6,500-acre Red Bank Fire in Tehama County caused by lightning, Cal Fire confirms
Evacuations remained in place Friday morning for the Red Bank Fire, an explosive wildfire that grew by 500 acres overnight to a total of 6,500 acres in Tehama County, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire determined the fire was caused by lightning, according to an 8:30 a.m. incident report sent by the agency’s Tehama Glenn Unit. The start of the wildfire coincided with a weather system that brought thunderstorms and thousands of lightning strikes throughout Northern California on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The blaze is now reported at 5 percent containment, Cal Fire said in a 7:15 a.m. incident report. After igniting Thursday afternoon, the wildfire erupted to 5,000 acres by 7:30 p.m. and reached 6,000 acres by a 10 p.m. update, creating a large smoke plume that could be seen for miles.
Crews on Thursday ordered mandatory evacuations for the Red Bank Oaks subdivision and houses on the stretch from Pettyjohn Road in Red Bluff to the U.S. Forest Service boundary. Those evacuation orders remained in place as of Friday morning.
The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post Thursday told locals to gather “any livestock, medications or personal items that you may need.”
Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday evening that the fire would “certainly continue to spread overnight,” though winds were anticipated to slow and temperatures were expected to cool.
A total of 650 fire personnel remain assigned to Red Bank Fire. Air tankers and helicopters had difficulty fighting the fire Thursday evening due to thick smoke, according to Cal Fire radio traffic.
No injuries have been reported and no structures were damaged as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire’s latest incident update, as the fire burns in a sparsely populated area. McLean said Thursday that several cabins were in the fire’s path.
The fire started near Hammer Loop Road and Pettyjohn Road, about 25 miles west of Red Bluff.
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 7:53 AM.
