August Complex Fire grows to more than 955,000 acres with 51% containment

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. (KIEM) — The August Complex Fire continues to grow. It’s now reached more than 955,000 acres and is 51% contained.

Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect for Humboldt and Trinity Counties. The same goes for road closures. An evacuation order has now been issued for the west of Zenia Lake Mountain Road and east of the Trinity-Humboldt county line.

Dense smoke has settled over much of the fire, which has slowed it down a bit, but it also limits aircraft operations. A big priority for crews right now is structure protection.

“Down in the Ruth Valley area, we’ve had crews that are broken up into 4 different groups. A couple of the groups are working directly in and around homes, securing ones within the fire area, doing some burning to secure them,” Operations Section Chief Karen Scholl says.

More than 2,000 personnel are battling the fire.