WILLOWS, Calif. – Nov. 4, 2020 – Crews are making good progress on fire suppression repair across all areas of the South Zone of the August Complex. The hard work of fire personnel is paying off keeping the South Zone at 499,826 acres and increasing containment to 97%. The entire August Complex is estimated at 1,032,649 acres and 93% containment.

As the August Complex nears full containment, incident management personnel are beginning to plan for a smooth transfer of responsibility back to local forest leadership.

There are 273 personnel working on the South Zone. Crews are continuing to focus on fire suppression repair in priority areas around the Sanhedrin Wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors in the Mill Creek area, and in locations that are prone to landslides along key forest travel routes such as the M1 and M6 roads. Additionally, progress is being made on opening roadways and removing hazard trees to allow for further suppression repair activity throughout the forest.

WEATHER: Higher humidity will prevail Wednesday, but afternoon temperatures will continue to be well above normal. The temperature will be 76 to 84 at lower elevations and 65 to 74 above 3000 feet, with humidity ranging from 23 to 33%.  Winds will increase to 7 to -12 mph out of the NW, gusting to 18 mph A low-pressure system will bring significantly colder temperatures and increased chance of precipitation beginning Friday and continuing through the weekend

CLOSURES: Order No. 08-20-14 is in effect for the Mendocino National Forest. Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to November 6 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. Please be extra cautious with any activity that could spark a fire. One less spark, One less wildfire.

For more incident information please see InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983

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Operations Section Chief Chance Traub provides an update on the day’s activities on the North Zone of the August Complex.

Click here:  11-3-2020 video

Operations Section Chief Chance Traub provides an update on the day’s activities on the North Zone of the August Complex.

Click here:  11-2-2020 video

WILLOWS, Calif. – Nov. 2, 2020 – Crews are working against time and unseasonable conditions to complete fire suppression repair across the South Zone of the August Complex before winter weather sets in. The South Zone continues to hold at 499,826 acres and 90% containment. The entire August Complex is estimated at 1,032,649 acres and 93% containment.

The August Complex is approximately 70 miles long by 45 miles wide, covering an area larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.  That includes portions of seven counties across six different fire weather forecasting zones.

There are 264 personnel working on the South Zone. Crews are focusing on fire suppression repair in priority areas such as dozer lines around wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors and locations that are prone to landslides. Repair is nearly complete in the Gloyd Slide area where there was risk of severe erosion and possible collapse of a segment of the M6 Road and repair is complete in the Sanhedrin Wilderness.

WEATHER: High pressure remains over the west coast producing very dry and warm conditions for the fire area. Afternoon temperatures will top out at 15 degrees above normal. The temperature will be 77 to 85 at the lower elevations and 69 to 77 at higher elevations, humidity from 9 to 15% and southwest wind 4 to 8 mph. A significant pattern change is expected by Friday with much cooler weather.

CLOSURES: Order No. 08-20-14 is in effect for the Mendocino National Forest. Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to November 6 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. Please be extra cautious with any activity that could spark a fire. One less spark, One less wildfire.

For more incident information please see InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983

                                    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

 Operations Section Chief Chance Traub provides an update of the day's activities on the North Zone of the August Complex.  Click here:  11-1-20 video

WILLOWS, Calif. – Oct. 31, 2020 – There was no new growth on the South Zone Friday as crews continued to monitor, patrol and conduct fire suppression repair. The South Zone remained at 499,826 acres and 90% contained. The entire August Complex is estimated at 1,032,649 acres and 93% contained.

There are 249 personnel assigned to the South Zone. Crews are focused on fire suppression repair in priority areas such as dozer lines around wilderness, in wild and scenic river corridors and locations that are prone to landslides. They also removed debris from the roads to keep them clear for fire personnel and equipment. Thus far, crews have repaired 41 of the 218 miles of dozer line in the Zone and nine of the 22 miles of hand line.  Repair efforts are being coordinated between the two zones for the entire August Complex.

Resource advisors or READs are one of the incident management positions committed to the day-to-day operations of the August Complex South Zone. These resources helped develop recommendations for fire suppression rehabilitation of control lines and worked alongside crews and equipment to monitor repair efforts. Their duties also included providing guidance and identifying potential resource issues that may occur as a result of the incident or incident activities.

WEATHER: Very dry and unseasonably warm conditions will continue with afternoon temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. Afternoon humidity will fall into the single digits in some areas and wind will remain light. The forecast shows the temperature in the 77 to 85 range, humidity from 7 to 14% and west wind 4-8 mph.

CLOSURES: Order No. 08-20-14 is in effect for the Mendocino National Forest. Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to November 6 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. Please be extra cautious with any activity that could spark a fire. One less spark means one less wildfire.

For more incident information please see InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983

In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions extended to November 30 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. 

WILLOWS, Calif. – Oct. 29, 2020 – The persistent weather and fire behavior forecasts continue for the crews on the August Complex South Zone. The dry air mass is here to stay for at least a week, keeping fuels dry and receptive to fire spread. The South Zone is holding steady at 499,826 acres and 90% containment.

There are 249 personnel assigned to the South Zone. Crews are focused on prioritizing fire suppression repair areas and coordinating efforts that meet forest recommendation guidelines. This work includes grading roads, tearing down berms near containment lines, providing some means for drainage to prevent erosion on firelines or trails created on sloped areas and flush cutting stumps of felled trees and snags with the ground surface. An important priority for suppression repair is to restore dozer lines around wilderness areas to as natural state as possible to prevent potential intrusions into these areas.

