9-22 Packer on River Complex
You see helicopters and fire engines all the time on wildfires like the #RiverComplex but, behind the scenes, are a group of #ShastaTrinityNF employees and mules that are getting a lot of the less glamorous work done. Trinity River Management Unit Lead Packer Erik Cordtz, talks about the work he and his pack string have done on the River Complex.
Posted by U.S. Forest Service - Shasta-Trinity National Forest on Tuesday, September 22, 2015
As fire crews wrap up their suppression of the 70,000 acre River Complex Fire, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Service is utilizing its pack of mules to haul excess equipment from the fireline.
As of today, the fire is 66 percent contained and fire officials estimate the blaze will be fully contained by October 1. Crews are beginning to remove equipment from the area. Firefighters will continue to monitor the fireline for areas of heat for the next several days and work to remove hazardous trees on Big Mountain Road.
According to Joe Orosz of the Forest Service Public Affairs Office, the mules are often used to transport fire-related goods such as hoses, fire-resistant wrap, tools and food in and out of areas not accessible by aircraft.
“The mules are instrumental in supporting all aspects of back-country (wilderness) operations,” Orosz told the outpost by email. “Our work in the backcountry depends on the mules to get it done.”
Closure areas in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Trinity County have been reduced. However, some closures still remain in effect.
Click here for a PDF of the Shasta Trinity Closure Map.
Equipment recently hauled out of the backcounty by Forest Service mules. Photos Supplied by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Service.
Two firefighters rest outside a Shasta-Trinity Forest lookout covered in fire-resistant wrap.
The River Complex is currently 66 percent contained. Shasta-Trinity Forest Service
CLICK TO MANAGE