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Press release from the Six Rivers National Forest:

Butler Fire: 17,116 acres; 6% containment

Red Fire: 116 acres; 80% containment

Operational Updates:

Butler Fire: The Butler Fire tested containment lines July 20 with a mix of spot fires and rollouts. Spotting occurred on both the north and south ends of the fire west of the Salmon River, while the fire east of the river had moderate growth.

East of Salmon River, fire remained active in the Crapo Creek drainage. A new line of retardant limited its forward progression as crews reinforced handlines. Crews continued to construct direct line from Yellow Jacket Ridge down to Sawyers Bar Road. Fire reached Sawyers Bar Road in two locations, but firefighters and aircraft kept the fire from crossing the North Fork Salmon River.

On the west side of Salmon River, fire pushed through McNeal Creek drainage and threw spots across handline into the adjacent Knownothing Creek drainage, prompting the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office to issue evacuation orders for zones SIS-1802 (upper Nordheimer) and S-1903 (upper Knownothing Creek).

To the north, a spot fire was detected across the Salmon River near Tripp Point. Aircraft responded quickly, laying down a line of retardant to impede any northernly spread. Firefighters were ferried across the river to contain it.

Evacuations: Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office expanded its evacuation orders July 20 to include zones to include zones SIS-1802 and SIS-1903. The following zones continue to be under evacuation orders: FRK-1709 (Forks of Salmon), SIS-1703, SIS-1704 (Butler Creek, Lewis Creek, Bloomer Mine residents and Nordheimer Campground), SIS-1707-A, SIS-1707-B, SIS-1708, SIS-1710, SIS-1803-A, SIS-1804, SIS-1805 and SIS-1808.

The Siskiyou Office of Emergency Services has established a dedicated phone number to assist people with their evacuation needs: 530-340-3539. Zones SAW-1713, SIS-1705, SIS-1712, SIS-1803-B, SIS-1811, SIS-1906 and SIS-1907 are under an evacuation warning, where residents are advised to be prepared to evacuate if conditions become more threatening.

The latest evacuation information can be found at https://protect.genasys.com.

Closures:

Butler Fire: Salmon River Road between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Campground remains closed as rocks and burning debris continued to fall onto the roadway.

National Forests: The Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests issued a joint closure order July 16 within the vicinity of the Butler Fire. The closure includes Nordheimer and Oak Bottom campgrounds. The Pacific Crest Trail remains outside of the closure area, but hikers are advised to exercise caution.

Weather and Fire Behavior: A marine layer today has ushed in some of the lowest temperatures and highest humidity readings since the Butler Fire began. Temperatures will be in the low 80s with humidity at 55 percent along ridgetops. Winds will remain out of the northwest, gusting up to 20 miles an hour.

Fire Safety and Prevention: The Six Rivers National Forest is implementing level 1 fire restrictions beginning today. Restrictions going into effect cover a range of potential fire igniting activities, such as building and maintaining campfires in certain areas, smoking, and operating spark-causing equipment and other tools.

For more information on restrictions and ongoing fire operations, visit the forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/sixrivers/alerts.

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