Flickr Album: Photos from crew departure at Blackbird State Forest on Saturday, August 1.
The Delaware Forest Service has joined with four 20-person crews from Maryland (1), Ohio (1) and Pennsylvania (2) to fight a wave of lightning-caused wildfires around Hayfork, California in the area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. California has declared a state of emergency and the Northern California Region is now at its maximum Preparedness Level of 5 on a 5-point scale. Delaware’s team is part of almost 1,500 personnel currently assigned to an incident known as the Fork Complex, which consists of approximately 40 fires totaling more than 25,000 acres located near Hayfork, CA. All of the blazes were ignited by lightning between July 29 and 31, 2015 and are currently listed as only 5 percent contained. Due to the evolving nature and complexity of the firefighting operation, a Type I Incident Management Team was to assume command of the Fork Complex on August 3, including all the fires around Hayfork, including the Blue, Deer, Rail, Farmer, and Barker Fires.
According to fire officials, the blazes have forced several evacuations and road closures. The Red Cross has established an evacuation center at the Solid Rock Christian Church at the intersection of State Route 3 and Tule Creek Road in Hayfork. The Salvation Army is also offering water and meals to residents at the Church, whether or not they are staying at the evacuation center.
