Lime, north of Yreka

Lime, Klamath NF, USFS. IMT 2 (CA Team 15). IMT is also managing Kidder 2 incident. Ten miles north of Yreka, CA. Timber and brush.

September 19, 2019 at 7:25 AM

The fire is currently at 1,872 acres 96% contained as firefighters continue to improve containment lines around the fire perimeter.

September 16, 2019 at 6:43 AM

This lightning-caused fire is currently at 1,872 acres at 91% containment. Resources on the Lime Fire include include 2 hand crews, 5 engines, 2 dozers, 6 water tenders and helicopters and fixed wing on demand. The Type 2 Incident Management Team continues to assist the Klamath NF on this fire, Nickie Johnny Commander.

Firefighters will continue mop up and strengthen firelines today.

Areas with completed containment will continue to transition to mop up.

Planned Actions: Keep the fire west of Ash Creek, Keep the fire south of Cottonwood Peak, Longfellow and Rattlesnake Peaks. And keep the fire east of the Klamath River.

September 15, 2019 at 9:07 AM

Resources on the Lime Fire include include 6 hand crews, 10 engines, 9 helicopters, 2 dozers, helicopters and fixed wing on demand. The Type 2 Incident Management Team continues to assist the Klamath NF on this fire, Nickie Johnny Commander.

Firefighters on Thursday made significant progress on the fire, increasing the containment percentage from 25 to 45%. Firefighters will continue mop up and strengthen firelines today.

On Friday morning one firefighter was airlifted to Medford for medical treatment after being struck by a tree. The firefighter remains hospitalized in stable condition. This is a reminder of the hazardous conditions our firefighters face on a daily basis while out on the fireline.

Today’s weather forecast is for clear skies and warm and dry air. Maximum temperatures are forecast between 84 and 91 degrees. The minimum humidity on the highest elevations of the fire is expected to be between 15 to 25%. Forecasted wind speeds are 5 to 10 mph with gusts to 15 mph.

Firefighters are being challenged by extremely steep terrain and limited access points. Both direct and indirect fireline is being constructed. Water dropping helicopters and retardant aircraft are supporting firefighters on the ground. Yesterday, morning cloud cover prevented the use of retardant planes. When skies cleared later in the afternoon, retardant planes were once again used to aid in fire suppression.

September 13, 2019 at 7:48 AM

Located south of Cottonwood Peak on the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District.

This lightning caused fire is currently at 1872 acres at 45% containment

Warmer and dryer conditions are expected for today.

All evacuation warnings have been lifted as of 6:00 p.m. September 12, 2019.

Firefighters are being challenged by extremely steep terrain and limited access points. Both direct and indirect fireline is being constructed. Water dropping helicopters and retardant aircraft are supporting firefighters on the ground. Yesterday, morning cloud cover prevented the use of retardant planes. When skies cleared later in the afternoon, retardant planes were once again used to aid in fire suppression.

September 11, 2019 at 8:40 PM

Threats to firefighters include: fire behavior, fire weather, extremely steep terrain, rolling material, danger trees and driving on narrow winding mountain roads.

September 11, 2019 at 11:25 AM

This lightning-caused fire is currently at 1911 acres and 20% containment.
With a second day of cooler temperatures and higher humidity, firefighters made significant progress constructing fireline along the fire’s edge on Tuesday. Intermittent cloudiness limited opportunities for air operations.

Today’s forecast is for temperatures between 75 and 82 degrees, humidity ranging between 20-30% and light afternoon winds. A decrease in cloudiness should allow increased use of aircraft. Conditions will be favorable for building additional fire containment lines and improvement of existing firelines.

The Klamath National Forest today issued a closure order for the Lime Fire on the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District. This closure includes several Klamath River access areas, the Tree of Heaven Campground, and forest roads, and will be in effect until 11/30/2019. To read the full order and view a map of the closed area, click here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices.

Please remain away from these areas, allowing the firefighters, engines, helicopters and other equipment to work safely.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for residences within and adjacent to the fire area on September 7th at 12:17 p.m. This request was made out of concern for potential rapid-fire movement due to the anticipated passage of a dry and gusty cold front that occurred later in the day. The evacuation warning will remain in effect until public safety officials determine conditions are safe to allow the warning to be lifted.

Motorists are advised to exercise extreme caution along Highway 96 in the vicinity of the fire, due to increased fire equipment traffic. The highway may be subject to temporary closure today due to fire operations for public safety. Motorists are also encouraged to be aware of potentially distracted driving along Interstate 5, as the fire is visible from a number of vantage points north of Yreka.

September 10, 2019 at 9:56 AM

The Lime Fire is currently mapped at 1,620 acres with 0% containment and 515 firefighters assigned to the fire. It is burning in the Cottonwood Peak/Little Cottonwood Peak area approximately ten miles north of Yreka. The fire was active on Sunday afternoon, producing a large smoke column starting at approximately 1:30 pm. This column was highly visible from Yreka and neighboring communities, as well as the Interstate 5 corridor. Similar fire behavior has been observed for the past three days and is due to burnable fuels on slopes being heated and dried by the afternoon sun and winds coming into alignment with terrain to support strong bursts of uphill fire growth. Burnable fuels include a heavy understory grass crop that was created by robust winter rains.

