[For LoCO’s chronological list of fire updates, go here.]

UPDATE, 6:50 p.m.: Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency to bolster wildfire response across the state. In a statement Brown said, “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox. Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.”  

For more, including the full text of the emergency proclamation, click here.

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UPDATE, 6:37 p.m.: The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office has issued the following mandatory evacuation orders:

  • Hyampom - The end of Kerlin Creek Road, 3N44 & 3N50, Road 16, Road 47, and Road 60.
  • Hayfork - The end of Barker Creek Road, the Mill Gulch area, mile marker 3.18 Highway 3 all the way to the Hayfork dump, Morgan Hill Road, Kingsbury Road, Pine Street, and Dirt Street.
  • Mad River – Mad River Road from Highway 36 to Three Forks.
  • Voluntary Evacuations are still in place for the Denny area, in Hayfork Farmer Ranch/Big Creek Road, in Ruth on Lower Mad River Road from the Ruth Marina/Journey’s Inn to the Ruth/Zenia Road.
  • Highway 3 south bound is closed from Hyampom Road to Highway 36.
  • The Red Cross is setting up evacuation centers in Hayfork at the Solid Rock Christian Church, 66 Tule Creek Road, and in Mad River at the Van Duzen Elementary School, 680 County Road 511.

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Original post:

Press release from the U.S. Forest Service:

Active lightning strikes yesterday on the Six Rivers National Forest resulted in numerous fires across the Mad River and Lower Trinity Ranger Districts. The fires on the Mad River RD are called the Mad River Complex.

The Picket Fire, now at 750 acres, and the Gobbler Fire have moved down to the road at the edge of Ruth Lake and the Trinity County Sheriff’s department is coordinating a mandatory evacuation from Hobart Creek to Old Ruth.

The three Forest Service campgrounds at Ruth Lake have been closed, according to Mad River District Ranger Dan Dill. “The fires are across the road from the campgrounds and embers are going into the campgrounds. With so many fires on the district, we are concerned for public safety and health, especially keeping them out of potentially smoky areas. In addition, the roads are narrow and we need to be able to safely move fire engines and equipment.”

Recreational traffic is being discouraged in the Ruth Lake area.

PREVIOUSLY: Dozens of Small Wildfires Burning in Humboldt County; More Lightning Coming