CAL FIRE’s unified team and the U.S. Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to take suppressive action on the August Complex, which has been reconfigured into four zones, to effectively provide a response for the communities at risk. Resources from across the state of California as well as Texas and Oregon have been assigned to assist on the August Complex-West Zone. The August Complex-West Zone has burned 140,522 acres, peaking at a span of 266 miles of fire line to date, and is 80% contained with approximately 1,800 firefighters battling the fire from the air and the ground.

Patchy fog with good relative humidity kept fire behavior minimal overnight. Large interior fuels continued to burn and smolder overnight. Operations has transitioned into the mop-up phase of the incident. Resources assisting the August Complex – Northwest Zone finished widening and improving direct lines. A warming trend will develop today as the temperature rises. Crews will continue working to mitigate any hazards, dig out any stump holes that may pose a heat source or threat, and remove dead trees that are actively burning while executing mop-up operations. Some smoke will still be visible northeast of Covelo where firing operations were completed. Firefighters will remain in that area performing extensive mop-up operations. Incident commanders are continuously evaluating opportunities to reduce evacuation orders and allow residents of the communities to return home.

Fire Update: August Complex (South Zone) 
 
Start Date: August 17, 2020
Cause: Lightning 
Size: 1,028,801 acres (All Zones) 
Containment: 75% (All Zones)
Personnel: 4,610 (All Zones) 

WILLOWS, Calif. – October 12, 2020 – There will be a virtual August Complex public meeting tonight, Monday, October 12, at 7 p.m., with updates from the Northwest, Northeast, South and West Zones. It will be streamed live, and a recording posted on https://www.facebook.com/MendocinoNF/.  

Firefighters continue to coordinate with CAL FIRE on control measures in the Hellhole Canyon area, northeast of Covelo.  

On the west and south sides of the South Zone, fire crews are felling hazard trees along roadways as needed for firefighters and public safety. They continue to patrol firelines by ground and air. Smoke may be visible in areas where pockets of vegetation within the fire’s perimeter continue to burn and temperatures warm up over the next few days.  

On the west side of the South Zone, firefighters are repairing handline constructed on the southwestern portion of the fire during suppression operations.  Firefighters continue to scout for additional opportunities for suppression repair. For information on the three phases of wildfire recovery visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7228/  

WEATHER:   The weather continues to transition this week. Relative humidity (RH) is expected to drop after the moist weekend with an increase in afternoon winds.  These winds have the potential to dry out fuels and increase fire activity along ridges and slopes.  The dry weather is expected to continue through the week, with generally northerly breezes. Overnight RH recovery will be poor (teens in higher elevations with 30s/40s elsewhere) with low RH in the afternoon (teens and twenties).

EVACUATIONS: For the latest evacuation information status in the South Zone, visit https://tinyurl.com/MendoEvac for Mendocino County, https://tinyurl.com/LakeCoIncidentViewer for  Lake County, and https://nixle.com/county/ca/glenn/ for Glenn County. 

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

CAL FIRE’s unified team and the U.S. Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to take suppressive action on the August Complex, which has been reconfigured into four zones, to effectively provide a response for the communities at risk. Resources from across the state of California as well as Texas and Oregon have been assigned to assist on the August Complex-West Zone. The August Complex-West Zone has burned 140,424 acres, peaking at a span of 266 miles of fire line to date, and is 75% contained with approximately 1,800 firefighters battling the fire from the air and the ground.

Fire activity was minimal as firefighters transitioned into the mop-up phase of the incident. Resources assisting the August Complex – Northwest Zone finished widening and improving direct lines. Smoke will remain visible for the next couple days northeast of Covelo where firing operations were completed. Firefighters will remain in that area performing extensive mop-up operations. Tonight, will bring slope and valley winds with poor relative humidity along ridges. Crews will continue working to mitigate any hazards, dig out any stump holes that may pose a heat source or threat, and remove dead trees that are actively burning while executing mop-up operations. Incident commanders are continuously evaluating opportunities to reduce evacuation orders and allow residents of the communities to return home.

August Complex Fire Update 
Northwest and Northeast Zones

October 11, 2020

Northwest Zone Incident Commander: Rob Allen

Northeast Zone Incident Commander: Tony DeMasters


Start Date: 8/17/2020                

Location: Shasta-Trinity NF; Six Rivers NF; Mendocino NF   

Cause: Lightning 

Fire Size (All Zones): 1,028,529         

Containment: 74%                

Personnel (All Zones): 4,798

Weather: Rains fell across much of the fire area yesterday providing some much-needed moisture, anywhere between 0.12 inches and 0.25 inches. This was by no-means a season-ending event, and the fire is still active. Starting today and continuing for the next several days the chance of rain is 0%. This drying trend will combine with increased temperatures over the next couple days, which could increase fire behavior and intensity. For today, temperatures remain cool with highs in the low 70’s with N/NW winds at 8-12 mph. 

