A Northern California wildfire that ignited next to a two-year-old burn scar this week could offer new insight into fire behavior in recently-burned areas.
Called the Hill Fire, the fire was sparked by lightning Tuesday in Humboldt County, south of the community of Willow Creek, in the Mosquito Creek drainage.
Over the course of two days, it has spread across an estimated 4,033 acres and there is no containment, according to firefighters.
Much of the fire’s growth came the day it ignited. It sparked low on the slope of the Mosquito Creek drainage and quickly burned uphill.
The video below shows the fire’s growth on Tuesday:
The #HillFire, part of a complex of new lightning fires on the Six Rivers National Forest, has been getting with it over the past few hours. Here is a timelapse of the past 2 hours, courtesy of @ALERTCalifornia 1/3 pic.twitter.com/PD4l3STjWP
— Zeke Lunder ~ The Lookout (@wildland_zko) July 16, 2024
It has spotted into the scar of a series of lightning-sparked fires that burned in 2022. The scar of those fires, which mostly burned at low intensity, lies between the Hill Fire and the town of Willow Creek, and it’s unlikely that the fire will reach Willow Creek as a result.
The fire’s behavior in the burn scar will be interesting to watch. Scientists continue to study how soon an area can burn again after a fire, and how different vegetation types affect the return of fire.
For a more in-depth look at the Hill Fire, including the latest mapping, check out today’s livestream: