect closing all trails, roads, and campgrounds around the North Complex Fire.

Plumas NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices.
Lassen NF: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lassen/alerts-notices
  

Meetings are being broadcast daily through Zoom:

• A Virtual Community Meeting will be broadcast tonight on Facebook at 6 p.m. (note time change from some earlier announcements)

• Cooperators Meeting Daily at 10 a.m.: https://usfs.zoomgov.com/j/1602646317

• Planning Meeting Daily at 7 p.m.: https://usfs.zoomgov.com/j/1600484186
   

Fire

The Sheep Fire remains 29,570 acres with 90% containment. The Bear/Claremont fire spotted across the Middle Fork Feather River and made a substantial run towards Lake Oroville. Winds will be moderate today, but conditions are still favorable for active fire behavior. Continued fire growth is expected. Updated acres are not available as of the publishing of this Outlook. Please visit the Inciweb or Facebook websites for updates (Inciweb link below).

Smoke

NE and E winds today will bring heavy smoke towards the Oroville area and the Central Valley. Areas north and east of the fire will continue to see Good air quality. Tomorrow, winds will shift back to the SW, bringing smoke over the Sierra and impacting all of the Outlook area, especially tomorrow night.

Fire Weather Alert

A Red Flag Warning is currently in effect through 5pm Wednesday due to gusty winds and low humidity. More information: www.weather.gov/sto/