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Four Additional New Fires on the Klamath Since Last Report on Friday ~ Klamath National Forest Fire Activity Update – August 26, 2023

by Jay A. Martin Views: 113
Klamath National Forest Fire Activity Update – August 26, 2023Yreka, Calif. – 
Four additional new fires were reported on the Klamath National Forest since the last report on Friday. This brings the total number of confirmed fires not associated with the Happy Camp Complex to 26 since August 15th. High temperatures and clear skies could result in additional new fire reports in the coming days. A fixed wing reconnaissance plane, also known as a Fire Watch, will patrol the western portion of the Klamath National Forest to search for additional new starts in the vicinity of recent lightning activity. This reconnaissance plane is responsible for discovering three of the new fires reported since yesterday. 

Fire officials have declared the following fires out. They will no longer be reported on: Garden Fire, and Titmouse Fire.

Happy Camp/Oak Knoll District:

·       The newly reported Red Fire is south of Red Hill. Acreage is unknown and crews are enroute.
·       The newly reported Vann Fire is three miles west of Elbow Springs in the Vann Creek Drainage. Acreage is unknown and crews are
·       The newly reported Dillon Fire is northwest of the North Fork of Dillon Creek. Acreage is unknown and heli-rappelers have been ordered. Access to this fire has been hampered due to heavy smoke from the Elliot Fire.
·       The newly reported Donkey Fire is near Pony Peak and adjacent to the Elliot Fire. Acreage is unknown and fire officials are weighing options for safely accessing this fire due to its proximity to the Elliot Fire.
·       The Berry Fire near Huckleberry Mountain is approximately 0.2 acres. The fire is controlled and in patrol status.
·       The Capitan Fire near Capitan Mountain is approximately 2 acres. The fire is controlled and in patrol status.
·       The Titus Fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness south of Norcross Campground is approximately 64 acres. Acreage is lower than previously reported due to more accurate mapping.
The fire is in difficult to reach terrain with low probability of continuing to spread due to natural barriers, sparse fuels, and residing in an old burn scar. Fire officials are using a confine and contain strategy and developing a management plan for the incident. Aviation resources are being used to keep the fire in its current footprint. 

 Salmon/Scott River Ranger District: 
·       The Box Fire near Box Camp Trailhead is approximately 0.5 acre. The fire is contained and in patrol status. 
·       The Browns Fire near Browns Gulch is approximately 0.1 acres. The fire is contained and controlled.
·       The Grizzly Fire in the Russian Wilderness is approximately 1.5 acres. The fire is contained and in patrol status. 

Goosenest Ranger District:
·       No active fires to report.  

Evacuation Orders and Warnings:Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect. Monitor CodeRED and the Siskiyou County Sheriff Facebook Page for current information.

Forest Closures: The Klamath National Forest has issued an emergency closure order for two portions of the forest. The purpose of the closure is to provide for public safety in response to ongoing wildfire activity across the forest, including the Happy Camp Complex. The closure prohibits the public from entering portions of the forest in or near the vicinity of ongoing wildfire activity. The closure order also prohibits the use of roads, trails, and developed recreation sites within the closure.  

·       Happy Camp Ranger District Closure Location: The closure order extends from Happy Camp south to the Marble Mountain Wilderness boundary at Norcross Recreation Area. The closure continues west along the edge of the Marble Mountain Wilderness to the Siskiyou Wilderness boundary. From there, the closure runs north along the Siskiyou Wilderness, down Clear Creek to Highway 96, and then north back to Happy Camp near Curly Jack Campground. 

·       Oak Knoll and Scott River Ranger Districts Closure Area: The closure order is generally northwest of Scott Valley and includes some of the Marble Mountain Wilderness near Lover’s Camp. From the Wilderness boundary, the closure continues along Grider Creek north to Seiad Valley. The closure extends northeast of Seiad Valley to areas north of the Klamath River.

·       A map of the closure order, including specific roads, trails, and recreation sites can be found on the Klamath National Forest Website:o  Happy Camp District Closure: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1132183.pdf

o  Oak Knoll and Scott River Districts Closure: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1132187.pdf 

The Pacific Crest Trail: The area within the Forest Orders, including the PCT from the Shelly Fork junction to Seiad Valley, is a hard closure. The PCT from Etna Summit to the Oregon border is a soft closure, intended to prevent long distance hikers entering the official closure area. Incidental use of the PCT outside of the Forest Closure area is not officially prohibited. Visitors should be aware conditions can change rapidly regardless of where they are recreating on the Forest. Highway 96 is now open with one-way traffic control. Scott River Road is a hard closure. 

Information on Klamath National Forest fires that are not part of the Happy Camp Complex can be found at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/caknf-2023-klamath-national-forest-august-lightning-fires 

Information on the Happy Camp Complex can be found at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information//caknf-2023-happy-camp-complex-klamath-nf 

Fire Restrictions:Fire restrictions are in place on the Klamath National Forest. Campfires are only permitted in developed campgrounds and designated wilderness areas. Area closures are in place for the Happy Camp Complex. Full descriptions of restrictions and closures are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices

*Please obey any evacuation Orders and Warnings that have been issued

The Klamath National Forest & Butte Valley National Grassland cover 1,700,000 acres located in Siskiyou County, California and Jackson County, Oregon. Butte Valley National Grassland is the newest National Grassland and the only one in California. The forest is headquartered in Yreka, CA, and maintains ranger stations in the California communities of Macdoel, Happy Camp, and Fort Jones. More information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/klamath.

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Ranger Stations in the California communities of Macdoel, Happy Camp, and Fort Jones.
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Author: Jay A. Martin"Never underestimate the impact of a single voice seeking the truth, sometimes you find the story, sometimes the story finds you...and occasionally, it trips you on the way out the door. - Jay Martin"

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