Meanwhile, excavators, graders and water tenders are being used to accomplish work in locations such as M1 Etsel Ridge, Leech Lake and around Lake Pillsbury. Incident Commander Curtis Coots reminded the crews, “We are committed to being safe, effective and efficient with the resources we have.” He also emphasized safe operations around equipment.

The uncontained part of the fire is in the Hellhole Canyon east of Covelo. This steep, dangerous terrain is not a safe place to have firefighters engaged directly with the fire. Instead, crews have worked to construct firelines on a ridge where suppression actions could be taken if it moved out of the Canyon. They have also been assisted by a helicopter dropping water on the fire when activity increases.   

WEATHER: The high-pressure system will remain in place with higher than normal temperatures and low humidity. The forecast shows the temperature in the 77 to 85 range, humidity from 12 to 17% and west wind 5-6 mph.

CLOSURES: Order No. 08-20-14 is in effect for the Mendocino National Forest. Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to October 30 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. Please be extra cautious with any activity that could spark a fire. One less spark means one less wildfire.

For more incident information please see InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983

WILLOWS, Calif. – Oct. 27, 2020 – Red flag conditions with strong wind gusts continued to test the containment lines on the August Complex South Zone Monday. At times, the northeast wind blew up to 40 mph and the humidity dipped into the single digits, dropping as low as 1% at Mendocino Pass. This is an extremely dry air mass over the fire area, and it is expected to continue until Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Additional personnel arrived at the South Zone Monday bringing the total number of people to 224. The fire crews continue to focus on removing hazard trees, conducting fire suppression repair in priority areas and breaking down berms near containment lines. The South Zone remains at 499,827 acres and 90% containment.   

The area of the fire that is not contained is in the Hellhole Canyon east of Covelo. This steep, dangerous terrain is not a safe place to have firefighters engaged directly with the fire. Instead, crews have worked to construct firelines on a ridge where suppression actions could be taken if it moved out of the Canyon. They have also been assisted by a helicopter dropping water on the fire when activity increases.   

Throughout the duration of the August Complex, fire managers have been using distributed real time infrared (DRTI) and fire imaging technology to support wildland firefighting operations and decision making. DRTI is a packaged product which provides infrared (IR) video to frontline operators and near-real time perimeter maps to incident command planners.

Point/spot detection in concert with high-resolution photographs make DRTI an effective detection tool.  The high altitude, high speed flight characteristics of the Air National Guard RC-26 aircraft provide the ability to fly detection missions over broad geographic areas. Wireless transfer of data from the aircraft facilitates transfer of information to ground units.

Utilizing the DRTI flights, firefighters can gather immediate information on heat signatures within the fire area. The system can pinpoint (LAT/LONG) heat signatures posing a threat to containment, allowing firefighters to quickly address those hazards and in turn decrease exposure to firefighters on the ground.

WEATHER: The red flag warning is predicted to end Tuesday at 5 p.m. The temperature will be in the 70s, humidity around 15% and northeast wind up to 20-30 mph.

CLOSURES: Order No. 08-20-14 is in effect for the Mendocino National Forest. Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions were extended to October 30 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires. Please be extra cautious with any activity that could spark a fire. One less spark means one less wildfire.

For more incident information please see InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983

Today, warm and dry weather returns. Temperatures will reach 80 degrees, and relative humidity will drop to single digits. Winds will be variable, 6 to 12 mph with gusts to 30. At 11:00 am, a RED FLAG FIRE WEATHER WARNING will be in place. The unseasonably warm, dry, and windy weather pattern is expected to continue through Wednesday.

The Northwest and Northeast Zones of the August Complex are at 95% containment. Fire personnel continue to patrol and monitor the fire parameter.

On the west side, crews are mopping up in the West Fork of the Van Duzen River. Steep terrain has made fire suppression challenging, but progress has been made. Crews expect to have this section contained soon.

The fire burned around the 2015 Picket Fire burn scar at Forest Glen but stopped at the edge of the old burn and has not moved. Firefighters are monitoring the area.

On the north end, crews working in rugged terrain near Bear Wallow and Irish Mountain have built contingency lines ahead of the fire. This area has shown little growth, and firefighters will monitor the situation and take action as needed.

In the 2017 Buck Fire's footprint on the east side of the complex, the fire stalled in the burn scar. This line is still uncontained, but the fire has not advanced, and infrared imagery shows very little heat remaining.

Crews working on suppression repair are making good progress. They are taking steps to minimize soil erosion and limit debris flows to protect the Humboldt Water Shed.

The night shift will have engines patrolling the fire perimeter as well as structures in the Mad River and Ruth Lake areas.

This will be the last update from Great Basin Team 1. Management of the fire will transition to the Shasta-Trinity, Mendocino, and Six Rivers National Forests. The leadership of Great Basin Team 1 and the three forests have worked tirelessly to ensure that this transition is seamless. The work of suppression and suppression repair will continue, utilizing the resources assigned to the fire.

Road Closures – Highway 36 remains closed from Southfork Summit Mountain east to the Highway 3 intersection. Eastbound and westbound traffic is currently being escorted through the closure at 7 am and 5:30 pm daily.

For updated Road Closure information, visit Caltrans at https://roads.dot.ca.gov/

Hunting and Recreation are prohibited within the August Complex Fire closure area.

Trinity County Private Property Damage Assessment Info., contact: 530-623-8223 or https://www.trinitycounty.org/recovery

Forest Closures are still in effect and can be found here:

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/stnf/forestorders
• Mendocino National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices
• Six Rivers National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/srnf/alerts-notices

For more information, visit à https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6983/