Mile Post 18 Fire Update Hoopa Valley, California
COAD Members and Partner Agencies,
Thank you. Since our last update requesting air quality resources for the Hoopa Valley, the response from this network has been extraordinary. The fire continues and the community needs are ongoing and changing daily. Below you will find a current fire situation update, observations from the ground, where resource needs stand now, a new tool to keep you connected, and an important save the date. The updates and content of this post may be outdated by the time you read this, and this information should never be used to replace official emergency and situational awareness information from official Tribal and County Office of Emergency Services sources.
Fire Situation
The Mile Post 18 Fire has burned 6,914 acres and is 22 percent contained as of the latest mapping on August 18, with 1,910 personnel assigned to the incident. Containment operations along Highway 96 are ongoing and making good progress, but the highway remains closed north of Hoopa, along with Hostler Ridge Road, Mill Creek Road, and Big Hill Road. Terrain in this area is steep and in many places inaccessible by ground, and crews have expanded aerial firefighting operations, including the use of plastic sphere dispensers to control the fire's forward progression.
The region is now entering a drier, warmer period with reduced overnight fuel recovery, which may increase fire activity in the days ahead as fuels become more receptive and burn periods lengthen.
Evacuation orders remain in place for zones HIA-E002-A and HIA-E014-D, with evacuation warnings in effect for nine additional zones. It is critical that all residents heed evacuation orders given by local officials, prepare a go-bag, and gather important documents to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
Fire information resources:
Observations from the Field
Over the last several days, our teams and partners on the ground have observed the following:
Air quality remains the top concern - Smoke conditions in the valley are heavily influenced by the inversion layer. Dense smoke settles in the valley throughout the day at hazardous levels, with AQI readings near 300 midday, before early evening winds clear conditions. This is compounded by hot, dry summer temperatures. We continue to surge air purifiers, box fan filtration units, and air scrubbers into the area. This need is ongoing, and every unit placed also builds resiliency in homes for the next fire.
Household health protections are expanding - We are phasing into additional protections such as sealing open windows and doors, and COAD member organizations are preparing to support contingencies for life-saving home health equipment for residents in the even of power loss.
Sheltering readiness is in place - American Red Cross is staged and ready to fully activate a shelter should evacuation zones grow, dependent on fire behavior. The temporary evacuation point is the Hoopa Neighborhood Facility at 11860 Highway 96 in Hoopa, which is the likely shelter location if one is stood up. Always confirm shelter locations through trusted channels: Humboldt County, Tribal OES, Red Cross, the Genasys evacuation platform, or Watch Duty.
Supporting a safe return to school - As kids return to school activities, COAD and its partners are working with K'ima:w Medical Center and Hoopa OES to ensure students have safe and healthy environments for learning and school activities.
Community meeting tonight - A community meeting will be held tonight at 6:00 PM at the Tribal Council chambers, and will also be livestreamed on the Mile Post 18 Fire Facebook page.
COAD Resource Board
The hub provides all active and open resource requests alongside real-time fire, road, and air quality conditions. Bookmark it and check back often, as requests and conditions are updated as the situation evolves —-> humboldtcoad.org/hub
Current Resource Requests
Air quality support for Hoopa and surrounding communities remains our primary need, including air purifiers, filtration units, and related supplies. We are also actively fielding various requests from the fire camp and responders.
Throughout this response, COAD is focused on stabilizing residents now while building resiliency in homes for future wildfire. With the dry state of fuels and unseasonably hot, dry weather, this will likely not be the only fire our inland communities experience this year.
All active and open primary requests are posted on the resource hub. If your organization can contribute, in full or in part, please reply to this email with what you can provide and your estimated timeline. As before, please do not self-deploy; we will connect with you directly on delivery logistics.
Thank You to Our Partners
The response to this fire has shown the strength of our network. Rapid funding support from the Humboldt Area Foundation enabled us to activate quickly and begin surging resources into Hoopa.
We are deeply grateful to the following organizations for their shared and donated goods:
Food For People, Pay It Forward Humboldt, Blue Lake Rancheria, Trinidad Rancheria, Eureka City Schools, Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce, Arcata Playhouse, Humboldt County Department of Building and Development, Humboldt County DHHS, HumDART, Shasta/Tehama VOAD and Red Cross, United Way of Northern California, First 5 Humboldt, Adult Day Health Care of Mad River, Providence Hospital, Sunrise Rotary, Redwood Coast Regional Center, Tri-County Independent Living, Arcata House Partnership, Arcata Chamber of Commerce, and Arcata Sunrise Rotary.
And to the many community members and local businesses that have offered and supplied N95 masks and other supplies: thank you. If we asked youth hold onto your donation for now, we will be circling back after this current activation to use your donations to stage in surrounding communities prone to wildfire.
Monetary donations keep our pace fast during this surge period and are vital to our ability to aid communities and responders during disaster. Contributions can be made to our General Fund to support operations and fuel, or directly to our 2026 Wildfire Fund if you would like your donation to go specifically toward fire-affected communities: www.humboldtcoad.org/donate
Save the Date: COAD 2026 Wildfire Convening
September 1 at 10:00 AM via Zoom
Please mark your calendars for a virtual COAD convening on Tuesday, September 1 at 10:00 AM via Zoom. We will focus on the wildfire season we are in now and preparing our network for an El Nino winter. Zoom details and an agenda will follow. We hope every member organization will have a seat at the table. Further details and an RSVP link will be shared in coming days.
Thank you for your continued partnership and rapid response on behalf of the Hoopa Valley community.
In service,
Nick Bown-Crawford, Executive Director - Humboldt COAD
www.humboldtcoad.org
