AUGUST 27, 2020 8 am

North Complex Morning Update

Note: We are providing three updates for the complex – Sheep, Claremont and Bear, and North Complex summary.

North Complex Resources: 31 dozers, 169 engines, 17 hand crews, 15 helicopters, 33 water tenders

Current Situation on the North Complex: The North Complex consists of multiple lightning-caused fires (August 17, 2020) on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests.

Crews worked throughout the night building new fireline along the Sheep Fire and strengthening and mopping up existing line. Firefighters were able to complete dozer line south and southwest on that flank, towards the heel of the fire in the area of Indicator Peak. Today, crews will strengthen and mop up all fire lines while continuing to provide structure protection.

Firefighters made good progress yet again and containment on the Claremont Fire is up to 30% as crews work to pinch the fire off and steer it into manageable terrain. With protection of local communities one of the top priorities, personnel are working to button up the eastern section of the fire as winds shift today and become more westerly and humidity drops. The Bear fire remains active. Firefighters are working to build line north of the fire to prevent any push toward Quincy.

Weather: Today brings a change in the weather pattern as hotter, drier conditions move in. With lower humidity and increased heat comes the potential for increased fire activity and the likelihood residents and visitors will see larger smoke columns than in recent days. Humidities will dip into the 15-25% range, winds will remain relatively calm and be west in the morning, shifting to northwest.

Air Quality: Quincy and Susanville can expect continued higher levels of smoke while other areas near the North Complex should see moderate and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” levels of smoke. Widespread haze continues to linger but improved mixing heights should help dissipate some of the smoke. Terrain driven winds are expected to turn westerly in the afternoon and west-northwest in the evening. Smoke is expected to spread around quite a bit.

Closures/Evacuations: A Mandatory Evacuation Order was issued for North Side of Diane Drive at 4:45 pm but was downgraded back to an Evacuation Warning by 6:30 pm. The Pacific Crest Trail from Onion Valley to Bucks Summit remains closed as does Thompson Creek Road (Forest Road 24N26) and Red Bridge Campground. For further information on closures go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices.

Mandatory Evacuations are in place for the following locations according to the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office: Quincy Laporte Road from Thompson Creek south to Red Bridge (Middle fork of the Feather River.); Highway 70: From Massack to Spring Garden; Spring Garden Community; Greenhorn Ranch Community. Evacuation Advisories are in effect for the following: Bucks Lake Big Creek Road from the Mount Ararat Road to Bucklin Road (to include Countryman Drive and Grizzly Loop) and Bucks Lake Road south of the Old Transfer Station Rd (Timberline Lodge) extending to the area of the On Top Mine to include the Bucks Highlands area; Quincy Laporte Road from Highway 70 south to Thompson Creek; Quincy Laporte Road from Highway to Massack; East Quincy, south of Lee Road from Radio Hill Road east. (to include East Quincy, south of Highway 70 between Mill Creek (to include mill Creek Road and Forest View Drive) extending east to Quincy Laporte Road; Chandler Road (east end) from Highway 70 east to Carol Lane East; Sloat Community; Cromberg Community.

An evacuation center remains in place for Susanville at the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds. For immediate text notifications about emergency alerts, residents can sign up for the Plumas and Lassen County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System from their respective websites: Plumas—https://www.plumascounty.us/; Lassen —http://www.lassencounty.org/dept/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office

COVID-19: California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire the surrounding communities.

North Complex Fires:
Claremont Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6996/
Bear Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7025/
Sheep Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7067/
Forest Closures: https://fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices

North Complex Resources: 31 dozers, 169 engines, 17 handcrews, 15 helicopters, 33 water tenders

Current Situation on the North Complex: The North Complex consists of multiple lightning-caused fires (August 17, 2020) on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests. Crews worked throughout the day strengthening fire lines on the east and west flanks of the Sheep Fire. At 4:30 p.m., a flare up occurred in the Bass Hill - Diane Drive area. Air tankers, helicopters, and ground resources were diverted to that area and additional evacuations were ordered.

Residents in the La Porte Road area that were impacted by the Claremont Fire returned to their homes as the evacuation order for that section reduced from mandatory to advisory as crews gained ground building containment line. On the Bear Fire, firefighters continued to build a defensive line north of the fire in an effort to catch any threat of it moving toward Quincy.

