The 41,983-acre North Pass Fire outside Covelo was still sending up smoke Saturday. The blaze was 81 percent contained, yet expected to continue burning for days, perhaps weeks.
Along its western edge, though, the ground has begun cooling, and crews are mopping up and trying to repair some of the damage caused by fighting the fire.
In a prelude to rehabilitative efforts that could go on for years, workers are revisiting firelines dug by bulldozers to prevent the wildfire's spread, trails used by firefighters moving deep into the rugged terrain, and narrow gravel roads that took a beating from heavy firefighting equipment.
The ultimate goal is to make repairs and improve drainage. The immediate focus is to eliminate safety hazards, like burned-out or downed trees, regrade roads and head off drainage problems that could lead to erosion and contamination of stream beds, officials said.
Lightning ignited the wildfire early on the morning of Aug. 18 about 10 miles outside Covelo in northeast Mendocino County, Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service personnel said.
It has destroyed 26 structures — eight homes and the rest outbuildings, most in the Bauer Ranch subdivision off Mendocino Pass Road, fire officials said.
Some crews were released Saturday to fight other fires in the state as the spread of the North Pass Fire slowed.
"It's looking real good," said Matt Corelli, a Forest Service spokesman in Covelo. "The acreage is holding and the containment lines are really strong."
The fire began on private timberland, then spread east and northeast into the Mendocino National Forest and the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness.
Once initial repairs are made, a Burned Area Emergency Response Team, with specialists in soil science and hydrology, will assess the burn zone to determine its needs.
There is a lot of ground to cover, some of it still ablaze, and miles of defensive firelines to check, Forest Service spokesman Bob Ramirez said.
"There will be a lot of work here to be done for several years," Ramirez said.
Fred Burrows, fire management officer with the Round Valley Indian Tribes, said he was particularly concerned about the impact of fire debris and erosion in traditional salmon and steelhead fishing areas like the Williams Creek drainage and the Middle Eel River.
"Come rainy season, (the soil) is going to go right into the river," Burrows said. "I think the fish are going to be one of the tribe's major concerns."
Private landowners also need to assess their properties, said Carol Mandel, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The NRCS exists, in part, to provide free assessments and recommendations. Property owners can call the NRCS for a consultation at 468-9223.
At a public meeting last week, Mandel talked to a woman whose home was spared but now stands below a steep slope of white ash. "Her house was saved, but in that kind of situation, we're concerned about slope stability," she said.
There also are reports of scorched rangeland and impacts on livestock for the Round Valley Tribes.
Mandel said she was evaluating burn intensity maps to target areas that burned hottest. The heat can be so extreme it destroys grass seeds in the soil, which will require reseeding. Elsewhere, the heat can form a water repellent seal across the top of the soil that prevents absorption and creates run-off problems.
"This is an important time," Mandel said. "If people have had burns, there's some critical work that might have to happen now to protect your home — now that you've made it through the fire. There could be potential landslide situations out there."
(You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.)
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