North Fire grows to almost 1,000 acres in Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap

The North Fire burning in Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap grew to an estimated 999 acres and remains 10 percent contained as of Wednesday morning, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The fire started about 2:30 p.m. Monday. It is burning in the North Fork of North Fork American River Canyon.

Tahoe National Forest tweeted Tuesday night that the North Fire is burning in an area “characterized by steep, rugged terrain,” and that the helicopter base has been moved to Truckee.

The blaze was reported 10 percent contained Tuesday morning, as it was re-mapped to a size of 500 acres from initial estimates of 650.

Six campgrounds in the area were evacuated and closed, in addition to three road closures, all of which were still in effect as of Tuesday evening, according to Placer County Sheriff’s officials.

The fire has closed I-80 offramps at Emigrant Gap and Yuba Gap, as well as Crystal Lake Road at Lake Valley Road.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 7:29 AM with the headline "North Fire grows to almost 1,000 acres in Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap."