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U.S. Forest Service
Klamath National Forest
1711 South Main Street
Yreka CA 96097
Voice: 530-842-6131
Email:
Web: www.fs.usda.gov/klamath
News Release
Media Contact: Kathy Hardy
530-468-1252
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Island Fire Information
Yreka, CA – The Island Fire, located deep within the Marble Mountain Wilderness, is receiving an alternative suppression approach from the Klamath National Forest.
“When the Island Fire was reported last Monday evening, it made us really think about what the best suppression response would be,” commented Klamath National Forest Supervisor Patty Grantham. “With 180% of normal snowpack up high, near record-setting rainfall during the winter, and the location of this fire a long way from communities and infrastructure, it seemed like a great opportunity to use fire to clean up hazardous fuels from a spot that hasn’t burned in a long time.”
Four years of drought drove full fire suppression responses in recent years, both across the Klamath National Forest and on almost all National Forests in California. With the influx of moisture from the winter of 2016-2017, the ability to consider other strategies in order to restore forests and reduce the use of, and therefore the safety risks to, firefighters and aviation resources, was a viable choice. The Island Fire, named for the nearby Lake of the Island, is surrounded by previously burned areas on the north, west and south sides. These recent fires burned between 2006 and 2014, and serve as natural barriers that will limit this fire’s spread because fuels were reduced when the older fires burned through. The acres burned in this fire will in turn help limit the spread of future fires by reducing the fuels. The lightning-caused Island Fire is playing its natural role in the Wilderness ecosystem, and burning at a low to moderate rate of spread. This helps to meet incident objectives while minimizing smoke impacts.
“We have highly skilled fire personnel here on the Klamath who will take the right actions at the right time in order to minimize the chance of damage to private property or other values,” said Ted McArthur, District Ranger on the Salmon/Scott Ranger District, the office responsible for managing the Marble Mountain Wilderness. “The downside is that communities in the area will be seeing and probably experiencing smoke at times. Using fire now, though, after the wet winter, will help keep smoke at a decreased level, especially compared to wildfire burning under drought conditions.”
Air resource advisors are being put in place to predict smoke effects and share information about smoke with people and communities who could potentially be impacted. The first of these forecasts may be expected in a few days.
The Island Fire was reported to be 65 acres as of6 pmon Saturday, July 2, 2017.
The public is asked to avoid the area of the fire for their safety.
Community meetings are being planned for later this week in Etna, Fort Jones and Sawyers Bar to provide a fire update and discuss plans for managing the fire. Information about locations and times of these meetings will be available soon.
Additional information about the Island Fire is available on the Klamath National Forest Facebook page and on Inciweb (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5304/). Fire Information can also be obtained from the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District Fire Information line at (530) 468-1252 or by emailing to .
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