McCash Fire
{{Short description|2021 wildfire in Northern California}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox wildfire
|title=McCash Fire
|image=McCash Fire and Klamath River August 25 2021.jpg
|caption=A smoke column from the McCash Fire rises above the Klamath River on August 25, 2021
|alt=The outline of the fire footprint is shown in orange against the Klamath National Forest in green, west of the communities of Fort Jones, Greenview, and Etna.
|location={{Unbulleted list|Siskiyou County,|Northern California,|United States}}
|cost=$53.3 million
|area={{convert|94962|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}
|coordinates={{coord|41.564|-123.404|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
|cause=Lightning
|pushpin_map=USA California
|pushpin_map_alt=A map of California shows a flame icon representing the fire's location in nearly the uppermost northwest corner of the state.
|pushpin_map_caption=The McCash Fire burned in far northwestern California.
|date={{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|31|7}} – |{{End date|2021|10|27}}|({{duration in days|2021|7|31|2021|10|27}} days)}}
|buildings=0|fatalities=1|image_map=2021 McCash Fire map 1.png|image_map_caption=This map shows the footprint of the McCash Fire in the Klamath National Forest|image_map_alt=Refer to caption.}}
The 2021 McCash Fire was a large wildfire in Siskiyou County in Northern California. Part of the 2021 California wildfire season, the fire was ignited by lightning on July 31 and burned {{convert|94962|acres|ha|abbr=in}} before its containment on October 27. The fire burned within the Klamath National Forest and the Six Rivers National Forest.{{Cite web |title=McCash Fire |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/8/18/mccash-fire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801205616/https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/8/18/mccash-fire |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=October 20, 2023 |website=www.fire.ca.gov |publisher=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)}}
Progression
The McCash Fire was one of multiple large wildfires, including the Monument and McFarland fires, ignited by thunderstorms in Northern California in late July. It was first detected on July 31 at about 7:00{{Nbsp}}p.m., burning in the McCash Fork drainage of Ukonom Creek (from which the incident got its name). The area was a rugged and inaccessible part of the Six Rivers National Forest.{{Cite report |url=https://fire.ak.blm.gov/content/aicc/team_left/03.%20Alaska%20IMT%20Incident%20Archive/Alaska%20IMT%20Incident%20Summaries/2021%20Summaries/2021%2009-19%20to%2010-03%20McCash.pdf |title=2021 McCash Fire: Incident Summary, September 20 – October 2 |date=October 2, 2021 |publisher=Alaska Incident Management Team |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802000825/https://fire.ak.blm.gov/content/aicc/team_left/03.%20Alaska%20IMT%20Incident%20Archive/Alaska%20IMT%20Incident%20Summaries/2021%20Summaries/2021%2009-19%20to%2010-03%20McCash.pdf |archive-date=August 2, 2023}}{{rp|pages=|page=1}} By the afternoon of August 2, the fire had burned {{convert|500|acres|ha|abbr=out}} of primarily timber understory, brush, and grass near Bear Mountain. At this point, 172 personnel were engaged on the fire, including three hotshot crews, a group of smokejumpers, and two helicopters.{{Cite web |date=August 2, 2021 |title=McCash Fire Update – August 2, 2021 |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD937158 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802022215/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD937158 |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Six Rivers National Forest |publisher=Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture}} The fire initially burned east, reaching the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area {{Convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} distant by August 5. At that point, mapping assessed the fire as having burned {{convert|1161|acres|ha|abbr=out}}.{{rp|pages=|page=1}}
A month after the fire's detection, it had burned {{convert|38906|acres|ha|abbr=out}}. In the first nine days of September the fire's growth accelerated, reaching {{convert|69725|acres|ha|abbr=out}}.{{Cite news |last=Staff |date=September 9, 2021 |title=McCash Fire grows by more than 10,000 acres in 48 hours |work=KOBI-TV |url=https://kobi5.com/news/mccash-fire-grows-by-more-than-10000-acres-in-48-hours-166423/ |access-date=October 2, 2023}} At the height of the fire, firefighters employed nine aircraft: eight helicopters and a supervisory fixed-wing air attack plane.{{rp|pages=|page=11}}
