- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
REGIONAL: Thousands of acres burn in Glenn, Tehama County fires
GLENN COUNTY, Calif. – High winds blowing through the northern Sacramento Valley on Saturday helped fuel fires burning in nearby Glenn and Tehama counties, where thousands of of acres were burned and several structures destroyed.
The fires that began on Saturday included the Apple fire in Tehama County and the Chrome fire in Glenn County, both of which occurred in Cal Fire’s Tehama-Glenn Unit.
The Apple fire, located off of Apple and Paskenta roads west of Corning, started at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, according to Cal Fire.
The fire, whipped by erratic winds, led to closure of Corning and Butte Mountain roads, Cal Fire reported.
By 7 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire had grown to 2,500 acres and was 60-percent contained, with five residences and three outbuildings destroyed.
Cal Fire said the Chrome fire began just after 3:30 p.m. on Highway 162 and Forest Highway 7. It’s located north of the community of Elk Creek and just east of the boundaries of the Mendocino National Forest.
The fire was dispatched minutes later, and reported to be a rekindle of an earlier Chrome fire, which had begun on May 28 and was contained June 4 at 75 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Mendocino National Forest and Cal Fire personnel were on scene within minutes, according to radio reports.
Just after 5:30 p.m. the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office’s Office of Emergency Services reported that mandatory evacuations were in effect for Road 309 N from Stony Gorge east to the community of Elk Creek, with an evacuations shelter opened at Willows Memorial Hall.
At that point, the fire was about 500 acres with no containment, a figure that rose to 700 acres and 10-percent containment about two hours later.
Throughout the afternoon, Cal Fire air tankers criss-crossed the valley as they joined the effort to control the fire.
At about 8 p.m. the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office reported that 911 emergency lines in the area of Elk Creek to Stony Gorge were not working.
By 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Cal Fire gave an updated size estimate of 2,200 acres with 30 percent containment, with one residential structure destroyed and evacuation warnings in effect.
Additional information will be posted on the fires as it becomes available.
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