Northwest Zone – Crews took advantage of yesterday’s moisture to further-solidify containment lines over much of the Northwest Zone. Masticators continued their important work of clearing roadway debris and removing felled trees north of Ruth Lake along Mad River Road. Dozers worked nearby, building secondary containment line. Firefighters have completed line construction from Van Duzen Road to the Mad River Road at Ruth Lake. Due to poor visibility, helicopters were not in operation.

Today, crews continue mopping up along containment lines across the Northwest Zone and patrolling around nearby structures in the Ruth Lake Area and north on the Mad River Road. West of the Ruth Lake, crews continue line construction from the Lassic Fire burn scar near Coffee Pot eastward towards the lake. Dozers continue indirect line construction north of Mad River Road on the 12 Road. Crews continue mop up and patrol along the burn south of Little Round Mountain. In the coming days, firing operations may commence in unburned islands near the fireline in the Ketten Pom area. This work would consume unburned fuel at a low intensity. Helicopters remain ready to assist firefighters on the ground with bucket support, reconnaissance operations, and potential aerial ignition support.

Northeast Zone – Fire activity was moderated yesterday by high humidity and some precipitation that occurred across most areas of the fire. Where rain showers were heavier crews patrolled the fire from Hwy 36. The moisture allowed fire crews to make good progress and engage the fire directly in the afternoon. Near Irish Mountain and Little Bear Wallow Creek the fire received near one tenth of an inch of rain and hand crews completed and strengthened direct line around spot fires that crossed firelines the previous day. Heavy helicopters assisted firefighters here yesterday as skies cleared and dropped numerous buckets of water to extinguish hot spots near the fire’s edge. South of Post Mountain and in the Rattlesnake Creek area crews were able to gain increased depth with their mop-up work and further secure the fireline. In Beegum Creek the fire received less rain, however firefighters were able to keep the fire within its current footprint due to overall subdued fire activity. 

Today, northwest winds behind the passing front could gust to 15 mph and will bring drier air across the fire. In the afternoon, fire activity may increase where wind comes into alignment with terrain and slope, especially in the Beegum Creek drainage. Additional fire resources and hotshot crews will be deployed to focus areas in Beegum Creek, south of Pony Buck Peak and Bear Wallow Creek. In South Fork Trinity River drainage, firefighters will work to fortify contingency dozer and hand lines and continue brushing FS Road 1S14. In Bear Wallow Creek near Progeny, crews will install hose lays and conduct strategic firing operations to secure fireline. North of Hwy 36 and in the communities of Beegum and Patina firefighters will further structure assessments and preparations.

For Trinity County evacuation Information, please contact: 530-623-2611 or visit: https://www.facebook.com/TrinityCoOES/

For Humboldt County evacuation information, please contact: 707-268-2500 or visit: humboldtsheriff.org

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

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

Northwest Fire Information: (707)-867-0965                                                                                                                              

Northeast Fire Information: (530) 628-0039 

Email: 2020.Elkhorn@firenet.gov 

CAL FIRE’s unified team and the U.S. Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to take suppressive action on the August Complex, which has been reconfigured into four zones, to effectively provide a response for the communities at risk. Resources from across the state of California as well as Montana, Texas, Oregon and New Jersey have been assigned to assist on the August Complex-West Zone. The August Complex-West Zone has burned 140,402 acres, peaking at a span of 266 miles of fire line to date, and is 75% contained with approximately 2,100 firefighters battling the fire from the air and the ground.

Fire behavior was manageable overnight as increased moisture levels brought slight relief to fine fuels, such as tall grass. Larger fuels still remained at critical levels and continued to burn within islands inside the containment lines. Today will begin a warming trend as dry conditions return, with low relative humidity and wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour in the afternoon. Smoke will still remain visible for the next couple days northeast of Covelo where firing operations were completed. Firefighters will remain in that area performing extensive mop-up operations. Crews will continue working to improve direct lines, mitigate any hazards, and provide aid to our colleagues from the August Complex – South Zone widening and improving direct lines, in addition to assisting the August Complex – Northwest Zone, as we continue to mitigate threats near Kettenpom and construct direct fire lines north east of Zenia.
 

