Smith River Complex, Six Rivers NF, USFS. Seven miles northeast of Gasquet, CA. Timber, closed timber litter and brush. Minimal fire behavior with smoldering. Communication infrastructure threatened. Road closures in effect. Last report unless significant activity occurs.

October 8, 2023 at 11:10 AM

The fire is being held within the containment lines and total containment increased to 93% with the total acres burned at 94,618. With the warmer and drier conditions, plus the wind over the last few days, the fire has been tested and has held within containment lines. Yesterday, was the last flying day for the firefighting UAS (unmanned aircraft system) and they have been extremely helpful in locating occasional hot spots. The UAS has flown 20 missions and logged more than 5 hours of flight time on this incident. Heat signature information has been relayed to fire crews, and they continue to extinguish those hot spots and interior smokes. Crews remain vigilant and continue to assess the fire from the ground and air as the fire areas dry out and accessibility improves. 

Crews will continue with extensive suppression repair and hazard tree abatement work before the rain comes on Sunday night/Monday morning. Firefighters have almost secured the fire line around the Hurdy Gurdy Fire. Some heat signatures were spotted by the IR (infrared) flight last night, but they are well within the burn areas. Water bars are being constructed near primary containment lines to prepare for this rain event. Machine work and hazard tree removal is occurring along the 17N49 road as well as south of US199 near Little Jones Rd (17N08). Additional work continues on US199, the 405 road and the French Hill area. Great suppression repair work has occurred on the 05 and 08 roads with just a small amount of work left. Major chipping operations continue throughout all repair areas. Crews have made significant progress with suppression repair work in Gasquet (17N69), Steven’s and Smith River repair areas with possibly a few more labor-intensive workdays. During this window of drier conditions, the soil will continue to dry out and crews will continue to look for any additional target areas for suppression repair. Positive attitudes, hard work and diligent focus by firefighters continues. Long hours spent by heavy equipment operators and crews on the ground continues as everyone tries to maintain the cultural and natural resources of the area. 

WEATHER: Temperatures today and tomorrow will be cooler than this past week and rain is expected Sunday evening and into Wednesday. An inch to two inches is predicted to fall during that time. CLOSURES: While county roads remain open, some Six Rivers National Forest lands, roads, and trails around the Smith River Complex fires are closed (Forest Order No. 10-23-12). View the Order and closure map on the Forest’s website: tinyurl.com/4atens8c. US 199 in Del Norte County will be piloted between Grassy Flat Campground east of Gasquet and Oregon Mountain Road. Motorists should anticipate some delays. Caltrans provides information on current highway conditions online (roads.dot.ca.gov), by phone (800-427-7623), and on Facebook (facebook.com/CaltransD1).

September 25, 2023 at 10:10 AM

Flood Watch in Effect From 5 AM To 11 PM Monday
Wind Advisory in Effect Through 1 PM Monday

CURRENT SITUATION: The expected storm arrived off the coast early this morning bringing strong winds and rain throughout the Smith River Complex. The system today is potentially going to bring rainfall between 2 to 3 inches over the next 12 hours and the runoff has the potential for mud slides and debris flows that could impact highways and the roads in and around the fire footprint.

The safety of the public and our firefighters is the top priority for the fire management team and that’s a crucial and responsible approach when dealing with incidents. During each incident the management team creates a set of management objectives, managing risk to responders and the public by ensuring hazards are identified, assessed, and mitigated with Team 4 is always number one. Team 4’s end goal is to always minimize the impact to natural, cultural, wildlife and heritage resources. With these objectives in mind, crews and equipment have been relocated to safe and strategic locations in each of the divisions along the fire’s edge. From these locations crews are monitoring and patrolling ready to report and safely mitigate any situation that may develop.

Yesterday in preparation for today’s storm, crews continued to patrol, mop up, backhaul and perform suppression repair. All this was done to ready themselves and the area for today’s weather front. In the Coon Creek area and continuing out to the east had moderate fire behavior with no significant fire activity. The Northwest portion of the Hurdy Gurdy had limited fire behavior and no significant movement. In the Bear wilderness limited fire behavior with small pockets around the Bear Scar burn up to the existing dozer line.

WEATHER: A heavy rain is expected today with a moderate to strong atmospheric river event along the frontal band. Rain will increase through the morning, becoming heavy into the afternoon hours. There is a 20% chance of thunderstorms behind the front. Total rainfall through Monday night is expected bring 1.5 to 3.0 inches over the region. Temperatures today in the valley are 57-61°, and ridgetops 53-57°. Relative humidity in the valley 83-90% and ridgetops 88-95%. Today valley winds are south 9-15 mph with gusts up to 25mph and ridgetop winds are south 18-28 mph with gusts up to 45mph.

September 22, 2023 at 10:54 AM

Thursday was another active day on the fire due to continued northeast winds with smoke visible in the surrounding area. Like yesterday, the wind allowed for a more aggressive attack from the air, but also limited the amount of work done on the ground in some areas due to safety concerns. 

While the winds were not as strong as yesterday, the winds still pushed the fire on the southeast in the direction of the Bear Basin Lookout. Previous burns in the area as well as water dropping helicopters helped to slow the movement of the fire. Hand crews will take advantage of opportunities to continue building containment lines on the southwest side of the fire. 

The Hurdy Gurdy fire remains active, with some movement on the northwest towards the main fire. Air support slowed progression of the fire, while crews on the ground worked to reinforce fuel breaks and construct containment lines on the northeast side of the fire. 

Crews continue to patrol the main fire and look for any increased activity around containment lines. Pockets of fuel within the fire continue to produce visible smoke that pose no risk to containment lines. Elsewhere, along the contained perimeter of the main fire, minimal fire activity is being seen. Crews and local first responders from the Del Norte County area are responding to reports of smoldering fire and smoke along hwy 199 and are extinguishing any flames.  

WEATHER: Northeast winds will abate and switch westerly by the afternoon. Valley temperatures 69-76°, Ridgetops 62-69°, Valley relative humidity 34-44%, Ridgetops 37-47%. Westerly winds will begin to draw more moist marine air into the region.  Ridgetop winds will be out of the east 4-8 mph before shifting out of the southwest with gusts up to 12 mph.

September 19, 2023 at 9:52 AM

A suppression repair plan has begun on the northwest portion of the fire. This plan will help ensure the safety of these communities and help restore the affected (forest lands) ecosystem. An important part of the process is chipping (the trees into small pieces), (creating) water bars (to redirect any waterflow that could damage the ground on trails and roads), and road (repair) work, which has begun on the northwest portion of the fire. This helps with environmental damage and promoting recovery. The repair plan focuses on the long-term health and stability of (forest lands) the ecosystem. 

