High heat could refuel Mendocino Complex

Progress made over the past few days in fighting the largest wildfire in California history could be lost this weekend, as the weather seems unlikely to continue to cooperate.

The Mendocino Complex, made up of the River and Ranch fires, grew to 329,800 acres overnight but was 76 percent contained as of Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

“Overnight, firefighters were able to reinforce containment lines, tying together pre-existing containment barriers, especially north of the Snow Mountain wilderness,” officials said.

But higher temperatures starting Friday afternoon, in addition to a drop in humidity, are expected to fuel the flames. While the River Fire has been fully contained since Monday, the Ranch Fire will present extended challenges as crews continue to conduct suppression operations on the southern edge of the blaze.

Firefighters are planning to take advantage of an inversion layer of smoke that clears around the same time every day to fly fixedwing aircraft over the blaze this weekend and drop retardant in a tight period of time, said Steve Kaufmann, a Cal Fire public information officer for the Mendocino Complex.

The inversion layer, which occurs when there is high pressure over a fire, has created smoky conditions for personnel fighting the fire and makes it impossible for fixed-wing aircraft to navigate overhead. Helicopters can still navigate through the area, he said.

Kaufmann said the smoke typically lifts everyday around 1 to 3 p.m.

Firefighters are also challenged by the blaze’s position, which is located deep in the forest on steep terrain. Kaufmann said. When officials look on a flat map in the smoky base camp, he said it’s difficult to understand the steep conditions firefighters are struggling with in the field.

“I walked out there and put my eyes on the terrain myself, and it’s very, very steep. That has been a challenge for our crews to access,” Kaufmann said.

In total, 3,569 firefighters and officials — including crews from as far away as Australia and New Zealand — are working to extinguish the Mendocino Complex. Operations also feature 209 fire engines, 73 hand crews, 21 helicopters, 63 dozers and 91 water tenders.

The blaze has injured two people and killed Utah firefighter Matthew Burchett. Investigations into the cause of these incidents are ongoing.

The Carr Fire near Redding continued to burn Friday morning, scorching 218,598 acres since it began July 23. The fire has destroyed 1,079 homes and is 75 percent contained.

Three people have died as a result of the inferno, which included an unprecedented fire tornado.