Green Fire grows 1,000 acres on Lake Shasta's Pit River arm in Shasta-Trinity forest
Fueled by extreme heat and dry conditions, the fire grew to 11,643 acres by 8 a.m. Monday — up from 10,334 on Sunday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
It remained 5% contained Monday morning after it spread up against the Pit River over the weekend.
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Smoke from the Green Fire boosted air pollution levels over Redding and other parts of Shasta County.
Pollution reached levels considered very unhealthy to any person's health around midnight Monday, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow pollution count web page, then dropped to moderate levels.
The good news was that heavy smoke is cooling the air into the high 90s over the fire during the day, firefighters reported.
A heat advisory remains in effect Monday in Redding and throughout the North State. Temperatures in parts of the Sacramento Valley could reach 110 degrees after a scorching weekend already dried out air and vegetation in the North State.
Here's how far the Green Fire burned over the weekend, Operations Section Chief Gino DeGraffenreid said in an update.
The eastern edge of the fire spread to the top of the ridge next to Rip Gut Creek. It's also burning in the creek area in the northern part of the ridge.
The Green Fire continues spreading south toward the Pit River. The river is the primary means of containing the fire's southern flank, DeGraffenreid said.
The northern flank reached the Smith Creek drainage, an area south of containment lines.
Pushed by morning winds, the Green Fire is spreading west toward Brock Mountain Road. The northwest section of the road is serving as the primary containment on that side of the fire, DeGraffenreid said.
Boaters are being told to avoid parts of Shasta Lake where two super scoopers are gathering water to mount air attacks over the fire.
The forest service is using the specialized aircraft to scoop water from the lake and drop it on the blaze. Those planes need a mile of open water to refill their tanks. Recreational boaters must steer clear so they don't block firefighting operations and keep air crews safe.
Besides super scoopers, the forest service and other fire suppression agencies are using nine helicopters, 26 bulldozers and 96 engines, the forest service said Monday.
A total of 1,402 people are battling the Green Fire, including 27 firefighter crews. Of those 27, 18 are hotshot crews — teams of experienced firefighters with specialized knowledge regarding fire suppression in rugged wilderness.
The forest service also has five field ambulances positioned throughout the area, and four suppressionboats along the Pit River.
Emergency watercraft helped rescue a firefighter with a heat-related illness over the weekend and secured defense lines along a portion of the river, the forest service reported.
That heat advisory for Redding and most of Northern California ends at 11 p.m. on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
While the weather will remain dry, temperatures in Redding and throughout the North State are expected to cool down into the double digits starting Tuesday night, according to forecasters.
That could slow the Green Fire down and allow firefighters to build containment, the weather service said.
Yes, an evacuation order remained in place Monday for a swath of land identified as zone LKH-1448-A, north of Kennedy Memorial Road and south of Wheeler Nursery Road, according to Genasys.com zone maps.
People evacuating west can go to a collection point at the Gilman Road and Interstate 5 intersection, the county announced.
People evacuating east toward Highway 299 can gather at Halcumb Cemetery, 29943 Highway 299 in Montgomery Creek, according to the county.
Zone LKH-1448-B to the north of the Green Fire area is still under an evacuation warning, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office issued. That area is north of Wheeler Nursery Road.
Two other zones remained under evacuation warnings on Monday:
Zone LKH-1200 to the west of the Green Fire area — from north of Ski Island, south of Dekkas Creek, east of the McCloud River and west of Bully Hill.
Zone LKH-1190 to the northwest — from north of Hirz Creek, south of the McCloud Bridge and east of Matquaw Flat.
To find your zone, type your address into the search window at protect.genasys.com/search. If you're away from home and not sure of your address, users can find their location on the site's map.
The forest service closed trails and campgrounds near the fire, including the Hirz Recreation Complex, Chirpchatter Campground and picnic area, Potem Falls Trail and Madrone Campground and picnic area.
The burn area is closed and off limits to the public, the forest service said.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal , Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding's Future. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Green Fire spreads to 11,600 acres. Smoke pollution soars over Redding
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