LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Although it's been fully contained for a week and a half, the Valley fire's area continues to be patrolled daily by firefighters.
The 76,067-acre fire, which began burning on Sept. 12, was fully contained on Oct. 6, but that didn't mean the work was done.
This week, there were reports of a flare up on the Napa County side of the fire and a hot spot in the Anderson Springs area.
Cal Fire Capt. Joe Fletcher said that in the early days of the fire, there were hundreds of smoke check reports. Lately, it's more like one or two a day.
Explaining why the flare ups continue to happen, Fletcher said that when conditions are as dry as they are currently, it's not just the vegetation on the surface of the ground that dries out – the root system also becomes very dry.
That allows fire to get down into the root system, where it can travel underground and pop up in different places.
“It's a complex process,” he said.
He said those types of flare ups are going to occur. As a result, “We're still patrolling every day,” and checking out every smoke call, he said.
Fletcher said it's anticipated that those patrols will continue for at least a few more weeks.
“We still have a ton of work to do” in the fire area, Fletcher added, explaining that work includes making repairs to the landscape and the reforestation project ahead.
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Valley fire area patrols continue
- Elizabeth Larson
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