Quartz Ridge Fire          

August 19, 2023

 Fire start date:   August 5, 2023

Cause:  Lightning

Location:  13 miles Northeast of Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Incident Commander: Jay Kurth

Management Team: NIMO Team 1

Management: Suppression

Fire size today: 1,475 acres

Containment: 0%

Completion: 53%           

Personnel: 159

Evacuation Information: There are no current evacuations. Local residents should follow incident information for updates.

Closures:

• Quartz Meadows Rd (NFSR#685)
• Quartz Ridge Trail (NFST#570)
• Quartz Creek Trail (NFST#571)
• https://tinyurl.com/roads-and-trails

Latest Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke. net/outlook/933fc4e4

 INCIDENT OBJECTIVES:

• Firefighter and Public safety are the highest priority.
• Protect private lands within East Fork San Juan River drainage, natural resources, cultural and historic sites, recreation assets, and critical infrastructure including powerlines and gas utility lines.

The wildfire is burning in steep terrain in the South San Juan Wilderness.  A combination of indirect and direct control lines is being utilized to accomplish multiple objectives of full suppression on accessible parts of the fire and confinement on parts that are remote and/or present high safety risks to firefighters. Overall, 53% of these objectives have been completed.

A Multi-Mission Aircraft flight was flown mid-morning Friday indicated there was even less heat than on Thursday. The spot fire the San Juan hotshots are working showed a pocket of heat.  Fire behavior is predicted to be minimal today. As the weather becomes warmer and drier through the weekend, the remaining pockets of heat could create smoke and increase fire activity.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Continued to evaluate terrain and potential areas for containment outside of wilderness boundaries and scout for strategic areas for control.
• San Juan Hotshots constructed handline and cold-trailed around the larger spot fire along Quartz Creek.
• No chipping operations occurred along the East Fork Road due to delays in the chipper’s arrival.
• Continued to implement structure protection on private lands.

TODAY’S PLAN:

• Chipping of the slash along the East Fork Road.
• Construct fireline around the spot fires with the Pike hotshots.
• Continue to build structure protection plans both logistically and operationally.

WEATHER:

Today will be drier with a 20% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures could reach into the low 80’s. Winds will increase throughout the day and become gusty with thunderstorms.

Incident Information : https://tinyurl.com/mr37bhnr

Facebook : https://tinyurl.com/y87cycm4

Email :  2023.quartzridge@firenet.gov       

Information Line : 970-426-5370

Evacuation Orders and Warnings remain in effect. Monitor CodeRED and the @SiskiyouCountySheriff for current information.

Closures: 

Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Etna Summit to the Oregon Border. Hikers and all backpackers are asked to stay off the trail in that area.

Dillon Creek Campground is closed due to proximity to the Elliot Creek Fire.

Highway 96 and the Scott River Road have hard closures.

Information on the Happy Camp Complex can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information//caknf-2023-happy-camp-complex-klamath-nf

Information on Klamath National Forest fires that are not part of the Happy Camp Complex can be found here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/caknf-2023-klamath-national-forest-august-lightning-fires

*Please obey any evacuation Orders and Warnings that have been issued*

Yreka, Calif., August 19, 2023— The Klamath National Forest continues to manage a number of fires on the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll and Salmon/Scott River Ranger Districts:

Happy Camp/Oak Knoll District:

·    The Devils Fire is 2.5 acres near Seiad Low Gap and is contained. Firefighters remain on scene mopping up.

·    The 5-acre Doe Fire, located near Doe Peak, is controlled and in patrol status.

·    The Berry Fire is .2 acres near Huckleberry Mountain has line around it.

·    The Indy Fire up Independence Creek is near the border of the Marble Mountain Wilderness in the 2021 McCash Fire footprint. It was reported as a small fire with low potential and has difficult access. Smoke conditions have prevented helicopter access.

·    The Swillup Fire between Pony Peak and Bear Peak roads is .1 acres and contained. Firefighters remain on scene mopping up.

