Lightning sparks 30 fires in Northern California, including Head Fire prompting evacuations

Fires burning in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou and Trinity counties are prompting evacuations in communities west of Yreka near the California-Oregon border and in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area west of Trinity Lake.

All told, at least 30 fires sparked by lightning are burning on U.S. Forest Service lands in the North State.

One of those fires, the Head Fire, started near the confluence of the Klamath and Scott rivers and is burning near the small town of Hamburg on Highway 96, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The area is 35 miles west of Yreka, and about 40 miles west of the intersection of Highway 96/Interstate 5.

Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for communities near the Head Fire. Evacuees are being sheltered at the Kahtishraam Wellness Center at 1403 Kahtishraam in Yreka and the Karuk Wellness Center at 357 Jacobs Way in Happy Camp, the sheriff's office said.

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The Head Fire blaze was listed at 2,705 acres in size on Wednesday. Firefighters reported no containment on the blaze, according to Klamath National Forest Supervisor Rachel Smith.

Forecasters said the weather over the Klamath will continue to be hot and dry. Dangerous fire conditions are expected through Thursday night, with the chance of more thunderstorms and showers arriving after 5 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

The weather forecast calls for cooler and calmer conditions continuing through the weekend.

The Head Fire prompted the California Department of Transportation to close Highway 96 between Highway 263 and Seiad.

Scott River Road is also closed, the Forest Service reported.

Deep Fire prompts evacuations in Trinity County on Wednesday

In Trinity County, the sheriff's office ordered residents to evacuate the communities near the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area due to the Deep Fire.

The fire is the largest of eight blazes that broke out in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, according to Forest Service spokesperson Ruth Esperance. It is burning two miles northwest of Trinity Lake Resort and Marina on Trinity Lake.

Evacuation warnings are also in place for surrounding communities.

The following zones are under evacuation orders:

• ZONE TRA-415, which includes the Canyon Creek, Boulder Creek Trails, Sapphire and Mirror lakes, the Canyon Creek Lakes, Thompson Peak/Wedding Cake area, Stuart Fork and Deer Creek waterways.

• Zone TRC-138, which includes the Long Canyon Drainage, Deer Creek, the Stuart Fork Drainage, Stuart Fork, Sunday Creek, Cherry Flat, Granite Peak, Red Mountain, the Siligo Areas and Van Matre Meadows.

For updates and more information go to the Trinity County Sheriff's Office Facebook page at facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064589806351.

The Deep Fire and the Upper Fire merged in the Stuart Fork Drainage on Tuesday, filling the area with smoke. The combined fire spread to 800 acres by Tuesday evening. Storms pushed down on the air above the fire, creating ground winds that spread the Deep Fire and several other small fires burning in remote areas, according to a Shasta-Trinity National Forest report.

Lightning strikes fires in Lassen National Forest

Two fires are burning in Lassen National Forest, both caused by lightning and gusty ground winds, according to the Forest Service. They are the H-1 Fire and the L-1 Fire.

The H-1 Fire in the Thousand Lakes Wilderness area scorched a tenth of an acre. It’s 100% contained, according to Lassen National Forest officials.

The L-1 Fire in the Almanor Ranger District near Philbrook Reservoir grew to eight acres, and is also completely contained.

Thunderstorms will likely continue through August, bringing more wildfire risk, the Forest Service cautioned.

Other fires burning in the Klamath National Forest

The Head Fire is one of at least 20 fires currently burning in the Klamath National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service reported. Lightning from thunderstorms that rolled over extremely dry and steep terrain in the area sparked the fires on Monday night. Then windy weather spread the blazes quickly on Tuesday, according to the Forest Service.

There are 11 fires burning in the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll District

• The Swillup Fire between Pony Peak and Bear Peak roads is .1 acres and is fully contained.

• The Elliott Fire near Dillon Creek Campground is at 50 acres and is not contained.

• The Brown Fire is one-tenth of an acre and is fully contained.

• An engine and a hand crew are assigned to the five-acre Malone Fire, burning at Elk Creek.

• The Titus Fire the Marble Mountain Wilderness, south of the Norcross Campground, spread to at least 15 acres. Smokejumpers ― highly experienced firefighters who parachute into remote ares to fight fires ― are on the ground battling the Titus Fire.

• The Berry Fire burned two-tenths of an acre near Huckleberry Mountain.

• The Dutch Fire burned a tenth of and acres and is fully contained.

• The Indy Fire is burning up Independence Creek near the border of the Marble Mountain Wilderness.

• The Aubrey and Canyon fires both burned a quarter of an acre.

• The Intersection Fire is fully contained at one tenth of an acre.

Nine fires are burning on the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District. These include the following fires:

• The 10-acre Scott Fire is burning near the Scott Bar Lookout. A patrol monitored the fire Tuesday night. Firefighters arrived at the fire to start suppress it Wednesday morning.

• The Boulder Fire reached a tenth of an acre near Indian Scotty Campground. It's fully contained.

• The Hossick Fire up Hossick Gulch near Scott Bar also grew to a tenth of an acre. It's fully contained.

• The Shadow Fire burned half an acre in the Marble Mountain Wilderness near Sky High Lakes. Smokejumpers will battle the fire.

• The Lake Fire is burning near the Shadow Fire. It scorched at least a tenth of an acre. Smokejumpers are scheduled to parachute into the area.

• The half-acre Townsend Fire was spotted up Townsend Gulch off of the Lake Mountain Lookout Road. The fire is burning in steep terrain that's hard to access.

• The Middle Fire is burning near the Townsend Fire, but it's size is unknown.

Motorists and people recreating should watch for thick smoke. Smoky air can be bad for anyone's health, but is especially bad for people with respiratory problems, heart disease or other health problems, the elderly and children. For more information go to the Shasta County Wildfire Smoke Information web page at shastacounty.gov/air-quality/page/wildfire-smoke-information.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news 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: Head Fire, Deep Fire & 28 other fires burn in far Northern California