 
Ongoing mop up and patrols are critical to preventing the fire from rekindling or spreading. Vigilance is essential, (firefighters are carefully looking for any) as hidden hot spots (that) can remain a threat even after the fire is initially controlled. Crews will continue these activities in Idlewild, Washington Flat, and Little Jones Creek areas. 

 
The fire has seen limited growth and minimal activity on both the east and west side. Patrol aircraft equipped with heat detection equipment play a vital role in confirming that there is no active burning within or near the fire’s footprint. This technology helps ensure that no smoldering hot spots are missed.  

On the Hurdy Gurdy, the fire is showing moderate activity on the west side, and fire crews are actively engaging on the east side. This direct action is aimed at holding the fire’s advance.  

The coordinated efforts of fire crews, aerial surveillance, and repair initiatives are essential for managing wildfires and their aftermath. These actions help to prioritize both public safety and the preservation of the natural environment.  

WEATHER: Temperatures and relative humidity continue to be moderate today. Valley temperature 75-81°, Ridgetops 71-77°, Valleys relative humidity 18-28°, Ridgetops 20-30°. Morning clouds and smoke give way to sun and breezing conditions. Ridge top winds 23 mph with gust up to 30 mph from the northeast and dry conditions.  

EVACUATIONS: Some Del Norte County evacuation zones remain under either a Level 2 (Get Set) or Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation order. View the interactive evacuation map online: tinyurl.com/29vv2wpm.. 

AIR QUALITY: Smoke outlooks with air quality and forecast information are available here: tinyurl.com/258mfms3.  

CLOSURES: US 199 in Del Norte County will be fully closed twice daily, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 1 PM. to 4 PM. During all open hours, traffic will be one-way and piloted between Madrona and Oregon Mountain Road. Motorists should anticipate delays during all open hours. Caltrans provides information on current highway conditions online (roads.dot.ca.gov), by phone (800-427-7623), and on Facebook (facebook.com/CaltransD1). 

Six Rivers National Forest reduced its forest closure order for the Gasquet, Lower Trinity, and Mad River Ranger Districts. The Forks’ Boat Launch, Myrtle Beach River Access and Margie’s River Access are open for public access. Visit updated closure order at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1139169.pdf. 

September 18, 2023 at 10:28 AM

Firefighting crews have continued to make significant progress towards containing the fire and mopping-up and patrolling for hot spots near Idlewild, Washington Flat, and Little Jones Creek and are reinforcing existing fire control lines. Over the weekend the east side of the fire has seen limited growth and minimal fire activity. The Hurdy Gurdy Fire has exhibited moderate fire activity on the east and west sides. Fire crews are using direct firefighting tactics along the fire’s edge and indirect strategies by constructing fuel breaks further away from the fireline. Priority tasks this week include hazard tree removal and suppression repair. Fire activity to the west of the fire’s footprint remains minimal. Patrol aircraft, with heat detection equipment, play a crucial role in confirming the absence of active fire in and around the fire’s footprint. A comprehensive repair plan is being created with resource advisors to mitigate the impact to natural resources. 

WEATHER: Temperatures and relative humidity continue to be moderate today. Valley temperature 71-77°, Ridgetops 68-74°, Valleys relative humidity 40-70°, Ridgetops 35-45°. Mostly cloudy in the morning, then mostly sunny. Clouds may persist in the low elevations. Ridge top winds 5-10 mph with gust up to 14 mph and downslope winds up to 3-5 mph in the valley becoming upslope 6-8 mph in the afternoon.  

EVACUATIONS: Some Del Norte County evacuation zones remain under either a Level 2 (Get Set) or Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation order. View the interactive evacuation map online: tinyurl.com/29vv2wpm.. 

AIR QUALITY: Smoke outlooks with air quality and forecast information are available here: tinyurl.com/258mfms3.  

September 15, 2023 at 2:03 PM

Yesterday was the hottest, driest day in several weeks, the fire was not as active as expected but did grow due to light winds and a smoke inversion. Along US 199, firefighters continued to extinguish hotspots and secure the recent firing operation. In Stoney Creek, north of Gasquet, crews and helicopters continued to suppress areas of heat to prevent the fire from progressing west. On the fire’s east side near Washington Flat and Little Jones Creek, activity was mainly smoldering and creeping within the perimeter. Crews completed a shaded fuel break near Table Mountain that will serve as a secondary fireline. A shaded fuel break is where firefighters thin out trees and vegetation in areas to help control spread of wildfire. Near the southwestern area of the fire, crews continue a strategic firing operation around Coon Creek and continue to monitor and mop up areas of heat. The Hurdy Gurdy Fire was active on its eastern side, and crews are scouting for opportunities to keep it from spreading eastward and mopping up the southern perimeter. On the western side of the fire, crews will continue to patrol and mop up. With the good weather, crews are planning small burning operations through the weekend. Work priorities for today are along US 199, Stoney Creek, and southeast side where the crews will attempt to use direct suppression tactics. 

WEATHER: Conditions in the fire area remained dry throughout Thursday night. Hot and dry daytime conditions are expected to remain through Saturday. The smoke inversion is expected to lift by noon Friday, potentially creating favorable conditions for firefighters to continue planned firing operations. 

EVACUATIONS: Some Del Norte County evacuation zones remain under either a Level 2 (Get Set) or Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation order. View the interactive evacuation map online: tinyurl.com/29vv2wpm.

AIR QUALITY: Smoke Outlooks with air quality and forecast information are available here: tinyurl.com/258mfms3.

September 14, 2023 at 9:58 AM

 Beginning Thursday, September 14, US 199 in Del Norte County will be fully closed twice daily, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 1 PM. to 4 PM. During all open hours, traffic will be one-way and piloted between Madrona and Oregon Mountain Road. Motorists should anticipate delays during all open hours. Caltrans provides information on current highway conditions online (roads.dot.ca.gov), by phone (800-427-7623), and on Facebook (facebook.com/CaltransD1). 

CURRENT SITUATION: With noticeably drier, warmer, weather crews observed some increased fire activity on Wednesday, particularly on the southwest side of the fire near Coon Creek where fire advanced up a south-facing hill. The fire remained active into the late evening hours, and night-shift crews contained three small spot fires. Along US 199, crews finished a firing operation. The highway corridor remains a high priority and crews will continue extinguishing hotspots and reducing hazards for a few more days. On eastern side from Idylwild toward Washington Flat, crews suppressed areas of heat directly on the fireline. On the southeast side of the fire crews continued constructing a shaded fuel break. Near the fire’s southwestern perimeter, crews completed a successful firing operation around Coon Creek, which they will continue to monitor and mopup lingering areas of heat. On the western perimeter near Stoney Creek, helicopters conducted water drops, which reduced the fire’s intensity in an area with many stumps and large logs. On the Hurdy Gurdy Fire, crews looked for places to directly suppress the fire, mopped up hotspots, and evaluated existing line. 
 