·    The Brown Fire is .1 acres and out.

·    The Dutch Fire is .1 acres and is out.

·    The Intersection Fire is .1 acres and is out.

·    The Titus Fire is in the Marble Mountain Wilderness south of Norcross Campground. It remains at roughly 15 acres with some smoldering at the heel. It is within the 2021 McCash Fire footprint and received significant rain on Tuesday which moderated fire behavior. There are numerous snags, and the fire is located in very steep country. It is being monitored by air to evaluate suppression needs.

Salmon/Scott River Ranger District:

·    The Shadow Fire continues to hold at about 2 acres in the Marble Mountain Wilderness near Sky High Lakes. Firefighters are continuing to work the fire and it is 95% contained.

·    Command of the Lake Fire has been transferred to California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 under the Happy Camp Complex and was last reported to be 165 acres.

·    The Boulder Fire is .1 acres near Indian Scotty Campground and is controlled and in patrol status.

·    A new fire called the Henry Fire was reported yesterday near Henry Gulch. It was caught at .1 acre and is out.

California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 will be moving their ICP from Klamath National Forest headquarters to Montague.

“We appreciate all of our cooperators, and particularly the CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit, for assisting us with aggressive suppression efforts on the Den Fire,” said Klamath National Forest Supervisor Rachel Smith.

Firefighting resources continue to come to the Klamath National Forest to support existing fires and bolster initial attack resources. Aerial firefighting assets are available but have been largely unable to fly due to smoke inversion conditions.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect for scattered thunderstorms and abundant lightning on dry fuels from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. this evening for Siskiyou County/western side of Klamath National Forest. Any new fire starts could develop rapidly and erratic outflow winds could gust to 40 mph.

Evacuation Orders and Warnings remain in effect. Monitor CodeRED and the @SiskiyouCountySheriff for current information.

Closures: 

Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Etna Summit to the Oregon Border. Hikers and all backpackers are asked to stay off the trail in that area.

Dillon Creek Campground is closed due to proximity to the Elliot Creek Fire.

Highway 96 and the Scott River Road have hard closures.

Information on the Happy Camp Complex can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information//caknf-2023-happy-camp-complex-klamath-nf

Information on Klamath National Forest fires that are not part of the Happy Camp Complex can be found here: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/caknf-2023-klamath-national-forest-august-lightning-fires

*Please obey any evacuation Orders and Warnings that have been issued*

# # #

The Klamath National Forest & Butte Valley National Grassland cover 1,700,000 acres located in Siskiyou County, California and Jackson County, Oregon. Butte Valley National Grassland is the newest National Grassland and the only one in California. The forest is headquartered in Yreka, CA, and maintains ranger stations in the California communities of Macdoel, Happy Camp, and Fort Jones. More information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/klamath.

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Twitter @KlamathNF

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

CURRENT CONDITIONS:

These fires started from the lightning that moved through northern California earlier this week.  The South Fork Complex includes the 3-9, Sulfur, Pellitreau fires and the Pilot Fire.  California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 with Chris Fogle is organizing the suppression efforts for both Forests as of this morning at 8AM.

The 3-9 Fire, at 412 acres is currently about 5 miles west of the community of Hyampom.  Please note that the Trinity County Sherriff’s Office has issued evacuation warnings for the HYM-505 and HYM-509 areas; refer to the evacuation link below for details.  The Pilot Fire is southwest of Board Camp Butte on both sides of FS 6N01 on the Six Rivers National Forest.  To the southeast also along 6N01, but on the Shasta Trinity National Forest, the 3-9 Fire is north of Blake Mountain and west of Hyampom.  The Pellitreau is 3 miles and the Sulfur Fire is 7 miles south of the 3-9 Fire.

Firefighters are challenged by the steep, rugged and remote terrain of these fires along with an abundance of hazardous snags left from previous fires.  There is a Red Flag Warning in effect for today from 1 to 8PM for potential thunderstorms that may bring dry lightning. 

