Pair of wildfires in Mendocino County prompt evacuation warnings

With an army of firefighters trying to protect Redding from the deadly Carr Fire, two new blazes erupted Friday in Mendocino County that scorched at least 5,000 acres and spawned evacuation warnings for residents near Hopland and Ukiah.

The River Fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m. six miles north of Hopland on Old River Road, Cal Fire said, and by nightfall it had burned 4,000 acres and destroyed one home and one outbuilding. Cal Fire warned residents to prepare for evacuation if necessary and said “aggressive fire behavior” and high temperatures were hindering firefighters’ efforts.

The fire was threatening the UC Berkeley Hopland Research and Extension Center.

A second blaze, the Ranch Fire, broke out at noon about eight miles northeast of Ukiah on Highway 20 and burned 1,000 acres. The blaze was threatening multiple structures and had injured two firefighters late Friday.

Evacuation warnings were issued for Potter Valley-Burris Lane, Old Lake County Highway and Blue Lakes.

This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Pair of wildfires in Mendocino County prompt evacuation warnings."