NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. — Update: 7:50 p.m.
Evacuations for a wildfire that sparked in Nevada County have been lifted by the sheriff's office.
Deputies said the evacuation orders for NCO-E331 and E330 were lifted after forward progress on the Reader Fire was stopped, but people in the immediate area of the fire might be impacted by fire crews as their work continues.
Original Story:
Evacuations were issued due to a wildfire that sparked in Nevada County Thursday.
The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said the so-called Reader Fire started around Highway 49 and Reader Ranch Road, near North San Juan.
The sheriff's office ordered evacuations for Zone NCO-E331, the greater Tyler Foote and Purdon Rd area and Zone NCO-E330 Millhouse, Monezuma and central Purdon area along Highway 49.
A Cal Fire spokesperson said there were three small fires with a moderate rate of spread, however one of them has already been extinguished. Their air resources reported a moderate rate of spread near powerlines with a possible structure threat.
No acreage is available at this time.
Evacuation Map
An evacuation map from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office is available here.
Wildfire Map
This map from ESRI shows fire activity (this may take a few seconds to load).
WILDFIRE PREPS
According to Cal Fire, the 2022 fire season was quieter than previous years, but there were still several significant fires. January 2022 saw just one major incident with the Colorado Fire in Monterey County burning 687 acres. Fires picked up in May when the Lost Lake Fire burned through 5,856 acres. The largest fire in 2022, the Mosquito Fire, started in early September. It burned through more than 76,000 acres in El Dorado and Placer counties.
Overall, 331,360 acres burned in 2022 from 7,477 wildfires — well below the five-year average of 2.3 million acres. Over 870 structures were affected and nine people were killed, all civilians.
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, and 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 knowing your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
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