News Release

Happy Camp Fire in California and 790 Fire in Oregon

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Fires in Oregon and California

image: This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on Sept. 6, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. view more 

Credit: NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner with information from Inciweb

The 790 Fire in Oregon began as a lightning strike on July 31, 2014. Over 3,000 acres have been affected by this fire which is 54% contained. In the next 12 to 48 hours there is a potential risk to Sky Lakes Wilderness and natural resources including the Northern Spotted Owl habitat, Coho habitat, water quality, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Cherry Creek Research Natural Area. Area and trail closures exist on the Pacific Crest Trail. The weather is not helping the fire fighters with gusty winds and low relative humidity. The operational objectives include keeping the fire within the Sky Lakes Wilderness Area by utilizing natural barriers and containment lines to fully suppress the fire.

The Happy Camp Fire Complex's estimate cost to fight to date is $60.7 million. Over 105,000 acres have been affected and the fire is currently 30% contained. The Klamath National Forest is under an emergency closure order in and around the Happy Camp Complex. More information abou the park closure is available at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/klamath/ More information on the Happy Camp Fire Complex can be found at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4078/

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