The most current information from Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, CalTrans, and nwcg.gov.
Current Situation:
Total Personnel 1,869
Size 36,970 Acres
Estimated Containment Date Saturday September 22nd, 2018 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved
Timber (Litter and Understory)
Brush (2 feet)
Mixed conifer of varying ages and decadent brush with no recent fire history, and a heavy dead and down surface fuels component.
Significant Events
Active
Crowning
Running
Spotting
The fire is burning in grasses, brush, understory and mixed conifer. Inversion breaking along with increased winds contributed to active fire behavior with crown fire, runs with spotting of up to .75 miles and continued to burn actively during the burn period especially where fuels, wind, and topography align. Fire is burning to the north and northwest, west of the I-5 corridor and to the northeast east of I-5.
Outlook
Projected Incident Activity
12 hour: Fire will become active once the inversion lifts. Fire behavior will begin to moderate as temperatures gradually decrease with relative humidities increasing correspondingly. Fire will continue to grow to the north, northwest.
24 hour: Fire behavior will be moderate until the inversion breaks, then become active. Expect to see torching, short range spotting and short crown runs.
Current Weather
Weather Concerns
Observed: Smoke was rather persistent over the Delta Fire and spread over to the Hirz Fire as well. High temperatures reached 78-83 along the ridges and 95-100 in the lower drainages. Relative humidities were in the 17-22 percent range along the ridges and 10-15 in the lower drainages. Ridgetop winds began the day from the north-northeast, then shifted to the south southwest by early afternoon and became gusty with upslope/up valley winds noted elsewhere.
Forecasted: A dry cold front is expected to move across the area around midnight. This will shift the winds to the west and northwest with gusts along the ridges reaching the 20-25 mph range. Downslope and down valley winds will also be gusty at time. Skies will be partly cloudy with lows in the 50s. Relative humidities will rise into the 40s along the ridges and in the 60 percent range in the lower drainages. Skies will become mostly sunny on Saturday. Highs will be cooler with readings of 75-80 along the ridges and 91-96 lower drainages. North winds in the morning along the ridges will become southwest in the afternoon.
The Delta Fire remained active yesterday and throughout the night. The fire progressed primarily to the northwest, but it is also extremely active along the eastern edge between Interstate 5 and the Hirz Fire. There are several areas along the southern perimeter where the fire crossed over primary control lines and crews are aggressively attacking these slop-overs to prevent the fire from making southerly progress.
Life safety and protecting structures remain the foremost priority for the incident, and firefighters are working diligently 24 hours a day to protect the communities and residences threated by the Delta Fire. Dozer operators and hand crews are constructing fuel breaks. To protect Highland Springs, north of Boulder Creek, crews are constructing dozer lines and conducting a series of defensive backfiring operations around the community. Further north, dozer line along Middle Ridge is serving as a point for additional defensive firing operations in an effort to protect communities along the I-5 corridor, such as Castella and Dunsmuir. East of Interstate 5 at Sims Flat, crews are using an existing Hirz Fire contingency line along Sweetbriar Ridge as an indirect control line for the Delta Fire to limit its northeastern spread.
On the fire’s southeast side, near Riverview, firefighters are planning to use Middle Salt Creek as their southernmost control line. On the western side, crews continue to use a contingency line from the Carr Fire along Mosquito Creek Ridge as the primary control line.
Heavy smoke is over the fire and surrounding areas due to an inversion. With the hot and dry weather and gusty winds, the inversion is projected to lift around midday, which will increase fire activity and spread. Aircraft have been used heavily in the last two days to assist with slowing the fire’s progression and protecting communities and infrastructure. As visibility improves, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft will continue to assist with suppression efforts through water and retardant drops. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect over the fire area (http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_8_4816.html).
Road Closures:
For northbound traffic, Interstate 5 is closed at the Fawndale exit, approximately 10 miles north of Redding. Lakehead residents with ID are allowed beyond this closure; everyone else will be detoured. Further north, all traffic is stopped at Lakehead.
For southbound traffic, Interstate 5 is closed at Mott Road, 3.6 miles south of Mt. Shasta. Dunsmuir residents are allowed beyond this closure; everyone else will be detoured. Further south, all traffic is stopped at Gibson Road.
CalTrans
Current conditions for Interstate 5
[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED FROM 10 MI NORTH OF REDDING /AT FAWNDALE RD/ (SHASTA CO) TO 3.6 MI SOUTH OF MOUNT SHASTA /AT MOTT RD/ (SISKIYOU CO) – DUE TO A WILDFIRE – MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
Shasta County Evacuations:
Numerous structures are threatened, and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office has issued mandatory evacuations for residents along the Interstate 5 corridor from exit 707 at Vollmers north to exit 714 at Gibson. Follow the Shasta County Sheriff’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Shasta-County-Sheriffs-Office-1527637610823075/
Siskiyou County Evacuations:
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation warning, not a mandatory evacuation, for all residents of Dunsmuir. Follow the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff.
Trinity County Evacuations:
The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for residents of East Fork Toad to Ramshorn Road east to the Shasta Trinity County line. There will be a hard road closure at East Side Road and East Fork Road for non-residents. There is an evacuation advisory only from the East Fork/East Side Road junction west to Highway 3 northward to Ramshorn Road. Follow the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Fecebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Trinity-County-Sheriffs-Office-1635934306689276/
Evacuation Shelters:
An evacuation shelter is open at the Mount Shasta Community Center, 629 Alder Street, Mount Shasta.
A second evacuation shelter is open at Mercy Oaks, 100 Mercy Oaks Dr, Redding.
EVACUATION CENTER UPDATE:
The Shelter at Central Valley High School has Closed and a new Evacuation Shelter has opened at Mercy Oaks in Redding.
CURRENT EVACUATION Shelters:
Mercy Oaks (Red Cross)
100 Mercy Oaks
Redding, California
National Guard Armory (Red Cross)
618 Everitt Memorial Hwy, Mount Shasta
Small Animal Shelter:
The Siskiyou Humane Society is housing dogs and cats for evacuees using the evacuation shelter. The humane society is at 1208 North Mount Shasta Blvd (530-926-4052). Evacuees can bring their pets and visit/feed/feed them during the shelter hours of operation (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Evacuees are responsible for taking care of their own animals every day.
