MENDOCINO COUNTY (MNG) — Air quality reached hazardous levels in Round Valley and Inland Mendocino County as the wind shifted and brought smoke south from the North Pass Fire northeast of Covelo, which was reportedly down to 32,675 acres and was 35 percent contained Wednesday morning, according to fire, air quality and public health officials.
The fire destroyed four homes and grown to 35,570 acres by Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, an update from CAL FIRE stated the number of homes threatened was down to 64, along with five commercial properties and 65 outbuildings.
“The expectation is that the fires will burn for the next couple of weeks,” Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman told the Board of Supervisors in a Tuesday update, adding that his deputies are patrolling the evacuated areas for looting and other crimes while authorities work to reunite evacuees. “In my career, this is one of the worst firestorms I”ve ever participated in,” he said.
Authorities still expected the fire to spread northeast toward Tantrum Glade, and north toward Wrights Valley, Hole in the Ground and Hopkins Peak, according to the Wednesday update.
The evacuation area includes Indian Dick Road (U.S. Forest Service Road M1) and Blands Cove Road, east of Covelo, and was twice expanded last week to include USFS trailheads at Blands Cove, Hell Hole, Stick Lake, Foster Glade, Asa Bean, Rock Cabin, Georges Valley, Soldier Ridge, Smokehouse Ridge, Green Springs and the north and south sides of Mendocino Pass Road (USFS FH7) from the Eel River work center east to the Tehama/Glenn county line, including the Bauer Ranch subdivision, all private residences and USFS campgrounds.
CAL FIRE expected the evacuation order would be reviewed Wednesday morning.
The fire was the largest of two that were ignited by lightning Aug. 18 in Williams Valley, about 10 miles northeast of Covelo.
Firefighters responding to the fires numbered 1,815 Wednesday morning. The response included 160 engines, 26 bulldozers, 34 crews, 12 helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft.
The wind had shifted and was bringing smoke to points south of Covelo Wednesday morning including Ukiah, according to the Mendocino County Public Health Division. Smoke was “likely to be heavy at times in the Covelo/Round Valley and inland areas due to the wildfires,” according to a Wednesday morning report from Public Health and the Mendocino County Air Quality Management District.
An air quality alert remained in effect for Covelo/Round Valley, and an advisory for Inland Mendocino County was upgraded to an alert Wednesday morning as “smoke concentrations in these areas have reached levels considered to be hazardous” by state and federal air quality standards, according to the update.
A “hazardous” rating is the highest on the federal Air Quality Index and results when air pollution is greater than 300 on that scale, and triggers health warnings of emergency conditions.
The Public Health and MCAQMD alert urged that everyone in the affected areas decrease outdoor activity and stay inside as much as possible, close all windows and doors, turn air conditioners to recirculation mode and use ceiling and portable fans and high efficiency particulate air filters.
Patients with emphysema, asthma and cardiovascular disease were urged to limit outdoor activity, and anyone using daily bronchodilator inhalers, oxygen or steroids was urged to stay inside unless absolutely necessary, according to Public Health.
