NORTH COAST – Despite hot weather and increasing fire danger, North Coast fires continued to move toward containment.

Continuing to burn on National Forest lands are the 6,120-acre Soda Complex, located to the north and northwest of Lake Pillsbury on the Upper Lake Ranger District in Lake and Mendocino counties, and the Yolla Bolly Complex in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, which has burned 10,669 acres.

Forest officials attribute both complexes to a June 21 lightning storm that passed over the North Coast.

The 1,390-acre Monkey Rock Fire in the Soda Complex experienced a flare up on Thursday, spreading embers on the M-1 Road outside of the wilderness area, according to US Forest Service spokesperson Phebe Brown.

She said firefighters quickly went to work on the spots where the embers spread, and continued patrolling for spot fires.

The complex is now 83-percent contained, Brown reported, with two fires still actively burning.

Besides the Monkey Rock Fire, the Mill Fire, at 940 acres, was still burning, and had made a strong uphill run on Wednesday, increasing in size as it went, according to Brown.

On Thursday, Brown said 307 firefighters remained assigned to the fire, which has cost $6.24 million to date to fight.

The Yolla Bolly Complex – located in Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties – has seven out of an original 22 fires still actively burning, according to Brown. The complex is 65-percent contained.

Brown said that, due to hot conditions, the fires could continue to spread. A total of 114 fire personnel are assigned to the complex, the suppression costs of which have cost $1.7 million to date.

In Mendocino County, where a lightning fire complex has burned 52,200 acres, 2,092 fire personnel continued to work on Thursday to put out all of the blazes, which are estimated at a total of 65-percent containment, Cal Fire officials reported.

While progress continues on the fires, there are still ample dangers, with a new evacuation warning issued by county officials on Thursday for the Mountain View Road area.

Thirty-six fires out of an original 127 continue to burn, with 335 residences threatened, according to Cal Fire. Suppression costs are estimated at $29.1 million.

For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:2}