Total Complex Acreage: 9,197 acres
Incident Resources: 1,107 personnel
Total Complex Containment: 28%
Expected Full Containment: 7/29/2007
Cost to Date: $8,897,560
Injuries to Date (minor): 8
Structures Threatened: 550
Fatalities to Date: 1
Yesterday, a pilot under contract was killed when his helicopter crashed near the Elk Fire while providing logistical support to firefighters. Weexpress our deepest condolences, and our thoughts are with h is families. A Forest Service National Accident Investigation Team is arriving today to begin their investigation into the helicopter accident.
The protection of the Happy Camp and Elk Creek communities remains a top priority. Yesterday, crews made excellent progress constructing firelines(see list below). Burnout operations, which reinforce significant portions of the containment line, have been completed on the Little Grider Fire, near Happy Camp, CA. A burnout was initiated last night on the northeast perimeter Wingate Fire and is expected to continue late into Tuesday.
Complex Fire Details
Of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 24 are 100% contained.
The fires will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as safety, resources and access permit. The remaining six fires are as follows:
· Little Grider Fire (1,952 acres) 60% contained. Burnout operations are complete.
· King Creek II Fire (2975 acres) 25 % contained. Line construction continued on the fire.
· Wingate (916 acres) 5% contained. Burnout operations have begun.
· Elk Fire (1144 acres) 40% contained. Crews established direct line on the fire’s northern and eastern perimeters.
· Titus Fire (2043 acres) 5% contained. A recommended evacuation for homeowners, and closure for campers and miners, from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on Elk Creek Road remains in place. Firelines have been constructed around structures.
· Hummingbird Fire (80 acres) 0% contained.
Evacuation Planning:
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department has taken steps to locate an evacuation center at Seiad Elementary School in the event evacuation becomes necessary. Individuals with special needs, such as those requiring mobility assistance, need to notify the Sheriff’s Department ahead of time.
Sources of info include: http://www.inciweb.org (including other fires) or
the incident information office at (530) 841-4451. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath for information on fire restrictions and
local closures.
The news on the Elk Fire Complex had particularly encouraged those involved because of only minor injuries. An amazing feat, since the fires are in steep isolated terrain that in some cases is very treacherous. Fire fighters are working in one of the most dangerous of professions. Today, however, the news has come that this morning shortly after ten oclock, a type 2 helicopter went down in the Norcross Area. Officials have confirmed that there was a fatality.
When the threat of wildfire comes against a community, we cheer and thank the firefighters who come in to save our town, our homes, and perhaps the lives of many in the face of wildfire. Sometimes in the fighting of the fire, some even loose their lives. Our heroes are not invincible. Perhaps that is why they are our heroes, knowing the risks, they gave their all in trying to protect people in a remote community.
Our thoughts and prayers go out for the family and friends of the helicopter crew. If we could, we would give them a collective hug from the whole community. We had hoped that such a sad tragedy would not occur here. It has been a somber day in Happy Camp.
Total Complex Acreage: 9,085 acres              Â
Incident Resources:1,145 personnelTotal Complex Containment: 22%               Expected Full Containment:7/29/2007Cost to Date:$8,201,274                                       Injuries to Date (minor): 8Structures Threatened: 550 The top priority is the protection of the Happy Camp, Hamburg, and Elk Creek communities. Yesterday, crews made great progress constructing fireline (see list below). The burnout on the Little Grider Fire began yesterday and initial results were positive. An increase in smoke is expected in the Happy Camp area. Additional fire activity was observed as a result of a warming trend. Â
Complex Fire Details
Of the thirty identified fires in the Elk Complex, 24 fires are 100% contained. The fires will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as resources allow. The remaining six fires are as follows:
Little Grider Fire (1,952 acres) 50% contained. The first stage of the Perkins Gulch burnout was conducted and yielded beneficial results.
King Creek II Fire (2895 acres) 25 % contained. Firefighters made significant progress on the fire’s southern and western perimeters.
Wingate (916 acres) 5% contained. Crews established a line from Titus Ridge west to the Klamath River.
Elk Fire (1144 acres) 40% contained. Crews are camped near the fire and continue containment efforts.
Titus Fire (2026 acres)5% contained.  A recommended evacuation for homeowners, and closure for campers and miners, from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on Elk Creek Road remains in place. Firelines have been constructed around structures.
Hummingbird Fire (80 acres) 0% contained.
 Evacuation Planning:
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has taken steps to locate an evacuation center at Seiad Elementary School in the event evacuation becomes necessary. Individuals with special needs, such as those requiring mobility assistance, need to notify the Sheriff’s Office ahead of time.
