MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest officials are working to locate and contain several new fires that resulted from lightning strikes on the forest that occurred on Thursday.
The forest received more than 100 lightning strikes Thursday afternoon and evening across the forest, according to forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt.
Schmidt said the forest so far has identified 10 fires, with most of them on the west side on the Upper Lake and Covelo Ranger Districts. The Grindstone Ranger District currently has one fire estimated to be half an acre.
Eight of the remaining fires are small – ranging in size from a single tree to two acres. Schmidt said progress towards containment is being made on the fires.
The Etsel fire on the Upper Lake Ranger District is the largest fire, estimated to be between 35 and 40 acres. Schmidt said the fire is located in the Yuki Wilderness and is burning in heavy timber and brush.
As dry conditions and hot temperatures continue, firefighters anticipate discovering more lightning fires in coming days, Schmidt said.
Forecasters also have issued advisories due to hazardous weather over much of Northern California – including Lake, Mendocino and other neighboring counties that include Mendocino National Forest land – due to concerns about the potential for thunderstorms in the higher elevations through Monday.
Schmidt said the forest is asking visitors to be aware of their surroundings and be prepared for changing conditions. This includes reporting visible smoke that could be from a wildfire.
To report a fire, please call 911.
As a reminder, the Mendocino National Forest is currently under fire restrictions. Visitors are asked to follow regulations and be careful with anything with a flame or that can throw a spark in the forest.
For more information about fire prevention, visit www.preventwildfireca.org/OneLessSpark/ ; for more information about the forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino or follow the forest on Twitter, @MendocinoNF.
Thursday lightning storm sparks new fires on Mendocino National Forest
- Lake County News reports
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