Steady gains on Mendocino fires, no homes threatened

Firefighters held the stubborn Mendocino County Lodge fires in check throughout the weekend and as of Monday morning fire officials reported 85 percent containment.

The almost three-week blaze was holding at 12,346 acres.

With the progress, firefighters continued to be released and Monday’s force was down to 1,186 - under half of the crew size at the peak of the fire.

Cal Fire officials hoped by Wednesday to have the fire completely encircled with wide containment lines to stop the chance of further expansion. Still, inside the circle the fire will continue to burn and officials warned smoke could remain a health concern.

Lightning strikes early July 30 are to blame, sparking a couple of fires that have burned between Laytonville and Leggett, creating heavy smoke in some communities and threatening dozens of homes and other structures in the very rural, rugged territory.

No evacuation warnings remain in effect and no structures were threatened as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire officials.

The cost of the effort now has reached almost $37 million and 15 people, primarily firefighters, have been injured.

The Lodge complex fires is one set of several fires continuing to burn throughout Northern California.

The ongoing fires include three that are about 30,000 acres each plus a series of smaller fires.

There were 163 wildland fires reported last week in the state, said Cal Fire Capt. Amy Head.