Firefighters are being challenged by extremely steep terrain and limited access points. Both direct and indirect fireline is being constructed. Water dropping helicopters and retardant aircraft are supporting firefighters on the ground. Yesterday, morning cloud cover prevented the use of retardant planes. When skies cleared later in the afternoon, retardant planes were once again used to aid in fire suppression.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for residences within and adjacent to the Lime fire area. (Map of evacuation warning area)

Motorists are advised to exercise extreme caution along Highway 96 in the vicinity of the fire, in order to provide for firefighter safety and to accommodate increased fire equipment traffic. Motorists are also encouraged to be aware of potentially distracted driving along Interstate 5, as the fire is visible from several of vantage points north of Yreka.

September 9, 2019 at 6:21 PM

The Lime Fire began this morning at approximately 1,100 acres, 0% contained. It grew to approximately 1,400 acres as of 5:00 pm, with 491 firefighters assigned to the fire. It is burning in the Cottonwood Peak/Little Cottonwood Peak area approximately ten miles north of Yreka. The fire was active on Sunday afternoon, producing a large smoke column starting at approximately 1:30 pm. This column was highly visible from Yreka and neighboring communities, as well as the Interstate 5 corridor. Similar fire behavior has been observed for the past three days and is due to burnable fuels on slopes being heated and dried by the afternoon sun and winds coming into alignment with terrain to support strong bursts of uphill fire growth. Burnable fuels include a heavy understory grass crop that was created by robust winter rains.

Firefighters are being challenged by extremely steep terrain and limited access points. Both direct and indirect fireline is being constructed. Water dropping helicopters and retardant aircraft are supporting firefighters on the ground. Yesterday, morning cloud cover prevented the use of retardant planes. When skies cleared later in the afternoon, retardant planes were once again used to aid in fire suppression.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for residences within and adjacent to the Lime fire area. (Map of evacuation warning area)

Motorists are advised to exercise extreme caution along Highway 96 in the vicinity of the fire, in order to provide for firefighter safety and to accommodate increased fire equipment traffic. Motorists are also encouraged to be aware of potentially distracted driving along Interstate 5, as the fire is visible from several of vantage points north of Yreka.

September 9, 2019 at 7:31 AM

For information about the Lime Fire in the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District, Monday’s community meeting will occur at 6:00 pm at the Klamath River Community Hall, 19716 Highway 96 in Klamath River, CA.

September 8, 2019 at 7:43 PM

Active fire behavior today. Fire is burning in steep and rocky terrain with limited road access. Threat to structures, historical and cultural resources, Spotted Owl habitat, high value timber land, and Hwy 96.

September 8, 2019 at 4:20 PM

The Lime fire, burning south of Cottonwood Peak on the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest, was detected late morning on Thursday, September 5, 2019. The Lime fire was started by lightning from storms the previous day and was one of over 40 wildfires started on the Klamath NF due to this thunderstorm activity. Erratic fire behavior on Lime and the loss of aviation support diverted to another fire with residences immediately threatened contributed to initial attack actions being unsuccessful. Additional resources were deployed on Lime on September 6, but extremely steep terrain, heavy fuels, and poor firefighter access together with strong afternoon winds and erratic fire behavior contributed to continued fire growth. A Type 2 incident management team was subsequently ordered to assist the Forest with continue suppression efforts. The team is in place as of early this morning.

The fire is threatening private timberlands to the north and scattered residences throughout the area. Firefighters are continuing to take aggressive suppression actions, including building hand- and bulldozer constructed fireline, and are being supported by helicopters and retardant dropping aircraft. Cooling daytime temperatures in the coming week will provide firefighters a significant opportunity to build containment toward fire control.

Yesterday morning, at the request of the Lime Incident Commander, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for residences within and adjacent to the fire area. This request was made out of concern for potential rapid-fire movement due to the anticipated passage of a dry and gusty cold front in the afternoon. Map of Evacuation Warning Area for Lime Fire 9/8/2019

The fire is currently estimated to be at 400-500 acres with 0% containment. There are 174 people assigned, including six firefighting crews, three helicopters and nine bulldozers. The increased fire activity in northern California over the past 72 hours has made additional firefighting resources limited in availability.

Motorists are advised to exercise extreme caution along Highway 96 in the vicinity of the fire, in order to provide for firefighter safety and to accommodate increased fire equipment traffic. Motorists are also encouraged to be aware of potentially distracted driving along Interstate 5, as the fire is visible from a number of vantage points north of Yreka.

September 8, 2019 at 2:06 PM

The Lime Fire and nearby Collier Fire began the evening of September 4 during multiple thunderstorms and lightning strikes. Identified on September 5 at approximately 11:19 am, the fire remained small throughout the day and overnight. At approximately 2:00 pm on Friday, September 6 the fire increased in intensity and size. The fire is currently at approximately 253 acres. Resources on the fire include 6 crews, 3 helicopters, and 7 dozers. Additional resources are expected and will be added in the next day or so. A Type 2 Incident Management Team was brought in to assist the Klamath NF with fire suppression as of 6:00 am this morning. The Collier Fire remains in patrol status. Updates will be made as more information becomes available.

Resources are actively engaged in stopping forward movement and in structure protection. Direct strategy is being used with backup plans being formulated for alternative strategies. Currently 6 crews, 9 dozers, 3 helicopters are on the incident. We are working in tandem with CalFire and other agencies. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has ordered an evacuation warning between Road 47N15 along Ash Creek south to Hwy 96, along Hwy 96 west to Gottville, and north along 47N24 for 3 1/2 miles.

High fire danger levels though night time humidity levels and temperatures are forecast to be improved over the next several days.

Planned actions: Continue direct suppression efforts to limit fire spread and ensure safety of fire personnel and the public. Keep fire south of Cottonwood Peak, Longfellow, and Rattlesnake Creeks; west of Ash Creek; east of Cayuse Gulch; and north of Highway 96. Protection of residences and infrastructure.