Apparently, there’s at least one fire there are 16 wildfires currently along Highway 96, 14 to 21 miles north of the Humboldt-Siskiyou county line.
Confirmed details are few at this time, and so far we’ve been unable to get officials on the phone. According to a source near Orleans:
Multiple fires broke out along Highway 96 14 to 21 miles north of the Humboldt-Siskiyou County line early this afternoon, with one blaze racing up Dillon Creek. Forest Service personnel on the scene estimated the that blaze to have grown to 500 acres within an hour and were requesting fire management resources to be dispatched as soon as possible as the situation had already grown beyond the capabilities of Somes Bar and Orleans fire crews. Monitored radio traffic described the scene as “a wall of flame.”
Forum chatter suggests that the fire is at least 50 acres already and that multiple agencies are responding.
—-
UPDATE 3:30 PM
According to the US Forest Service’s Kerry Greene, the 3pm field update looks like this:
- 16 fires total in the area, totaling 125 acres burnt.
- The two largest fires are at Dillon Creek campground, which has been evacuated
- Conditions are very smoky
- Fire is moving at a moderate rate of spread
- USFS and Calfire are working the fire with air support; an incident command team has been dispatched from Redding
- Structures are threatened
- There is a closure on Highway 96, but Caltrans’ site isn’t displaying it yet.
If you’re heading into Klamath National Forest, they have begun Fire Restriction, meaning open fire is forbidden until fire season passes. Exceptions included high-elevation (read: snowy) wilderness zones and designated campsites. Backpackers in the area will be allowed to use their camp stoves.