- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Damage estimates for Glass fire increase; August Complex continues growth across forests
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters braved hot temperatures on Wednesday as they continued the work to contain massive and destructive wildland fires around the region.
The Glass fire, burning in Napa and Sonoma counties since early Sunday morning, grew to 51,266 acres – an increase of just over 2,800 acres – over the course of Wednesday night, with containment remaining at 2 percent, Cal Fire reported.
Cal Fire said the fire’s cause remains under investigation.
It is threatening 26,290 structures and thousands remain evacuated, officials said.
In Cal Fire’s latest report, the agency said the fire has destroyed 92 structures and damaged 45 in Sonoma County, while in Napa County it has destroyed 112 structures and damaged 99 others.
Officials said the fire continued to burn actively throughout Wednesday, with crews working on structure defense while building and reinforcing containment lines.
Extremely dry fuels – combined with warmer and drier weather – have allowed short-range spotting, and the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Thursday afternoon through Friday evening due to hot, dry weather and windy conditions in the forecast.
Cal Fire said it’s still working to determine when the fire might be fully contained.
To the north, the August Complex, burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, was up to 949,672 acres and 47-percent containment on Wednesday night, Cal Fire reported. The incident grew by approximately 11,628 acres since Tuesday night.
The lighting-caused complex has been burning since Aug. 17 and has currently scorched lands in Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties. It’s currently divided into three zones – North, South and West.
Command of the South Zone, which includes Lake County, on Wednesday morning transitioned from the National Incident Management Organization under Incident Commander Mike Quesinberry to the Pacific Northwest No. 2 Incident Management Team under Incident Commander Rob Allen, the US Forest Service reported.
Officials said that, in addition to constant input from firefighters on the ground, data from nighttime infrared flights is being used to identify heat sources inside the control lines that need to be addressed.
Crews spent Tuesday conducting mop up, checking control lines and enhancing structure protection in the Lake Pillsbury area, the Forest Service said.
In areas where mop up has been completed and checked, the Forest Service said firefighters are working to take down and retrieve hose lays, pumps and portable tanks that were installed on alternate contingency lines.
A Burned Area Emergency Response Team, or BAER, has begun work on the east side of the South Zone, collecting and analyzing information to document burn severity and to prioritize emergency stabilization measures, officials said.
The Forest Service this long-term process is initiated as soon as possible after a wildfire and will continue for up to a year to prevent further damage to life, property or natural resources on Forest Service Lands.
BAER teams identify needs in areas that are unlikely to recover naturally from wildland fire damage and use that information to prioritize rehabilitation work, the Forest Service said.
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