Loyalton-area classes canceled, free meals offered as firefighters battle Bear Fire in Sierra
The Sierra-Plumas Unified School district on Wednesday announced school would be closed for the rest of the week amid evacuations from the ongoing Bear Fire.
District Superintendent Sean Snider announced on Facebook all classes in Loyalton would be canceled Thursday and Friday with the hope of reopening Monday, should fire conditions improve.
Snider also said the district would be offering free breakfast and lunch for Loyalton students beginning Thursday that can be picked up at the elementary school. Parents needing to request meals should call 530-993-4482, ext. 243, to leave the names of students in order to pick up their food. Loyalton is expecting a food and water delivery for those who have been displaced or affected by evacuations from the wildfire.
The Bear Fire as of Thursday morning grew to 3,327 acres and was 0% contained as it burns south of Loyalton in the Sierra Brooks area. Tahoe National Forest officials Thursday morning said 465 fire personnel have been assigned to the fire, which is roughly 40 miles north of Truckee and 100 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Road closures and evacuations remain after the fire was first reported on Monday. The fire grew by 1,000 acres between Tuesday and Wednesday while officials announced 286 structures and 536 residents were under evacuation orders.
In a morning briefing Wednesday, officials said Interagency Management Team 2 — a group of federal firefighters called in for complex incidents — had been assigned to the fire, and would join Forest Service crews and personnel from Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit.
Firefighters will hold a community meeting to update residents on the fire at 7 p.m. The briefing will be available on Tahoe National Forest’s Facebook page.