Crews are expecting conditions to become more favorable for their planned burning operations through the weekend. Work priorities for Thursday continue to be the US 199 corridor, Stoney Creek, and southeast side where the Fulton Hotshots will attempt to use direct suppression tactics. 

WEATHER: Very hot, dry conditions are expected Thursday, with temperatures 10 degrees above normal and humidities in the teens, creating conditions for moderate fire behavior that will persist through the weekend. Winds will be mainly terrain driven, upslope and up-valley, and generally no more than 12 miles per hour. Seasonal weather conditions should return early next week. Expected temperatures are forecasted at 88 to 94 degrees today with low relative humidity ranging 17 to 25 percent. 

September 12, 2023 at 9:00 AM

Monday’s cool, humid weather was not conducive for firing operations in most places around the fire. However, crews did finish a low-intensity burn around the Coon Creek Bridge on the Kelly Fire’s southwest side. On the southeast side, a shaded-fuel-break project began Monday on a previously constructed hand line on Table Mountain. A shaded fuel break is less impactful on the landscape than a traditional fuel break. Rubber-tired mechanized equipment—a forestry harvester, forwarder, and feller buncher—is used to minimize disturbance to brush, plants, and the forest floor. Equipment operators will be limbing trees and selectively removing some dead or mature trees to open the forest canopy that has grown too thick and close together. The purpose of such a fireline is to reduce the ability of fire to move from the ground into the crowns of trees and increase the likelihood that firefighters could successfully stop an advancing fire. Firefighters do not anticipate conducting firing operations from this shaded fuel break. Rather, this fireline is part of the secondary, or backup, strategy. While it is unlikely that the fire will progress to the shaded fuel break, a good suppression plan considers and prepares for that eventuality.

An incident management team transition is underway today as Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 (SWAIMT2) prepares to transfer command of the fire to California Interagency IMT 4 on Wednesday at 7 a.m. SWAIMT2, under the leadership of Incident Commander Dave Bales, thanks the community for their support and patience during the team’s two weeks managing the suppression effort of the southern Smith River Complex.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER: Fire behavior and smoke production could be moderate on the west wide of the Hurdy Gurdy Fire Tuesday but minimal on the Kelly Fire–South. Tuesday brings a return of seasonably warm, dry weather that will increase through the week. Residual effects of Monday’s cool, damp weather will hamper firing operations Tuesday.

September 11, 2023 at 9:22 AM

Highway 199 between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31) reopened to one-way piloted traffic Monday at 8 a.m. after being closed Sunday due to rockslide. Updates from Caltrans provides current highway conditions here: roads.dot.ca.gov.

CURRENT SITUATION: A priority for firefighters Sunday was to continue the burning operation they had begun Saturday in three areas along US Highway 199. Because representatives from Caltrans and California Highway Patrol were very involved in the operation from the beginning, they were able to respond quickly with equipment and personnel when a nearby rockslide impacted the highway Sunday afternoon. Taking advantage of the temporary road closure, hotshot crews worked swiftly, completing the approximately 300-acre firing operation that afternoon—much sooner than planned. Night-shift firefighters patrolled the highway corridor and reported no issues.

Favorable weather and vegetation conditions also allowed crews to conduct three small-scale firing operations on the fire’s eastern, southeastern, and southwestern sides Sunday. Moderate- and even low-intensity burning operations can produce a lot of smoke that may be visible from a distance. The Hurdy Gurdy fire is also producing some visible smoke after days of dry weather. However, no communities are threatened.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER: The somewhat more active fire behavior observed Sunday indicates that vegetation and dead and down fuels—particularly at higher elevations and on south- and west-facing slopes—are becoming dry enough to burn and allow the fire to spread for a few hours in the afternoon. Monday’s cool, cloudy, humid conditions will be an anomaly in an otherwise hot, dry week, and no measurable precipitation is expected over the fire area.

September 10, 2023 at 9:01 AM

On Saturday, in close coordination with Caltrans and California Highway Patrol, the Fulton Hotshots initiated low-intensity burning operations in three locations along US Highway 199 where the Kelly Fire has been gradually spreading in pockets of unburned trees within the fire perimeter. Starting upslope from the highway, hand crews used drip torches and UAS (aka drones) to ignite narrow strips across the hillside, gradually working their way downslope—a method that reduces the likelihood of the fire building intensity and causing undesired tree mortality. The project will likely continue for one to two more days. The highway is open, but traffic is reduced to one lane (see Closures below). Along the fire’s southern perimeter, many days of minimal fire activity allowed firefighters to scout and reassess their options for accessing the fire’s edge to suppress hotspots. In most places, the original assessment that the area is too unsafe was confirmed: the indirect suppression tactic is the best option for containing the fire. Crews on the fire’s east side, where it is drier, had a short window of time to burn and secure 300 feet of fireline and expect to have similar opportunities moving forward if weather conditions remain favorable.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER: Six days of warm, dry, full-sun weather resulted in moderate fire behavior and smoke production Saturday. Stumps and logs that were previously smoldering are now more actively burning. Firefighters also observed occasional single-tree torching within the fire perimeter. However, in the areas crews have prepared for burning operations, the vegetation near the ground remains too moist to adequately facilitate low-intensity fire spread. Overnight, a significant marine layer pushed inland, increasing humidity levels at lower elevations but not affecting the moisture of the vegetation at higher elevations where crews are most likely to have favorable conditions for firing operations. No rain is expected for at least ten days and winds will remain generally light and westerly.

CLOSURES: Highway 199 is open; however, piloted traffic is reduced to one lane where crews are conducting firing operations, cutting hazard trees, and repairing the fire-damaged roadway between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31). Expect lengthy delays.

On Thursday, September 7 around 2 p.m., a fuel vendor mistakenly filled one of two fuel tenders at the Gasquet Base Camp with incorrect fuels—diesel instead of gasoline and vice versa. An operations chief began receiving reports of vehicle malfunctions midafternoon on Friday, September 8. He notified incident management, who assembled a contingent of incident and agency personnel and cooperators to respond to the situation. By 4 p.m. the issue had been identified and all crews were directed by radio to immediately pause all fire operations and not operate any vehicle. The team determined that between 2 p.m. on September 7 and noon on September 8, 42 vehicles had received a large enough quantity of incorrect fuel to have an effect. There are more than 700 vehicles on the incident. The operational pause by all fire personnel on the fireline had been necessary because disabled emergency vehicles would have been unable to respond to a medical emergency had there been one. 

By 6 p.m. on Friday September 8, the operational pause was lifted. Apart from potential vehicle issues, there were no negative consequences to fire operations. Most fire personnel without functional vehicles were shuttled to one of the three incident camps, and crews who remained in place had hot meals delivered to them and camped overnight. Firefighters who were scheduled to be demobilized from the incident are being transported to their home units. 