Of the many smaller fires associated with the North Complex, and outside the management delegation with the California Incident Management Team 1, the Plumas National Forest is reporting that the Evans, Copper, Iron, Branch, and Paxton are now considered CONTROLLED and will continue to be monitored. Davis, Davis 2, Kessler, Meyers, and Neer are considered OUT. Anna, Monitor, Monitor 2, and Monitor 3 were considered OUT on August 23. The Copper and Iron Fires remain 100% contained and are under mop up and patrol. Those fires ranged in size from .1 acres to 8 acres.

Weather: Overnight, winds will be generally west-southwest at 5-10mph in the lower elevations and southwest at 5-10 gusting to 15 on the upper slopes. Hotter, drier weather is forecast to start Thursday and continuing through the weekend with temperatures increasing by roughly 10 degrees throughout the area. Southeast air flow Friday will bring a slight chance of slow moving thunderstorms. Otherwise, hot and dry will be the theme this weekend into early next week.

Air Quality: Quincy and Susanville continue to be impacted by Unhealthy to Hazardous levels of smoke. For more information on air quality and to see monitors near you, visit Airnow or the California Smoke Blog. For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones, visit the EPA's site on fires and your health.

Closures/Evacuations: A Mandatory Evacuation Order was issued for North Side of Diane Drive at 4:45 pm but was downgraded back to an Evacuation Warning by 6:30 pm. The mandatory evacuation order was MODIFIED to ADVISORY STATUS Tuesday for East Quincy, south of Highway 70 between Mill Creek (to include Mill Creek Road and Forest View Drive) extending east to Quincy La Porte Road. All other evacuation orders and advisories remain in effect.

An Evacuation Advisory Alert is in effect for the communities of Cromberg and Sloat. Residents there should make preparations to evacuate. Highway 70 is open with a police escort. An evacuation center remains in place for Susanville at the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds.
For immediate text notifications about emergency alerts, residents can sign up for the Plumas and Lassen County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System from their respective websites: Plumas—https://www.plumascounty.us/; Lassen —http://www.lassencounty.org/dept/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office Visit CalTrans at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call 1-800-427-7623 for maps and information of road closures in your area.

COVID-19: California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire the surrounding communities.

North Complex Fires:
Claremont Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6996/
Bear Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7025/
Sheep Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7067/
Forest Closures: https://fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices

 #SheepFire Wednesday, August 26, 2020 4pm Evacuation Status UpdateThe following Mandatory Evacuation Orders are in effect for the following areas:• Everything west of Elysian Valley Road and Wingfield Road including all connecting roads.• Wingfield Road west to Bass Hill Road and all connecting roads in between.• Cheney Creek Road and all roads accessed by Cheney Creek Road.The following Evacuation Warnings are in effect for the following areas:• The Diane Drive Subdivision. • Gem Drive, Pearl Circle, and all roads accessed by those roads. • Susan Hills area from Gold Crest Lane to Bauer Road and including Bauer Road. • Both side of Gold Run Road west of Richmond Road including all roads accessed by Gold Run but NOT including Cheney Creek or Gold Crest Lane.• Richmond Road and all roads accessed by Richmond Road from Hwy 395 to Pearl Circle including the subdivision accessed by Pearl Circle but NOT including the Susan Hills area from Gold Crest Lane to Bauer Road including Bauer Road which are still under mandatory order. • Wingfield Road from Richmond Road to Old Archery Road.• Sunnyside Road from Hwy 395 to County Road A-3. • Everything West of Highway 395 from Richmond Road to Janesville Grade and all roads in between. Main Street Janesville from Highway 395 to Janesville Grade and all roads accessed by Main Street Janesville.• Main Street Janesville from Highway 395 to Janesville Grade and all roads accessed by Main Street Janesville. • Bass Hill Road.• Wingfield Road East from Bass Hill Road to Wingfield Road East NOT including Elysian Valley Road, Indians Road, Walking Stick Lane, or Wingfield Road from Bass Hill Rd. to Old Archery Rd.Road Closures: • Cheney Creek Road.• Wingfield Road from the end of the pavement by Peter Lassen’s Grave to Bass Hill Road.• Elysian Valley Road.• Forest Service Road 29N03 by Roxie Peconom Campground. For questions about whether your address is under mandatory, warning, or lifted status, please call (530)316-4487. Dispatch has been flooded with calls that can better be answered by someone who isn't also trying to answer emergency calls. People under order need to leave immediately. People under warning need to prepare to leave soon. Please use caution, drive with your headlights on and yield to emergency personnel. Residents needing assistance evacuating are asked to call the dispatch center at (530)257-6121. If you need shelter, go to the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds. Go to the Fair office on Russell Drive first before 5pm. After 5pm, call the Emergency Shelter Line at (530)250-9088. Liability, feed, and care of large animals is the sole responsibility of the animal’s owner. Deputies will be going door to door to make notification.

