Single Publication

River Complex Fire Update
Thursday, August 26, 2021

Etna, CA — Fire crews continue to build and improve containment lines on the River Complex.   Additional resources continue to arrive and are being assigned to critical areas of the fire.   On the Haypress fire, the Parker Meadow spot fire to the southeast remains a high priority and is being attacked by both ground and aerial assets, including a pack mule string to assist with supply transport.  At this morning’s operational briefing, Agency Administrator Ruth D’Amico praised crews assigned to the River Complex by saying “Even with our limited resources, all of our crews are where they need to be and are doing what they need to do to fight this fire as quickly and safely as possible.”

Weather:  A weak upper-level weather system will bring a shift in winds out of the northwest across the River Complex today. Transport winds will also shift out of the northwest, pushing smoke to the southeast.  Skies will be clear mid-morning after the inversion begins to lift. Warm temperatures, low humidity and increasing winds may result in elevated fire behavior this afternoon. Wind gusts up to 15-20 mph are possible on the ridgetops this afternoon.  Sustained winds of 6-10 mph are expected late this evening into early Friday morning.

Today:       

• Insert resources and construct direct fire line on the spot fire in the Parker Meadow to mitigate threat to the Hwy-3 and Trinity Center areas.
• Scout, perform structure triage assessments, and build control line west of Coffee Creek,
• Trinity Center, and Hwy-3 corridor to protect these values.
• Continued assessment of fires and fire locations, including areas of rollout and spot fires. 
• Point Protection in the communities of Coffee Creek, Summerville, and Cecilville.   
• Road preparation, line improvement, mop-up, and holding actions where possible on all fires.
• Conduct firing operations where feasible to strengthen containment lines by removing available fuels. 

Fire Behavior:

Haypress:  The Haypress Fire had minimal fire growth yesterday as crews worked to increase containment. The fire continues to hold along the east fork of the Salmon River from the Caribou Road to Hazel Gulch. Crews will continue to utilize an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drone to conduct a firing operation between I Am Up Ridge and Dog Pow Gulch. This firing operation will be conducted to help the main fire continue to back down the hill in a controlled manner.  Firing operations will continue today on the east flank to the planned control line below Fish Lake. The fire is established in Hickory Creek and is currently backing down towards Battle Creek.  Crews will patrol along the Upper Coffee Creek Road to monitor any heat found around structures.  Crews have been making good progress on the Parker Meadow spot fire on the southeast side of the Haypress and will continue containment efforts today.

Summer Fire:  The west flank of the Summer Fire crossed the Sainte Claire Creek yesterday and will continue to burn towards Plummer Creek on the boundary of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. 

Cronan Fire:  The Cronan fire continues to remain within planned control lines. Crews will continue to mop-up areas close to the perimeter. Several large, unburned pockets remain in the northwest portion of the fire. When the opportunity arises, crews will look to burn these unburned pockets out during periods of favorable weather conditions to limit the potential for spotting. Each day, a fixed wing airplane flies over the fire to help crews detect hot spots around the fire and to ensure the heat remains inside the control lines. 

Fire Statistics: Total complex 90,929 acres, 19% containment.  Haypress 62,601 acres.  Summer 22,443 acres. Cronan 5,885 acres.

Evacuations: 

Evacuation Order: Cecilville, Summerville, Petersburg, and Coffee Creek Road Past Sugar Pine Trailhead in Trinity County.

Evacuation Warning: Sawyers Bar, Coffee Creek, Trinity Center

For specific information regarding evacuations, please visit https://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/emergencyservices or https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES

An evacuation order means there is an immediate threat to life and is a lawful order to leave immediately.   An evacuation warning means there is a potential threat to life or property.  Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave now.

Road Closures: Trinity County has issued a hard closure of Coffee Creek Road at North Fork Trailhead west of Hwy 3. The Callahan-Cecilville Road is closed from approximately one mile west of the community of Callahan to Cecilville.  The Sawyers Bar Road is closed from Forks of Salmon to Forest Road 40N51. 

Forest Closures:  The following National Forests are under Emergency Forest Closure, effective from August 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. through September 6, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.: Klamath National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Plumas National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, and Lassen National Forest.

For more information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/

Resources:  727 Personnel • 14 Crews • 10 Helicopters • 43 Engines • 18 Dozers • 24 Water Tenders • 7 Masticators

Smoke Report:  https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/NorthernCalifornia