NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A wildland fire that has burned for more than a week in the Mendocino National Forest continued to grow on Sunday.
The Mill Fire, burning in Colusa County 10 miles west of Stonyford, grew by another 2,130 acres as firefighters worked to burn vegetation ahead of the fire’s path in an effort to contain it.
A Sunday evening report from the NorCal2 Type II Interagency Incident Management Team, which is overseeing the fire, put the fire’s size at 29,252 acres and 67 percent containment.
Suppression costs rose to $10,650,000 as of Sunday, the team reported.
By evening, there were about 200 fewer personnel on the fire, with 1,495 firefighters and staff were reported to be committed.
Earlier in the day, Lakeport Fire reported that members of its staff who had gone to work on the fire last week as part of a local strike team had returned, as Lake County News has reported.
Other resources on scene Sunday included 21 Type 1 crews, 15 Type 2 crews, nine helicopters, 77 engines, 17 dozers and 13 water tenders.
The burning operations also sent increased smoke into the air over Lake County, where ash and a murky smoke layer were seen Sunday. Officials acknowledged that the burning operations had increased the smoke put off by the fire.
The Sunday evening report noted that fire behavior increased after 9 a.m. when smoke that was shading the fire overnight lifted.
Officials said that burnout operations on the south, southeast side of the fire would continue into the evening until rising humidity would prohibit the burning.
Crews also are scheduled to continue mop up and patrol in an effort to further secure and hold the control lines along the fire’s west, north and east flanks.
Evacuations remain in effect for the areas of Fouts Springs, Bonnie View, and Board Camp Springs and campgrounds within the Upper Letts Lake area, and for portions of the community of Stonyford, the incident team reported.
Full containment is still anticipated to occur on Friday, July 20. No cause has yet been reported.
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