Glass fire nears full containment; August Complex could be impacted by hotter weather
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire crews are within striking distance of having the Glass fire fully contained, while thousands of firefighters continue their work to control the August Complex.
On Monday night, the Glass fire remained at 67,484 acres, with containment at 96 percent, Cal Fire reported.
The incident, expected to be fully contained on Oct. 20, has been burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since Sept. 27, coming less than a mile from Lake County’s southern border.
Total structures that continued to be threatened by the incident were reduced again on Monday to 1,217, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire’s final damage assessment, released late last week, said the Glass fire has destroyed 1555 structures and damaged 282 others.
On Monday night, resources that Cal Fire said remained assigned to the incident included 219 firefighters, 10 engines, seven water tenders, one helicopter, two hand crews and 10 dozers.
Changes in weather could bring more fire activity in August Complex area
On California’s largest fire, the August Complex, by Monday night it had burned 1,029,029 acres on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, with containment up to 76 percent, the US Forest Service reported.
Officials said 4,610 personnel are assigned on all four zones of the complex, which has been burning since Aug. 17.
The Forest Service said firefighters continue to coordinate with Cal Fire on control measures in the Hellhole Canyon area, northeast of Covelo.
On the west and south sides of the South Zone, which includes portions of the Mendocino National Forest in northern Lake County, fire crews are felling hazard trees along roadways as needed for firefighters and public safety. Crews continue to patrol firelines by ground and air, officials said.
The Forest Service said smoke may be visible in areas where pockets of vegetation within the fire’s perimeter continue to burn and temperatures warm up over the next few days.
On the west side of the South Zone, the Forest Service said firefighters are repairing handline constructed on the southwestern portion of the fire during suppression operations. Firefighters continue to scout for additional opportunities for suppression repair.
Changes in the weather this week could lead to challenges for firefighters.
The Forest Service said relative humidity is expected to drop after the moist weekend with an increase in afternoon winds that have the potential to dry out fuels and increase fire activity along ridges and slopes. The dry weather is expected to continue through the week, with generally northerly breezes.
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