People north, east and south of Willow Creek should either have already evacuated or be prepared to evacuate as firefighters continue trying to contain a fire that started late last week in the Six Rivers National Forest.
The Six Rivers Lightning Fire had grown to 6,773 acres with zero containment and no information about whether structures had been lost as of Monday morning, according to a press release from the U.S. Forest Service. Crews were expected to continue their fire suppression efforts with a focus on keeping the fire west of Lone Pine, south of Horse Linto Creek, east of Brannan Ridge and north of Ammon Ridge.
“Last year’s snow event left a lot of trees dead and down on the ground,” the release states. “If ignited, these can result in fire behavior that is more substantial than what would usually be anticipated this time of year.”
The fire was identified Friday and was initially made up of 12 different fires caused by lightning strikes in Six Rivers National Forest. Fire crews were able to suppress four of the fires so now there are eight active fires.
Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane, Country Club Road at Kimtu Bridge and Friday Ridge Road at Highway 299 have been closed, but remain open for people evacuating the area. State Route 299 was open to traffic as of 1 p.m. Monday.
The fires have been producing heavy smoke that was expected to impact the Willow Creek area, with hazardous air quality expected most of the day in Burnt Ranch and for periods of time in Willow Creek and Hyampom, according to a North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District press release. Air quality was expected to be at least unhealthy in all the aforementioned areas for much of the day.
“Westerly wind is expected to limit the amount of smoke impacting Weitchpec and Hoopa,” the release stated.
Resources
A Red Cross evacuation center has been set up at Trinity Valley Elementary School, located at 730 Highway 96 in Willow Creek.
Travelers should check quickmap.dot.ca.gov for the most up-to-date information on road conditions.
A large animal shelter has been set up at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds at 1767 Pine Creek Rd. in Hoopa.
Cowboy 911, a nonprofit group assisting in livestock and small animal evacuations, can be reached by email [email protected], at cowboy911.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cowboy911.org.
To volunteer or donate, contact Pay it Forward Humboldt at 707-616-9191 and [email protected].
For the most up-to-date information, visit humboldtsheriff.org/emergency or contact the USFS’s fire information line by calling 707-356-9442 or emailing [email protected].
Maps of the evacuation zones and routes can be found at community.zonehaven.com.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0504.