Monument Fire North Zone Update for Thursday Morning

August 26, 2021

RESOURCES: 1,992 personnel, 24 hand crews, 153 engines, 15 helicopters, 57 dozers, 47 water tenders, 3 skidgines, 4 masticators, 21 excavators.

PUBLIC MEETING: The Alaska Incident Management Team will hold an in-person meeting at the Willow Creek Bible Church, 39 Brannan Road, at 6 p.m. today. The team will provide an update on firefighting efforts in the North Zone and answer questions. Representatives from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest will also be on hand to take questions. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Facebook page and the Monument Fire YouTube page at https://tinyurl.com/2021MonumentFire.

CURRENT SITUATION: The Monument Fire is currently estimated at 157,287 acres and 20% contained.

CA Highway 299 will be reopened today but only during the day and with pilot cars leading traffic in both directions at designated times. The section open with pilot cars is from Burnt Ranch to Helena, every three hours starting at 7 a.m. Pilot cars will leave east and west points at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The road will be closed after the last escorted group of the day until 7 a.m. for everyone except local residents with proof of address, and emergency traffic.

Crews actively patrolled the North Zone perimeter and reported little activity overnight. They also moved to assist CAL FIRE with fire suppression and structure protection in the South Zone near Hayfork and Junction City.

Residents in the Highway 299 corridor may see additional helicopter traffic again today as Pacific Gas & Electric continues to replace power poles that were damaged and destroyed in the fire. However, as with fire helicopters, flying will depend on smoke conditions and if there is enough visibility to fly. Electric and other crews will also be working on the ground in the 299 corridor so please watch out for workers along the roadways.

Crews across the fire are preparing for hotter, drier and windier conditions today and into the weekend. These conditions could prove challenging for firefighters as heavy smoke during the past week has helped lower temperatures and raise humidity, which has limited the fire’s growth. However, smoke should start clearing around mid-afternoon and by late this afternoon wind gusts of up to 25 miles an hour could promote active fire growth. The fire could be especially active on those sections where wind and topography line up, such as north-south drainages northeast of Hyampom. Commenting on the weather forecast over the next several days, Alaska Incident Management Team Incident Commander Norm McDonald says “things are lining up for some really busy days” and he encouraged firefighters to prepare “so we can stay safe and keep the fire where we want it.

“With clear skies and some wind, we know what that can mean on this fire,” added, Shasta-Trinity Forest Agency Administrator Tara Jones. “Firefighters won’t let their guards down,” said Jones and she encouraged the public not to, either. “Please stay engaged and please don’t let your guard down,” Jones said, noting that the fire is burning in “difficult and rugged ground.”

Fire crews will focus today on completing structure protection in the Hawkins Bar/Trinity Village area on the west side in case the fire does get established on the west side of the New River or the south side of the Trinity River. Helicopter crews based in Willow Creek will be standing by to fly if the air is clear and fire activity requires water or retardant drops. On the east side, north of Helena, crews continue to improve bulldozer lines, hand lines and road systems in case the fire pushes east from the wilderness. Similar work is being conducted near Hyampom in case the fire moves south. Incident objectives were updated yesterday to stress the importance of protecting, as much as possible, the Pattison Wilderness Study Area, in addition to structures in the Hyampom area.

WEATHER:  A warming and drying trend starts today and will last through the weekend. Smoke will continue to shade much of the fire area until at least mid-afternoon when winds out of the west will start to push out the smoke. Critical fire weather conditions are predicted for the Redding area today and for the fire area Friday night and into Saturday.

FOREST CLOSURE: To better provide for public and firefighter safety due to extreme fire conditions throughout northern California, and strained firefighting resources throughout the country, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has temporarily closed nine National Forests, including the Shasta-Trinity. The forest will remain closed through September 6 and this order will be continuously evaluated as conditions change. The closure order can be found at https://go.usa.gov/xF7EM. Public inquiries can be directed to https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r5/about-region/offices or by calling 707-562-9113 or emailing SM.FS.R5inquiries@usda.gov.

ROAD CLOSURES: State Highway 299 is closed between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. between Burnt Ranch and Junction City. Monitor Caltrans's District 2 website (https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-2).

EVACUATION ORDERS: In effect for Hayfork north of Highway 3, Sky Ranch Road and Dutch Creek.

EVACUATION WARNINGS: In effect for Big Bar, Big Flat, Burnt Ranch, Douglas City, Junction City, areas south from Barker Mountain to Haystack, the north side of Hyampom Road from Hayfork to 9-mile bridge, Denny, Hawkins Bar and Trinity Village. For detailed evacuation information, visit the Trinity County Office Sheriff Facebook page at Trinity County Sheriff's Office | Facebook

EVACUATION CENTERS:  American Red Cross Shelters have been set up at Shasta College, 11555 Old Oregon Trail, Building 1900, Redding CA; Willow Creek Bible Church, 39 Brannan Mountain Road, Willow Creek, CA; and Fireman’s Hall Pavilion, 9 Park Street in Fortuna.

ANIMAL EVACUATIONS: (Domestic + Large Animals) Hoopa Rodeo Grounds on Pine Creek Rd, Hoopa, CA. (Large Animals with the exception of Swine): Redding Rodeo Grounds, located at 715 Auditorium Dr., Redding, CA (Sandy Ekman 530-739-8469)

CLEAN AIR CENTERS: Trinity County has established a Clean Air Center at the Trinity County Library, 351 Main Street, Weaverville. Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1-6 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Clean Air Center at the Murray Building at 6641 Highway 3 in Hayfork has been closed due to fire activity.

PROPERTY DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS:  Damage assessment teams have confirmed 50 structures have been destroyed.  For questions or information regarding the status of your property, call Trinity County Office of Emergency Services (OES) at 530-623-1116.

