Siskiyou/blue 2 Complex Update for Friday, August
Incident: Siskiyou/ Blue 2 Complex-klamath Theater Wildland Fire
Released: 8/29/2008
A Red Flag Warning for strong winds and for low relative humidity remains in effect until 11am today along ridge tops in the northern portion of the Siskiyou/Blue 2 Complex. The warm and dry conditions support surface fire spread. Due to these conditions, flare-ups, an increase in smoke, and single tree torching will continue to occur within the interior of the fire. This evening, wind patterns will shift from the NE toward the SW bringing in cooler and moister conditions. Light rain showers are expected Saturday morning. This new weather pattern will assist firefighters in the mop-up phase of the fire.
Helicopters will assist crews in water bucket drops and retrieving equipment off of firelines. The excess equipment will be brought from remote areas by placing it in sling loads (rope baskets) and air-lifted by helicopters to base camp. Air resources will assist on adjacent or new fires as requested.
All repair and rehabilitation work in the east end of the fire is expected to be completed by this evening and the remaining work will now shift to the southern part. In the south west corner of the fire, large excavators are repairing fire suppression impacts along fire lines and roads. Chippers are being used to mulch recently cut vegetation and broadcast the organic material to nearby sites. After this work is complete, water bars will be installed on the fire lines to channel rain water away from the fire lines to avoid erosion issues. The final step will be for a road grader to shape the road leading away from the fire and to clean the road of any debris which will allow for the proper drainage of water.
Closures: To protect public safety and facilitate fire suppression efforts, closures of trails and roads are in effect for the Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests. The Salmon River Road from Somes Bar eastward is open to the public. For information on the closures, refer to these Forest Service websites at: www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/conditions/ or www.fs.fed.us/r5/sixrivers/conditions/.
