Local fire fighters shifting to Sixteen Complex site

Three members from the Porterville Fire Department, Capt. Glen Hall, Eng. Kirk Lowery and fire fighter Cody Clem, continue to help battle the ongoing Bagley Fire, which has burned more than 45,000 acres in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, four miles west of Big Bend.

Along with the three men, the PFD has sent a Type III fire engine to help the effort.
Friday, Lowery and the engine, with a crew that was also composed of Capt. Larry Newby and fire fighter Ray Figueroa, were directed to Colusa County to help on a fire along Highway 16 in the area of Rumsey. One fire apparatus from Farmersville Fire Department and three from Tulare County Fire also responded. Along with the Bagley Fire, another series of wild fires, known as the Sixteen Complex, have threatened structures, causing 23 homes to be evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The Bagley Fire, which has been burning since Aug. 18, is now 75% contained. InciWeb estimates that it should be fully contained by Monday, if the weather permits.

According to the National Forest Service InciWeb site, patrols saw “minimal fire activity” Thursday night, and crews have been focused on “mopping up” burnout operations in Bones Gulch and other areas along the fire perimeter, as well as clearing the spot fire that cropped up in the Nature Conservancy McCloud River Preserve.

According to the site, 971 individuals have responded to help contain, patrol and ensure the safety of people around this fire, which has burned since the morning of Aug. 18. As of Friday, InciWeb reported that responders were beginning to be disbanded and that the need for fire personnel would continue to decrease over the weekend as there is a “high probability of meeting management objective” of having the fire contained by Monday.

A suppression repair plan has been implemented on all sides, and road improvements and construction of water bars to help restore stream crossings has started. Crews are continuing to patrol along the north, east and south flanks of the fire, while others work to hold the northwest flank in light of a weather forecast which has called for gusty winds, and the area is still considered “critically dry”. The winds will also create smoky conditions around the fire area, and there is a air quality warning in place and the road and area closures put in place earlier will continue to be implemented for the safety of the public.

According to an Associated Press Report Friday, more than 1,200 firefighters are battling the Colusa County blazes, known as the Sixteen Complex. The fire has grown to more than 19 square miles since it ignited Tuesday and was 20 percent contained on Friday, CalFire spokeswoman Stacie McCambridge said.

Crews were working aggressively to establish containment lines through grass, brush and oak woodland in steep and rugged terrain, McCambridge said.

The Sixteen Complex Fire is among a handful of fires actively burning in Northern California.