Arsonist sparks Goodwater Fire, squirrel sparks Clover Creek Preserve Fire in Redding: Updates
Firefighters worked to contain fires in Redding, Oak Run and other parts of the North State over the weekend.
They're also mopping up wildfire burn areas and watching for hot spots as triple-digit heat elevates fire risk this week.
With brush and trees already extremely dry, heat and wind gusts will increase fire danger, according to the National Weather Service.
This week in Redding, daytime temperatures will reach 102 to 104 from Monday through Friday, then rise as high as 107 over the weekend, the Weather Service said. Winds will stay calm at 5 to 9 mph; but on Tuesday night, wind gusts could reach 20 mph.
In Siskiyou County, daytime temperatures will reach the low to middle 90s in Mount Shasta, into the middle to high 90s in Yreka and Dunsmuir. Winds will stay below 12 miles an hour, but gusts could reach 18 mph on Tuesday evening.
Here is what is happening with fires new and continuing fires in the North State.
Goodwater Fire, Redding
The two-acre Goodwater Fire was fully contained as of 6:20 p.m. Sunday, according to the Redding Fire Department.
The cause of the fire was arson, according to Ryan Masterson at the Redding Fire Department, but the incident is still under investigation.
The two-alarm fire started about 5:40 p.m. in a greenbelt area west of Cascade Boulevard, just north of Oasis Road.
Clover Creek Preserve Fire, Redding
On Sunday, firefighters contained a one-acre blaze burning on the Clover Creek Preserve on Shasta View Drive.
A squirrel "playing in the power lines" started the vegetation fire at 12:15 p.m., Masterson said.
Run Fire, Oak Run
The Run Fire in Oak Run is 8.8 acres in size and was fully contained as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Firefighters are mopping up and watching for hot spots, Cal Fire public information officer Dana Hayes said.
This fire started at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday off of Outback Lane near Oak Run Road, she said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Hayes said.
McKinney Fire, Klamath National Forest
The 60,138-acre McKinney Fire is burning in the Klamath National Forest between Yreka and Fort Jones.
It's holding at 99% containment, and didn't grow over the weekend, according to the Klamath National Forest.
Crews continue to patrol the burn area looking for hot spots — areas of intense heat that could reignite the fire, the Forest Service said.
Last week, firefighters snuffed several fires that flared up in the burn area. These include the 3.8-acre Cherry Fire that started on Thursday east of Horse Creek on Highway 96, and a small blaze in the Oak Knoll Ranger District that started on Friday, the Forest Service reported.
Traffic along Highway 96 is flowing, the California Department of Transportation said.
Yeti and Alex fires, Klamath National Forest
The Yeti and Alex fires burned 7,886 acres between Seiad and Happy Camp in the Klamath National Forest. They are 95% contained.
They continue to pump smoke into the air south of Highway 96 as they burn small pockets of dry brush, the Forest Service said.
'Devastation': Shasta County deals with drought conditions not seen in 100 years
Lightning Complex, Six Rivers National Forest
UPDATE Tuesday Aug. 30
Containment on the Six Rivers Lightning Complex of fires dropped to 54% on Tuesday — down from 80% on Monday morning — after the fire pushed past control lines, the U.S. Forest Service reported.
The blaze grew to 34,076 acres on Tuesday morning, up from 32,572 acres on Monday.
The fire broke through control lines in the southeast portion of the Campbell Fire on Monday evening, the Forest Service said. Firefighters identified a spot fire south of the control line at Zeigler Ridge, near Zeigler Point. The area is about two miles north of the small towns of Trinity Village and Hawkins Bar, and a little over a mile northeast of Highway 299.
Monday night and Tuesday, firefighters put most of their efforts on containing the fire and protecting nearby communities, the Forest Service said.
No new evacuations were ordered as of Tuesday morning, according to the Trinity County Sheriff's office. For updates, go to bit.ly/3Az46qj.
Original story Monday Aug. 29
As of Monday, the fire complex had burned 32,572 acres, up from 28,904 acres on Friday. It remained 80% contained, the Forest Service said.
This complex of fires burns near Willow Creek in Humboldt and Trinity counties, including along Highway 299. Two of the 12 fires — ignited by lightning on Aug. 5 — are still active: The Ammon fire and the Campbell Fire.
Over the weekend, crews extinguishing "many smoldering fires" in the Ammon Fire burn area, the Forest Service reported on Monday. They'll continue to patrol the area looking for hot spots this week.
Crews also continued to build containment lines around the Campbell Fire, the Forest Service said, especially near communities along Lone Pine Ridge and Groves Prairie Road.
Highway 299 is open between Redding and the Humboldt Coast, but conditions could change quickly, the California Department of Transportation said. Motorists can check road conditions at quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ before they go.
Forest Route 7n15 at Six Rivers Forest Boundary is closed and some roads to evacuation areas are restricted to residents and emergency workers. Go to bit.ly/3Kwi0Ow for evacuation zone details and updates.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: California wildfires: Arsonist, squirrel spark Redding fires
