Wildfire updates: California fires burn thousands of acres, at various stages of containment
A group of six Northern California counties have seen more acreage burn in the past three days than the past three years combined, a Cal Fire official reported, as several wildfires continue to burn throughout the state while others were extinguished.
North winds in Colusa County are still fanning flames, doubling the size of a blaze known as the Sites Fire to about 10,000 acres overnight, with evacuation orders still in place.
Firefighters are continuing to gain control over a fire burning near Lake Sonoma that has already injured one firefighter and destroyed two buildings.
A fire in Yolo County was extinguished after burning more than 1,000 acres overnight, with evacuation orders lifted.
More than 3,600 structures are threatened in an area of Calaveras County that is seeing its first large fire since 2003, but winds are calming slightly and humidity has increased overnight, improving conditions for fire crews, officials said.
A civilian was injured in Southern California, where the largest fire currently active in the state is burning in steep, rugged terrain.
Here’s where fires are burning in the state as of 1:30 p.m.
Sites Fire
Where: Colusa County, near Lodoga
Size: 10,000 acres
Status: 15% contained
The wildfire that ignited Monday afternoon continued to expand overnight. According to Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay, the fire has reached 10,000 acres. It is burning about 10 miles south of the East Park Reservoir.
According to a Cal Fire update, the fire is 15% contained. Clay reported that crews made significant progress in reinforcing lines on the western end of the blaze overnight. Crews are prioritizing slowing the fire’s progress toward the east on Tuesday, he said.
Incident Management Team 4 has been deployed to the Sites Fire, the first team deployed in Northern California since the 2022 Electra Fire, according to Clay.
A Cal Fire report said no structures had been damaged or destroyed as of Tuesday morning. There are no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.
Clay said the blaze has been fueled by 10-20 mph northerly winds, as well as low relative humidity in the area.
Evacuation orders are in place for five communities, including Lodoga Road South to Leesville Rd, Leesville Road to Antelope Valley Ranch, north of Antelope Valley Ranch along Antelope Creek to Huffmaster Road, Huffmaster Road to Maxwell Sites Road, and Sites Lodoga east to the town of Lodoga.
Evacuation warnings were issued for two other areas: south of Leesville Road, along Bear Valley Road to Highway 20; and Highway 20 East to Leesville Road.
An evacuation center is available at Colusa Veterans Hall, 108 East Main St. in Colusa.
Clay said that in the Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit of Cal Fire — which includes Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Yolo, Solano and Colusa counties — there have been more acres of land burned in the past three days than in the past three years combined.
“This (fire season) is shaping up to be an active one,” Clay said. “It definitely already is.”
Sites Fire in Colusa County
Source: National Interagency Fire Center
Point Fire
Where: Sonoma County, near Geyserville
Size: 1,207 acres
Status: 40% contained
Injuries: 1 firefighter injured
Crews have significantly increased containment of the Point Fire overnight, increasing from 20% at 8 p.m. Monday to 40% by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. The blaze is maintaining its size at around 1,200 acres, burning near Lake Sonoma.
According to Cal Fire’s incident report, one firefighter has been injured and two structures in the area had been destroyed as of 12:30 p.m.
There is currently an evacuation order in Zone SON-2E2, which is north and east of Chemise Road, south of Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road and west of Dry Creek.
An evacuation warning is in place for Zone SON-2E3, which includes the areas north of Mill Creek Road, south of Chemise Road, east of Wallace Creek Road and west of Dry Creek.
According to the incident report, crews are continuing to build and strengthen control lines, with “favorable conditions” aiding the efforts.
Point Fire in Sonoma County
Source: National Interagency Fire Center
Road 12A Fire
Where: Yolo County, near Zamora
Size: 1,100 acres
Status: Extinguished
The Road 12A Fire, which sprung up Monday near Zamora in Yolo County, was extinguished by crews Tuesday, fire officials said.
As of Tuesday morning, Zamora Fire Protection District chief Chase Covington reported crews are keeping the area on watch to prevent any further fires from sparking.
Evacuation orders in the area have been lifted and County Road 14 was reopened, according to the Yolo County website.
Aero Fire
Where: Calaveras County, near Angels Camp and Copperopolis
Size: 5,425 acres
Status: 20% contained
The Aero Fire has started to be contained by fire crews, after it destroying three structures, damaging one and threatening more than 3,600 others in southern Calaveras County.
The blaze grew rapidly Monday evening, from 1,500 acres to 5,000 within four hours, but overnight growth slowed significantly. According to Cal Fire’s incident report Tuesday morning, crews were able to build control lines as winds died down slightly and relative humidity increased at night.
Cal Fire Incident Management Team 3 was mobilized to the Aero Fire, the agency reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Evacuation orders have remained in effect, and new orders have been issued throughout the south of the county. Evacuation warnings are still in place for zones CCU-139-B and CCU-147-A in Calaveras County, and in Tuolumne County at O’Byrnes Ferry Road from the Tuolumne-Calaveras county line to Highway 108.
Evacuation shelters are available at Mark Twain Elementary School, 646 Stanislaus Ave. in Angels Camp; San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, Building 2, 1658 South Airport Way in Stockton; and Valley Springs Veterans Hall, 189 Pine St. in Valley Springs.
Animal evacuation shelters are available at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds at 101 Frogtown Road in Angels Camp, and the Valley Springs Veterans Hall.
Aero Fire in Calaveras County
Source: National Interagency Fire Center
Post Fire
Where: Los Angeles and Ventura counties, near Gorman
Size: 15,611 acres
Status: 24% contained
Firefighters are on their fourth day of fighting the Post Fire along Interstate 5. The blaze started around 1:50 p.m. Saturday and crews are still investigating what started the fire.
As of 10:47 a.m., Cal Fire reported the fire has maintained its size of 15,611 acres, and crews slightly increased containment of the fire overnight. According to the report, winds overnight gusted at nearly 40 mph and relative humidity remained low, creating difficult conditions for fire fighting.
Red Flag conditions are expected to remain in place until 6 p.m. — winds from the northeast are projected to blow at 40 mph and the weather conditions are expected to keep getting drier and hotter throughout the day. Officials reported fire hotspots may show up three-quarters of a mile away from existing fire lines, extending the flames further west into the wilderness.
A civilian was reported to have been injured in the fire Monday morning. One structure has been destroyed, with an additional 60 buildings currently threatened by the blaze.
An evacuation order was issued for areas west of I-5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman. A warning is in place for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the Los Angeles County line.
Post Fire in LA and Ventura Counties
Source: National Interagency Fire Center
