August Complex

Unit Information

Mendocino National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
825 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA 95988

Incident Contacts

North Zone August Complex
Email: 2020.elkhorn@firenet.gov
Phone: 530-628-0039
Hours: Daily 8am to 8pm

South Zone August Complex
Email: 2020.augustcomplex.south@firenet.gov
Phone: 530-640-1168
Hours: Daily 8am to 5pm

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Highlighted Activity

10/23/2020 Pacific Southwest Regions Extends Fire Restrictions through October 30

In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions are being kept in place to prevent further fires from being...

Announcement - 10/23/2020

The August Complex is 1,032,649 acres and 93% contained. The fires within the Complex ignited August 16 and 17, 2020.

Due to the Complex’s size, the incident is divided into two zones and is coordinated between the Mendocino National Forest, Shasta Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests. Incident Management Organization (Coots) is on the South Zone (Mendocino National Forest) and California Team 14 (Strawhun) is on the North Zone (Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests).

In the interest of the safety of firefighters and visitors to the national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, fire restrictions are extended to November 6 to prevent further fires from being started and overtaxing the resources of those fighting existing wildfires.

Fire Area Closures remain in effect:

Private properties accessed via a Forest System road may require a permit from the USDA Forest Service. Please contact the appropriate National Forest office for more information. Hunting and recreation are prohibited within the August Complex Closure area.

Basic Information

Current as of
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Monday August 17th, 2020 approx. 11:00 AM
Location	Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests
Incident Commander	Coots IC, StrawhunIC
Incident Description	Complex
Coordinates	39.659 latitude, -122.809 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	608
Size	1,032,649 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	93%
Estimated Containment Date	Sunday November 15th, 2020 approx. 06:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Tall Grass - 2.5 feet Chaparral - 6 Feet Timber - litter and understory
Significant Events	Minimal, creeping and smoldering fire activity. Interior fuels will continue to consume throughout all zones. Seasonal leaf fall and needle cast are leading to isolated, short durations of active fire.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Northeast Zone: Irish Mountain group will continue to secure fireline into the South Fork of the Trinity River. Monitor the fire within the Buck Fire (2017). Northwest Zone: Patrol and mop up focused on the Ruth Lake area. Resources continue to work with homeowners to address concerns and mitigate hazards. Patrol South Zenia, patrol and mop up. Suppression repair in the municipal watersheds of Mad River and South Fork of the Trinity River is continuing. South Zone: Monitor through EGP website. Engine crews are cutting hazard trees off National Forest System Roads to improve transportation safety for suppression repair activities.Continue with suppression repair prioritization and implementation along dozer lines. Back haul all unneeded equipment and supplies.
Projected Incident Activity	All Zones: Dry needle cast will fall on burning materials leading to short durations of active burning. Northeast Zone: Fire activity expected to be limited to current fire perimeter with smoldering and creeping. Northwest Zone: Minimal fire activity predicted, but there is potential for active fire behavior due to the predicted weather. South Zone: No perimeter growth expected. Interior fuels will continue to burn out.
Remarks	Burned acreage as of 10/30/2020: Mendocino NF-612,634 Six Rivers NF-162,201 Shasta Trinity NF-139,760 West Zone-140,522

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	Seasonably warm and very dry conditions occurred across the fire area once again. Humidity recovery will be best in the northern portions of the fire and degrade moving to the south. Winds near the surface were once again light and terrain-driven. The forecast if for temperatures 75-85°F, humidity 15-20%, north northeast wind 6-12 mph.