- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Pawnee fire evacuation order lifted as containment rises; County fire acreage jumps again
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – As the Pawnee fire moved closer to full containment on Tuesday, officials lifted the final evacuation order for the incident, while to the southeast the County fire burned another 10,000 acres.
On Tuesday afternoon Double Eagle Ranch subdivision residents were allowed to return home, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
About 50 structures had been threatened there in recent days due to the Pawnee fire.
By the time the evacuations were lifted the fire had grown to 14,900 acres, with containment at 80 percent, Cal Fire reported.
The fire began on June 23 northeast of Clearlake Oaks and had originally resulted in mandatory evacuation orders for both the Spring Valley Lakes and Double Eagle Ranch subdivisions.
Those orders had been lifted last week, but a Saturday flareup on the incident pushed the fire back toward Double Eagle Ranch, leading to another mandatory evacuation order.
The fire destroyed 22 structures and damaged five others in Spring Valley Lakes during its first days, but no structures were reported damaged in the fire’s more recent push toward the Double Eagle Ranch.
Cal Fire said weather conditions – decreased temperatures and higher humidity – have aided the firefighting effort.
Overnight crews strengthened control lines and extinguished interior hot spots, and work is continuing on mop-up and patrol, with 2,186 personnel, 114 engines, 30 water tenders, nine helicopters, 49 hand crews and 32 dozers assigned to the incident, Cal Fire said.
In the neighboring counties of Yolo and Napa, the County fire continues to burn aggressively.
On Tuesday, Cal Fire said the County fire had burned another 10,000 acres, with total size estimated at 70,000 acres and containment at just 5 percent.
The number of threatened structures is up to 980, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said the County Fire continued to burn actively throughout the night, with its growth driven primarily by steep terrain and dry vegetation.
Firefighters continued to work through the night to construct new containment lines and defend
structures threatened by the fire, Cal Fire said.
The situation led to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office issuing evacuation advisories late Monday night for Berryessa Highlands, Markley Cove Resort and Pleasure Cove Resort, in addition to mandatory evacuations in place near the Yolo County community of Guinda, where the fire started, as Lake County News has reported.
Officials said 2,115 personnel, 177 engines, 51 water tenders, 18 helicopters, 51 hand crews and 50 dozers are assigned to the County Fire.
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