Local tow-truck operators are in the process of retrieving 24 vehicles and delivering them to the southern incident command post in Crescent City. The remaining 18 vehicles were driven to the nearest incident camp. Local mechanics are involved in the initial repair process: Rubber, walled catchment tarps have been installed on a bed of gravel. The fuel will be pumped into 55-gallon drums, which will be loaded onto pallets and, along with the tarps, given to the responsible fuel contractor. The contractor will follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s disposal guidelines. 

September 8, 2023 at 10:45 AM

Firefighters have been implementing a plan for continued suppression of the Smith River Complex fires using the P.A.C.E. model. This process helps fire crews focus on the bigger picture, with multiple plans in place, preparing strategies to adapt to the changes in fire behavior. A vast amount of work is being done to implement the (P) primary plan of direct fire attack, where safe to do so, and indirect where it isn’t safe by building dozer and hand lines and utilizing roads and natural features as close to the fire as possible. Great progress has been made on the (A) alternate plan. Containment lines are being built, hose lays are in place and debris clearing has occurred. Strategic firing operations are planned to remove unburned fuels between the fire’s edge and control line. (C) Contingency lines continue to be built further away from the edge of the fire in the instance that fire burns across a fire line. Firefighters would then initiate defensive fire operations to fight fire with fire. (E) Emergency plans are an integral part of the strategic process, with firefighter and public safety always taking precedence. Using this strategic planning process, firefighters are prepared and ready to respond effectively as the weather changes and fire activity potentially increases.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER

Warmer and drier weather means an increase in active fire behavior. Previously unburned sections north of Hwy 199 are being impacted by smoldering and creeping fire and crews responded with water drops on Thursday. Expect increased activity as firefighters continue to address these areas of heat.

CLOSURES

While Highway 199 is open to all traffic, expect travel delays of varying lengths. A one-way, piloted traffic control exists between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31). Six Rivers National Forest lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites in the vicinity of the complex are closed. The Closure map can be viewed on this Six River National Forest web page: tinyurl.com/4atens8c.

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation levels for the Rockland area were reduced from Level 3 to Level 2. The evacuation level for the Rowdy Creek/Low Divide evacuation zone has been lowered from Level 2 to Level 1. View the interactive evacuation map online for the most current information on evacuations: tinyurl.com/yp3d99sr.

September 7, 2023 at 10:47 AM

Progress continues on the Smith River Complex, with crews and heavy equipment such as bulldozers working on containment line around a significant portion of the fire perimeter; completing fire control line on the fires edge, when safe to do so, and taking advantage of roads and natural features where the terrain is too steep and dangerous to insert firefighters otherwise. In several areas, crews are working on removing hazard trees, chipping undergrowth, and widening protection breaks along the perimeter of the fire. Helicopters assisted crews yesterday by completing water drops on various areas of heat on the interior, some of which are showing more intensity with our current weather. With this drying trend, several pockets of unburned areas within the of the fire’s circumference are causing a slight increase in acreage numbers. Overall fire expansion continues to be minimal.

FIRE BEHAVIOR AND WEATHER

In support of strategic planned firing operations to remove fuels between the fire edge and fire lines, our Fire Behavior Analysts’ and Incident Meteorologists’ attention has been directed to observing fire behavior changes as fuels continue to dry. Burn areas in higher elevations with southern and western exposure will be in full sun and have the potential for increased fire activity today.

CLOSURES

While Highway 199 is open to all traffic, expect travel delays of varying lengths. A one-way, piloted traffic control exists between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31). The piloted segment will change as crews repair burned guardrails, clear rocks off the roadway, and remove hazard trees.

September 5, 2023 at 10:31 AM

Firefighters on an aerial reconnaissance mission Monday observed minimal smoke and hotspots on the west side of the Kelly Fire from the state line south to Gasquet. The southern portion of the fire had scattered areas of heat. On the fire’s eastern perimeter south of the Caltrans Idlewild Maintenance Station, most heat was limited to a burning stringer of timber where the fire is creeping downslope to the Siskiyou River.

Several days of minimal fire activity have allowed crews to refine a full-suppression plan that involves using both direct and indirect suppression tactics. Where it is safe to do so, crews have been and will continue to extinguish hotspots directly on the fire’s edge. Elsewhere, they must rely on an indirect suppression strategy, which involves using dozer lines, handlines, roads, rivers, and other natural features to contain the fire. Crews have been identifying and preparing those containment features—which are as close to the fire as possible—by masticating brush, installing hose and pumps, and widening roads and firelines. As weather conditions allow, they will conduct firing operations from the containment features toward the main fire. This indirect suppression strategy is necessary due to the unsafe, extremely steep, rugged terrain and long times required to transport personnel during emergencies.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Dry, breezy weather will continue through the week. New fires from last weekend’s lightning strikes may become apparent. The incident has an initial-attack crew that can quickly respond to new fires. No significant fire growth is expected on any fire in the Smith River Complex South on Tuesday.

September 4, 2023 at 10:22 AM

Sunday was an opportune day for crews working in all areas around the South Zone. They took advantage of recent widespread moisture to create and improve dozer lines, hold and monitor past firing operations, and plan and prepare for potential firing operations later this week. On the northwest side of the fire, Southwest Area Team 2 Operations Supervisors are working closely with their North Zone counterparts on Pacific Northwest Team 13 to develop a unified fire-suppression strategy. Crews in Gasquet are dismantling excess structure-protection equipment while leaving adequate equipment and supplies for continued community protection. Initial attack crews are available to quickly respond to new fires. Firefighters are patrolling and monitoring the fire perimeter overnight. Helicopters and UAS assigned to the incident are assisting firefighters by conducting reconnaissance missions and using infrared technology to assist with locating hotspots within the fire perimeter.

Weather and Fire Behavior: The weather system responsible for recent rain has shifted eastward. Clear skies, westerly winds, and gradually increasing temperatures and decreasing humidity levels will persist throughout the week. However, the potential for significant fire behavior and growth remains low because large vegetation and woody debris will retain some residual moisture.

Smoke and Air Quality: Smoke production is expected to remain minimal Monday. A daily Smoke Outlook produced by the US Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program is available here: tinyurl.com/3az2xr8y.

Closures: US-199 is now OPEN to all traffic. However, an 8-mile segment—currently between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Knopke Creek (near milepost 29)—has one-way, piloted traffic control. Delays of 20 to 40 minutes are possible. The piloted segment will expand or contract as crews repair the burned guardrails, clear rocks off the roadway, and remove hazard trees.

Six Rivers National Forest lands, roads, and trails surrounding the Complex are closed (Forest Order No. 10-23-06). The Order and closure map can be viewed on this Six River National Forest web page: tinyurl.com/4atens8c.

