A fast-growing wildfire broke out in Mendocino County, growing to more than 1,000 acres as of Friday morning.
The blaze exploded near the Lake County and Mendocino County line in Potter Valley, triggering evacuation orders in several areas, according to CalFire.
Officials said the fire began as a 10-acre blaze in a remote area with grass and oak. Due to the fire’s remote location, they said, the fire flourished and quickly grew. A time-lapse video showed a plume of smoke from the fire rapidly expanding over the course of hours.
Structures were quickly threatened at the head of the fire and in Bachelor Valley, forcing firefighters to take defensive measures. Night-flying helicopters assisted operations in putting out the fire.
Evacuation orders have been issued for zones MNF-E016, MNF-E018, MNF-E019, UPP-E023, UPP-E025, UPP-E026, UPP-E027, and UPP-E030. Warnings have been issued for zones MNF-E017, MNF-E021, UPP-E028, UPP-E031, UPP-E032, UPP-E035, UPP-E038, MEN-2POT08, and MEN-2UKV28.
The latest Cal Fire update saw dozens of firefighters gather to prepare an assault on the flames.
“Today temperatures and winds are expected to increase along with lowering humidity,” the update said. “Additional resources will be arriving to assist with this incident. All evacuations remain in place. Currently the fire is reported at 1099 acres and 5% contained.”
The fire was only 5% contained as of Friday morning.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Lake and Mendocino County’s new blaze comes as two fires torch land south of them in Monterey County. The Timber and Plaskett fires have burned more than 55,000 acres.
The fires have disrupted businesses in the Big Sur area and closed large portions of Highway 1.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
