Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire reaches over 19k acres

Willow Creek, Calif. (KIEM)- The Six Rivers Lightning Complex fire has grown to 19,272 acres, but due to better weather conditions over the weekend, the fire has reached 17% containment.

“As we’ve been moving through each day, we’ve had northeast winds aloft that kept the ridge tops drier. But during the day, there was a turn northwest, and that’s been really favorable towards securing the fire, especially down here on these northwest sides. So overall, it’s been good, good firefighting weather here,” said James White, Incident Meteorologist Trainee at the National Forest service base camp. 

White goes on to say, “We’re entering a little bit of a critical period here over the next few days. We have some some more unstable weather building and things are beginning a little bit warmer and drier here.” White adds that there is a slight possibility of thunderstorms on Wednesday which might affect the behavior of the wildfire. 

Although the next few days’ weather conditions might increase fire activity, firefighters ability to lay fire lines close to communities may allow residents in the Salyer and Willow Creek area to possibly return home soon.

Sheriff’s Emergency Services Program Manager, Ryan Derby, says that one zone has been reduced from an evacuation to an evacuation warning, and hopefully more zones will follow in the coming days. 

“As of just a couple of days ago, we put the Bigfoot subdivision, which is in Zone Haven Zone E 57. That’s now a warning clear for repopulation. As of this morning, the zone north of that, which was previously zone 56. We split that into zone 56, dash A and 56, dash B in anticipation of some potential repopulation in 56 B later today… but we’re hoping to see more of a trend of getting people home and reducing those evacuation orders back to warnings once it’s safe to do so.”

For updates on evacuation orders and warnings in your zone you can register for Humboldt alert at humboldtgov.org/alerts