Weekend forecast stokes concern
Sheriff Kendall warns conditions ‘could turn on a dime’
The hot, dry and windy weather expected this weekend is stoking concerns regarding the August Complex Fire and its proximity to Covelo and other areas of Mendocino County.
“Are you anticipating any changes to the evacuation warnings or orders?” Lew Chichester of KYBU Community Radio asked Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall and Lt. Shannon Barney Thursday morning, describing Covelo residents as definitely concerned about the forecasted winds.
“I don’t want to say that I don’t anticipate it happening, because we just don’t know what the weather’s going to do yet,” said Kendall.
“But currently, all those people in areas under evacuation warnings, we need them to be very, very aware of their surroundings, to stay in touch with your neighbors and listen to the radio. Right now we’re looking good, but that could turn on a dime.
“And the Red Flag warnings are bad enough when you’ve got no fire on the ground, but a Red Flag Warning when you’ve got an active fire, that’s why we left a lot of areas in evacuation warning,” continued Kendall, adding that while firefighters were definitely taking advantage of the cooler weather on Thursday, there was concern about the weather to come, “because we’re looking at hotter, drier weather with wind.”
Barney said he had been watching the forecasts carefully and described the wind event “as more prone to be east of us, more pronounced in the Sacramento Valley area, but it will wrap around into the Mendocino National Forest, and down into the south end of the fire by Healdsburg, according to the prediction I saw from the National Weather Service.
“But we all know weather predictability can be trying at times, so what we want to do is be vigilant — we’re going to watch those areas,” Barney added.
According to Cal Fire, the West Zone of the August Complex was 103,780 acres and 45-percent contained as of Thursday morning, with “more than 2,000 firefighters on the approximately 195 miles of fire line.”
“Overnight ( Wednesday), firefighters conducted additional firing operations in the area of Mill Creek, above Lake Pillsbury, in an effort to eliminate isolated pockets of unburned fuels, while in areas further north, ground resources worked diligently to improve and widen containment lines,” Cal Fire reported in a press release Sept. 24. “Firefighters across all 195 miles of fire line are actively performing direct fire attack and mop up where fire conditions safely allow, and smoke is highly visible due to the fire making isolated uphill runs when aligned with topography, firing operations and multiple active pockets of fire.”
For the latest on evacuation orders and warnings, visit: https://tinyurl.com/Mendoevac.