Cooler temps, higher humidity aid firefighters battling the Gibraltar Ridge fire

Fire officials on Monday reported that “cooler temperatures and higher humidity have allowed firefighters to make good progress and have several very successful operational shifts” on the Gibralter Ridge fire east of Eureka.

“The fire is contained near the intersection of Foothills Road and Sherman Creek, resulting in an overall containment of 6 percent,” states an incident report.

Officials estimated the size of the fire, sparked by lightning last Monday, to be 1,938 acres Monday morning. Almost 500 personnel have been assigned to the fire.

Firefighters caught a break Sunday when Saturday night’s expected winds never happened, yet though a small amount of rain had increased humidity “it wasn’t enough for long lasting effects,” an incident report states.

Throughout Friday and Saturday, firefighters patrolled for spot fires west of Foothills Road that were caused by winds from the east on Thursday night and thinned vegetation north and south of the fire to help curb its spread.

In addition, the Weather Service on Friday afternoon issued a red flag warning through Sunday evening. Such warnings are issued in anticipation of low humidity, warm temperatures and high winds, which in combination can create extreme fire conditions.

Firefighters on Monday planned to hold the fire along Foothills Road, where they would construct additional containment line, extend shaded fuel breaks and mop up near structures.

Come Monday night, crews “will continue working near structures using a hand-held infrared camera to seek out residual heat sources and suppress all hot spots,” according to Monday morning’s report.

Also for Monday, officials scheduled another public meeting for 6 p.m. at the Lincoln County High School in Eureka. They planned to discuss fire status and outlook as well as the existing evacuations for the areas of Sherman Creek, Griffith Creek, Therriault Pass Road and Stevens Creek.

Fire officials noted that Lincoln County remained under Stage II Fire Restrictions.

“With conditions this dry, any metal equipment that strikes a rock could produce a spark that leads to a wildfire,” Monday’s report states. “This includes lawn mowers, chainsaws and even fence pounders. Don’t operate equipment in dry grass or during the heat of the day and make sure to have fire extinguishers or water handy.”