- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Mill Fire tops 25,000 acres; hundreds of homes remain threatened
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A fire burning in a remote area of the Mendocino National Forest continued to grow on Friday as firefighters used burnout operations to fight the blaze.
On Friday night, Mendocino National Forest officials reported that the Mill Fire, burning 10 miles west of Stonyford near Upper Letts Lake, had reached 25,534 acres and was 50-percent contained. Full containment is estimated to take place Friday, July 20.
Five outbuildings have been destroyed already, and the Friday report stated that more than 400 homes are still threatened in the areas of Fouts Springs, Board Camp Spring, Stonyford and Century Ranch.
No cause has yet been reported. “All we know is that it’s under investigation,” Amy Reid, a U.S. Forest Service staffer and public information officer on the incident, told Lake County News.
Over the course of Friday, officials had reported acreage increases totaling more than 6,500 acres.
“A lot of that new acreage has to do with the burning operations that are under way,” said Reid.
She estimated that the fire could still see significant growth due to plans for continued burning operations.
“They’ll burn as long as conditions are favorable,” Reid said.
Reid said the fire’s south flank has been the most active, and burned steadily until about 4 a.m. Friday when a nighttime inversion layer set in, bringing a layer of stable air, higher humidity and cooler temperatures.
“Generally fire behavior will settle down when you get that inversion,” Reid explained.
The fire has proved to be challenging, she said, with a number of factors coming into play.
Reid said the Mill Fire is burning in extremely rugged terrain, with firefighters having to work on steep hillsides.
It’s also slope driven, and given to quick uphill runs. While firefighters are working on building deep trenches on the fire line, Reid said the fire can roll down below them and come up quickly at them.
“That’s a really dangerous situation,” she said, with a lot of potential for injury to firefighters.
The incident team reported that flame lengths on some of those uphill runs in brush have been 20 to 40 feet high.
“Additionally, we’ve been having unseasonably dry conditions for this time of year,” said Reid, which makes it conducive for really extreme fire behavior.
The area where the fire is burning also has wind factors that come into play, influenced by the marine layer and heating of the air from the Sacramento Valley, she said.
Reid said fire restrictions began on Friday in the Mendocino National Forest. More details can be found at http://bit.ly/Lkujwe .
In addition, archery season is beginning on Saturday, which Reid said is a concern for fire officials.
“This particular area of the district is very popular for hunters,” she said.
However, the area is closed because of the fire, so she said hunters must find other areas to go for now.
While the smoke from the fire had filled Lake County’s air basin earlier in the week, air quality has improved, with the Lake County Air Quality Management District forecasting good conditions over the weekend.
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