A reported 1,400 lightning strikes ignited several small fires in Northern California Friday evening, July 26, including a three to four acre fire on Girard Ridge near Castella.

The Klamath National Forest reported 1,400 lightning strikes the evening of July 26, 2013, half of them in Siskiyou County. Of the 23 fires started by the lightning on the KNF, the largest was 3.5 acres as of 2 p.m. Saturday.

A fire on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in the Girard Ridge area near Castella was contained at 7.3 acres Saturday afternoon.

Several other smaller fires on the Shasta Trinity were either out or contained by Saturday afternoon.

Residents with respiratory issues were advised to limit outdoor activity as smoke, mostly from Southern Oregon, is affecting air quality throughout Siskiyou County, according to a Saturday afternoon Klamath National Forest press release.

Reconnaissance flights over Siskiyou County are scheduled for Saturday morning and afternoon. All lookouts are staffed.

CAL FIRE and the Klamath National Forest have added additional resources in anticipation of more fires.

Smokejumpers and crews fought the blaze near Girard Ridge Saturday morning.

Firefighters became aware of the fire Saturday morning, but it may have started during Friday evening's thunderstorms, Shasta Trinity public information officer Andrea Capps said.

Several other small fires were being fought on the Shasta Trinity Saturday morning, but overall Capps said there was "less going on than anticipated" following Friday's storms, which she said included more moisture than expected.

Most of the fires on the Klamath National Forest were reported at less than an acre.

The  Lime fire was reported Saturday afternoon at 3.5 acres, southwest of Cottonwood Peak. Two helitack and eight smokejumpers were working it Friday evening, July 26. Happy Camp Crew 2 (20 people) is heading there today to replace the 10 personnel currently there. Terrain is steep, brushy, rocky. Crews are making good progress.

• Michigan fire – on Goosenest Mountain, ¼ acre, staffed, making good progress.

• Cheyne fire - spot fire, now controlled.

• Box fire – near Box Camp Saddle, about 100 yards into the Marble Mountain Wilderness. One acre, staffed, crews making good progress, more resources headed their way to help.

• Cottonwood - handled by CAL FIRE

Weather predictions, according to a Klamath National Forest press release, call for a small chance of thunderstorms again Saturday through Sunday. Strikes are expected to be mostly centered in Siskiyou and Modoc counties, close to the Oregon border. Cooler, drier, windier conditions are expected. "Holdover fires are likely to pop up."

For additional fire Information please go to http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3561/ or www.fire.ca.gov. For Forest Service fire information call the Klamath National Forest Fire Information Line at 530-841-4451.

"Fire officials continue to monitor ongoing incidents and resources are prepared to aggressively address any new incidents. Forest resources are available for IA throughout forest," the Forest Service stated.

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