Green Fire burns 3,272 acres, prompts evacuation warning north of Lake Shasta
Firefighters are working to stop the Green Fire spread and build containment around two other forest fires — the Horse and Helena fires — as temperatures warm to 107 by Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. That heat will make already dry vegetation and air even drier, and could enable fires to spread quickly, firefighters said.
The forest service advised people avoid fire areas and watch for emergency vehicles traveling in the area and parked on the side of roads. They should also avoid breathing wildfire smoke, public health cautioned.
The Green Fire grew to 3,272 acres as of Wednesday morning, up from 2,549 acres Thursday night, the forest service reported. At zero containment, it's burning east of Interstate 5 and west of Montgomery Creek and Round Mountain in Shasta County.
The fire is growing mostly on its north border east of the Chirpchatter Campground, said Operations Section Chief Gino DeGraffenreid on Wednesday. Crews are working to keep the fire north of the Pit River, east of Didallas Creek and west of the 27 Road between Fender's Ferry Bridge and Goose Gap, the forest service reported.
The Green Fire prompted an evacuation warning from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and campgrounds and trail closures near the fire, northeast of Lake Shasta. People in Zone LKH-1448 — between Montgomery Creek and O'Brian/Interstate 5 — should prepare to evacuate if the county instructs them to do so, the sheriff's office said. That zone is north of Bully Hill; south of Satin Peak and Bagley Mountain; east of Nosoni, Salt Creek and Minnesota Mountains; and west of Kettle Mountain.
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The fire started on July 1 north of the Pit River arm of Lake Shasta, and south of the Chirpchatter Campground, according to the forest service. That area is about 8 miles west of Round Mountain, according to Cal Fire maps.
The 389.5-acre Horse Fire, burning west of Lakehead and Interstate 5 in Shasta County, is 90% contained as of Wednesday, according to the forest service.
Crews are working to "keep the fire south of Stacey Creek, west of the Shasta Lake District boundary, north of Wild Cow Mountain Ridge and trail, and east of Clear Creek," the forest service reported this week. They're also monitoring hot spots on the northeast side of the fire, the report said.
The Horse Fire started on Wednesday, July 2, near Schell Mountain in an area south of the Clear Creek Campground. The area is about 7 miles west of Sugarloaf, according to Cal Fire maps.
Firefighters made progress on the 119.4-acre Helena Fire. The blaze was 80% contained, the forest service reported.
Started on July 2, the Helena Fire is burning west of East Fork Road, north of Helena in Trinity County.
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 in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta's Green Fire grows as Helena, Horse fire containment improves
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