LAKE COUNTY ? Two hand crews were still mopping up Thursday morning after a 35.6-acre wildland fire in the Mendocino National Forest near Bartlett Springs Road north of Highway 20, according to U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown with the Mendocino National Forest.
This most recent large fire will not have a noticeable effect on the health of Lake County”s air basin relative to two other fires that blanketed the basin with smoke and haze last week, according to Deputy Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gerhart.
Firefighters contained the “Bartlett Springs 2” fire in about six hours Tuesday, according to a U.S. Forest Service press release.
The fire ignited on private land and spread to federal lands, according to the release. It is believed to be human-caused and is under investigation. Smoke was first reported at approximately 4:15 p.m. and the blaze was fully contained at 10:30 p.m.
A gazebo and shop building were burned, but the release states that firefighters saved a house and four other structures threatened by the blaze, the release states.
The Mendocino National Forest sent four engines, two water tenders, two hand crews a law enforcement officer and two chief officers, Brown said. Cal Fire responded with nine engines, two inmate crews, four dozers and two fire chiefs. Air tankers from Ukiah Cal Fire as well as helicopters dropped water and retardant, according to Brown.
Meanwhile, the Moonlight Fire in Plumas County is reportedly 77 percent contained, having consumed 65,000 acres. It and the Licks fire in Quincy were believed to be the two primary contributors to smoky conditions that crept in the evening of September 6. The Licks fire is 100 percent contained, according to Cal Fire, and burned a total of 47,760 acres.
Gerhart said samples taken during the recent hazy conditions showed that Lake County”s air stayed within ambient air quality standards, and numbers continue to improve.
A low-pressure front coming through with partial cloud cover is cleaning out the basin, according to Gerhart.
“Although the air quality is currently good, until the fire is actually out we may continue to see smoke in the basin from the Moonlight Fire,” said Gerhart.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
