Evacuations are advisory only for Colusa County wildfire; smaller blaze burns on state line
A day after evacuations were ordered for several homes due to a wildfire in Colusa County that quickly spread to more than 500 acres, those orders have been downgraded.
Evacuations for the Sites Fire are now advisory only as of Monday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit. Roads are expected to be reopened to the public after 9 p.m.
The fire started just after 4 p.m. Sunday near Sites Lodoga and Campground roads, southeast of Stonyford, according to Cal Fire.
Improved mapping late Sunday put the fire at 540 acres, Cal Fire said. Containment reached 55 percent, according to a Monday evening update.
The fire is burning near the East Park Reservoir, 20 miles northwest of Williams and 70 miles northwest of Sacramento.
The fire, fueled by strong winds and temperatures hovering near 100 degrees, prompted mandatory evacuation of several ranch properties along Sites Lodoga and Squaw Creek roads. A spokesman for Cal Fire said at least 12 structures were threatened.
Hand crews were able to make progress, Cal Fire said, holding the fire east of the Squaw Creek Inn.
Views from the AlertWildfire network showed smoke spilling west toward Stonyford, which is not threatened, about 6 p.m. Smoke also had drifted into the valley and could be seen from cameras outside of Chico, about 40 miles northeast of the fire. Around 7 p.m., the smoke had decreased significantly on the camera network.
Cal Fire’s LNU crews had reported a “dangerous ROS” (or rate of spread) around 5 p.m. as more than a half-dozen firefighting aircraft, including the Global SuperTanker, were deployed to fight the blaze. Crews were expected to continue to work the blaze overnight.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
North Fire in Lassen County
Meanwhile, north of the Lake Tahoe area, evacuations have been ordered for the North Fire, which sparked before 5 p.m. along Highway 395 near Hallejuah Junction. The fire, reported to be about 150 acres, was burning northeast of the junction with Highway 70 in Bureau of Land Management territory and was saddling far east Lassen County and Washoe County, Nevada, fire officials said.
The community of Rancho Haven a few miles east of the state line is being evacuated due to the fire. Homes along Arabian Way, Thoroughbred Circle, Rancho Drive and properties south of Shetland Circle were asked to leave, said Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, which is assisting along with Cal Fire.
An evacuation center has been set up at the Washoe County Senior Center, 1155 E. Ninth St., Reno, according to the American Red Cross. Large animals can evacuate to the Livestock Events Center at 1350 N. Wells Ave., Reno.
This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 6:08 PM.
