PLUMAS COUNTY, Calif. — Containment on the Beckwourth Fire Complex is now over 70% as firefighters continue to make strides in extinguishing the largest fire burning in the state of California.
However, Wednesday afternoon, firefighters said extreme fire behavior saw the fire grow, despite some uptick in containment.
Around 9 p.m., the California Highway Patrol announced that US-395 closed from A25 to SR-70 due to the fire. There is no estimated time for reopening.
The Beckwourth Complex Fire is made up of two fires – the Sugar Fire and the Dotta Fire – that merged on July 4. The fight against the fire, burning in Plumas County, is being led by U.S. Forest Service.
According to their latest figures, the fire grew to 95,747 acres burned but is now 73% contained.
Crews have been attacking the Sugar Fire both on land and in the air and worked hard in the fire's northern flank. Their main focus has been to stop its progress into the area of Meadowview Loop. Steep terrain made it difficult for crews to conduct direct fire suppression and control efforts, so aircrews are working to fight the fire in those areas, according to Plumas National Forest.
Official said extreme fire behavior and wind speeds up to 50 mph grounded aircraft in the fire fight. Officials also said that the crews were dealing with fire whirls, described as small tornadoes with strands of fire, causing spot fires.
The Plumas National Forest is still closed, surrounding the fire's perimeter, including several roads. U.S. Forest Service-Plumas National Forest asks people to monitor Caltrans District 2 Twitter or website for the latest closure information.
Accounts to follow:
Wildfire Maps
Evacuations
Plumas County Sheriff's Office has reduced some of the evacuation orders to evacuation warnings.
The following areas are now evacuation warnings in Plumas County:
- Highway 70 between Beckwourth-Genesee Road to the Plumas/Lassen County Line
- All addresses north of Hwy 70 between the Beckwourth-Genesee Road and the County Line
- All addresses along the south side of Highway 70 between the Beckwourth-Genesee Road and the County Line
- All residences in Chilcoot and Vinton
The following areas are still under Mandatory Evacuation Orders in Plumas County:
- Frenchman Lake, including all surrounding areas of Carmen, Dooley, Frenchman Village and Frenchman Cove.
- Doyle Grade and Sugarloaf Road
- Dixie Valley along Dixie Valley Road from Beckwourth-Genesee Road to Frenchman Lake
The areas still in the mandatory evacuation orders are because there is still active fire, uncontained fire edge, or other safety concerns, according to the Plumas County Sheriff's Office.
For Lassen County, Wednesday saw a new evacuation order take effect for the following area:
- Doyle on Old Highway 395 from Laura Drive west on Old Highway 395 to Cowboy Joe Road and everything in between
A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for the dirt portion of Doyle Grade where the pavement ends approximately 3.4 miles south of US 395. Officials said there will be a road block at that point and a heavy law enforcement presence in the area.
Evacuation Warnings remain in effect for the following areas:
• Doyle east and west of US 395 including the town of Herlong south to the Lassen/Sierra County line.
• West of US 395 from the north end of Constantia Rd. south to the Lassen/Sierra County line and from the intersection of A26 north to Milford Grade.
Evacuation centers are at Proctor R. Hug High School and Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center in Reno and the Lassen County Fairgrounds.
Property owners curious about the status of their homes and businesses can call the Lassen County Planning Department at 530-251-8269.
WILDFIRE PREPS
According to Cal Fire, 2020 was one of the most severe fire seasons on record as 9,917 wildfires burned 4.2 million acres. Over 9,000 structures were destroyed, and 31 people (civilians and firefighters) were killed.
California also experienced its first "Gigafire" because of the August Complex Fire, burning over 1 million acres by itself. Four of California's top five largest wildfires in state history happened in 2020.
If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.
The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and know your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts.
PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.