 08/26/2020 at 0900This is the most current fire, Evacuation and Road Closure information for Plumas County related to the #ClaremontFire and the #BearFire. This post supersedes and/or affirms all earlier posts.The #ClaremontFire made slight progress overnight and fire crews continued to build more dozer line. Significant progress was made to fire line south west of the community of Greenhorn in the area of Squirrel Creek to strengthen its protection. The fire slowly burnt to the north east overnight but made no significant runs or spots. After lengthy discussions with the USFS we are modifying the Quincy LaPorte Road evacuation area to ADVISORY STATUS WITH MODIFICATIONS. RESIDENTS ONLY that reside from Thompson Creek north to Highway 70 will be allowed to return to their homes or access this area. We ask that those residents in this area restrict their travel on LaPorte road to essential travel only and use extreme caution when traveling as there is still increased fire personnel activity on LaPorte road. Reduce travel speeds to insure safe travel. Residents from the intersection of LaPorte road to Massack return to ADVISORY STATUS. Residents in that area may return to their homes. The CHP will be doing increased patrol on Highway 70 and motorists NEED to reduce speed. There will be a reduced speed limit to 35MPH until further notice. *RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAs NEED TO CONSISTANTLY MONITOR LOCAL FIRE INFORMATION AND BE PREPAIRED FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES*The #BearFire has burnt to the west and the north east growing to around 4,800 acres. This morning we issued an evacuation ADVISORY for a portion of the Bucks Lake community: Big Creek Road from the Mount Ararat Road to Bucklin Road (to include Countryman Drive and Grizzly Loop) and Bucks Lake Road south of the Old Transfer Station Rd (Timberline Lodge) extending to the area of the On Top Mine to include the Bucks Highlands area. Today’s weather will be like yesterday with mostly clear skies (aside from smoke) and the smoke will continue to blow in a north, north east direction. Today will be the coolest of the five days with temperatures in a slow rise.Remember we have created an interactive Map Link (induvial addresses can be put into this map to see where it falls)http://mgo.ms/s/yokm6

 see related link for smoke outlook.

North Complex Resources: 33 dozers, 155 engines, 16 handcrews, 15 helicopters, 31 water tenders

There will be a virtual community meeting tonight at 5 p.m. Representatives from the Fire Management team will be available to provide updates on the North Complex fires: Sheep, Claremont, & Bear. Join the live Zoom meeting at https://usfs.zoomgov.com/j/1607397992

Current Situation on the North Complex: The North Complex consists of multiple lightning-caused fires (August 17, 2020) on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests. Crews will again take advantage of cooler, moister air this morning to get a head start to build or strengthen dozer and hand line on the Sheep, Claremont, and Bear Fires. To date, the Sheep Fire has destroyed 9, damaged 1, and threatened 2,000 residences. Crews reinforced dozer lines yesterday on the north side of the Claremont Fire below Quincy enough to consider a portion of that line contained. On the Bear Fire, crews worked to strengthen a defensive line along Slate Creek Spur on the north side of the fire in an effort to catch any threat of it moving towards Quincy.