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Basic Information

Current as of	8/26/2021, 6:35:00 AM
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Friday July 30th, 2021 approx. 06:00 PM
Location	Del Loma, CA near Monument Peak
Incident Commander	Norm McDonald, Alaska IMT and Mike Parkes, CAL FIRE IMT
Incident Description	Wildfire
Coordinates	40.752 latitude, -123.337 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,992
Size	157,287 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	20%
Estimated Containment Date	Monday November 01st, 2021 approx. 08:00 AM
Fuels Involved	The fire remains squarely within the 2008 Buckhorn, Eagle, Miners and Cedar Fire footprints. Type converted brush and a heavy dead and down component dominate most areas. Fuels to the north of Hayfork are characterized as widely spaced mixed conifer and grass. All live fuels are cured to levels normally seen in late September.
Significant Events	Fire is fuels driven resulting from extended and extreme/enhanced drought with influence of steep slopes and winds. Several small, short duration runs, exhibiting moderate fire behavior, occurred late in the burn period yesterday. Activity was associated with partial clearing of smoke and adequate ventilation to allow the fire behavior to pick up. Flanking and backing fires consumed all surface fuels with moderate flame lengths and rates of spread. Minimal surface wind allowed smoke to remain over the majority of the fire and created a cap which limited fire behavior. Moderate overnight RH recovery has been consistent for the past 3 nights.

Outlook

Planned Actions

Provide structure defense for the communities of Burnt Ranch, Friedrich Road, Cedar Flat and Underwood Mountain. In the southwest segment of the fire, patrol and mop-up along Corral Bottom Road/47 Road and Prodigy site. Continue direct handline down Haypress Road. Continue developing and improving primary indirect line along Pattison Road to Pattison Ridge, Pattison Peak Road, down through Halfway Ridge and east to Jud Creek tying in at Nine Mile Bridge to connect with the South Zone. Monitor fire on north side of the Trinity River backing west off of Ironside Mountain. Fire is backing into the confluence of the New and Trinity Rivers at this point and if established to the west, resistance to control will be problematic. Patrol and secure current fire line around structures within the communities of Don Juan Point east through Big Flat along the Highway 299 corridor. Scout for opportunities for indirect line north of the New River from Happy Camp Mountain to the confluence of the Trinity River. Take action on any spots across and west of the New River. Prepare structures along the New River from Five Waters northward towards Denny. Provide structure defense for the communities from Helena east through Junction City and north along Canyon Creek and the East Fork of the North Fork of the Trinity River. Finish handline from Canyon Creek west to indirect dozer line along ridges around Helena. Continue to prep structures in Canyon Creek. Evaluate options for managing fire to keep from progressing east of the East Fork of the North Fork and impacting values of risk to the east. This may include burning out along the East Fork and Hobo Gulch Road and implementing dozer line along Backbone Ridge within the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Strategic Planning meeting scheduled for Thursday with completion of Long Term Strategic Analysis and discussion on long range planning of the Monument Fire with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. State Highway 299 will be opened to controlled public access through the fire area on Thursday. Although no direct suppression efforts are currently occurring along the highway, expect impacts to firefighting efforts with increased traffic. In Branch 20: continue tactical patrol in the vicinity of Junction City and continue mop up activities. In Branch 30: construct direct, indirect and contingency line, engage in structure protection operations, carry out firing plan operations.

Projected Incident Activity

12 hours: Limited active fire growth will likely occur in areas where smoke clears. All fuels remain critically dry and Energy Release Components have increased over the last few days as daytime clearing has allowed fuels to dry out more. High resistance to control is being realized on spot fires and slop-overs. Dry conditions will contribute to the potential for spotting and active surface fire. Moderate to high fire spread and flame lengths are anticipated in all areas where established fire has smoke clear enough to allow solar heating and max predicted temperatures to be reached. Even under smoke covered conditions, the fire could see moderate growth in all areas of uncontained line. 24 hours: Potential for active fire behavior with high resistance to control in areas where smoke clears. Expect moderate fire behavior to develop limited to ridgetops and drainages that develop in areas with established fire that clear out by mid-day. Predicted winds should increase ventilation on the western and southern fringes of the fire. Clearing and ventilation is possible in mid-afternoon of 8/26/2021 as a SW to NW flow will likely push smoke from drainages and allow the fire to pick up in intensity.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

Observed Weather: A mid level trough passed over the fire this morning with increased southwest to west southwest transport winds and passing mid level clouds. Light, terrain driven winds within drainages and variable winds generally 2-4 mph were reported across ridges this morning with smoke settling into drainages. Low temperatures ranged in the low to mid 50s with lower humidity recovery of 40-60% for most locations. Temperatures trended just a tad cooler and warmed into the 80s across the fire this afternoon to near 90 in the Trinity River basin. Highs topped out in the mid 70s across ridges. Minimum humidity fell into the 17-27% range. Ridge level winds transitioned to west-northwest into the afternoon, with a late afternoon and evening up-canyon push up the Trinity River basin with peak gusts near 25 mph into the early evening. Forecast Weather: Smoke will settle across the fire again tonight with minimum temperatures ranging in the 50s to near 60 in thermal belts. Moderate humidity recovery will develop after midnight with maximum values of 40-60% in drainages to 40-50% across ridges under west to northwest flow. Thursday Outlook: A warming and drying trend starts Thursday as high pressure builds east across the Pacific. Westerly transport winds will bring elevated wind gusts within aligned drainages mid-afternoon through the evening. Transport winds transition to northerly Thursday night, bringing a much drier, warmer airmass and lower humidity recovery by Friday morning.