SRF Lightning Complex fires
{{Short description|Wildfire complex in 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox wildfire|image=Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire (MODIS 2022-08-16).jpg|caption=Smoke from the complex, as seen on August 16, 2022|date={{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2022|08|5}} – |{{End date|2022|11|2}}}}|area={{convert|41596|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}|fatalities=0|injuries=5|percent_contained=100%|cause=Lightning|year=2022|season_year=2022 California wildfires|is_season=2022 California wildfires|season=2022 California wildfires|structures=37 + 3 damaged|title=Six Rivers Lightning Complex|total_fires=3+}}The Six Rivers (SRF) Lightning Complex fires were a series of related wildfires that burned in the Six Rivers National Forest in California from August to November 2022 as part of the 2022 California wildfire season. The fire complex consisted of 12 fires located in Humboldt and Trinity counties.{{Cite web |title=Six Rivers (SRF) Lightning Complex {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}}
The complex fire burned a total of {{convert|41,596|acres|ha}} from August 5 to November 3, 2022. The Six Rivers Lightning Complex was the only complex fire of the 2022 season, and was the third-largest fire of the season, after the Mosquito Fire and McKinney Fire.{{Cite web |title=2022 Fire Season Incident Archive {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}}
Progression
File:2022 08 09-09.22.18.255-CDT.jpg
The fire complex began on August 5, when 12 fires (6 named: Bremer Fire, Bravo Fire, Campbell Fire, Cedar Fire, Oak Fire and the Waterman Fire) merged.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/05/2022 at 10:14 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/9db95430-fb4f-4779-813f-82b10e58bd4e |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}}{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Ashley |date=2023-08-21 |title=Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fires: What you need to know Monday |url=https://krcrtv.com/news/local/six-rivers-lightning-complex-fires-what-you-need-to-know-monday |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=KRCR |language=en}} It started in the Willow Creek area, and gained an unknown acreage on the first day of its activity.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/06/2022 at 7:05 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/c9500c81-0f7d-4278-a2bf-0696b6bce935 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} By August 8, the fire had already gained 6,775 acres in size,{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/08/2022 at 7:32 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/b858c032-f298-45cc-88b1-c71a2e839436 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} and moved into counties. By 8:08 p.m. the same day, 525 personnel were assigned to the fire, including six helicopters.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/08/2022 at 8:08 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/91dfad7c-7ef4-46ae-870f-e0ad9ad0e1ad |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-08 |title=Six Rivers Lightning Complex Archives |url=https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/six-rivers-lightning-complex/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Wildfire Today |language=en-US}} By August 10, the complex nearly doubled in size, reaching 11,618 acres. 740 more personnel were assigned to the complex, bringing the number of personnel actively dispatched to the burning area to 1,265.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/10/2022 at 7:27 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/1f55e608-5b94-4821-9850-73e4374c86e7 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}}{{Cite web |date=2024-08-02 |title=Single Publication {{!}} InciWeb |url=http://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/casrf-six-rivers-lightning-complex/six-rivers-lightning-complex-update-8102022 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=inciweb.wildfire.gov |language=en}}
By the morning of August 11, the complex had again grown to 12,375 acres, and containment on all 12 fires was still at 0%.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/11/2022 at 7:29 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/ec439420-92f3-4293-94aa-d41fb7822a28 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} One firefighter was injured either during the night of August 11, or in the early morning hours of August 12.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/13/2022 at 7:16 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/3b87059a-ac7b-4e8d-ab17-8eeaa12fda09 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} Containment on the fires began to rise on August 12, reaching 12% in the morning. On August 13, the acreage of the fires reached 15,232,{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/13/2022 at 7:16 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/3b87059a-ac7b-4e8d-ab17-8eeaa12fda09 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} and an evacuation warning was issued for Willow Creek, Friday Ridge, Salyer and Trinity Village. Containment on August 13 stayed at 12%.
By 6:52 a.m. on August 14, the fire had destroyed two structures,{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/14/2022 at 6:52 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/d42615c1-7a91-488b-a44f-8612c8c4a337 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} damaged one other and reached 16,924 acres in size. Containment on the fires reached 15%, and personnel responding to the fires went up to 1,810. On August 17 another firefighter was injured.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/16/2022 at 7:25 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/b6010b30-ec81-4ea5-9735-962032dc786c |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} The Campbell, Bremmer and Waterman Fires merged into one large branch, and the Ammon Fire within the complex reached 6,931 acres in size. By August 18, the fires had grown to 28,000 acres collectively, and containment on the complex reached 33%.
On August 19, a total of 1,979 were responding to the fires, which had grown to 25,388 acres in area overnight.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/19/2022 at 7:23 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/761fabb0-db9b-4308-91ff-08d2d2d105cc |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} Containment on the fires reached 67% for the first time. On August 20, three more firefighters were injured and containment on the now 25,832-acre complex reached 88%.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/20/2022 at 9:48 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/872ddcb6-e089-41b6-a680-0231e7aea1bf |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} By August 22, the fire grew to 27,019 acres in area,{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 08/22/2022 at 9:35 AM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/fa387d33-34f1-4bbb-8850-095ccd3c60b4 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} and containment on the complex went down to 80%.
By September 8, eight structures had been destroyed and three were damaged.{{Cite web |title=2022 SRF Lightning Complex Fire: Incident Update on 09/08/2022 at 12:22 PM {{!}} CAL FIRE |url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2022/8/5/six-rivers-srf-lightning-complex/updates/d8a1b160-1113-471d-a8f0-9f3c1409add8 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.fire.ca.gov}} The fire stayed at a consistent 27,019 acres, and containment on the fire was still 80%. The fire was considered contained after September 13, but was still active until November 2.
Aftermath
= Injuries =
= Damage to structures =
See also
References
{{2022 wildfires}}
{{California wildfires}}
Category:2022 wildfires in the United States
Category:July 2022 in the United States
Category:Six Rivers National Forest