Hike Mt. Shasta

Looking south from the Old Ski Bowl on Mount Shasta into a wall of smoke.

Yesterday things were relatively clear here in Mount Shasta, as evidenced by a beautiful evening at the Old Ski Bowl. The winds have evidently shifted because the smoke is thick up here this morning. I have been checking on the fire’s progress this morning and it seems that the advance of the fire continues to slow. I want to issue a caveat on two points though. First, I may simply be reading the data incorrectly. Second, there is a red flag warning issued for this afternoon down in Redding because it is supposed to be hot and windy. This means the even if the fire has slowed, it can still be whipped up into a firestorm again. Let’s pray that does not happen.

Live map 1

Live map 2

Checking on the fire conditions last night, it showed the fire slowing its advance considerably. The lines holding it back in Redding continued to hold, but the focus of threat had now shifted north and, even more urgently, south to the town of Igo. This small community was held in a salient, with fire lines being set on three sides. This morning, it appears that this is still the case, with no significant fire movement in the last several hours around Igo. Compare maps from 10:00 PM Saturday and 6:00 AM Sunday:

Update: The heat has already intensified significantly between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM. Note the difference:

Note that now, the fire’s most intense points are to the west and north, though it does not look as intense as it did last night. Nonetheless, evacuations have been ordered for parts of Lewiston and Douglas City in Trinity County. Compared to the land around Igo, which is rather flat and not densely vegetated, the terrain heading west is very rugged, with dense woods and chaparral. Fire lines are much harder to cut and hold.

These other maps confirm these conditions:

I haven’t been able to find out what the red dots mean, but the area and intensity of the fire is evident.

The newest areas on the map show small advance near Igo but more to the west and north.

I am praying the lines at Buckhorn Summit hold. If the fire jumps that, it is a straight shot down to the heart of Trinity County.

The blood moon event occurred Friday night but we still had one last night due to the smoke.

Update: I definitely could be reading this map wrong and is not my intent to spread rumors or incorrect information. That said, this map looks like the fire is easing its intensity. It certainly does not show much fire growth. I really hope this is the case!

Update: This map is a few hours old but it gives a good look at the full extent of the where the fire has burned.