NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Officials reported that the August Complex has continued to show massive growth.

The August Complex’s size rose to 938,044 acres on Tuesday – nearly 60,000 acres more over the previous day – with containment remaining at 43 percent.

The lightning-caused complex, which began Aug. 17, is burning on the Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.

It is far and away the largest wildland fire incident in the state’s recorded history, and it is expected to burn for another month and a half until it’s fully contained.

Cal Fire’s unified team and the US Forest Service are engaged in a coordinated and collaborative response to the complex, which has been split into three zones – South, West and North – to effectively provide a response to the communities at risk.

Due to the resource drawdown throughout California, Cal Fire’s Incident Management Team requested the California National Guard to assist with fire suppression efforts. As a result, 138 National Guard personnel are assigned to the incident.

Resources from across the state as well as from Montana, Idaho, Texas, Washington and New Jersey have been assigned to assist on the August Complex’s West Zone.

Altogether, 1,612 personnel were assigned to the incident as of Tuesday night, the Forest Service reported.

The US Forest Service said crews spent Monday on the complex’s South Zone checking control lines in the Lake Pillsbury area and conducting mop up further into the burned area after the weekend red flag warning conditions ended and high winds exited the area.

Improving conditions on Monday led to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office lifting mandatory evacuation orders in the Lake Pillsbury area, as Lake County News has reported.

“The hard work our crews put in during the days before weather conditions worsened allowed the South Zone to hold and defend containment lines around the Lake Pillsbury area, ” said Mike Quesinberry, incident commander of the National Incident Management Organization. “All of this advance preparation, including line construction, structure protection, firing operations, and mop up led to a very successful outcome as critical fire weather came through.”

Strong winds have pushed the fire from the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness west and southwest, and on Monday the fire, with the winds continuing to push it, prompted evacuation orders and warnings being expanded on the West and North zones in Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties, Cal Fire reported.

In the South Zone on Tuesday, crews performed additional checks of control lines, mopped up additional areas and worked to identify and remove snags and trees that have fallen as a result of fire damage or wind in the Lake Pillsbury area, the Forest Service said.

Officials said other crews will begin dismantling and retrieving hose, pumps, and portable tanks that were installed for structure protection and to hold control lines as areas are checked and determined to be cold.

The PNW No. 2 Incident Management Team under Incident Commander Rob Allan will brief with Mike Quesinberry’s NIMO team Tuesday and assume command of the August Complex South Zone this week, officials said.