September 3, 2023 at 11:36 AM

Highlights: US-199 opened to all traffic on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Caltrans and CHP are piloting traffic between Patrick Creek and Oregon Mountain Road. Fire personnel, Caltrans, and construction crews are actively working along the road; continue to use caution and drive slowly. Be aware that fire operations are ongoing, the Smith River Complex is active, and conditions could change.

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services, lowered the evacuation level in the Oregon Mountain Road Area and the Sun Star Evacuation Zone to Level 2. Repopulation of these communities began on September 2. An Interactive Evacuation Map is available to keep residents informed on current evacuation levels.

Operations: Fire behavior is expected to gradually increase in scale, duration, and intensity over the next several days. The most active growth potential is expected to be on the Coon Fire as is closes the gap to Forest Road 405 and along Bear Basin Road for the Kelly Fire. The Hurdy Gurdy Fire is expected to continue to progress toward Bear Basin Road, continue flanking west along Fox Ridge Road, and continue slowly backing downslope east toward the Smith River.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Minimal precipitation fell over the fire area Saturday night. A warming, drying trend will begin Sunday. Fire activity will gradually increase, but significant growth is not anticipated.

August 30, 2023 at 9:20 AM

Fire resources were prepared for increased fire activity due to the expected increase in afternoon westerly winds. Although the winds did arrive with gusts up to 20 mph on the upper elevations, an increase in moisture helped limit overall fire activity. Firefighters spent the day using hose lays to apply water to the containment lines north of Gasquet, near Pioneer Road, and along the containment line recently burned out south of Highway 199 to the French Hill Road. These lines continue to hold and the threat of fire reaching Gasquet continues to decrease each day. Another focus has been to fall hazard trees and work hot areas along Highway 199 to expedite the opening of the critical road system.

Firefighters also focused efforts in the area where the Kelly fire and Coon fire are close to connecting near the 405 road. Several days ago, the Coon fire made a small run adjacent to Gordon Creek and challenged this line. Holding the fire on the west side of the 405 road was challenging due to stronger westerly winds, but firefighters have been successful thus far.

Winds have begun to shift to more of an offshore direction today and are expected to remain out of the northeast through tonight. This will bring a period of near critical fire weather conditions today through the evening hours, especially in the areas of the fire over 2,500’ elevation where the stronger winds are predicted. Firefighters will be on high alert today during these critical weather conditions in anticipation of increased fire activity. These adverse conditions will quickly moderate as conditions become more favorable by tomorrow morning. The potential for light rain increases by Thursday night, along with clouds and onshore flow as an upper-level Pacific Northwest trough enters the area and lingers into Saturday.

August 29, 2023 at 8:12 AM

Yesterday, fire resources continued their efforts to contain and secure as much of the perimeter of the fires before conditions change to a short-duration unfavorable pattern starting early Wednesday morning. Crews completed the burning operation from French Hill Road to the north to Highway 199. This was an extensive effort from both engines and hotshot crews to construct the control line, plumb it with hose, and successfully burn the nearly 1-mile of line in steep rugged terrain. This operation will likely keep the fire from continuing to progress westward to the structures along French Hill Road.

Resources continued to secure and mop-up the heat around the dozer line on the northeast side of the North Fork neighborhood and around the structures along Pioneer Road. In Division YY, crews worked to keep the Coon fire west of the 405 road, the primary planned containment line for both the Coon and southern flank of the Kelly fire.

Tuesday will be a weather pattern transition day with stronger afternoon northwest winds and less marine intrusion. Winds will shift to an offshore direction by Tuesday night and will remain out of the northeast through Wednesday night. This will bring a period of near critical fire weather conditions on Wednesday with stronger winds and drier relative humidity. Fire resources have been working hard in preparation for this event, including staffing a robust night shift who will be focusing on holding around structures. The weather pattern will quickly return to a moist pattern by Thursday night with increasing clouds, a potential for light rain, and onshore flow as an upper-level Pacific Northwest trough digs into the area.

Evacuations All evacuation orders are issued by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. If you are in the Del Norte County, area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of August 27, 8:00 a.m., as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area, all communities between Slant Bridge Road north to the Oregon Border along Highway 199, French Hill Road.

Level 2 “Be Set”: Low Divide, High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Big Flat/Rock Creek Level 1 “Be Ready”: Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank

Road Closures

South Fork Road is open to residents only. Resident must provide proof of residency.
Rowdy Creek Road remains closed at the top of Low Divide.
Howland Hill Road (Residents Only)
County road 316, Shelly Creek,
County Road 315 Holiday Mine
County Road 311 Old Gasquet Toll Road
County Road 305 Weimer Road
Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

Highway 199 is closed in Del Norte County from Slant Bridge Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fire activity. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov

Effective Sunday, August 20, 2023, the Six Rivers National Forest has issued a forest-wide closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/notices/?cid=FSEPRD1096395

The American Red Cross has a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those displaced by evacuations. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees receive necessities, including food, water, and shelter.

August 27, 2023 at 12:14 PM

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Department, in collaboration with the Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services and California Interagency Incident Management Team 15, have lowered the evacuation level in Low Divide at Highway 197 from mile marker 1 to mile marker 13, to level 2. Residents are urged to remain vigilant as the evacuation level could be raised again if fire activity and conditions warrant such changes. Firefighters will remain in the area to continue prepping structures and lines, so please allow them the necessary space to complete their work.

Smoky conditions yesterday morning gave way to generally cool weather all around the fire area. Resources have been taking advantage of the favorable conditions by increasing containment on the fires throughout the complex. Crews were able to complete direct handline around a large portion of the Corral fire. Two days ago, a helicopter was able to land near the High Plateau on the Diamond fire. The plan is to insert helitack modules into the Diamond fire where they will complete containment lines around the fire.

Crews were able to continue firing operations down the Pacific Power line corridor to the hand line, just north of Gasquet at the base of Stony Creek. The plan is to continue this firing operation over the next several days, to secure this corner of the fire before adverse easterly winds arrive in the middle of next week. Crews also initiated firing operation along the constructed line that connects French Hill Road with Hwy 199. This operation is hoped to be completed today. These actions will make it less likely the fire will reach structures along French Hill Road.

Potential control lines have been placed from French Hill Road, using the 17N40 Road to the south to Craigs Creek. Today, a potential control line will be built on the south side of Craigs Creek where it will connect with the 2015 Coon fire. These historic fires have acted as barriers to fire spread and have been incorporated into the overall containment strategy of the Smith Rivers Complex. This is the main reason the Island and Prescott fires have seen minimal growth over the last several days as they are entirely burning in the 2017 Oak fire and are holding at 315 and 589 acres, respectively.

