In the Klamath National Forest in California, a collection of seventeen fires known as the River Complex is burning. The Haypress Fire in the River Complex is 400 acres, while the Antelope Fire outside the complex near Goosenest is around 100 acres.
Ground crews were joined by smokejumpers, specially trained firefighters who parachute into the site of the fire. Heli-rappel crews, who rappel out of helicopters, also joined the effort. Demand for firefighters and equipment is high due to the many different fires that are burning after the weekend.
As fires in the Klamath National Forest grew, they were more contained in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest across the state line in Oregon. The Bear Camp Fire was the largest of the fires at around 4-to-5 acres and is already 40% contained. Most of the other 15 fires remained at around 1/10 of an acre. Even though the fires are small, the upcoming weather could make things worse.
“Holdover lightning fires are very normal,” says Margueritte Hickman, with the Forest Service. “And so we could still see fires that we pick up in the next week or two. And with the weather that’s coming in, its dry, its windy and we certainly have the potential to have a fire that moves on us.”
For information about the River Complex on the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District, please go to the River Complex 2021 Incident page.
