Thunderstorms swept across Northern California Sunday, bringing cloudbursts throughout the area and very large hail in Shasta Lake. They also brought another round of lightning fires which won’t be known for days as they smolder deep in the woods. One of lightning bolts started a fire at Whiskeytown off of Paige Bar Road. Crews quickly suppressed it at around an acre. Another strike hit a house in the Bella Vista area on Deschutes Road. The electricity apparently followed wiring to the television and ignited it, leaving the home seriously damaged.
Forest Service crews have made great progress on the Modoc Lightning Complex , which remains at more than 83,000 acres. Overall containment is now 77%. The Steele Fire north and east of Clear Lake Reservoir near the Oregon Border is 46,000 acres. The Cove Fire northwest of Adin is 31,000 acres.
Many of the fire resources in Modoc County have been diverted to the raging Parker 2 fire, burning in the Warner Mountains. It started on Thursday and has grown to 8000 acres with just 15% containment.
A series of fires about 7 miles southwest of Happy Camp have combined to become the Clear Fire, which has burned about 5200 acres of steep heavily forested terrain, with 40% containment.
The eight fires of the Orleans Complex in the Six Rivers National Forest, 20 miles north of Orleans, now total about 4000 acres with containment of just 7%. All but one are in backcountry areas and burning slowly, but the 3200 acre Ukonom Fire continues to spread through very steep terrain.