- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
- Posted On
August Complex nears 300,000 acres; new evacuation warning issued
The US Forest Service said Friday the complex of lightning fires is up to 298,269 acres with containment remaining at 23 percent.
There are 1,015 resources committed to the complex including 22 crews, four camp crew, seven helicopters, 50 engines, 19 dozers, 26 water tenders and three masticators, the Forest Service said.
On Friday, an evacuation warning was issued for all Mendocino County areas within the Mendocino National Forest, north of Hull Mountain.
Officials said this action is necessary to address the fact that numerous private in-holdings – cabins, primary residences and undeveloped private lands – exist within the boundary of the Mendocino National Forest.
Residents are asked to be prepared for possible evacuation. The Forest Service said weather forecasts predict a shift from southwesterly to northeasterly winds from Monday through Tuesday, which may increase fire activity in the complex.
A breakdown of the warning levels can be found here.
Friday’s issuance of a new evacuation warning follows action the Forest Service took on Thursday to lift the evacuation warning for the Pillsbury Ranch area.
The Hull, Doe, Tatham, and Glade fires have merged to form one large fire. The individual breakdown of the fires given by the Forest Service are as follows: Doe fire, 258,192 acres, 23 percent contained; Tatham fire, 15,594 acres, 9 percent contained; and the Hull fire, 13,177 acres, 10 percent contained.
Firefighters have completed burnout operations from Bald Mountain, working east down the M61 road to the M1 road, to address spot fires and contain the fire’s movement toward Monkey Rock.
Additional resources have been brought in to assist with containment on the Hopkins fire located in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness and Shasta Trinity National Forest. Heavy equipment, hotshot crews and aircraft are working on this fire, officials said.
Mendocino National Forest officials issued a new closure for the August Complex on Saturday, Aug. 29. The Forest Order 08-20-11 and map are posted on the forest website.
Daily updates and the virtual community meeting held on Wednesday can be found on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.
The most up to date information on the August Complex can be found on InciWeb.