By John Driscoll
Eureka Times Standard (California)
Copyright 2006 Times - Standard
All Rights Reserved
As wildfires nearby continue to get bigger, a more distant fire may be a threat to major transmission lines that if shut down would force officials to ask the public to conserve electricity during a waning heat wave.
The McCloud Fire is southeast of Mount Shasta and is burning between power lines operated by the Western Area Power Administration. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest has accepted assistance from the California Department of Forestry to fight the 250-acre blaze.
Hot, dry conditions made the fire more difficult to fight Thursday, and the governor’s office held a media conference to talk about the threat. U.S. Forest Service director of fire and aviation Ed Hollenshead said the fire could get worse.
“Our probability of success is still low at this time,” he said.
No rolling blackouts are expected, and California Independent System Operator spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle said the worst-case scenario is a Stage 1 emergency. Grid operators can reroute power around the lines that bring in about 4,000 megawatts from Oregon and Washington. But the overall supply to California could be reduced, and with hot conditions persisting in the state that could prompt conservation requests.
Fires on the Six Rivers National Forest near Orleans and in wilderness areas in the region are still being attended by few firefighting resources. The Buck Fire in the Siskiyou Wilderness is now 100 acres, the Hancock Fire in the Marble Mountains Wilderness is 37 acres, the Somes Fire is 50 acres, the Crawford Fire is 20 acres and the Owl Fire is 10 acres.
Firefighters are still focusing on the Crawford Fire about 2 1/2 miles from Orleans. Four 20-person crews, seven engines and one helicopter are working on that blaze, and waiting for additional resources.
The Panther Fire in the Lower Trinity Ranger District is now 25 acres, though two air tanker water drops helped slow its spread Thursday.
The Klamath National Forest still has 11 fires burning, including three that total 80 acres. With temperatures up to 105 degrees, fire officials there expected those fires to grow.