  EVACUATION WARNINGS:

For the most current information please refer to: 

Trinity County Wildfire and Evacuation Status Map 

CURRENT SITUATION

The Deep Fire was mapped yesterday evening at just over 3,000 acres. Downdraft winds from a collapsing thunder cell directly over the fire did cause moderate growth late in the afternoon.

Today, crews will continue to prioritize building contingency lines along the south and southeast edge of the fire, preparing for structure protection at the Trinity Alps Resort, the private inholding at Van Matre Meadows, and for the mule bridges should it become necessary. They will also continue to work with SPI to complete contingency lines with the goal of protecting private timberlands should the fire expand to the southeast.

The second priority will be to keep the fire east of the Stuart Fork Trail and to scout opportunities to stop the fire along the active edge south of the Deer Creek Trail. They will simultaneously be looking for secondary opportunities should fire behavior pick up and direct suppression tactics become impossible.

Most firefighters are staying overnight on the fire and are being re-supplied via pack train and aircraft. Aircraft use has been limited by a heavy smoke and fog inversion, but is available for use as visibility permits.

WEATHER

The weather today is predicted to be similar to yesterday, with a chance of thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Firefighters are carefully tracking Hurricane Hilary and preparing for the potential of increased winds and possible rain coming into the area potentially Monday and Tuesday.

ROAD CLOSURES

There are currently no road closures associated with the Deep Fire. For information on roads in the area, visit https://dot.ca.gov/

FOREST CLOSURES

There is a forest closure associated with the Deep Fire. For current information on forest closures, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/stnf

EVACUATION UPDATES

For the latest evacuation information from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Departments: https://www.facebook.com/people/Trinity-County-Sheriffs-Office/100064589806351/

For information on evacuation resources from the Trinity County Office of Emergency Services: https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES

To sign up for codeRED notifications: text “TrinityCA” to 99411.

PRESS RELEASE
August 18, 2023
11:30 AM

 EVACUATION WARNING 

Per the Trinity County Sheriff's Office Zones HYM-505 and HYM-509 are now under an Evacuation WARNING.

Zone HYM-505 - Big Creek at the confluence with South Fork of the Trinity River north along the river to the Humboldt/Trinity County Line, south along the Humboldt/Trinity County line to Big Creek, East along Big Creek to the South Fork of the Trinity River.

Zone HYM-509 - Big Creek at the Humboldt/Trinity County line, south along the county line to Pelletreau Ridge Road, Pelletreau Ridge Road south-east to Pelletreau Creek, north along Pelletreau Creek to the confluence with the South Fork of the Trinity River, north along the South Fork of the Trinity River to Big Creek.

For full zone descriptions, visit https://tinyurl.com/msmeb7mc

Area residents and visitors in the above listed areas, if elderly, have medical issues, have small children, or have livestock and pets, need to be prepared to leave the area in case of increased fire activity.

While leaving the area use caution as emergency vehicles assisting with evacuations, structure protection and fire suppression efforts will be on the roadways.

Agencies involved:
Trinity County Sheriff’s Office
United States Forest Service
CalFire

CURRENT SITUATION

As more resources arrived and began working on each of the fires in the Happy Camp Complex, firefighters made good progress toward the goal of full suppression. The inversion remained in place until around noon and fire activity remained moderate.

Late this afternoon, a thunderstorm cell moved over the area, creating strong winds near the Elliot, Canyon and Three Creeks Fires by Highway 96 and the Dillon Campground. Bulldozers building line around the fires had to be pulled back while firefighters concentrated on protecting structures along the highway corridor.

Due to the storm, incident resources also helped to support Klamath National Forest operations on a new fire in the Scott Valley and on the Swillup Fire. The Swillup Fire had been in patrol status. With strong winds from the storm, the fire is now actively burning.

