McFarland Fire. USFS photo published August 6, 2021. (Not related to the injuries)
On Friday August 6, a handcrew was working on the south side of the McFarland Fire when a spot fire ignited ahead of them, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement released August 7. While attacking the spot, six firefighters were exposed to some heat that resulted in first degree and minor second degree burns.
Amanda Munsey, one of the Information Officers at the fire, told Wildfire Today that the firefighters were examined by a Division Supervisor who happened to be a former Medical Unit Leader on the Incident Management Team. A helicopter was ordered to transport them to a hospital, Ms. Munsey said, but it was cancelled after it was determined it was not necessary. The six were taken by ground transportation to a hospital in Redding, California. The injuries did not meet the criteria for admittance to a Burn Center, so they were treated and released.
The firefighters will have two or three days off before they resume their duties.
The McFarland Fire is in northwest California on the south side of Highway 36, 5 miles west of Platina, California about an hour and 15 minute drive from Redding. It was one of many fires started from lightning around July 29 and has burned 30,000 acres since then.
The 44,000-acre Monument Fire is 21 miles to the northwest, 20 miles west of Weaverville, and on both sides of Highway 299.
Map of fires in Northwest California. The white lines were the perimeters Aug 7, 2021. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 1:34 p.m. PDT Aug 7, 2021.Satellite photo at 6:51 p.m. PDT Aug 7, 2021. Fires in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
Monument Fire and McFarland Fire are two of the largest
1:51 p.m. PDT August 2, 2021
Map of the McFarland Fire. The white line was the perimeter at 12:45 a.m. PDT Aug 2, 2021. The yellow line was the perimeter approximately 24 hours earlier. (scroll down to see a map with a wider view)
The McFarland Fire South of Wildwood, California burned intensely Sunday afternoon, spreading two miles to the west and a mile south. A mapping flight at 12:45 a.m. Monday showed it had consumed about 5,000 additional acres in the previous 24 hours to bring the total to approximately 7,400 acres. It moved a little closer to Highway 36 and during the flight was about three-quarters of a mile south of the highway.
The Shasta-Trinity National Forest reported on their Facebook page Monday at noon that overnight “the fire spotted three miles to the west around Hell To Find Lake.” We confirmed with FS, “A spot fire occurred three miles west of the main fire?” and they said yes.
On Monday the fire became established in the upper headwaters of Beegum Canyon, with tree torching, spotting and rollout in the steep terrain. Fixed wing air tankers made retardant drops to slow fire spread and allow ground resources the opportunity to construct containment hand lines in some areas along the fire perimeter.
McFarland Fire. Looking south from the Hayfork2 camera at 9:47 a.m. PDT Aug 2, 2021.
The McFarland Fire is about a mile north of a large fire from 2020, the Hopkins Fire which merged with several other fires to become the Elkhorn Fire. It is a few miles south of the 2008 Telephone Fire and the 2015 Sheill Fire. Two other fires from 2008 are several miles to the east, the Gulch and Noble Fires.
A Type 2 Incident Management Team was expected assume command Sunday night.
Map of the Monument Fire. The white line was the perimeter at 12:10 a.m. PDT Aug. 2, 2021. The yellow line was the perimeter approximately 24 hours earlier. (scroll down to see a map with a wider view)
The Monument Fire two miles west of Big Bar, California was very active Sunday afternoon spreading about a mile to the north, coming close to Highway 299, but it slowed overnight in calmer winds. A mapping flight at 12:10 a.m. Monday determined it had burned 3,114 acres, an increase of about 2,000 acres in approximately 24 hours.
Crews are focusing on building direct containment lines and assessing and preparing structures in Del Loma, Big Bar, and Pattison Ranch.
Evacuation warnings are in effect for these communities. More information can be found at the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Highway 299 has been closed intermittently due to active fire behavior and rolling material.
A Type 1 National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Incident Management Team has been ordered for the incident.
So far, the fire is burning entirely in the footprint of the 2008 Cedar Fire, part of the Iron Complex of fires, and firefighters are opening some of the dozer lines used 13 years ago. Nine firefighters and pilots were killed when a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter crashed while working on the Iron 44 Fire that was part of that complex.
Below is a map showing the fires that have occurred in the area of these two fires, McFarland and Monument, since 2000.
Monument & McFarland Fires, history of fires in the area since 2000. NIFC.
7:33 p.m. PDT August 1, 2021
Map of the Monument & McFarland Fires at approximately 3 a.m. PDT Aug 1, 2021.
Lightning on July 29 started more than a half-dozen fires in Northern California’s Trinity County. As of Sunday afternoon two have burned more than 1,000 acres each and prompted evacuations. According to satellite photos and heat data from satellites Sunday afternoon both were very active. Very large smoke plumes were photographed moving north-northwest toward southwest Oregon,
Sunday morning the McFarland Fire, discovered July 31, was south of Cold Creek Road (Highway 36) a mile or two south of Wildwood, California. It is 7 air miles west of Platina, 15 miles southeast of Hayfork, and 38 miles southwest of Redding. At about 6 p.m. the Trinity County Sheriff’s office issued an evacuation order “for the town of Wildwood, CA. Evacuation areas are SR 36 @ Wildwood Road, north on Wildwood Road for 10 miles.”
At 9 a.m. Sunday the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said the McFarland Fire had burned 2,100 acres, but judging from the satellite imagery at 6 p.m. local time it likely has grown substantially since then. A Type 2 Incident Management Team will assume command Sunday night.
Satellite photo of smoke from the Monument & McFarland Fires at 6:31 p.m. PDT Aug 1, 2021. NASA.
The Monument Fire is about 28 air miles northwest of the McFarland Fire. A mapping flight very early Sunday morning showed it was about a half mile south of Highway 299, which is now closed, and about two miles west of Big Bar. The Forest service said the fire’s movement Saturday was primarily to the east. By 2 p.m. Sunday satellite data indicated it had spread north closer to the highway.
Sunday morning the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said the Monument Fire had burned 1,000 acres, but like the McFarland Fire, it has probably also grown substantially since then.
The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation warnings for structures on both sides of the Trinity River near Del Loma along Highway 299 at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday night. A Type 1 National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Incident Management Team has been ordered for the incident.
McFarland Fire, looking south from the Hayfork2 camera at 7:29 p.m. Aug 1, 2021
Predator B drone image of Monument fire provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
While the Monument fire was burning in southern Arizona the U. S. Customs and Border Protection provided images collected by their Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle to the incident management team suppressing the fire. Here is an excerpt from a June 18 article in the Tucson Citizen:
The remotely piloted Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), launched from the National Air Security Operations Center-Sierra Vista (NASOC-SV), has been providing streaming video and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mapping of areas affected by the fires in Arizona. The real-time video stream, known as Big Pipe, is a video distribution system that CBP provides to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies so responders have access to real-time video and still imagery. The images can be viewed anywhere there is an internet connection, including smart-phones.
