MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest officials said Tuesday they are locating and taking actions to suppress fires started by lightning during Monday's storm.
State fire officials said there had been about 8,000 lightning strikes across Northern California as a result of lightning storms that began early Monday and extended into Tuesday.
The forest itself had several hundred lightning strikes early Monday morning, primarily in the southern half of the forest, officials reported.
Since Monday, the Mendocino National Forest has identified approximately 10 fires on the Upper Lake Ranger District on the west side of the forest and four fires on the Grindstone Ranger District, located on the east side of the forest.
All of the fires are small, between one-tenth and one-quarter of an acre, according to a report from forest headquarters. Most of the fires are contained and currently in patrol status.
The Streeter Fire, located off Streeter Ridge on the Upper Lake Ranger District, was discovered on Tuesday at 12:20 p.m. Officials said it's the only fire currently showing active behavior.
The report from forest headquarters said the Streeter Fire is estimated to be one-quarter acre, burning in heavy slash on steep terrain. The fire had helicopters dropping water to assist in containment.
As conditions continue to dry out and warm up, forest firefighters anticipate discovering more lightning fires in the coming days, officials reported.
Currently the Mendocino National Forest is not under fire restrictions. However, visitors are asked to be careful with fire when recreating on the forest. Following a very dry winter, there is an increased risk of wildfire this summer on the Mendocino National Forest.
To report a fire, please call 911.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316, or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino . Updates also are available on Twitter @MendocinoNF.