This evening, storms continue to move through the area. Little to no precipitation is resulting from the storms, particularly in the Scott River area where the Head, Scott and Gold Fires continue to burn.

The Lake Fire was added to the Happy Camp Complex as of this morning and was estimated at 165 acres with 0% containment. Smoke Jumpers, Hotshot and Hand Crews are now on this fire, using trails and natural features for containment lines, monitoring and managing any slops over the lines.

A Damage Assessment Team is working to evaluate the damage sustained to structures within the fires. Their assessment is ongoing. As of this evening, there are nine damaged or destroyed structures.

EVACUATIONS:  View current Siskiyou County evacuation orders, warnings and evacuation center locations by visiting: community.zonehaven.com

ROAD CLOSURES:  View road closures in the vicinity of the Happy Camp Complex on the Caltrans interactive map:  quickmap.dot.ca.gov

AIR QUALITY: For information smoke impacts and what you can do to protect yourself visit: https://www.airnow.gov/

Fires remain at 0% containment until IR flights can confirm heat and estimated acreage:

• Block - 1/100 acres                                        
• Canyon - 788 acres
• Den Fire - 348 acres
• Elliot - 531 acres
• Gold - 62 acres
• Head - 5,617 acres
• Lake - 475 acres
• Malone – 66 acres
• Scott – 41 acres
• Three Creeks – 158 acres
• Townsend – 80 acres
• Ufish – 243 acres

Resources

• Crews – 30
• Engines – 91
• Dozers – 17
• Water Tenders – 16
• Masticators – 4
• Excavators – 1
• Personnel - 1261

WILLOWS, Calif., Aug. 19, 2023 — The Slide 1 Fire in the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness remains at 473 acres and 50% containment. Today the fire stayed in its current footprint. As of 5pm, the fire area was getting precipitation from storms moving through the area.

The remote, steep terrain is challenging, but firefighters are making steady progress on containment. Firefighters have secured containment line along the eastern edge of the fire. Two hotshot crews are working to secure the lines along the northern edge of the fire to keep it south of Buck Creek. On the southern flank, aircraft are assisting crews working on that portion of the line. No new resources have been ordered, and several crews are being released.

There is a 30% chance of showers this evening and that weather will continue through the weekend with higher chances of showers Sunday afternoon. Temperatures are cooling and humidity is increasing gradually. A wetter pattern is in the forecast for early next week. Higher humidity, cooler temperatures and precipitation can help keep fire behavior at low to moderate intensity, though gusty and erratic winds near thunderstorms remain a concern.

On the west side of the forest, thunderstorm activity will increase this evening, with high risk for lightning on dry fuels and potential for strong outflow winds in portions of Trinity, Mendocino and Lake counties. Chances for rain will increase beginning Sunday night through Tuesday. Fire personnel are patrolling and monitoring for any new lightning starts.

This weekend the forest has seen an increase in visitors during the opening weekend of B zone archery hunting. Forest officials remind visitors that fire restrictions are in effect and a closure is in effect in the Slide 1 Fire area.

Information about the Slide 1 Fire and other lightning-related fires is being updated on Inciweb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/camnf-2023-slide-1.

Another update will be provided tomorrow evening.

Little Mesa Fire Update

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Location: Approx. 15 miles west, southwest of Delta, CO, Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area     

Discovered: July 31, 2023, 11:00 AM                           

Cause: Lightning                    

Estimated Size: 3,896 acres                                         

Vegetation Type: Pinyon, Juniper, sagebrush, grass

Containment: 30%                                                      

Total Personnel:  35                           

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: Air operations maybe conducted on the Little Mesa Fire. For your safety, please stay out of the Potholes Recreation Area. The helicopters are using this water source for fire suppression.