Between 1.2 and {{Convert|1.4|in|cm}} of rain fell over the fire on September 18 and 19, temporarily miring firefighting operations with muddy roads and cloud cover as the fire remained 22 percent contained.{{Cite news |last=Parfitt |first=Jamie |date=September 20, 2021 |title=FireWatch: Crews in Siskiyou County work to capitalize on weekend rains |work=KDRV |url=https://www.kdrv.com/news/firewatch/firewatch-crews-in-siskiyou-county-work-to-capitalize-on-weekend-rains/article_2cf8fc72-aace-5c39-ad8e-54a7119f96d7.html |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127054616/https://www.kdrv.com/news/firewatch/firewatch-crews-in-siskiyou-county-work-to-capitalize-on-weekend-rains/article_2cf8fc72-aace-5c39-ad8e-54a7119f96d7.html |archive-date=January 27, 2022}}{{rp|pages=|page=2}} Though immediately followed by warm and dry conditions, the subdued fire activity following the wet weather meant that firefighters were able to engage the fire directly (see direct attack) on its northern, western, and southern flanks. The eastern side of the fire in the Marble Mountain Wilderness was held in check by old fire scars as officials opted for a confinement strategy instead of direct attack there.{{rp|pages=|page=2}}
Containment of the fire reached 48 percent by September 27 as another weather system moved through the area and dropped {{Convert|0.6–0.8|in|cm}} of rain. The incident management team characterized fire suppression operations as "largely complete" by September 29.{{rp|pages=|page=2}} All evacuation warnings and orders still in place were lifted on October 13, 2021, following minimal activity on the fire's part.{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Adam |date=October 13, 2021 |title=All remaining McCash Fire evacuations lifted on Wednesday |work=KRCR-TV |url=https://krcrtv.com/weather/wildfires-and-water/all-remaining-mccash-fire-evacuations-lifted |access-date=September 2, 2023}}
The McCash Fire was declared 100 percent contained by 6:00{{Nbsp}}p.m. on October 27, 2021.{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2021 |title=McCash Fire Final Update – October 28, 2021 |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD966101 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124011601/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD966101 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Six Rivers National Forest |publisher=Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture}} The cost of containing the fire was calculated at $53.3 million.{{Cite report |url=https://famprod.nwcg.gov/batchout/IMSRS_from_1990_to_2022/2021/20211029IMSR.pdf |title=Incident Management Situation Report |date=October 29, 2021 |publisher=National Interagency Coordination Center |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801204810/https://famprod.nwcg.gov/batchout/IMSRS_from_1990_to_2022/2021/20211029IMSR.pdf |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |format=PDF |url-status=live}} The fire burned {{convert|94962|acres|ha|abbr=out}} in total; a post-fire environmental evaluation estimated that {{convert|53636|acres|ha|abbr=out}} had burned within the Klamath National Forest, {{convert|41051|acres|ha|abbr=out}} had burned within the Six Rivers National Forest, and the remaining ~{{convert|200|acres|ha|abbr=out}} had burned on private or other types of land.{{Cite web |date=October 22, 2021 |title=McCash Post-Fire BAER Soil Burn Severity Map Released |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD964763 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118102146/https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD964763 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=Six Rivers National Forest |publisher=Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture}}
Effects
The sole casualty of the McCash Fire was 41-year-old wildland firefighter and paramedic Marshall Grant Brookfield. Brookfield contracted COVID-19 and a fungal infection associated with wildfires and smoke inhalation while deployed to Orleans on the fire in September, passing after several weeks in the ICU.{{Cite news |last=Gabbert |first=Bill |date=October 21, 2021 |title=Firefighter/paramedic dies of COVID and fungal infection |work=Wildfire Today |url=https://wildfiretoday.com/2021/10/21/firefighter-paramedic-dies-of-covid-and-fungal-infection/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027113104/https://wildfiretoday.com/2021/10/21/firefighter-paramedic-dies-of-covid-and-fungal-infection/ |archive-date=October 27, 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Firefighter Fatality Notice for Marshall Grant Brookfield |url=https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/fatalityData/detail?fatalityId=5134 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208163342/https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighter-fatalities/fatalityData/detail?fatalityId=5134 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=U.S. Fire Administration}}
The burned area emergency response (BAER) team assigned to the McCash Fire analyzed soil burn severity across the fire footprint using remote sensing and soil data from the field. Separate from vegetation burn severity, soil burn severity is a qualitative metric based on the amount of remaining surface material, soil stability, and soil hydrophobicity. Soil burn severity influences post-fire runoff and debris flow issues. The BAER team found that the McCash Fire's overall footprint burned at 69 percent very low/low, 26 percent moderate, and five percent high soil burn severity.