Evacuations

All evacuation orders are issued by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. If you are in the Del Norte County, area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of August 27, 8:00 a.m., as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area, all communities between Slant Bridge Road north to the Oregon Border along Highway 199, French Hill Road.

Level 2 “Be Set”: Low Divide, High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Big Flat/Rock Creek Level 1 “Be Ready”: Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank Road Closures

South Fork Road is open to residents only. Resident must provide proof of residency.

Rowdy Creek Road remains closed at the top of Low Divide. Howland Hill Road (Residents Only)

County road 316, Shelly Creek, County Road 315 Holiday Mine

County Road 311 Old Gasquet Toll Road County Road 305 Weimer Road

Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

U.S. Highway 199 is closed in Del Norte County from Slant Bridge Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fire activity. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov

Effective Sunday, August 20, 2023, the Six Rivers National Forest has issued a forest-wide closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/notices/?cid=FSEPRD1096395

The American Red Cross has a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those displaced by evacuations. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees receive necessities, including food, water, and shelter.

August 26, 2023 at 11:27 AM

In the wake of the thunderstorms over the area two evenings ago, a deep marine layer was pushed over the fire generating excellent overnight humidity recovery. The marine layer combined with persistent onshore wind created generated cooler and moister conditions. These conditions moderated fire behavior significantly for most of the day yesterday.

Given the location of the fire’s perimeter, mostly on the steep rugged terrain, it is impossible to complete a direct attack on most of the fires within the complex. Therefore, an indirect suppression strategy is being implemented to construct control lines that have the highest probability of successfully containing the fire. Many of these lines are along roads and ridgelines and often have been used on previous fires. Fire managers coordinate their burning operations closely with a National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist who provides both short and long-term weather forecasts to inform the best times to complete burnout operations.

Yesterday, crews utilized an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) equipped with a firing device to slowly bring fire down from the Elk Camp Ridge towards the Pacific Power corridor, northeast of the community of Gasquet. The plan is to take advantage of the current weather pattern to contain as much of the western portion of the complex as possible, before potentially adverse weather impacts the fire area later next week.

The fire currently has over 2,354 personnel, including 9 Type-1 handcrews. These hand crews completed construction of a fire line from French Hill Road north to Highway 199. This new line will help keep the main fire from impacting the residences on the south side of Highway 199, including those along French Hill Road.

August 25, 2023 at 12:59 PM

Firefighters were on high alert yesterday afternoon as the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the fire area for a fast-moving thunderstorm system, predicted to produce dry lighting and erratic winds. Preparation efforts continued in and around the town of Gasquet throughout the day, as well as indirect line construction from the 305 road to the North Fork of the Smith River. Additionally, the indirect hand line was completed from the French Hill Road south to highway 199.

The thunderstorms arrived as predicted, bringing approximately 0.15” of rain to the weather station at the Camp Six communication site. Although wind gusts up to 35 mph arrived with the storm, they were for a short duration and the measurable rain helped keep fire activity less than what was predicted. During the gusty winds a spot fire was detected around the North Fork neighborhood but was quickly extinguished by firefighters who were patrolling the area.

Firing operations were conducted along the Highway 199 corridor in the Kelly Fire utilizing Hot Shot crews and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). This low intensity firefighting tactic will allow Pacific Power and Caltans access to affected areas to repair valuable infrastructure. Low pressure lingering off the coast of Central California will help lift and push marine air inland over the complex. This will bring cooler, moister conditions with calm afternoon winds which will reduce fire behavior and spread. These favorable conditions will persist for several days into early next week to provide an extended window of beneficial weather so that firefighters will be able to work more safely and efficiently to fight the Smith River Complex fires. Evacuations All evacuation orders are issued by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. If you are in the Del Norte County, area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of August 21, 8:00 a.m., as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Low Divide at Highway 197 from mile marker 1 to mile marker 13. Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area, all communities between Slant Bridge Road north to the Oregon Border along Highway 199, French Hill Road.
Level 2 “Be Set”: High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Big Flat/Rock Creek
Level 1 “Be Ready”: Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank

Road Closures
Highway 197 from mile marker 1 to mile marker 13.
South Fork Road is open to residents only. Resident must provide proof of residency.
Howland Hill Road (Residents Only)
County road 316, Shelly Creek, County Road 315
Holiday Mine
County Road 311
Old Gasquet Toll Road
County Road 305
Weimer Road
Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

U.S. Highway 199 is closed in Del Norte County from Slant Bridge Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fire activity.
A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border.
For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov

Effective Sunday, August 20, 2023, the Six Rivers National Forest has issued a forest-wide closure order. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/notices/?cid=FSEPRD1096395

The American Red Cross has a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those displaced by evacuations.
Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees receive necessities, including food, water, and shelter.

August 25, 2023 at 8:18 AM

Weather: Moderated conditions are expected for Friday and Saturday as an upper-level trough dives south off the coast of California and brings southwest flow aloft over the fire area. This will bring high temperatures back down into the 80s in valleys and 70s over ridges. Minimum relative humidities will also moderate. Winds will become more diurnal and will be from the east overnight and in the early morning, and from the west in the afternoon and evening with maximum gusts over ridgetops of 15-18 mph. Dense smoke is expected to be an issue at times, especially during afternoon and evening west winds. Thunderstorms or precipitation is not expected.

August 24, 2023 at 11:52 AM

Fire behavior was relatively moderated with most of the perimeter growth occurring on the Kelly fire between the transmission corridor and Elk Camp Ridge Road. Additional activity was across highway 199, along the 411 road above Darlingtonia. The Coon fire continues to grow towards the Kelly fire, as it moves to the northwest between Coon and Gordon Creeks. Crews have gained a foot hold along the western portion of the Corral fire as they improve the 305 road and use it as a control feature moving south.

Today, forecasts are pointing to a dynamic weather day as fast-moving thunderstorms are predicted to be around the fire area in the afternoon and possibly overnight. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning Thursday for this hazard. The main risk of thunderstorms is they can cause gusty and erratic winds, greatly increasing fire behavior.

Resources have been working hard to set up structure protection around the numerous neighborhoods in and around Gasquet. These preparedness measures include setting up large fold-a-tanks full of water, hoses, pumps and sprinkler systems. Heavy equipment has established dozer lines to the north of the town that will be used as the primary containment line as the fire moves south along the Stony Creek drainage.

August 24, 2023 at 6:35 AM

Smith River Complex North will be hosting a public meeting Thursday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the staging area across from 30159 Redwood Hwy, Cave Junction. The meeting will also be live-streamed on Facebook.

Although there was heavier smoke over the fire area early Wednesday, an infrared flight at 10:00 a.m. showed the Kelly fire was active on almost the entire perimeter. Most of the perimeter was out of alignment with the wind and was largely a backing fire, with group tree torching. Roll-out continues to be an important component to fire spread on the steep slopes as there is heavy dead and down component at critically dry fuel moistures.

