Officials offer update on August Complex operations in Saturday virtual meeting
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forest and fire management officials on Saturday updated community members on the continuing work to contain the complex of lighting fires that has burned well over 200,000 acres in the Mendocino National Forest.
As of Saturday night, the August Complex – sparked by thunderstorms two weeks ago – had burned 215,588 acres and was 18 percent contained, Forest Service officials reported.
Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson said during the hour-long virtual meeting on Saturday evening that firefighters have done “an enormous amount of work out there” to get to the current level of containment.
From day one, Carlson said the focus has been on the life and safety of the public and firefighters.
“We’ve done everything we can to date to suppress these fires and provide structure protection where it’s safe to do so,” she said.
Carlson said structure protection has been taking place in parts of the forest, with firefighters going in around cabins to remove vegetation and other materials that could make them susceptible to fire.
The complex’s largest fires include the Doe, 168,360 acres, 52 percent contained; the Glade fire, 20,633 acres, zero percent contained; the Tatham, 10,679 acres, 9 percent contained; and the Hull, 9,303 acres, 5 percent contained.
Officials said the Doe and Hull fires have joined in the area of Rattlesnake Creek.
The Elkhorn fire, also burning in Tehama County, is being managed as a separate incident. It has burned 38,795 acres and is 35-percent contained.
Fire mapping shows the Hull fire in the complex is burning in the Upper Lake Ranger District in the northern portion of Lake County, north of Lake Pillsbury, and into a corner of Mendocino County.
The largest portion of the complex is located on the Grindstone Ranger District in Glenn County and into the southwest corner of Tehama County.
Chuck Redmond, the incident meteorologist, said during Saturday’s meeting that the high pressure over the western United States is leading to a forecast of above-normal temperatures for the next week to 10 days, with humidity down to the mid teens to early 20s.
He said air quality is so poor that they haven’t been able to use aircraft. The light winds also are not moving smoke out of the area.
Team discusses operations
During the meeting – which can be seen in the video above – Forest Service officials including Carlson, Redmond and incident managers discussed the efforts to contain the massive complex.
Since Wednesday, Southern Area Blue Team Incident Team has overseen the complex, said Commander Mark Morales.
Morales said the federally sponsored Type 1 incident management team has been in existence since 1983, and includes federal, state, tribal and local government members who get pulled together and sent out when need arises. “That is how we got here.”
Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace discussed the nuts and bolts of the suppression effort, explaining that firefighters are working around a series of fire lines which were picked because they’re believed to be the places with the highest probability of stopping the fire.
He said the eastern side of the fire is looking good, with very little heat, and on Saturday evening, crews were very close to buttoning up the southern line.
Wallace said firefighters are slowing down the fire, which is in very difficult terrain.
He said they are not aware of structural loss on the Hull fire, and have not yet been able to confirm 10 destroyed structures reported by the previous management team.
As other incidents around the state are brought under control, Wallace said resources are being shifted to the complex.
He also reported during the meeting that this week active military personnel are to arrive to help with building contingency lines on the fire.
Wallace said Forest Road M1 is being used as a contingency line.
The M1 Road separates the Yuki Wilderness and the Mendocino National Forest proper, Wallace said. It starts at the Eel River and moves south, ending near Lake Pillsbury.
Wallace said it’s the primary route of travel firefighters have been using and on Saturday he ordered some road material to trial to improve the road for firefighters.
He called the road “a strong fallback line,” with crews doing prep work in that area because they have a high probability of succeeding in stopping the fire’s spread there.
“We don’t want to give up any acres that we don’t have to,” he said.
On Sunday, firefighters will try to bring the fire down into the Black Butte drainage, but if they can’t succeed in stopping the fire there, they’ll fall back to the M1 Road, Wallace said.
On the western border of the Doe fire, Wallacer said there is “really nasty, steep terrain” with a drainage that’s so steep and deep that hotshot crews said they can’t get into it. He said the area doesn’t have a lot probability of success for stopping the fire but it does have a high probability of getting someone hurt.
Regarding specific areas of the forest, Wallace said crews are posted south of Plaskett Meadows, Wells Cabin is protected as firefighters are camping there, the fire remains about two miles west of Jenks Place, the Bollinger Place on Rock Springs Road is still threatened but the fire is about two miles from there, and firefighters are working to protect Lee Logan Camp. The complex is not expected to affect the Anthony Peak area.
Air support on such incidents is important, said Wallace. With the limitations for aircraft, he said they’ve been using more drones on the August Complex not only to help in the fire fight but to search for burned structures.
He said the drones have infrared cameras and can fly at night. “The drones are a powerful new tool that firefighters have been able to start using.”
However, he said they are limited to 30 minutes or less of flight time due to battery capacity.
Carlson reported that they are trying to use drones to access areas like the Sky High Cabins to get an idea of what is happening there.
She said she understands that people want to see their property. “Right now it is not safe,” she said, noting that in addition to the fire activity the roads are not in great conditions.
In response to a question about wild animals being injured in the incident, Carlson said, “We haven’t had any animals come in yet.”
She said many wildlife species sense the fire and are able to get away, some of them burrowing down in the ground.
“They know how to escape this natural disturbance process,” she said, adding that some don’t make it.
In other developments on Saturday, the forest issued a new closure order effective on Sunday that changed the southern boundary of the previous closure; forest visitors are now allowed to recreate in the Fouts Springs area.
The new order, which will remain in place through Sept. 30, is intended to provide for firefighter and public safety due to extreme fire behavior and hazards associated with the complex, officials said.
Carlson said some camping is still being allowed in the forest but she cautioned that conditions are very smoky, and noted recent studies that have shown that wildland fire smoke can make people more susceptible to COVID-19.
Information resources
For those wishing to visit their property, Carlson said that when conditions improve on the incident people can call the Mendocino National Forest Office in Willows at 530-934-3316 to ask about getting a permission slip for access.
For general questions about the August Complex, people are invited to email the incident management team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 530-487-4602.
Forest orders and information are available on the forest website.
Information about the fire also is posted on Inciweb.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.