By John Driscoll
Eureka Times Standard (California)
Copyright 2006 Times - Standard
All Rights Reserved
Erratic winds increased the burned acreage of the Bar Complex outside Denny by 555 acres Thursday, while firefighters on a fire near Orleans saw little growth there.
Marty O’Toole, an information officer for the Bar Complex fires, described the blaze as “slowly active,” mostly in the southeast corner. It’s now about 26,700 acres, and has on occasion tested fire lines. Two days ago, about 500 acres burned over fire lines that had been built, and O’Toole said that crews are now working to determine where best to build new lines.
O’Toole said no structures in the area were in danger Thursday. Since the burn is in the wilderness on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, O’Toole said fire managers are taking a long-term approach on the fire that ensures crews’ safety.
“It takes a little time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Somes Fire that makes up 15,500 acres of the 15,710-acre Orleans Complex is considered 90 percent contained, burning mainly in the interior part of the fire’s footprint in the upper reaches of Pearch Creek.
Peggi Lawrence with the Six Rivers National Forest said the recent wind has worked mainly in fire crews’ favor and hasn’t been strong enough to push the fire toward containment lines. Firefighters are mainly doing forest rehabilitation, she said.
Fires almost always burn until winter rains begin, and there’s no exception expected in these cases.
“We don’t think it will be out until we have substantial rain,” Lawrence said.
The Uncles Complex on the Klamath National Forest has now burned a total of 17,100 acres. Of the three fires that make it up -- the Hancock, the Uncles and the Rush -- only the Rush Fire has been contained. Several trails into the Marble Mountains Wilderness have been closed.