Three Lightning-Sparked Fires Burn Across Shasta-Trinity National Forest as Crews Battle Challenging Terrain

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is the largest National Forest in California with a diverse landscape ranging from 1,000 to 14,162 feet. The 2.1 million acre forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and 6,278 miles of streams and rivers.

July 4, 2025 – Firefighters are battling three active wildfires across Shasta and Trinity counties within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, all sparked by recent lightning strikes as crews work to contain blazes totaling over 630 acres amid challenging terrain and access limitations.

Horse Fire Largest at 363 Acres

The Horse Fire, which ignited Wednesday afternoon near Schell Mountain west of Lakehead, has grown to 363 acres with zero percent containment. The blaze started July 2 at 12:53 p.m. and is burning within the footprint of the devastating 2018 Carr Fire that claimed over 229,000 acres.

Type 3 Incident Commander Robert Rice is leading 130 personnel in full suppression efforts targeting timber, brush, and grassland. Firefighters are working to keep the fire south of Stacey Creek, west of the Shasta Lake District boundary, north of Wild Cow Mountain Ridge and trail, and east of Clear Creek.

Green Fire Challenges Access Near Shasta Lake

Located 13 miles east of Lakehead near the Pit River Arm of Shasta Lake, the Green Fire has burned 183 acres since igniting Tuesday evening at 9:37 p.m. The fire remains uncontained despite efforts from 106 personnel under the command of Incident Commander Brent Kissick and trainee Nick Price, who assumed control early Friday morning.

The fire’s location presents significant logistical challenges, with crews being transported by helicopter and boat due to steep and rugged terrain. The blaze is consuming dormant brush, slash, and chaparral, with containment objectives focused on keeping the fire north of the Pit River and south of Sierra Pacific lands.

Helena Fire Shows Progress with 5% Containment

The smallest of the three fires, the Helena Fire has achieved 5% containment after burning 86 acres of timber since Wednesday evening. Located just west of East Fork Road, two miles north of Helena in Trinity County, the fire started July 2 at 5:17 p.m.

Incident Commander Jim Yacoub is directing 40 personnel currently on scene, with an additional 60 firefighters en route. Crews have been forced to hike into the fire area due to extremely steep and rugged terrain. Control objectives aim to keep the fire east of the North Fork of the Trinity River, west of County Road 421, and south of the 11W13 Trail at Waldorff Crossing.

Unified Response Prioritizes Safety

All three incident commanders have emphasized firefighter safety as the top priority while pursuing full suppression strategies. The fires represent the latest challenge in what fire officials anticipate could be an active wildfire season across the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Type 3 incident management teams have taken command of all three fires, bringing specialized expertise in coordinating resources and personnel across the challenging terrain of the 2.1-million-acre Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California’s largest national forest.

Residents and visitors can find additional updates on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Facebook page and InciWeb incident information system, where officials are providing regular updates on containment progress and evacuation information as conditions develop.

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