In the event of an evacuation, small animals will be accepted at Seiad Elementary and large animals may be taken to the Karuk Ranch at China Grade Road at the two-mile marker. All animal owners are asked to be responsible for the feeding and care of their pets at both locations.
Friday’s Town Hall meeting at the Happy Camp Grange was smaller than previous meetings. While it is encouraging that the residents of Happy Camp feel safer, communication is a vital part of being in the midst of a wildfire crisis. The threat is abated with the rain and cooler temperatures, but with another two months of fire season to go, and several active fires in the vicinity, the crisis isn’t over yet.
Don Hall, Deputy District Ranger, spoke to the questions about what “you guys†are doing. He drove down Curly Jack showing the Klamath National Forest Supervisor what was happening and there were hotshot crews next door to his own home. Teams were going door to door on Curly Jack Road, Division L for evacuation purposes, and informing residents of precautions and preparations. At his home, in the early morning hours, smoke was wafting up from the Wingate, also. So it isn’t “those guys†- it is our neighbors involved. Those from far away usually live in a place where they also experience this same crisis. So the people making the decisions about this fire are not only considering public safety from a professional level but also feel it very personally.
Just a few days ago the wind was 20 to 30 mph, the temperatures were going over 100, we had raging crown fires and lots of smoke. They were planning to build a protected box like area around the town.
Then the rain slowed things down. The crews didn’t sit back and relax. They have put in 30 miles of bulldozer line and 34 miles of hand lines and brush clearing. That’s a lot of hard work but the forest dries out fast at 100-degree heat. On Wednesday afternoon the Wingate fire had showed what it could do when it traveled 2 ½ miles in four hours! We are grateful for only one additional injury and that it was minor.
They are ready to go on more direct attack where possible. In some areas that are “steeper than a cow’s face†Dietrich said that they are too steep and too isolated and couldn’t get a dozer in unless they park it in the river, “which is not cool.†Firefighters are too dear to risk to rock climbing challenges. As Incident commander, Mike Dietrich also mentioned that everyone in the country is working with fires in Idaho, Utah and Nevada as well as elsewhere.
Sheriff’s Dept, Sgt John Evans said Seiad School remains the emergency evacuation site and signs have been posted. Be prepared, and once you do clear evacuation areas, keep the roads clear and don’t block the firefighters work.
Kirk Eadie, Assistant Chief of the Happy Camp Volunteers, also said we need to keep “heads up”. Keep informed. Be ready and be prepared. We appreciate Mike Dietrich and his team keeping us informed so we don’t fall to senseless rumors but can know the truth.
Harold Tripp, with the Karuk Tribe, said it is great working on this team with Don and Alan, Happy Camp District Ranger. His job is to inform firefighting teams about protecting any cultural sensitive areas and he was glad that the fire has not destroyed any sites. The dozer lines are following previous lines as much as possible.
Questions from the gathered Happy Camp citizens involved bringing their horses home, how long the river would be closed to rafting, and how the fire will affect the river view. Many questions have to wait to see what happens in the next four or five days but the team is doing all it can to limit the intensity and severity of damage to as much land as possible and ensure public safety and protect lives of both community and firefighters. Thankfully injuries have been minor considering the harsh terrain where the fires are located. Next meeting is scheduled at the Grange on Tuesday, July 24th at 7 o’clock.
The top priority is the protection of the Happy Camp, Hamburg, and Elk Creek communities. Yesterday, line construction progress was made on the larger fires of the complex (see list below).
Moisture from the recent rain helped in the firefighting effort. However, the respite was short lived. As conditions dry, the fire is becoming noticeably more active and trees have started torching. Smoke from the fires will become more visible and health issues may again be of concern.
As conditions change, local communities will be updated regularly. The public is invited to attend another informational meeting at the Happy Camp Grange this Friday at 7 p.m.
A new call center with the latest information has been established in the Klamath National Forest Supervisor’s Office at (530) 841- 4451.
Complex Fire Details
Defensive lines around the following fires are being prepared for a burning operation when conditions become favorable:
Little Grider Fire (approx. 1298 acres)
King Creek II Fire (approx. 2779 acres): Firefighters are planning to work directly on the fire’s edge.
Wingate (approx. 909 acres)
Elk Fire (approx. 1166 acres)
Titus Fire (approx. 2026 acres): There is also a recommended evacuation for homeowners, campers, and miners from Five Mile Bridge to Norcross Campground on the Elk Creek Road. Firelines have been constructed around structures.
