Forward progress stopped on wildfire in rural Yuba County that prompted evacuations
Forward progress was stopped several hours after a vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon prompted evacuations in rural Yuba County.
Fire officials said just after 4 p.m. that the fire, which has burned at least 12 acres, was being mopped up and that aerial tankers had been released.
The fire was initially estimated at 10 acres and was burning near Sicard Flat Road and Frontier Trail, just north of Highway 20 between Browns Valley and Smartsville, Cal Fire and the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services said in social media posts beginning shortly before 3 p.m.
An evacuation warning was upgraded at 3:45 p.m. to a mandatory evacuation order for a portion of Yuba County evacuation zone E065, which includes the Sicard Flat Road area, according to Yuba County officials.
An evacuation warning was also issued for zone E066, just northeast of E065.
The fire had spread to at least 10 acres and was threatening structures near Frontier Trail, Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit said in a tweet just before 3:30 p.m. Aircraft as of that time had mapped the fire at 12.8 acres.
The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office posse arena, at 5396 Marysville Road in Browns Valley, opened as a shelter for livestock and large animals.
At least two helicopters and two air tankers were dispatched to the fire, Yuba County emergency officials said.
The blaze is one of the first reported in the greater Sacramento region in 2023 to trigger an evacuation order.
This story was originally published May 30, 2023 at 3:32 PM.
