One of the fires in Northern California’s Six Rivers Lightning Complex burned two crew transport vehicles while the firefighters were away from them and no one was injured.
Six Rivers National Forest officials said Monday night the incident occurred Saturday at the Waterman Fire.
The two fire vehicles belonged to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and were parked when they were hit by flames, officials said.
“Fortunately, none of the crew members were near the vehicles when they were burned over and no injuries occurred as a result of this incident,” fire officials said.
The vehicles’ burn-over is under review, officials said.
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Lightning started a dozen fires Friday as thunderstorms swept over the Six Rivers National Forest. As of Tuesday, eight of those fires were still active.
The fires have burned a total of 8,975 acres as of Tuesday morning, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Evacuation orders remain for Fountain Ranch Road and all roads off of Fountain Ranch Road that include Councilman Road, Gravel Road, Stanley Z Road, Sugar Magnolia Lane, Galaxy Drive and Quimby Road. The orders also cover Salyer Loop down to the bridge at Highway 299, Salyer Heights, Orchard Lane and Campbell Ridge Road.
Campbell Ridge Road also is closed at Highway 299. Highway 299 remains open.
The evacuation center is at Trinity Valley Elementary School, 730 N. Highway 96, in Willow Creek.
The fire complex is now under a unified command with the Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, along with the Trinity and Humboldt sheriff’s offices and California Highway Patrol.
The eight fires in the complex remained uncontained Tuesday afternoon as firefighters worked to keep flames away from Willow Creek, Seely, McIntosh, Salyer Heights and other areas along the Trinity River, fire officials said.
“Much of the steep and nearly inaccessible terrain has heavy ground fuel accumulations from the winter ice storm, which could result in uncharacteristic fire behavior. The active fire area has has little recent fire history,” the officials said.
Firefighters have built a line around the entire 80-mile perimeter of the McKinney Fire as containment on the blaze increased to 55%, the U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday.
It took crews 11 days to get the job done.
The fire only grew 10 acres overnight and now has burned 60,389 acres.
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“The next step for our fire personnel is to continue to maintain this line by aggressive and thorough mop-up with the intention to gain depth and keep the fire in its existing footprint,” the Forest Service said.
The McKinney Fire, the state’s largest wildfire to date this year, broke out July 29 near the community of Klamath River. The blaze has destroyed an estimated 132 buildings, including 87 homes.
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At least four people have died in the fire. The fire’s cause is under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Yeti and Alex fires burning in the Klamath National Forest in western Siskiyou County between Happy Camp and Seiad Valley have burned just over 8,000 acres, the Forest Service said.
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The Yeti is 78% contained, while Alex is 80% contained. Lightning caused those two fires.
“Overnight patrols encountered no issues throughout the fire’s perimeter,” the Forest Service said.
Mike Chapman is an award-winning reporter and photographer for the Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif. His newspaper career spans Yreka and Eureka in Northern California and Bellingham, Wash. Support local journalism by subscribing today.