 Fire Update: August Complex (South Zone) 

Start Date: August 17, 2020
Cause: Lightning 
Size: 1,028,529 acres (All Zones) 
Containment: 74% (All Zones) 
Personnel: 4,798 (All Zones) 

WILLOWS, Calif. – October 11, 2020 – On Saturday firefighters completed a fireline around the slopover northeast of Lake Pillsbury, near Bloody Rock. They will continue to mop-up and patrol this area for several days to help ensure the area is secure. 

The Southwest Area Incident Management Team is coordinating closely with CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5 to support suppression actions to protect local communities at risk. Firefighters are scouting potential opportunities to engage the fire in the Hellhole Canyon area, northeast of Covelo, where they can do so safely and effectively. 

Fire crews and engines continue to patrol the southern and western perimeter of the South Zone. Firefighters plan to patrol the eastern side of the South Zone with aircraft today. With cooler temperatures and increased relative humidity expected to continue through weekend, minimal fire activity is expected.  

No flights occurred yesterday, as cloud cover limited visibility. However, firefighters on the ground continued to scout areas where fire suppression actions have occurred and plan for repair opportunities. Today firefighters will begin repairing handline constructed on the southwest portion of the fire. For information on the three phases of wildfire recovery visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7228/    

EVACUATIONS: For the latest evacuation information status in the South Zone, visit https://tinyurl.com/MendoEvac for Mendocino County, https://tinyurl.com/LakeCoIncidentViewer for  Lake County, and https://nixle.com/county/ca/glenn/ for Glenn County. 

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. 

SAFETY: Across California hot and dry conditions persist. While the area has received some limited precipitation, conditions have yet to improve and alleviate the fire threat. Know before you go. Visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino for current fire restrictions and closure information. We need everyone’s help in preventing any fires from starting. One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire.  

August Complex Fire Update 
Northwest and Northeast Zones

October 10, 2020

Northwest Zone Incident Commander: Rob Allen

Northeast Zone Incident Commander: Tony DeMasters
 

Start Date: 8/17/2020                

Location: Shasta-Trinity NF; Six Rivers NF; Mendocino NF   

Cause: Lightning 

Fire Size (All Zones): 1,024,092         

Containment: 67%                

Personnel (All Zones): 4,722

Weather: Temperatures will be cooler and humidities higher than the area has seen for several weeks. A small chance of rain exists in the fire area, less than .10 inches possible. Southwest winds in the morning will shift to the northwest in the evening. Sustained winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Fire activity may increase where wind comes into alignment with terrain. After today, chance of wetting rain over the next several days will revert to 0%. 

Northwest Zone – Yesterday’s weather provided firefighters the opportunity to fortify containment lines across the Northwest Zone. Crews focused their efforts on mopping up the previous day’s burning operation south of Round Mountain near Ketton Pom. To the north, crews continued establishing line from Coffee Pot to the Van Duzen Road. Further east, crews have nearly completed line construction from Van Duzen Road to the Mad River Road at Ruth Lake. Mastication operations along Mad River road helped clear the roadway of debris and snag falling hazards, providing for firefighter and future public safety. The favorable weather allowed helicopter operators to work with ground resources, providing targeted water bucket drops to cool hot spots and pretreat lines. 

Today, crews continue mopping up along containment lines and patrolling around nearby structures in the Ruth Lake Area and north on the Mad River Road. West of the Ruth Lake, crews will build line from the Lassic Fire burn scar near Coffee Pot, eastward towards the lake. Crews continue mop up and patrol along the burn south of Little Round Mountain. Helicopters remain ready to assist firefighters on the ground with bucket support and reconnaissance operations.

Northeast Zone – Skies were clear yesterday over the Northeast Zone which led to increased afternoon fire activity near Progeny, Little Bear Wallow Creek, and Beegum Creek. Near Progeny and Irish Mountain firefighters suppressed spot fires as fire behavior increased and continued to widen and improve indirect firelines. North of Hwy 36 in the South Fork Trinity River area dozers, chippers, and hand crews made progress on contingency firelines along FS Road 1S14.  Reduced smoke and improved visibility allowed helicopters to fly most of the afternoon and drop water on hotspots and slow fire spread near Progeny and in Little bear Wallow Creek. In Rattlesnake Creek, south of Post Mountain, fire activity was low, and firefighters and Marines made good progress in mopping-up and securing firelines. In Beegum Creek, hotshot crews built fireline along the eastern perimeter and Marines continued to mop-up and secure fireline on the northwestern perimeter. Helicopters also supported firefighters in Beegum Creek throughout the afternoon with numerous water bucket drops to reduce fire activity and spread.