Of the many smaller fires associated with the North Complex, and outside the management delegation with the California Incident Management Team 1, the Plumas National Forest is reporting that the Evans, Copper, Iron, Branch, and Paxton are now considered CONTROLLED and will continue to be monitored. Davis, Davis 2, Kessler, Meyers, and Neer are considered OUT. Anna, Monitor, Monitor 2, and Monitor 3 were considered OUT on August 23. The Copper and Iron Fires remain 100% contained and are under mop up and patrol. Those fires ranged in size from .1 acres to 8 acres.

Weather: It will be mostly sunny today with mild temperatures and modest relative humidities. Winds will be terrain driven until early to mid-afternoon, and then will become generally southwest once again. It's likely to become hotter and drier Thursday into the weekend with temperatures jumping 10 degrees for highs. Dry conditions will lead to bigger diurnal temperature ranges later this week into the weekend. Southeast flow Friday will bring a slight chance of slow moving thunderstorms. Otherwise, hot and dry will be the theme this weekend into early next week.

Air Quality: Quincy and Susanville continue to be impacted by Unhealthy to Hazardous levels of smoke. Southwest winds should keep smoke moving to the northeast of the fires. For more information on air quality and to see monitors near you, visit Airnow or the California Smoke Blog. For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones, visit the EPA's site on fires and your health. Your local health department is also a great source of information!

Closures/Evacuations: Evacuation Advisory Alert is in effect for the communities of Cromberg and Sloat. Residents there should make preparations to evacuate. Hwy 70 is currently open with a police escort from La Porte Road to Spring Garden.

An evacuation center remains in place for Susanville at the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds.

For immediate text notifications about emergency alerts, residents can sign up for the Plumas and Lassen County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System from their respective websites: Plumas—https://www.plumascounty.us/; Lassen —http://www.lassencounty.org/dept/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office Visit CalTrans at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call 1-800-427-7623 for the latest maps and information of road closures in your area.

COVID-19: California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire the surrounding communities.

North Complex Fires: Claremont Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6996/ Bear Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7025/ Sheep Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7067/ Forest Closures: https://fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices

North Complex Resources: 33 dozers, 155 engines, 16 hand crews, 15 helicopters, 31 water tenders

Current Situation on the North Complex: The North Complex consists of multiple lightning caused fires (August 17, 2020) on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests.

Light precipitation and higher relative humidities gave crews a head start today to build or strengthen dozer and hand line on the Sheep, Claremont, and Bear Fires. To date, the Sheep Fire has destroyed 9, damaged 1, and threatened 2,000 residences. Crews reinforced dozer lines on the north side of the Claremont Fire below Quincy enough to consider a portion of that line contained. On the Bear Fire, crews worked to strengthen a defensive line along Slate Creek Spur on the north side of the fire in an effort to catch any threat of the fire moving north towards Quincy.

Of the many smaller fires associated with the North Complex, and outside the management delegation with the California Incident Management Team 1, the Plumas National Forest is reporting that the Evans, Copper, Iron, Branch, Kessler, and Paxton are now considered CONTROLLED and will continue to be monitored. Davis, Davis 2, Meyers, and Neer are considered OUT. Anna, Monitor, Monitor 2, and Monitor 3 were considered OUT on August 23. The Copper and Iron fires remain 100% contained and are under mop up. Those fires ranged in size from .1 acres to 8 acres.

Weather: Smoke and haze from wildfires will continue to impact air quality and temperatures over interior Northern California for the next several days. Expect, overall dry weather this week, but a few late day storms will be possible over the mountains into mid-week, and slightly above average high temperatures.

Air Quality: Heaviest impacts will again be in areas closest to the fires. Lingering smoke may be dense at times in the valleys but thinning is expected, especially south of fires. As fires become more active later in the day, areas will see heavier impacts in the evening into overnight as smoke settles into valleys and local drainages. For more information on air quality and to see monitors near you, visit Airnow or the California Smoke Blog. For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones, visit the EPA's site on fires and your health. Your local health department is also a great source of information!

Closures/Evacuations: Evacuation Advisory Alert is in effect for the communities of Cromberg and Sloat. Residents there should make preparations to evacuate. Hwy 70 is currently open with a police escort from LaPorte Road to Spring Garden.

An evacuation center remains in place for Susanville at the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds.

