Residents told to se ca tion
‘It takes very little for a small incident to become a big fire’
With many people in Covelo and beyond anxiously watching how this weekend’s weather will affect the hard-fought containment of the nearby August Complex fire, Lt. Shannon Barney of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said there are many other things that are actually under human control that could create a new devastating fire.
“The hot weather’s coming on, the wind is coming up, and we need to pay attention to all of our activities, not just burning,” Barney told Lew Chichester of KYBU Community Radio in Round Valley Friday morning. “Burning is a no-brainer — don’t do it. But (we also) have to worry about driving vehicles out into dry grass and things like that. Just be vigilant and be careful.”
As an example of how many outdoor activities can start a fire, Barney pointed to the Ranch Fire in 2018, which “until this year, was part of the biggest fire in California history (the Mendocino Complex Fire), and was started with somebody pounding a post into the ground,” which caused a spark and started the fire.
“So it takes very little for a small incident to become a big fire,” he continued, urging all residents in the county to use caution “if you’re mowing or doing any kind of metal work, because all those things can cause sparks.”
As for the largest fire in California history that is currently burning, Barney said Sept. 25 that while there wasn’t a lot of change to report that morning, “the change that is coming is the
weather. It’s not only going to heat up, ( but) they were starting to get some wind. Primarily it is forecast over the Sacramento Valley area, but it is hitting on the east side of West Zone of The August Complex, and the weather can move around, so we’re going to watch that pretty good.
“(Cal Fire does have) a lot of line around the West
Zone,” Barney continued. “And some of it is direct, which they prefer, but some of it is indirect, so they’ll continue to work on that as they watch this weather and any potential wind event. The wind is forecast to come out of the north, northeast, which will push the fire against any of the lines on the west zone, so they’ll be watching those areas.”
As of Friday morning, Cal Fire reported the August Complex as a whole was 867,335 acres, and that the West Zone was 104,230 acres and 50 percent contained. Full containment is expected by Sept. 30.
“I know a lot of listeners are concerned about this weekend, so I was hoping we could continue these updates at least for the next few days,” Chichester said. “And maybe Sept. 30 could be our last.”
For the latest on evacuation warnings and orders in Mendocino County, visit: https://tinyurl.com/mendoEvac.