A fire that started Wednesday afternoon was burning toward Lewiston in Trinity County and has forced numerous evacuations, said a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Coffin Fire started at 2:20 p.m. near Old Lewiston and Coffin roads. Winds whipped flames through mixed brush and timber in steep terrain toward the small town of Lewiston, which is north of Highway 299 and about 35 miles west of Redding. Almost 1,200 acres had burned as of 7 p.m., the spokeswoman said.
Trinity Dam Boulevard, the main road into the town, Lewiston Road, Coffin Road and Dead Mule Gulch were among the routes in which homes were evacuated. An evacuation center was opened at Weaverville Elementary School on Highway 3 in Weaverville.
More than 450 personnel battled the fire, which was 30 percent contained by late evening. The cause of the fire is unknown, the spokeswoman said.
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