As of Saturday morning, the Hill Fire burning south of Willow Creek is listed at 7,224 acres with 45 percent containment.
Fire activity has slowed in recent days due to “moderate” weather conditions. Crews remain focused on a spot fire on Sugarloaf Mountain that ignited on Tuesday. “While the suppression of Sugarloaf Mountain remains the priority, fire personnel continue to mop up and patrol other areas of the perimeter,” according to Incident Command. There are 1,578 personnel, 42 crews, 96 engines, 37 pieces of heavy equipment, and 11 helicopters currently assigned to the fire.
Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place for some communities surrounding the Hill Fire. More information can be found at this link.
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The following additional information comes from Incident Command:
CURRENT SITUATION:
Yesterday, firefighters were able to keep the spot fire on Sugarloaf Mountain in check. Moderate weather helped keep
fire activity to a minimum and the fire stayed within containment lines. While the suppression of Sugarloaf Mountain
remains the priority, fire personnel continue to mop up and patrol other areas of the perimeter.
Suppression repairs begin today with hand crews and excavators. Working closely with resource advisors, crews will
restore dozer lines in the fire area to their natural condition. Repairs after wildfires are necessary to aid the process of
healing the affected environment. These repairs include but are not limited to, returning roads to their original
conditions, cleaning culverts for proper drainage, and clearing slash piles. Moderate weather conditions are expected
to remain in the area today, supporting these recovery operations.
Many hazards still exist within the fire interior. Smoke may be visible as stumps, logs, and other materials continue to
burn well within the containment lines.
Photos via Hill Fire Incident Command.
WEATHER:
A cutoff shortwave trough passing over the area today will create a complex but generally moderate fire weather
environment. Southeast wind in the morning will generally enhance the surface inversion and delay afternoon sea
breeze, similar to how it did Friday. That said, cool marine air easing into the area will continue to gradually decrease
temperatures and increase relative humidity, especially in the afternoon. Winds will generally be terrain influenced,
with gusts generally below 15mph. Marine influence will only increase Sunday, with slightly better smoke mixing.
CLOSURES:
Forest Closure Order currently in effect for the area impacted by the Hill Fire. It is temporarily prohibited to be on
any national forest system land, trail, or road within the closure area.
Road closures are currently in place on Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest Service Route 6N06, Friday Ridge Rd. at Forest
Route 5N01 and Friday Fridge Rd. at Forest Route 5N04.
For updated road closure information,
visit protect.genasys.com or humboldtsheriff.org/emergency.
FIRE RESTRICTIONS:
Forest fire restrictions also went into effect on July 12th
. Campfires and stove fires are restricted to those developed
areas listed in the forest order located at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1188610.pdf.
Smoking, welding, and operating an internal combustion engine also have restrictions in place.
EVACUATIONS:
Humbolt County: Evacuation order and warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit
https://www.facebook.com/HumboldtSheriff and https://humboldtgov.org/2383/Current-Emergencies.
Conditions are subject to change at any time, visit https://protect.genasys.com/search for a full zone description.
Sign up for Humboldt Alert emergency notifications at https://humboldtgov.org/2014/Emergency-Notifications.
Trinity County: Evacuation warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064589806351 and https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES.
Evacuation Center:
For information on assistance available to those displaced by the Hill Fire, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-
733-2767.)
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services in coordination with the Humboldt County
Department of Health & Human Services and the American Red Cross-Gold Country Region established an
Evacuation Center for those impacted by the Hill Fire to receive fire information.The Evacuation Center is located at
Trinity Valley Elementary School, 730 CA-96 in Willow Creek. The center is not open to the public, however
information on how to request assistance is posted at this location.
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