Current Situation: Type 4 Incident Command took over the fire yesterday morning. Fire behavior was minimal after receiving precipitation earlier in the day with no growth, but due to better mapping the map shows an increase in acreage. The Wildland Fire Module flew their Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) with infrared camera to detect heat along the southwest perimeter. Fire crews prepped for potential future burning from the southwest edge of the fire off Dry Mesa Road to Black Point Road. The excavator continued to perform cleanup operations, adding large vegetative material to reclose roads temporarily opened as containment lines and dispersing pockets of dead and down vegetation.

Fire behavior is expected to be reduced due to precipitation received overnight. Today, firefighters will patrol the fire perimeter, eliminating any heat along the edge and moving smoldering logs further into the interior. On the southwest end, firefighters will continue their prep work from Dry Mesa Road to Black Point Road. If weather conditions are conducive, firefighters may look at conducting hand ignitions along the prepped line. The excavator will complete road repair and cleanup work, as well as dig holes for fence posts.

Weather: Last night, deep tropical moisture was firmly in place around portions of western Colorado with widespread storm activity. Storms tracked on the fringes of the fire area producing abundant lightning with minimal to no precipitation. Drier air will begin to move in from the southeast today through Sunday, but widely scattered storm formation is still possible, with an increase in threat of gusty outflow winds. Winds will be from the south 7 to 12 mph, with temperatures in the mid-80s.

Evacuations and Closures: No evacuations have been issued. Temporary road closures are in place in Delta County on Dry Mesa Rd at the intersection with Escalante Rim Rd and on USFS Dry Mesa Rd at Sawmill Mesa Rd junction. The GMUG National Forests have issued a forest closure order for the area around the Little Mesa Fire. Public access to the closure area is limited. Visit https://bit.ly/3YwXNz0 for more information.

Smoke:  Smoke is visible from surrounding areas and highways 50, 550, 92, 65, 141 and C37 Road. Go to fire.airnow.gov or colorado.gov/airquality/ to get updates on smoke conditions.

Aviation Safety:  Incident aircraft may be flying over the Little Mesa Fire air space. Fire aviation resources are flying at different altitudes and speeds. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones must never fly near wildfires. Remember if you fly, we can’t!

For updated information follow on these outlets:

Inciweb:  https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/coupd-little-mesa-fire

Facebook: @LittleMesaFire                 Twitter: @SWD_Fire

Gravel Pit Fire Daily Update

WESTERN MONTANA ALL HAZARDS IMT    │    INCIDENT COMMANDER: KEN PARKS                                          

https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mtmts-gravel-pit-fire

Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

Location: 25 miles southeast of Libby, near Silver Butte

Start Date: 8/1/23                  Cause: Human           Size: 304 acres                 Containment: 95%

Total Personnel: 68               Engines:  5                 Tenders: 2                 Hand Crews: 2

The Western Montana All-Hazards Incident Management Team will transfer command of the Gravel Pit Fire to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Libby Unit at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 20, 2023. This will be the final daily fact sheet for the Gravel Pit Fire.

CURRENT STATUS

Yesterday to the west, crews continued with mop-up activities, locating and extinguishing remaining hot spots. To the east, fire crews also continued to locate hot spots, working in a grid pattern through green islands of unburned material within the fire perimeter. Crews also completed backhauling hose, pumps, and portable water tanks.

PLANNED ACTIONS

Flare-ups remain a concern. Firefighting crews will continue with mop-up activities, working in a grid pattern. Mop-up activities involve extinguishing any remaining embers, hot spots, or smoldering areas within the fire perimeter to prevent them from reigniting and causing another flare-up. Engines and crews will be available for initial attack and will respond quickly to prevent any new fires from growing out of control.

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR

Saturday will see cooler temperatures, but still very dry, with RHs expected in the low teens. A wind shift will occur Friday night to more northerly, which will remain in place over the fire through Sunday morning. Fire behavior is low, with some remaining smoldering areas.

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES

There are no evacuation warnings, evacuations, or closures currently in effect for the Gravel Pit Fire. All Lincoln County residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by downloading the Code Red application and entering contact information. Code Red is the primary notification system to alert residents of evacuations.