The following smaller fires have been contained and will continue to be monitored, patrolled and staffed as resources allow:
Tom Marten Fire (approx. 31 acres)
Clear Fire (approx. 38 acres)
Yreka, CA- Based on concern for the safety of the public and firefighters, the Klamath National Forest has closed seven river access sites. The closures are associated with the Elk Complex, and begin in Happy Camp and continue for several miles downstream. The closures are in place because helicopters, with their buckets suspended below them, are accessing the river for water. The closures will be lifted as soon as it is safe to do so.
Currently prohibited are:
a. Launching a watercraft from Indian Creek and Curly Jack Day Use river access sites.
b. Launching or removing a watercraft from: Chamber’s Flat, Wingate Bar, Ferry Point, Independence and Coon Creek river access sites.
For more information about the fires, visit http://www.inciweb.org/ or call 530.841.4451. Maps, and copies of the closure orders, are available at Klamath National Forest offices.
The danger to residents of the Live Oak Drive/Buckhorn Road neighborhood may have been thwarted thanks to intense control efforts on the part of fire fighters during the past few days. At a community meeting on Monday evening, Incident Commander Kent Swartzlander displayed maps on which he’d drawn fire lines for the Little Grider Fire. He explained that at this time fire fighters are tending flames burning through Perkins Gulch toward Buckhorn Road. They were expected to be completely controlled and extinguished by the time the fire line arrives at the edge of town.
Swartzlander said that though lines formerly considered trigger points have been crossed, and evacuations haven’t been called for, the reason why is that the fire is burning at a very low intensity at this point. It is more of a controlled burn and he no longer expects anyone in the area of Buckhorn Road to be evacuated.
Letters of appreciation were read and handed out. Dwayne Armbruster got one as representative of the Fire Safe Council’s fuels removal crew. Other letters went to John Evans for the assistance of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department, to Ray Koons for doing a telephone tree to inform people about meetings, and to Harold Tripp and the Karuk Tribe for help they’ve given to the fire fighting effort.
Meanwhile the Wingate Fire spread east toward Happy Camp on the south side of the river on Sunday night due to 30mph winds. Most of the smoke in Happy Camp is due to this fire, about four miles downriver. Residents on Curly Jack Road have been contacted as fire crews located all dwellings. Fire fighters said there would be more traffic on Curly Jack Road as they try to stop the fire at Titus Ridge.
Other speakers at this meeting were Kirk Eadie, local assistant fire chief, and Alan Vandiver, Happy Camp District Ranger.
Sergeant John Evans of the Sheriff’s Department updated us on evacuations. He said that if evacuations take place, people without places to go to will now be asked to stay at the Seiad Elementary School rather than the Marble Mountain Ranch. The reason for the change is that now Highway 96 to Yreka is reopened, and the Office of Public Health decided this would be the best location.
Seiad Valley is only eighteen miles from Happy Camp. Evacuees with medical needs can be taken from there to Yreka. There are kennels in Seiad Valley for dogs and cats, but not larger animals. The Karuk Tribe has offered room at its ranch on China Grade Road for horses and other large animals that need to be moved. Space there is limited to 40 head of livestock.
As of Tuesday there’s a new Incident Commander for the Elk Complex Fires, which include the Little Grider Fire. Mike Dietrich, Fire Chief for San Bernadino National Forest, is leading Incident Management Team 5, and will supervise the Elk Complex Fires for the next few days. He congratulated Kent Swartzlander and fire fighters on his team for the “Herculean effort they put into this”. He warned, however, that the rains would not stop the fires and that they will be very difficult to put out because of the terrain here in the Klamath River Valley. He said “this is still a very serious situation” and that once the rain passes, it is expected to heat up again. He emphasized that his number one priority is fire fighter and public safety.
An audience member asked about the six injuries mentioned on the inciweb.com website. Valery Lambeth said these injuries are all minor. They include heat stress, a sprained ankle and a knee injury.
Before leaving the meeting, Kirk Eadie suggested the next meeting date be set. It was agreed that we will meet again on Friday July 20 at 7pm at the Happy Camp Grange Hall. Everyone is invited to attend for another fire update.
Tuesday night: What threatened to be a mere drizzle all day long turned into a heavy rainstorm this evening. Happy Campers are relieved to have nearby fires get wet. This precipitation is no doubt going to slow the progress of the Elk Complex Fires, but is not expected to put them out entirely.
Update, Wednesday morning: All those people who left comments here saying they were praying for us … this may be the answer to your prayers! Thanks so much to all who commented on the fire articles and sent us your thoughtful words and best wishes.
When we woke up this morning the ground was soaked. Definitely a good sign.
The Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce was planning a mixer for Chamber members on July 19, but has decided to postpone the event because of the fires. Another date will be set after the crisis passes.
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