Thursday will bring chances for thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. A Red Flag Warning will go into effect for abundant lightning and dry fuels on both the California and Oregon side of the fire. Valley temperatures will rise into the low to mid 90s, with valley relative humidities bottoming out near 30%. Winds will be from the west in the afternoon, bringing very smoky conditions and low visibility to the northeast side of the fire.

Thursday, the indirect lines north of the town of Gasquet will likely get threatened today. Another evening of northeasterly flow will extend the burn period through the evening hours. There will be a Red Flag Warning during this time period.

Friday, the Kelly fire will meet with the Coon and potentially the Hurdy Gurdy fires. The large unburned pockets within the Kelly fire will continue to consume. The easterly winds overnight winds will continue to be problematic for the westerly flank of the fire.

After several days of challenging weather, a cooler and moister airmass is expected to impact the fire area on Saturday, which should moderate fire behavior and allow for opportunities for perimeter control and to gain anchor points on the Kelly fire.

August 22, 2023 at 10:25 AM

The Smith River Complex is approximately 40,000 acres with zero percent containment. Strong northeast winds affected the fire area overnight, but an inversion settled in, dampening fire behavior on most of the complex yesterday morning. Areas of the Kelly fire aligned with Stony Creek (north of Hwy 199) and Craigs Creek (south of Hwy 199) and made significant movement to the southwest growing approximately 2.5 miles in the early morning hours. The west side of the Kelly fire moved into the North Fork Smith Roadless Area.

Today’s weather is expected to remain cooler, like Monday, allowing fire fighters to focus their efforts on structure preparation along the highway 199 corridor. As the remnants of Hurricane Hillary exit the area, a warming trend will begin to settle in over the next few days. There are currently over 1150 total personnel on scene with many more expected to arrive in the coming days.

On the Smith River Complex North, fire suppression efforts are progressing as resources put in dozer line from Monkey Creek Ridge to Hwy 199. Northwest Incident Management Team 13 is coordinating with local fire departments to create a coordinated structure protection plan in the event of significant fire behavior moving towards residences. Currently, in the Dwight Creek area, firefighters are conducting structure assessments. In Elk Creek, firefighters are providing structure preparation.

The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) around the Smith River Complex has been extended to the north, into Oregon. A TFR is established over incidents to provide for the safety of assigned aerial resources. When privately- owned drone incursions occur over the incident, all assigned aerial resources must land which stops the aerial suppression of the fire. These mandatory groundings of aircraft prevent firefighters from using all available resources to engage the fire. Remember, “If you fly, we can’t.”

Evacuations

All evacuation orders are issued by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. If you are in the Del Norte County, area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of 8:00 am today August 21st are as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area, all communities between Slant Bridge Road north to the Oregon Border along Highway 199, French Hill Road.

Level 2 “Be Set”: High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Big Flat/Rock Creek

Level 1 “Be Ready”: Low Divide, Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank Road

Closures

U.S. Highway 199 is fully closed in Del Norte County from Slant Bridge Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fires. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov

Effective Sunday, August 20, 2023, the Six Rivers National Forest has issued a forest-wide closure order.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/notices/?cid=FSEPRD1096395

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those who are displaced by evacuations. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees receive necessities, including food, water and shelter.

August 20, 2023 at 12:16 PM

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Department, in collaboration with the County Office of Emergency Services and California Interagency Incident Management Team 15, have raised the evacuation level along along all of French Hill Road to evacuation level 3 due to a combination of extreme fire and weather behavior.

Afternoon thunderstorms in the area caused gusty and erratic winds over portions of the Smith Rivers Complex. The southern end of the Kelly fire became aligned and made an uphill run to the Camp Six Lookout off the French Hill Road. Proactive fuels management around the communication towers and firefighter efforts allowed the critical infrastructure to be successfully defended. 

Smoke will continue to influence the weather today and will likely keep conditions cooler and moister than yesterday. Winds are expected to be calm throughout the day. However, the forecast calls for dryer conditions overnight with wind gusts of up to 30 mph expected in the thermal belt above 2000 feet. These adverse overnight conditions will prolong the burn period, keeping active burning late into the night. 

The Holiday fire and the northern portion of the Kelly fire are closing the gap between each along the road 316 corridor. The east side of the Kelly fire will continue to back down Monkey Ridge towards Highway 199, north of the Idlewild Cal Trans station. Additional resources continue to arrive at the incident and get incorporated into the suppression efforts. There are currently 218 total resources and personnel on scene. 

Evacuations

Evacuation orders have been placed by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, if you are in the area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of 11:00 am, today August 20 are as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area, all communities between Pioneer Road and the Oregon Border along Highway 199, and French Hill Road.

Level 2 “Be Set”: High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Gasquet from Pioneer Road to Slant Bridge

Level 1 “Be Ready”: Big Flat/Rock Creek, Low Divide, Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank Road

Closures

County Roads 316, Shelly Creek, 315 Holiday Mine, 311 Old Gasquet Toll Road, 305 Weimer Road

Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

U.S. Highway 199 is fully closed in Del Norte County from Pioneer Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fires. The road is expected to be closed through the night, and there is no estimated time of reopening. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov



U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in the area are closed, this includes Patrick Creek, Grassy Flat, Panther Flat, and Big Flat Campgrounds.

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those who are impacted. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees get the assistance they need and will be providing meals and snacks, access to comfort kits and other supplies.

August 19, 2023 at 8:52 AM

Complex large fires:( Holiday-6494 acres, Diamond-430 acres, Kelly-4408 acres, Marlow-200 acres, Corral-653 acres, Prescott-481 acres). Structures threatened with evacuations in effect. Threat to high power transmission powerlines, communication sites, high power transmission lines, critical wildlife habitat and historical and cultural resources. Highway 199 is closed. Road area and trail closures are in effect. CA-Type 2, IMT 15 (Clemo) in command.

August 18, 2023 at 11:00 AM

The Six Rivers National Forest has received approximately 150 lightning strikes across the forest since Monday evening, resulting in at least 27 confirmed fires. Thus far, there are 12 confirmed fires on the Gasquet Ranger District with an estimated acreage of 7,593 acres. Local resources have been focusing on identifying the locations of the fires and triaging suppression efforts on those posing the highest risk to life and property. 

A community meeting will be held on Saturday August 19 at 6pm at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds in the Arts & Crafts building. The meeting will be available virtually via Facebook Live hosted by the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page.

The fires are burning in extremely rugged terrain with limited access. A year of below average rainfall has the vegetation unseasonably dry, causing a high resistance to control. Despite these difficult conditions, ground and air resources have been engaged in full suppression efforts. 

