Jones Fire still threatening Nevada County homes as California fires stretch resources thin
The Jones Fire burning in Nevada County is still “very active” and more than 4,000 residents remain evacuated, emergency officials said Wednesday morning.
The fire has grown to 675 acres and is 5% contained, a decrease in containment from 15% the previous evening due to better mapping, Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit said in an 8 a.m. update
Just over 4,100 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, and 1,200 more are in evacuation warnings, county emergency officials said. At least four homes have been destroyed in the hills northwest of Grass Valley and Nevada City.
One evacuation warning that had been in place along the south edge of the Jones Fire, which included part of downtown Grass Valley, was lifted Tuesday night.
Cottage Hill and Ready Springs elementary schools, as well as Alder Creek Middle School in Truckee, have been established as temporary evacuation points for “refuge and cooling,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Matt Raines of Cal Fire, Tuesday night incident’s commander for the Jones Fire, said in a Wednesday morning video briefing that the fire “backed its way in” to the Yuba River drainage, and is “slowly backing” its way toward Highway 49, north of Newtown Road.
“This fire is still very active and continues to pose a threat to the area north of Highway 49,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “Please remain vigilant and heed all evacuation orders and warnings.”
Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit and assisting local agencies have been battling the fire, which sparked Monday morning near the South Yuba River and Highway 49, amid challenging conditions. Access to the fire zone is difficult due to steep terrain, and resources including aircraft for retardant and water drops are limited because of larger wildfires that have threatened thousands upon thousands of homes across the state, stretching Cal Fire personnel thin, the NEU unit has said in incident reports since Monday.
Dozens of lightning-sparked fires starting earlier this week prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency Tuesday.
Many of the fires or complexes of multiple fires ignited during a thunderstorm that rolled from the bay northeast through the Central Valley and foothills late Sunday through early Monday.
Wildfire danger increased dramatically Tuesday night into Wednesday morning in the North Bay Area, as the 46,000-plus-acre LNU Lightning Complex spread into the northwest corner of Vacaville.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 9:18 AM.
