Thunder and lightning swept across the coast on Tuesday, lighting off 23 confirmed wildfires in the Six Rivers National Forest. 150 lightning strikes were recorded prior to the burning fires,  With 11 active fires in Del Norte County as of time of writing, we are clearly not exempt from the destructive power of the recent lightning storms.

The largest incident is the Holiday fire which is spanning 528 acres burning approximately two miles south of the Oregon border near Rockland. The remaining 10 active fires are under 10 acres each at this time. The Kelly Fire is approximately 1 mile south of Patricks Creek on the south side of Highway 199 and is 90 acres wide. Caution is advised while driving through the area as the fire is visible from the road. Highway 199 from mile marker 16 to Idlewild has been closed due to the fires, with an evacuation notice for all residing in the Little Jones Creek area effective immediately. A red flag warning is in effect for the Gasquet, Willow Creek, Orleans, and Mad River areas. A red flag warning is a weather designation that could cause higher fire activity in the area, with weather phenomenon including low humidity, higher temperatures, and wind gusting across the forest.

Efforts to stop the fires are currently ongoing with methods to stop the fires including a full suppression strategy utilizing rapid and aggressive starting attack operations. You may hear helicopters overhead today more frequently than usual, as air attack is being used to perform reconnaissance on the fires and the forest area. Some of which have been dispatched all the way from Fresno. Keep an eye on the sky and an ear to the ground about any evacuations from the Department of Emergency Services and the Sheriff’s Office.