Caldwell Fire in Modoc Nat'l Forest 94% contained

View of the northern end of the Lava Beds National Monument with burnt vegetation from the Caldwell Fire and smoke on the horizon. (NPS photo by Ranger Pat Seiser on 8/1/2020)

MODOC COUNTY, Calif. – A wildfire in Northern California is now 94% contained at over 80,000 acres.

The July Complex fires were sparked by lightning strikes on the morning of July 22 in the Modoc National Forest. One of the main July Complex fires is the Caldwell Fire, which grew to 80,859 acres in size. It was 94% contained as of August 7.

The Caldwell Fire burned in an area that hasn’t seen wildfire in over 40 years and threatened the headquarters of the Lava Beds National Monument. The park remains closed, but the nearby Medicine Lake Recreation Area will reopen on the afternoon of August 7.

The other fires in the July Complex are the Allen Fire and the Dalton Fire, which burned a combined 2,402 acres. Both of those fires are 100% contained and crews are mopping up and repairing the area.

For the latest updates, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6881/