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A snake wrangler pulled 92 adults and baby rattlesnakes from under a house in Sonoma County. He believes drought was largely responsible for so many snakes collecting in one place. During drought, snakes and other wildlife will search for food and water wherever it can be found. KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco (Calif.), Oct, 15, 2021

The Dillon Interagency Dispatch received a report of a possible fire start near Haystack Mountain to the east of I-15 between the communities of Butte and Basin on July 31, 2021. Helicopters provided bucket drops in the fire area. Agency administrators and fire leadership initially determined the area to be unsafe for ground crews due to large boulders, steep slopes, a large number of snags, difficult terrain, and no safe locations to insert or extract crews. On September 6, the fire spotted (threw embers)into a continuous pocket of timber to the east near Little Boulder Park. Crews at this time began taking actions to protect private in-holdings and structures in the area. Crews are now able to safely engage some of the fire from the ground and are being supported by aircraft.Burnout operations are ongoing on the northeast side of the fire to reduce the risk to private property and structures south of Boulder. Great Basin Type 2 Incident Management Team #4 assumed command of the...

October 14, 2021 Final Update: The Hay Creek Fire was declared Contained on September 14, 2021, and declared Controlled on October 12, 2021. As of October 13, 2021 all closures related to the fire have been

On July 30th and 31st, lightning caused 10 wildfires in Yosemite National Park. The Tiltill fire is being suppressed. This fire is located in Tiltill Valley, North of Hetch Hetchy.This fire may be visible from numerous vantage points throughout the park, including Tioga Road and other high-country viewpoints. It also may be visible from points West outside the Park. Smoke will also be present from other regional fires in California through out parts of Yosemite NP. Air Quality Conditions for Yosemite National Park can be found at: www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/aqmonitoring Yosemite National Park is a fire-adapted ecosystem. The strategy for all fires is to provide for the safety of employees and public, as well as protect natural and cultural resources. Currently there are no threats to infrastructure. But there are Trail closures in the fire area. See the Article tab on this

The Lukens Fire is one of multiple fires burning in Yosemite National Park. These fires began as a result of thunderstorm and lightning activity that moved through the park in late June 2021. This fire is being managed based on its location, potential impacts, and other key factors. Many of the fires are burning in high elevation wilderness areas, ranging from 7,000 to 9,700 feet. It is currently 867 acres and is 100% contained. This fire may be visible from numerous vantage points throughout the park, including high country viewpoints along Tioga Road. Travelers in the White Wolf area may see equipment and fire personnel working near the road from the White Wolf area to McSwain Summit. Visitors may encounter smoke along the road from White Wolf to McSwain summit. Anyone hiking in the fire area should remain on the designated trail and avoid walking though burned areas where hazards such as ash pits, weakened trees, and stump holes are likely present.Smoke will also be present from...

The Morgan Creek Fire was reported on July 9 on the Routt National Forest 15 miles north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The fire started south of the Hinman Campground and spread over the subsequent days south-southeast towards and into the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness. Lightning was determined to be the cause of the fire. Containment has steadily increased and number of firefighting resources has decreased due to reduced fire behavior.  A forest area closure remains in effect as well as well as Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on the Routt National Forest and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions in Routt County. To view Routt County evacuation information, visit the Routt County Current Evacuation Notices map.A Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Reroute has been establish. View the map here.Individuals planning for hunting season are encouraged to use the Colorado Hunting Atlas to find alternatives to access points impacted by the Morgan Creek Fire area closure.On August 9, command of the...

The Crater Ridge Fire ignited on July 17 in a remote area of the Medicine Wheel Ranger District of the Bighorn National Forest. Despite its isolated location, local response was quick with both aerial and ground resources. Over the remainder of July and through August, the fire continued to grow to over 6,000 acres in rough and often inaccessible terrain around Crater and Boyd Ridges.This area of the Bighorn National Forest has a high volume of dispersed camping and hunters preparing for the fall season. Numerous travel trailers were located near the fire area. To allow for the safe exit of the public and ease access for the firefighters, the Forest implemented a closure in effect for much of the National Forest lands north of Highway 14A and east of the Big Horn/Sheridan County line. There are two large burn scars in the Crater Ridge Fire area - the 1970 Pumpkin Creek Fire to the west and the 2003 Little Horn II Fire to the east. As the fire started to burn northward, it laid down...

 Firefighters declared the 86-acre Ptarmigan Fire 100 percent contained on Oct. 14 following additional moisture across the area. With the fire 100 percent contained, the Dillon Ranger District is lifting the closure of the burned area and trails leading into the burned area. Forest officials caution the public that there is an additional risk of falling trees and rocks in and around a burned area following a wildfire. “We appreciate the close coordination among the many agencies and organizations involved in the Ptarmigan Fire response, particularly the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and Summit Fire and EMS,” said Deputy Dillon District Ranger Chris Stewart. “We also appreciate the support and patience of the community.”   Firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor the burned area over the next several weeks. A Ptarmigan Fire community debrief featuring the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit Fire and EMS, and the U.S. Forest Service will be held Oct. 21...

The primary objective of this burn is hazard fuel reduction.  Fuel loadings are light to moderate and ladder fuels are minimal due to thinning operations that have taken place or will take place prior to burning.  Objectives will be easily achieved using a standard strip head ignition pattern, and a locally typical burn organization with two levels of supervision consisting of a Type 2 Burn Boss supervising a Firing Boss and a Holding Boss.   Potential safety hazards are typical and easily mitigated and addressed in briefings.  Light to moderate overnight smoke impacts to local residences are expected, with short periods of moderate to heavy impacts during ignition.  These impacts will be mitigated by burning on days with good or better ventilation when possible, by monitoring smoke impacts and varying the amount and pattern of ignition as necessary.   Private residences are adjacent to the burn units, but are located in areas of mixed fuels comprised of ponderosa pine with...

The Muddy Slide Fire remains 4,093 acres and 80% contained. The fire is currently managed as a Type 4 incident with firefighters in the area monitoring for activity. The fire continues to smolder within its existing footprint with limited potential for spread. Information is being updates on an as-needed

 Starting on 10/18/21: Fire crews are looking at burning more units of the Redondo RX project. 1,907 acres on the Copperton unit located three miles west of Post Office Flats on Forest Service Road (FSR) 480 in the Zuni Mountains, and 663 acres on the Sawyer unit four miles west of Post Office Flats. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Ramah, Gallup, Thoreau, Bluewater, Grants and

Drought to the west of Lake Superior has allowed the lake’s level to drop in August below the seasonal average for the first time in more than 7 years. Tributaries in northern Minnesota that typically flow into Lake Superior were barely flowing and, in some cases, not flowing into the massive lake anymore, due to drought. The St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, was flowing in August at just 10% normal. Lake Superior generally rises from April through August and then slowly drops from September to March. Duluth News Tribune (Minn.), Sept 7, 2021

With August inflows much below average, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to reduce releases from Fort Peck Dam from 9,500 cubic feet per second to 5,000 cfs in September. Inflows are expected to remain below average for the remainder of 2021. Billings Gazette (Mont.), Sept 3, 2021

The city of Ventura stopped pumping water from its wells near Foster Park as flows slowed in the Ventura River, marking the first time pumping completely ceased under an interim settlement with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. River flows improved once the pumping ended. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), Sept 8, 2021

The Santa Clara Valley Water District declared a drought emergency in June and requested that customers reduce their water use by 15%, but the plea seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Residents curbed their water use by 6% in July. Santa Clara’s 10 reservoirs were just 12% full on Sept. 7. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), Sept 8, 2021

The Character Complex was originally comprised of two fires: The Deceitful and Prichard fires. The Complex is located on the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The fires were originally detected on July 7th, 2021 due to a thunderstorm that ignited multiple fires throughout the Idaho Panhandle. The Prichard Fire was turned back over to the CDA River Ranger District on 08/14/21 and is no longer reflected in the latest information. The most current incident information below reflects only the statistics for the Deceitful Fire as it is the only uncontained fire within the Character Complex. Know Before You Go: The Character Complex and incidents to the west and across the region are anticipated to persist into the coming weeks, resulting in area closures, visible smoke, decreased air quality, and impacts to travel and recreational activities. Local community members and visitors to the towns and recreation areas within and around the Idaho...

Lightning originally came through July 7 and started 7 fires.  Two fires merged, leaving 6 fires.  The fires were named Trestle 1 through 6.  July 8, Trestle 1 and Trestle 4 burned together leaving 5 fires: Trestle 1, Trestle 2, Trestle 3, Trestle 5 and Trestle 6.The Trestle Creek Complex saw significant growth July 30 – August 1 as a weather system moved into the region.  Winds from the northeast reached 25 mph causing wind-driven fire growth to the  southwest and starting spot fires up to ¾ of a mile ahead of the fire.Residents are no longer under evacuation