Four of the original six fires in the Gasquet fire complex are still burning as firefighters work to complete lines and burn-out operations in Six Rivers National Forest in Del Norte County.
Total size of the complex is 17,723 acres, with 20 percent containment on the complex as a whole.
Coon Fire: (5,569 acres) Night shift conducted a precautionary burn around the Tollefson Ranch but had to stop due to high relative humidity. Day shift will try to complete this mission. The rest of firing operations have been successfully completed and lines are holding. A squad of firefighters are assessing options and clearing brush around the water supply line in the Deer Creek drainage. The South Fork of the Smith River continues to hold as a natural barrier and fire has not crossed.
Bear Fire: (4,957 acres) On the northwest portion of the fire, dozers and crews completed line to the South Fork of the Siskiyou River, which is being utilized as a containment line. The 16N05 Road continues to hold fire to the east, preventing its spread to the west. Options are being evaluated for fire line placement to the south.
Feeder Fire: (812 acres) The G-O Road is still being staffed by resources to hold the last bit of active fire.
Peak: (6,385 acres) Suppression options are being evaluated based on recent fire activity. Remains unstaffed for day shift.
The air inversion that has been holding smoke close to the ground is expected to lift early this afternoon, with minimum relative humidity dropping as low as 20 – 30% and high temperatures reaching 75 – 80 degrees. Ridge winds are expected to be from the south 6 – 12 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Slightly stronger winds are possible Wednesday.
Closures:
The South Fork Road, off of Highway 199, is limited to residential and fire traffic only. The east gate of Howland Hill Road has been closed. Howland Hill Road and attractions can still be accessed from the west, out of Crescent City. A closure order has been issued for the Bear Basin Lookout, Island Lake Trailhead, Doe Flat Trailhead, South Kelsey Trail, Summit Trail, and the Gasquet-Orleans Road. An additional closure has been signed to include the areas around Bear Fire, Coon Fire and some adjacent areas to the G-O Road.
For up to date information on smoke conditions and health effects, visit the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District website at www.ncuaqmd.org.
