A wildfire complex burning in northwest California for the better part of the past month has now destroyed almost 75,000 acres of land and has forced mass evacuations in nearby communities. With thousands of fire personnel and resources being utilized, the cost of fighting the blaze has crawled up to $44.7 million as of Thursday morning.

According to the most recent update from InciWeb, the Happy Camp Complex fire was first ignited on Aug. 12. Twenty-four days later, the fire shows no sign of slowing and total containment is only at 19 percent, officials report.

The wildfire complex is made of up two different zones, each being watched over by its own incident commander. Currently, due to the weather in the area, there are Red Flag Warnings in place for both Zones One and Two. Red Flag Warnings are issued by the U.S. Weather Service to inform area firefighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition and rapid propagation

Today's warning in Fire Zone One has been issued due to strong winds and unstable air being possibly conducive to "plume dominated fires." Zone Two's Red Flag Warning was put in place due to unstable air, hot and dry weather and low humidity that will "most likely" create extreme fire behavior conditions.

Because of these hazardous weather conditions the fire is expected to reach the communities of Hamburg and Scott Bar in the near future.

"Residents in these areas, which are currently under mandatory or advisory evacuation, are encouraged to leave," officials said. "Firefighters and emergency vehicles will need clear access to homes...Residents who attempt to leave as the fire approaches might compromise the emergency efforts and endanger civilians and firefighters."

Meanwhile, as of late Wednesday evening the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office has changed evacuation orders in other areas from mandatory to advisory. The following areas are where evacuations have been partially lifted: on Hwy. 96 from the Klamath River Bridge ½ mile east of Grider Road/Walker Creek Road to Seiad Creek Road. This includes Lada Road and both sides of Hwy. 96 to Code Mountain. Also included in this area is four miles of China Grade Road from Elf Creek Road in Happy Camp.

However, officials warn that residents in these areas should remain prepared to evacuate once again should fire conditions worsen.

An evacuation center has been set up at Happy Camp Karuk Tribal Community Center, located at 529 Jacobs Way in Happy Camp. For additional information or if there are any fire or evacuation-related questions, residents are urged to call the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office at (530) 841-2900.

Meanwhile, some of Thursday's reported planned actions related to tactical maneuvers for gaining more control over the complex are as follows:

  • In Zone One, if conditions allow, aerial ignitions may take place along ridge lines east of the fire and hand firing will continue along the south side of Hwy. 96 working east. On the west flank firefighters will continue to mop up and patrol for fire outside existing fire perimeters.
  • In Zone Two, all divisions will patrol and scout for opportunities to "go direct" as weather and fire behavior dictates. Plans are to continue line construction and preparations to hold the fire. In addition, structure defense "preparations and actions" are in place in some of the most affected areas including on South River Road.

According to the official tally there are currently 2,847 firefighting personnel assigned to battle this blaze. Among the committed firefighting resources are: 91 crews; 13 helicopters; 133 engines; 21 dozers; 44 water tenders; 29 mules; and eight horses.

Local and state officials have tallied the approximate cost to date in fighting this wildfire and that number currently stands at $44.7 million. As the fire is only minimally contained and continues to spread, it's expected that the total firefighting costs may increase substantially.