NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – After a week and a half of scorching rugged terrain in the Mendocino National Forest, the Mill Fire was fully contained on Wednesday evening.
The fire – the cause of which still has not been divulged by investigators – broke out on the afternoon of Saturday, July 7, near Upper Letts Lake, 10 miles west of Stonyford in the Colusa County side of the forest, as Lake County News was first to report.
The most recent maps of the incident showed that its westernmost edge had pushed to within about a half-mile of the Lake County line.
Full containment came as the fire held at 29,502 acres, according to the unified command of Cal Fire, the Mendocino National Forest and Northern California Incident Management Team 2, which has been managing the incident.
As of Wednesday morning the fire has cost an estimated $13.9 million to fight to date, burned five outbuildings and caused four injuries, fire officials reported.
As a result of the fire there were campground evacuations as well as evacuations in some small communities.
There also were a number of road closures, including a Mendocino National Forest closure order for all roads and trails in the recreation area outside Stonyford on the south central portion of the Grindstone Ranger District, which remained in effect on Wednesday.
Of the 29,502 acres burned, 26,273 acres are managed by the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management manages 1,572 acres; with the remaining 1,657 acres being privately held.
Transfer of command from the Northern California Incident Management Team 2 Team to a Mendocino National Forest Type 3 team will take place at 7 a.m. Thursday.
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