Transition of the management of the Smith River Complex from the local unit to California Incident Management Team 15 occurred at 6:00 am this morning. The objectives of the incident will remain the same with the priority of focusing fire suppression efforts on the protection of the life and property being threatened by the 14 uncontrolled wildfires within the complex.

The weather pattern is forecasted to be like yesterdays. Seasonable conditions are expected with temperatures reaching approximately 90 degrees with minimum humidity around 30%. One possible change is the increase of wind speeds in the afternoon and evening hours as the weather pattern begins to shift. Dry and abundant fuels, extremely steep terrain, and resource shortages caused by the high number of recently ignited fires in northern California continue to challenge firefighting efforts.

Additional resources, including water dropping helicopters, are expected to arrive to the fire today and will be deployed along the Highway 199 corridor in an effort minimize the impact of the fires to critical infrastructure.

Evacuations

Evacuation orders have been placed by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, if you are in the area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of 10:00 am, today August 18 are as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area

Level 2 “Be Set”: High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Gasquet from Pioneer Road to Slant Bridge

Level 1 “Be Ready”: French Hill, Big Flat/Rock Creek, Low Divide, Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank Road

Closures

County Roads 316, Shelly Creek, 315 Holiday Mine, 311 Old Gasquet Toll Road, 305 Weimer Road

Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

U.S. Highway 199 is fully closed in Del Norte County from Pioneer Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fires. The road is expected to be closed through the night, and there is no estimated time of reopening. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov



U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in the area are closed, this includes Patrick Creek, Grassy Flat, Panther Flat, and Big Flat Campgrounds.

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those who are impacted. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees get the assistance they need and will be providing meals and snacks, access to comfort kits and other supplies.

August 17, 2023 at 8:52 PM

The Six Rivers National Forest has received approximately 150 lightning strikes across the forest since Tuesday evening, resulting in at least 27 confirmed fires. Thus far, there are 16 confirmed fires on the Gasquet Ranger District with an estimated acreage of 7,500 acres.

Complex large fires: (Holiday-3584 acres, Diamond-252 acres, Kelly-2,569 acres, Marlow-200 acres, Corral-476 acres, Prescott-481 acres). Structures threatened with evacuations in progress. Threat to high power transmission powerlines, communication sites, endangered wildlife and culturally sensitive sites. Highway 199 is closed to through traffic. CA-Type 2, IMT 15 (Clemo) assumes command tomorrow morning.

Local resources have been focusing on identifying the locations of the fires and triaging suppression efforts on those posing the highest risk to life and property. 

The fires are burning in extremely rugged terrain with limited access. A year of below average rainfall has the vegetation unseasonably dry, causing a high resistance to control. Despite these difficult conditions, ground and air resources have been engaged in full suppression efforts. 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 15 was briefed this afternoon and the team will assume command of the Smith River Complex tomorrow August 18th. The fires within the Smith River Complex are threatening numerous communities, highly used travel corridors (Highway 199 remains closed), critical transmission lines, and other natural and cultural resources. Focusing on suppressing the fires threatening these areas will remain the priority for the coming days.  

Evacuations

Evacuation orders have been placed by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, if you are in the area please sign up for their Community Alert System to receive emergency notifications. Evacuation levels as of 6:45pm, today August 17 are as follows:

Level 3 “Go Now”: Patrick Creek, Little Jones Creek, Copper Creek Drainage, Coon Creek/ 16n19 17n07, Washington Flat, Pioneer Road, Panther Flat Campground Area

Level 2 “Be Set”: High Divide, Rowdy Creek, Gasquet from Pioneer Road to Slant Bridge

Level 1 “Be Ready”: French Hill, Big Flat/Rock Creek, Low Divide, Hiouchi from Slant Bridge to the east end of North Bank Road

Closures

County road 316, Shelly Creek,

County Road 315 Holiday Mine

County Road 311 Old Gasquet Toll Road

County Road 305 Weimer Road

Forest Service Roads 16N19 and 17N07

U.S. Highway 199 is fully closed in Del Norte County from Pioneer Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the fires. The road is expected to be closed through the night, and there is no estimated time of reopening. A hard closure is in place on U.S. 199 at the Agriculture Station near the Oregon border. For the latest road conditions please visit quickmap.dot.ca.gov

U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in the area are closed, this includes Patrick Creek, Grassy Flat, Panther Flat, and Big Flat Campgrounds.

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds (421 US-101 N, Crescent City, CA 95531) for those who are impacted. Red Cross disaster workers are partnering with local officials to help ensure evacuees get the assistance they need and will be providing meals and snacks, access to comfort kits and other supplies.

August 17, 2023 at 9:40 AM

Complex fires:( Holiday-500 acres, Diamond-30 acres, Kelly-90 acres). Historical and cultural resources threatened. There is a Red Flag Warning in the fire area today for thunderstorms on dry fuels. CA-Type 2, IMT 15 (Clemo) assigned with a planned inbrief 8/17.

August 16, 2023 at 7:54 PM

The Six Rivers National Forest has received approximately 150 lightning strikes across the forest since Tuesday evening, resulting in multiple fires across the forest.

Just south of the Oregon border, the Diamond, Holiday, Kelly, and Prescott Fires along with other smaller fires in the area have all been grouped together into the Smith River Complex. The Holiday Fire is reported to be 500 acres, the Diamond Fire 30 acres, the Kelly Fire 200 acres, and the Prescott Fire approximately 193 acres. Combined these incidents total 923 acres. These numbers will fluctuate as more information is acquired.

This Smith River Complex remains under a full suppression strategy with rapid and aggressive initial attack operations. Air attack is being used to perform reconnaissance throughout the forest and additional resources have been ordered to support the incident. 

California Interagency Incident Management Team 15 will be in briefing at 1700 on August 16th, 2023, and will be taking over the incident at 0700 on August 17th, 2023.

Gasquet, French Hill, Coon Creek, and Washington Flat have all been moved to a Level 1 (lowest level/ be ready) preparedness level due to increased fire behavior. Please prepare your bags and plans in case evacuations become necessary.  There is currently a mandatory evacuation order in place for Little Jones Creek Rd (FS 17N08). If you are in this area please leave now and if you are aware of others in this area please let them know. OES has sent an Everbridge notification to those registered for notifications in this area. (Del Norte Office of Emergency Services).

Per Caltrans D1, U.S. 199 is FULLY CLOSED in Del Norte County from Pioneer Road to Oregon Mountain Road (PM 16 to 31) due to the Smith River Complex. Do not attempt to travel 199 in this location as you will be turned around. Please think of everyone’s safety!! For the most updated information follow Caltrans QuickMap.

Due to fire activity as well as proximity, Patrick Creek, Grassy Flat, Panther Flat, and Big Flat Campgrounds are now closed.