Today, hand crews, dozers and chippers will continue to build, improve and secure firelines and focus areas will remain in Little Bear Wallow Creek and Beegum Creek. These are also drainages were increasing southwest winds could find slope alignment resulting in increased afternoon fire activity and spread. Structure assessments and preparations will continue in Beegum, Platina and areas north of Hwy 36. PG&E personnel will continue to inspect and repair powerlines along the Hwy 36 corridor west of Forest Glen in order to restore power and communications in the next few days to affected communities.  

For Trinity County evacuation Information, please contact: 530-623-2611 or visit: https://www.facebook.com/TrinityCoOES/

For Humboldt County evacuation information, please contact: 707-268-2500 or visit: humboldtsheriff.org

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

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

CAL FIRE’s unified team and the U.S. Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to take suppressive action on the August Complex, which has been reconfigured into four zones, to effectively provide a response for the communities at risk. Resources from across the state of California as well as Montana, Texas, Oregon and New Jersey have been assigned to assist on the August Complex-West Zone. The August Complex-West Zone has burned 137,678 acres, peaking at a span of 266 miles of fire line to date, and is 75% contained with approximately 2,100 firefighters battling the fire from the air and the ground.

Assistance continued overnight with our counterparts from the August Complex – Northwest Zone, as we continued to mitigate threats near Kettenpom and construct direct fire lines north east of Zenia. Back firing tactics continued, helping to control the spread of the fire and help mitigate any threat to our containment lines. Crews continue to improve direct lines, mitigate any hazards and provide aid to our colleagues from the August Complex – South Zone, widening and improving direct lines. Today a cold front will push in from the northwest bringing wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour, with a low chance of wetting rain overall on the fire. Dangerously dry fuels in the area, combined with heavy timber and steep, rugged terrain, continue to challenge firefighters.

Fire Update: August Complex (South Zone) 

Start Date: August 17, 2020
Cause: Lightning 
Size: 1,024,092 acres (All Zones) 
Containment: 67% (All Zones)
Personnel: 4,524 (All Zones) 

WILLOWS, Calif. – October 10, 2020 – On Friday, a helicopter dropped water to support firefighters on the ground as they completed dozer and handline needed to help secure the fire’s edge along the slopover northeast of Lake Pillsbury, near Bloody Rock. Firefighters will be mopping up this area for several days.

On the west side of the South Zone, fire continues to back out of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness onto CAL FIRE Direct Protection Area. The Southwest Area Incident Management Team is engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response with CAL FIRE to support suppression actions to protect local communities at risk. 

Firefighters are currently patrolling the eastern side of the South Zone with aircraft. Fire crews and engines are patrolling the southern and western perimeter of the South Zone. Minimal fire behavior is expected as cooler temperatures and increased relative humidity continue through the weekend. However, some smoke is expected to remain visible in areas as heavier fuels like logs and stumps continue to hold heat and the fire burns through pockets of previously unburned vegetation within the fire’s perimeter. 

Firefighters are evaluating areas across the South Zone to identify and prioritize suppression repair needs. They have begun ordering equipment and personnel to support suppression repair efforts in the coming days. For more information on the three phases of wildfire recovery please visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7228/

EVACUATIONS: For the latest evacuation information status in the South Zone, visit https://tinyurl.com/MendoEvac for Mendocino County, https://tinyurl.com/LakeCoIncidentViewer for  Lake County, and https://nixle.com/county/ca/glenn/ for Glenn County. 

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. 

SAFETY: With firefighting resources operating at maximum capacity, fire restrictions on the Mendocino National Forest have been extended through October15, 2020 under Regional Order No. 20-21. This Order prohibits building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire and smoking on National Forest System lands. There is an exemption for portable lanterns or stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel within a developed recreation site.  

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

Evacuation Orders Reduced to Evacuations Warnings in the Area of Hayshed Basin in Mendocino County on October 9, 2020 at 8:30 am
Click the attached pdf below to read the full News Release

EVACUATION WARNING:

Zone B: South of Green Lambert Canyon, east of the Middle Fork of the Eel River, north and west of Hayshed Creek.

Zone B.1: South and east of Hayshed Creek, north of Thatcher Creek and Jack Hollow Creek, west of Chimney Rock.

ROAD CLOSURES:
None in this area.

NOTES:
The Mendocino National Forest Service has a fire area closure that remains in place. If your property is within an area that has been reduced from an evacuation order to an evacuation warning, access to your property may require a permit from the Mendocino National Forest Service. Please call (530) 934-3316to confirm.

Once a wildfire has burned through an area, many dangers may remain. There may still be smoke in the respective areas as firefighters continue their suppression operations. When driving to your property check for hazards. At your property check for fire or fire damage. If your services are off, check for burned service equipment and facilities. When you have secured safety outside of your home, check inside for fire or damage.