For immediate text notifications about emergency alerts, residents can sign up for the Plumas and Lassen County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System from their respective websites: Plumas - https://www.plumascounty.us/; Lassen - http://www.lassencounty.org/dept/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office Visit CalTrans at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call 1-800-427-7623 for the latest maps and information of road closures in your area.

COVID-19: California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire the surrounding communities.

North Complex Fires: Claremont Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6996/ Bear Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7025/ Sheep Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7067/ Forest Closures: https://fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices

The North Complex is inviting you to a scheduled ZoomGov meeting.
Topic: North Complex Virtual Community MeetingTime: Aug 26, 2020 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join ZoomGov Meetinghttps://usfs.zoomgov.com/j/1607397992
Meeting ID: 160 739 7992One tap mobile+16692545252,,1607397992# US (San Jose)+16468287666,,1607397992# US (New York)
Dial by your location        +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose)        +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)Meeting ID: 160 739 7992Find your local number: https://usfs.zoomgov.com/u/acuLVPvhPu
Join by SIP1607397992@sip.zoomgov.com
Join by H.323161.199.138.10 (US West)161.199.136.10 (US East)5261100.140Meeting ID: 160 739 7992

North Complex Resources:  34 dozers, 140 engines, 15 hand crews, 15 helicopters, 22 water tenders

Current Situation on the North Complex: The North Complex consists of multiple lightning caused fires (August 17, 2020) on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests. 

Light precipitation and higher relative humidities will give crews a head start today as they continue to build or strengthen dozer and hand line on the Sheep, Claremont, and Bear Fires. Smoke columns could develop this afternoon on the fires, which will lead to erratic, gusty winds challenging crews efforts. To date, the Sheep Fire has destroyed 8 residences and damaged 1 residence. The greatest area of concern for the Claremont Fire is the southeast section about ½ mile west of Hwy 70 and threatening the communities of Cromberg and Sloat. Hwy 70 remains closed but is open by escort provided by California Highway Patrol. The Bear Fire continued to grow overnight with aggressive fire behavior on the west side up Bear Creek.

Of the original 21 fires in the complex, 16 are 100% contained, and others have been encompassed by the remaining larger fires. All smaller contained fires are continuing to be monitored. Those fires ranged in size from .1 acres to 8 acres.

Weather: Lingering moisture and instability will lead to a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon into early this evening. The greatest threat for showers and thunderstorms over the North Complex will be in the afternoon hours. It is most likely, however, that showers and thunderstorms will remain north and east of the area similar to Monday. It's still possible that winds could affect the area in the afternoon and building smoke columns are likely to lead to some erratic and gusty winds in the heat of the afternoon and evening.

Air Quality: Heaviest impacts will again be in areas closest to the fires. Lingering smoke may be dense at times in the valleys but thinning is expected, especially south of fires. As fires become more active later in the day, areas will see heavier impacts in the evening into overnight as smoke settles into valleys and local drainages. For a fire and smoke map, go to https://fire.airnow.gov/

Closures/Evacuations: Evacuation Advisory Alert is in effect for the communities of Cromberg and Sloat. Residents there should make preparations to evacuate. Highway 70 remained CLOSED between Spring Garden and La Porte Road, but escorted groups were allowed by the California Highway Patrol as conditions allowed.

Evacuation centers are in place for the following communities: Susanville at the Lassen Community College Dormitories. Large animals can be housed at the Lassen County Fairgrounds; Quincy at the Quincy High School. No small animals are able to be accommodated at the high school; Greenhorn and Spring Garden at the Portola Station Baptist Church.

For immediate text notifications about emergency alerts, residents can sign up for the Plumas and Lassen County’s CodeRed Emergency Alert System from their respective websites: Plumas - https://www.plumascounty.us/; Lassen - http://www.lassencounty.org/dept/sheriffs-office/sheriffs-office

Visit CalTrans at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call 1-800-427-7623 for the latest maps and information of road closures in your area.

COVID-19: California Interagency Incident Management Team 1 has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire the surrounding communities.

North Complex Fires:

Claremont Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6996/

Bear Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7025/

Sheep Fire – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7067/

Forest Closures: https://fs.usda.gov/alerts/plumas/alerts-notices

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Smoke Outlook 8-25-2020