Quincy smoke risk remains after 142 acres ignited at Four Corners

Firefighters completed ignitions on approximately 142 acres north of Quincy on Thursday, October 29, according to a Forest Service update carried by Action News Now that night. Crews were still securing the area. That is a significant change from the earlier announcement of a planned 142-acre operation—but it is confirmation of completed ignitions, not an extinguished burn.⁠1⁠2

The Mount Hough Ranger District shifted the operation east from South Park to Four Corners after a short burning window at South Park failed to support enough progress. Both areas are part of the North Quincy Project in Plumas National Forest, where the agency is using prescribed fire to reduce vegetation that can fuel wildfire near communities and to help restore forest health.⁠1

The most immediate concern is smoke settling where people live and drive. By Thursday night, smoke had spread widely and was settling in East Quincy, Quincy, Greenhorn Ranch, Indian Valley and the Feather River Canyon. The Forest Service advised smoke-sensitive people in those areas to monitor conditions and take precautions as needed. A glow was expected overnight as fuels continued to burn down.⁠2

Settled smoke was forecast to clear Friday morning. But the same update also forecast more smoke production Friday, and possibly flames visible from Quincy during daylight. Those statements are not contradictory: accumulated overnight smoke can disperse while the burn continues producing more. The update did not establish that Friday's clearing had happened.⁠2

Drivers were warned of potentially reduced visibility on Highway 70, Highway 89, Chandler Road, Mount Hough Road and other local roads overnight and early Friday. Smoke is only one part of the travel problem. Firefighter traffic was also expected during and after burning, especially on Mount Hough and Chandler roads. Travelers were asked to avoid Mount Hough Road if possible, use alternate routes and exercise extreme caution. Equipment entering and leaving Highway 70 near the ranger station and Chandler Road could slow traffic.⁠1⁠2

No road or trail closures were reported for the Four Corners operation, although nearby trails could be smoky. Open access should not be mistaken for unaffected access: the warnings concerned visibility and working fire crews, not just whether a gate was closed.⁠1

The earlier smoke forecast extended beyond Quincy to Keddie, Butterfly Valley, Taylorsville, Genesee, Indian Valley, Meadow Valley and Greenhorn Ranch, as well as Mount Hough, Chandler and Oakland Camp roads and Highway 70. Lower areas around Chandler Road, Quincy, Keddie and Feather River Canyon communities were identified as places where evening smoke might settle. The Forest Service did not expect long-term smoke impacts, but that was a forecast—not a finding that nearby residents or travelers would experience none.⁠1

South Park began with a promising test and ended with a much smaller result than planned. The larger treatment area covered approximately 404 acres between Chandler and Oakland Camp roads, beside residences and private timberlands. On Wednesday, October 28, crews aimed to treat about 152 acres, starting near the Ridge and Bear Cub trails and working west. Neither figure represents completed treatment.⁠5

The later explanation was more specific than a simple failed test: South Park's test fires produced good fire effects and fuel consumption, but crews could not sustain those effects over enough ground. The operating window was too short to make the needed progress, according to the Forest Service account published by The Plumas Sun.⁠1

Two South Park acreage figures remain unreconciled. The Mountain Messenger's October 28 report, citing a 1:10 p.m. update from Plumas National Forest Public Affairs Officer Tamara Schmidt, said approximately three acres had been ignited before the pause. The Plumas Sun's October 29 account said approximately 1.2 acres were successfully treated. One describes acreage ignited; the other describes successful treatment. The available accounts do not establish whether the difference reflects a revised estimate or different counting, so the figures should neither be added together nor presented as a confirmed correction.⁠5⁠1

The South Park treatment area was subsequently reported fully lined and secured while fuels burned down. Its trail system reopened, with smoke still possible. Earlier closures affecting the South Park Trailhead, also called Barlow, and the Monument Trailhead therefore are not the latest access status. Crews planned continued monitoring and further burning when conditions improved.⁠1⁠5

At Four Corners, the Forest Service reported a different operational result: excellent burning conditions and fuel consumption that met the intended effects. The unit lies north of Mount Hough Road, south and east of Forest Road 10M21—locally called the Tear Drop Trail—and west of the Fireline Trail and Four Corners. Treatment combined pile burning, which consumes gathered vegetation, with underburning, which burns needles, leaves, branches and low vegetation beneath the tree canopy.⁠1⁠2⁠5

The earlier schedule had allowed for more South Park burning as soon as Sunday, November 1, if conditions permitted. Thursday night's announcement of no planned Friday or weekend ignitions superseded that possibility as the latest schedule. It did not set a new restart date or permanently cancel further work.⁠5⁠2