7:30 p.m. update:
AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. -- Containment on the Copper Fire remains at 50% but firefighters have managed to limit its spread to just 48 acres, according to Cal Fire.
All evacuation orders have been lifted.
5 p.m. update:
Evacuation orders have been lifted and Highway 16 is moving again, albeit only with one controlled lane, as firefighters have gotten 50% containment on the Copper Fire, according to Cal Fire.
Original:
A new fire in Amador County has prompted mandatory evacuations and a closure of Highway 16 just to the east of Rancho Murieta.
The so-called Copper Fire started just after 2 p.m. on Copper Hill Road just off of Highway 16, according to Cal Fire. The fire caused officials to shut down the highway between Ione Road and Old Sacramento Road.
The Amador County Sheriff’s Office also called for mandatory evacuations for those living along Long Gate Road.
In a 3:30 p.m. update, fire officials said the fire had spread to 35 acres but was already 20% contained.
Multiple ground crews, four air tankers, and two helicopters have been called in to extinguish the fire quickly, according to Cal Fire.
