NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Fires that began last week following major thunderstorms across the region continued to expand their acreage in the Mendocino National Forest on Sunday.
The August Complex on the forest’s Grindstone Ranger District in Glenn County and the Hull fire on the Upper Lake Ranger District had together burned more than 180,000 acres by Sunday night.
US Forest Service officials said the August Complex, which began 30 miles northwest of Willows on Aug. 17, originally was 37 different lightning-started fires that merged into about 20 larger fires.
It had grown by 17,745 acres to a total of 177,750 acres on Sunday, at which point it was 11 percent contained, the US Forest Service reported.
On Sunday night, the largest of those fires, the Doe, was up to 153,083 acres. The other major fires in the complex include the Glade fire, 13,888 acres; the Hopkins, 2,153 acres; the Tatham, 7,958 acres; and the Willow Basin, 601 acres.
To the west, the Hull fire grew by 500 acres to a total of 3,000 acres on Sunday evening, the Forest Service said. No containment has been reported.
Officials said the Hull fire continues to spread primarily to the southeast towards the Eel River and the 2018 Ranch fire footprint, and to the west.
The Hull fire is located five miles north of Lake Pillsbury on Hull Mountain, and it prompted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to issue an evacuation warning for the Pillsbury Ranch community.
The Forest Service said 79 personnel are assigned to the incident.
Officials are concerned with the weather forecast for the coming days, with a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service due to the potential for thunderstorms and high winds through Tuesday evening.
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Fires in Mendocino National Forest top 180,000 acres
- Elizabeth Larson
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