- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Acreage continues to increase for Mill Fire, Sites Complex
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Wildland fires burning in Colusa County continued to grow early Tuesday.
The Mill Fire and Sites Complex both started burning over the weekend, as Lake County News has reported.
By Tuesday morning the Mill had grown to 13,000 acres and the Sites to 3,922 acres, according to state and federal fire officials.
The Mill Fire is burning on the Mendocino National Forest in northwestern Colusa County, 10 miles west of Stonyford.
The incident – the largest single fire currently burning in California – was reported to be 20 percent contained, according to a Tuesday morning report.
The hot, dry conditions have spurred the growth of the fire, which officials said is burning in steep, rugged terrain.
Approximately 917 personnel are working the fire, officials reported.
The fire's cause remains under investigation.
The Sites Complex, which started Sunday afternoon along Sites Lodoga Road west of Maxwell, consists of several fires, only one of which is reported to still be burning and threatening five outbuildings.
The fires include the Grapevine Fire, which had burned 3,740 acres and reached 50 percent containment Tuesday. The remaining fires – including the 75-acre Antelope, the 100-acre Sites and the seven-acre Standard – all are fully contained, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said that approximately 1,339 personnel, 99 engines, 44 crews, three air tankers, six helicopters, 23 bulldozers and 12 water tenders were on the incident Tuesday.
Lake County residents woke up to murky skies on Tuesday, as smoke from the two fires poured into the air basin.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said Lake County Air Quality Management District has a continuous particulate sampler running in Lakeport.
“The monitor is still reading in the healthy range for air quality, although the numbers continue to go higher,” he told Lake County News in a Tuesday email. “We have an inversion in the basin that is holding the smoke above the valley floor, which is helping minimize impacts. But once that inversion breaks, we could see a significant increase in smoke at ground level. That may happen by noon.”
He added, “Areas that are currently above the inversion and some localized areas may already be experiencing high levels of smoke. In driving through the county this morning, there are localized areas of dense smoke and very poor visibility, indicating potentially unhealthy conditions.”
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