Fire officials ordered more evacuations Friday in communities surrounding the Ponderosa Fire near Oroville, an area recently hit with another large fire and a broken dam spillway.
The evacuation warnings were issued for these areas:
- East of Forbestown Road at the north end of Lower Forbestown Road
- North of the intersection of New york Flat Road at Lower Idlewood CIrcle
- North of the intersection of Challenge Cutoff Road at Mt. Hope Road
- West of the intersection of Forbestown Road at Abernathy Road
The 3,714-acre Ponderosa Fire, which was started after a man allegedly started an illegal campfire on August 29, has destroyed 20 homes and seven outbuildings and is threatening nearly 1,300 more structures. It is now 40 percent contained.
Cal Fire investigators arrested 29-year-old John Ballenger of Oroville for starting the illegal campfire.
The fire is nearly 20 miles from the Oroville Dam, which had a spillway fail in February, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate from floods. The dam's spillway repairs are about 20 percent complete,
Evacuation centers for those affected by the Ponderosa Fire are:
- Church of the Nazarene: 2238 Monte Vista Ave., Oroville 95966
- Small animal shelter: The Old County Hospital 2279 Del Oro Ave., Oroville 95966
- Large animal shelter: Camelot Equestrian Park 1985 Clark Road, Oroville 05065
