Weather pushes potential for fire activity
Cal Fire Humboldt-Del Norte unit mops up in Kettenpom this week
Fires in Northern California have the potential to see increased activity this week.
A fire weather watch was issued for Humboldt County this week for Wednesday through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
That could bring higher winds, lower humidity and the “potential for increased fire activity,” a news release from the U.S. Forest Service stated.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said there is the possibility of some power outages as a result of the increased fire danger later this week, but as of Monday evening, Humboldt
County was not on the list of affected counties.
August Complex
As of Tuesday morning, the August Complex — the largest fires in modern California history — had burned 1,029,037 acres and was 76% contained overall. There were more than 4,400 personnel assigned to fight the fire.
There were no evacuation orders or warnings in Humboldt County.
Incident commanders reported making good progress fighting the northwest zone of the fire.
“Firefighters continue making steady progress throughout the entire zone,” a release from the U.S. Forest Service stated. “Masticators continued clearing roadway debris and removing felled trees north of Ruth Lake along Mad River Road. Dozers worked nearby, building secondary containment line.”
Firefighters from Cal Fire’s Humboldt-Del Norte unit will be assisting in mop up work in the northwest zone “as they assume operations in the area of Kettenpom,” an update on InciWeb stated.
“Firefighters will remain in the area for the next several days continuing mop-up, improving the direct line and falling any hazard trees,” the InciWeb update stated. “Mopup operations will continue on the fire line as firefighters work 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.”
Red Salmon Complex
As of Tuesday morning, the Red Salmon complex had burned 141,820 acres with 60% containment and nearly 800 personnel assigned to the fire.
The fire weather watch later this week could potentially cause the fire to expand more.
“Clear skies for most of Monday allowed aircraft to fly and provided crews with bucket water drops to assist with fire suppression efforts along the eastern flank,” a news release from the U.S. Forest Service stated. “The positive effects of last weekend’s rain will start to wane in the next few days as fine fuels such as leaves and grass begin to dry out.”