Cooler weather arrives in Northern California to help fight Forward, Mountain, Mill fires

Damon Arthur, Redding Record Searchlight
·2 min read
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Firefighters from the Tahoe Douglas Fire District mop up hot spots in the Lake Shastina Subdivion on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. It was the day after the Mill Fire broke out in Weed and raced north toward this Northern California community near the Oregon border. Cal Fire crews were mopping up where the fire passed in Weed and Lake Shastina.
Firefighters from the Tahoe Douglas Fire District mop up hot spots in the Lake Shastina Subdivion on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. It was the day after the Mill Fire broke out in Weed and raced north toward this Northern California community near the Oregon border. Cal Fire crews were mopping up where the fire passed in Weed and Lake Shastina.

As cooler weather and cloudy skies moved into the North State on Sunday, firefighters continued to tighten their grip on fires in the region.

Five significant fires still burned in the region, burning a total of about 57,500 acres as of Sunday morning.

The total numbur of acres burned rose 1,073 acres from what was reported Saturday night. The percentage of containment on those blazes also rose from an average of about 63% to about 65% from Saturday to Sunday, according to fire officials.

After record-breaking high temperatures that reached 115 degrees last week in Redding, the high temperature Monday was expected to be in the low 90s with highs in the 80s for the rest of the week.

Here is a breakdown of acreage burned and percent containment on the five fires:

The Forward Fire near Manton in eastern Tehama County had burned about 160 acres and was 20% contained as of Sunday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Forward Fire update: Blaze grows to 160 acres with 5% containment

There was no change in the size of the Forward Fire from Saturday to Sunday, but the percent of containment rose from 10% to 20%, Cal Fire said.

The Mountain Fire west of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County was at 12,635 acres and 60% contained Sunday. The fire was 11,562 acres and 70% contained Saturday.

The Mill Fire, which burned in Weed in Siskiyou County, was 3,935 acres and 90%  contained. The Mill Fire has not grown in size in at least a week.

A spot fire burns downwind from the Forward Fire that started Friday afternoon, Sept. 9, 2022, east of Manton.
A spot fire burns downwind from the Forward Fire that started Friday afternoon, Sept. 9, 2022, east of Manton.

The Coyote Fire in northeast Siskiyou County remained 297 acres, the same as Saturday. However, containment on the blaze grew from 60% Saturday to 65% Sunday.

The Six Rivers Lightning complex, burning in Humboldt and Trinity counties near Willow Creek, was 41,540 acres Sunday and 91% contained. The two fires that made up the complex were 89% contained Saturday and 91% contained Sunday.

The size of the complex did not grow from Saturday to Sunday, according to U.S. Forest Service officials.

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Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Cooler weather arrives in Northern California as wildfires burn