Silver Fire in California prompts evacuations amid second day of high winds near Bishop

A wind-stoked wildfire that started Sunday afternoon in eastern California has forced evacuations and spread to nearly 1,250 acres with no containment.

According to Cal Fire, the Silver Fire started just after 2 p.m. Sunday near Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road, northeast of Bishop. Cal Fire’s San Bernardino Unit, which is leading the response, said fire activity intensified overnight due to gusty winds and steep terrain just north of Eastern Sierra Regional Airport.

Evacuation orders were issued for the community of Laws in Inyo County, Chalfant in Mono County, and the White Mountain Estates neighborhood. Highway 6 is now closed from 5 Bridges Road to Highway 120 East at Benton Crossing Road. Several local roads, including Silver Canyon Road, Jean Blanc Road, and Laws Poleta Road, are also closed, according to authorities.

A shelter for evacuees has been opened at the Bishop Senior Center at 682 Spruce St., and animal evacuations are being directed to the Tri-County Fairgrounds at 475 Sierra St., Bishop.

Winds with gusts as high as 65 mph are expected to persist through 9 p.m. Monday, according to a high wind warning from the National Weather Service. Strong gusts grounded firefighting aircraft Sunday and are likely to complicate suppression efforts.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, the fire remained uncontained and continued to threaten “structures, critical infrastructure, endangered species habitats, watersheds and cultural and heritage resources,” Cal Fire BDU said in an update.

“Air and ground resources have been significantly increased to support suppression efforts,” firefighters said. “However, strong winds ... continue to create challenges, grounding some firefighting aircraft and complicating containment operations.”

The fire is located about 190 miles southeast of Sacramento and 190 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.