NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. — Click HERE for Saturday's updates on the River Fire
While containment grew for the wildfire burning in Nevada and Placer counties, the number of structures destroyed also grew, too.
On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the River Fire broke out along Milk Ranch Road and Bear River Campground Road, north of Applegate. The wildfire has since burned 2,600 acres, no change from the previous night's update from Cal Fire. Containment for the fire has grown to 30%.
Portions of Nevada and Placer counties continue to remain under evacuation orders or warnings Friday. At one point, over 5,200 residents were evacuated between the two counties.
On Friday afternoon, evacuation warnings were lifted for multiple areas in Nevada and Placer counties. Evacuation orders remain in place for both counties. Residents are asked to follow the Placer County Sheriff's and Nevada County Sheriff's Offices for easing of evacuation orders.
Friday evening, Placer County Sheriff's Office lifted evacuation orders for some parts of the county, including the entire city of Colfax. The "B" sections of zones 1 and 2 are also lifted from their evacuation orders.
The Nevada County Sheriff's Office lifted some more evacuation orders on Friday evening and are asking residents to not go into any of the zones that are still under evacuation order.
Cal Fire notes at least 88 structures have been destroyed, 20 have been damaged and an additional 3,400 are still threatened. Three people have been injured, one of which was a firefighter.
While the orders are easing, evacuees of the River Fire may have to wait a little longer before police remove road barriers and let them back into their home. That’s because fire crews are now facing new dangers. Trees and branches are falling along roads and fire lines.
Fire crews call the falling branches and trees "widow makers," or snags. After wildfires rip through a forest, small embers burn tree roots or the tree trunk itself. Over time the embers burn through the tree and they fall over without notice.
Widow makers can be found all along roads with burn damage. One person ABC10's John Bartell met, Steve Hunter, found out his house is surrounded by many potential widow makers. Police escorted into his home yesterday and he was told about them.
“Yesterday a policeman was driving down the road and a tree came down and he was just surveying the damage,” Hunter said.
Right now, fire crews are walking the fire-scarred roadsides and neighborhood to try and preemptively cut potential snags and widow makers down. Many residents may be frustrated by the police barricades keeping them from going to check on their homes, but Hunter says right now not even he is driving near burned trees.
“They just shouldn’t be in an area where the trees have been burnt and the tree could come down," Hunter said.
ABC10's Lena Howland met a couple at an evacuation center who bought a house in Colfax in 2015. She provided an update to the couple on their home, which was unfortunately lost in the fire. However, Lena learned a neighbor ran through homes, including the one she checked on, and saved photos, documents and important possessions.
Placer County Public Health and the Placer County Air Pollution Control District issued a joint air quality advisory for the area due to the smoke impacts from the River Fire through Sunday, Aug. 8. Learn more about the advisory by clicking here.
Despite the evacuation warnings being lifted, Placer County proclaimed a local emergency due to the River Fire. The proclamation requests state and federal help to assist the county in their response to the fire.
"We are tremendously grateful to our public safety partners for so capably attacking this fire and protecting our residents,” Placer County Emergency Services Director and County Executive Officer Todd Leopold said in the press release. “We’re fully committed to doing everything we can to support our residents who’ve been so deeply affected by this disaster and this proclamation is a key step in making sure we’ve got access to all available resources that can help.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said today that California was able to secure a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) for extra resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help fight the River Fire. The FMAG will allow local and state agencies fighting the fire to apply for 75% reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs. Cal OES will also provide "rapid financial assistance" to those impacted by the fire.
Click here fore Thursday's fire updates.
Accounts to follow for latest information:
Evacuations:
Nevada County: Check the Community Zone Haven for updates.
Placer County: For evacuation orders and warnings, visit ArcGIS Web Application.
Road closures:
- Placer County: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
- Nevada County: https://community.zonehaven.com/
Maps of evacuations
Click HERE for Placer County's public evacuation map.
Click HERE for a map of the wildfire area
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, 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.
Gallery: River Fire destruction
Watch more from ABC10
California Wildfires: Retired Cal Fire director talks wildfires, forest management, and more