Wildfire roundup | Monument Fire surpasses 67,000 acres
The impact of California’s catastrophic wildfires were felt across the United States on Thursday as smoke traveled as far as the East Coast.
The Monument Fire, McFarland Fire and River Complex continued to produce heavy smoke impacts to Northern California communities, according to the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District.
Coastal and central Del Norte and Humboldt Counties were expected to experience good to moderate air quality conditions, according to Thursday’s update.
Citing “unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions,” the NCUAQMD issued air quality advisory for Willow Creek, Hoopa, Orleans, Weitchpex, Burnt Ranch, Trinity Center and Hayfork. An alert has been issued for Weaverville, Lewiston, Junction City, Douglas City and Platina for “generally hazardous conditions.”
More information on local air quality conditions can be found at ncuaqmd.org.
Monument Fire
The Monument Fire burning along state Route 299 between Burnt Ranch and Big Bar had grown to 67,190 acres with 3% containment, as of Thursday morning.
“On the west side (of the fire), crews completed a firing operation from the dozer line down to SR 299, removing fuels from the highway up the fire’s edge. This will help to prevent future spot fires near Burnt Ranch,” Inciweb reported Thursday. “Firefighters continued to experience short-range spotting across containment lines on the southern flank of the fire due to 15-20 mph wind gusts experienced overnight. Dark, smoke-filled skies and rugged terrain challenged fire crews on the southeast side as the fire pushed beyond containment lines. The fire grew over a mile burning eastward over the Hayfork Divide.”
Evacuations remained in effect for the communities of Junction City, Red Hill, Canyon Creek, Coopers Bar, Big Bar, Del Loma, Big Flat, Helena, Cedar Flat and Burnt Ranch.
State Route 299 remained closed approximately three miles west of Del Loma to one mile east of Big Bar in Trinity County.
McFarland Fire
The McFarland Fire burning along McFarland Ridge, south of state Route 36 had consumed 37,779 acres with 51% containment, as of Thursday morning.
“Current fuel conditions are critical and may lead to rapid growth,” Inciweb reported. “Dozers and heavy equipment will continue to reopen dozer lines from last year’s August Complex and will look for opportunities to safely fight the fire by ground on the east and southeast portions of the fire. Burnout operations will continue along the east and southeast portions of the fire to prevent fire spread.”
Fire officials said the McFarland Fire could spread further south and possibly impact the Mendicino National Forest. The fire also threatened several historical archaeological sites.
“Fire officials are working with local cultural resource specialists and technical specialists in the planning process to identify Native American traditional areas that could be impacted by either the fire or during suppression actions,” according to the fire outlook. “The threatened heritage sites include five historical buildings, five historical sites, two historical trails, 15 lithic scatters and six Chert quarries.”
An evacuation order was in place for the community of Wildwood. Evacuation warnings were issued for the communities of Post Mountain, Trinity Pines and Platina. Shields Road, White Rock Road, Harrison Gulch Road from Hwy 36 to Deerlick Springs Road, as well as all roads south of SR 36 from Sunday Gulch Road to the Shasta/Tehama County line including Beegum Gorge Road, Platinum Lane, Secluded Glen Lane, Shady Nook Drive and Beegum Road.
The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday evening that State Route 36 opened without restrictions but advised those driving along the route to drive with caution as emergency crews may still be working in the area.
River Complex Fire
The River Complex Fire burning within the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest had grown to 32,649 with 10% containment as of Thursday morning.
“As winds increase and fire behavior becomes more intense, firefighters work to maintain the gains made in the past two weeks,” Inciweb reported. “Structure defense in the communities of Cecilville and Summerville continues in preparation for the change in the weather. The incident meteorologist is monitoring weather conditions and communicating with firefighters working on the lines.”
An evacuation order was in effect for the communities of Cecilville, Summerville and Petersburg.
An evacuation warning was in place for Sawyers Bar and Coffee Creek past Sugar Pine Campground in Trinity County.
The Callahan-Cecilville Road was closed from one mile west of the community of Callahan to Cecilville. The Sawyers Bar Road was closed from Forks of Salmon to Forest Road 40N51. Coffee Creek Road has been closed west of Sugar Pine Campground.
The Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests have issued an order closing all trails and recreational areas in the Trinity Alps Wilderness area through Nov. 15.
Evacuation sites
Evacuation sites for Northern California fires were at the following locations:
- Shasta College at 11555 Old Oregon Trail in Redding.
- Trinity Valley Elementary School at 730 N. Highway 96 in Willow Creek.
- First Baptist Church at 1261 Main Street in Weaverville.
- Willow Creek Veterans Hall at 20 Kimtu Road.
North Coast political leaders respond
After visiting headquarters for the Monument and McFarland fires in Willow Creek Wednesday, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said he was “very confident in the way crews have approached the fire so far.”
“It was good to get in on-the-ground briefing and even better to hear their confidence in terms of how this fire is likely to play out,” Huffman said. “Fire officials seem to feel, as big and troubling as this fire is, that there’s a very good chance of protecting places where the people are. They’ve been smart, they’ve been aggressive and they’ve requested help in every direction federal and state.”
Huffman said the biggest challenge faced by firefighters is the lack of resources.
“However, they’ve gotten more dozers and crews to help start fortifying the eastern flank to protect Junction City and Weaverville which seemed to really buoy their optimism,” he said. “That was one of the greatest fears they had had just a couple of days ago.”
Unfortunately, fire season will likely continue well into the fall and “there’s nothing we can do that will immediately make this threat go away,” Huffman added.
“I think it really just underscores the urgency with which we have to keep acting,” he said. “We are playing catch-up. Decades of inaction and poor forest management as well as accelerating climate impacts.”
North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire expressed his gratitude to California firefighters in a Facebook post this week, specifically six firefighters who were injured while battling the McFarland Fire.
“The firefighters suffered first and second-degree burns when a spot fire jumped in front of the,” McGuire wrote. “All were examined by doctors, all have been released and will be taking a few days off. Send some good thoughts their way, so grateful for their tireless work, especially with the challenging conditions that they face.”
Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) underscored the need for immediate legislative action to address worsening fire conditions in the state.
“California continues to be ravaged by wildfire year after year,” Wood said. “Our North Coast has had its share of wildfire tragedies and since being elected, it has been my priority issue. Firefighting has become year-round and has compromised our ability to do the preventive work we all agree needs to be done, so this year my bill AB 9 will create a separate entity under the state fire marshal to dedicate resources and personnel to do the preventive work that can save lives and property in the future.”
“We can’t wait a minute longer,” he added.
More information on all of the aforementioned fires can be found at inciweb.nwcg.gov and at the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
By: ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
Source: Eureka Times Standard
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