NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Officials will host another virtual community meeting on Saturday evening to discuss the August Complex, which has been burning for nearly three weeks in the Mendocino National Forest.
The August Complex rose to 305,673 acres on Saturday, with containment remaining at 23 percent, according to the US Forest Service report.
There will be a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5. Residents, particularly from the Covelo area, are encouraged to participate.
The meeting and fire updates can be found on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
The complex originally was 37 fires that merged into several larger incidents. Those fires – the Hull, Doe, Tatham and Glade – have since merged to form one large fire.
The Doe fire is 297,377 acres and 23 percent contained, the Tatham fire is 15,594 acres and 9 percent contained, the Hull fire is 13,177 acres and 10 percent contained, and the Hopkins fire is 11,089 acres and zero percent contained.
The Forest Service said 1,048 resources are committed to the complex, including 22 crews, four camp crews, seven helicopters, 46 engines, 20 dozers, 31 water tenders and three masticators.
The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather warning beginning 10 p.m. Monday and continuing through 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Weather predictions call for extreme heat ranging from the mid-90s on the ridges to 110 degrees in the valleys. Relative humidity is expected to drop to the single digits.
Winds will shift from southeast to northwest, with sustained wind speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. This could result in the potential for rapid fire spread throughout the complex and dense smoke in the surrounding area.
Officials said there was a slopover across the M1 Road in the Riley Ridge area of the Doe fire.
Helicopters and dozers are performing containment operations. Crews are making good progress containing a spot fire north of Anthony Peak and South of Buck Rock. Small aircraft will assist in this area, as smoke conditions permit, the Forest Service reported.
The Hopkins fire is moving toward areas of old burn scars and road systems surrounding the perimeter of the fire. Burnout operations and air operations will proceed Saturday. There are presently five engines and three bulldozers committed to the Hopkins fire, officials said.
Mendocino National Forest officials updated the area closure for the August Complex on Sept. 5. The Forest Order 08-20-12 and map are posted on the forest website.
The most up to date information on the August Complex can be found on InciWeb.
August Complex grows to 305,000 acres; virtual community meeting planned Saturday evening
- Lake County News reports
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