Redwood Acres Becomes Cal Fire Staging Area

Cal Fire has taken over Redwood Acres to use as a staging area for the Lost Fire.  

On Monday, Redwood Acres Raceway said racing has been cancelled until further notice. 

Around 50 Cal Fire personnel are setting up the fairgrounds to become supply and fueling stations for firefighters battling the Lost Fire which has burned more than 500 acres.

The Lost Fire is located within the six rivers national forest near Orick with Redwood Acres becoming a resource for supply.

“All our firefighters come in here with their engines and sometimes they need hoses that they left out on the line. We have those hoses here,” Cal Fire Public information officer David Janssen said. “We refill those engines. We keep up with their tools if they break out there.”

Beyond hoses and engines, supplies also include clothing from flame retardant jackets to heat-resistant pants.

Cal Fire also uses this spot to direct out-of-county crews to a fire, find hotel rooms, and feed them. 

“We’re trying to utilize this area to create a camp to where it can be utilized to by all of our resources so they don’t have to go all over the county for the need to check-in,” Janssen said.

The fairgrounds is convenient for setting up shop, acting as a connection between the cal fire headquarters in fortuna and the lost fire’s location. The California Conservation Corps is also aiding Cal Fire’s supply efforts.

While the Lost Fire is the main focus, they’ll also send aid to the Pearch Fire in Orleans.

“We’re kind of moving north with these fires right now. The Six Rivers Complex, as they call it, has quite a few fire in it. We’re working on the Lost fire to get that under control,” Janssen said. “We have this moisture coming in to help in the ability to fight these fires.”

As Humboldt and Del Norte continue to fight against fires, sites like these are viable to keep the bout against them going.