STONYFORD– The Mills Fire in the Colusa County portion of the Mendocino National Forest (MNF) continued to grow Thursday.
The fire burned an estimated 17,300 acres since Saturday and is 38-percent contained. A total of 1,542 personnel from 29 Type 1 crews and 12 Type 2 crews are battling the blaze, utilizing 100 fire engines, 20 bulldozers, 12 water tenders and eight helicopters.
Three injuries were reported, though not specified. Five buildings were destroyed by the blaze, which has a cost estimate of $4.5 million. The cause is under investigation.
On Wednesday, CAL FIRE entered into Unified Command with Northern California Incident Management Team 2 (NorCal Team 2), sharing operational control of the incident.
NorCal Team 2 officials on Thursday said burnout operations will begin on the east and west flanks of the fire to strengthen containment lines and consume unburned fuel between indirect lines and the fire”s edge, conditions permitting. Surrounding steep, rugged terrain and fire behavior are too dangerous for firefighters to go direct along the uncontained fire edge, according to NorCal Team 2 officials.
Slightly cooler temperatures and increased humidity are expected for the area, with a slight increase in ridgetop winds and slight decrease in stability. The weather change is not expected to be dramatic, according to NorCal Team 2 officials.
Smoke from the burnout operations will be highly visible throughout the day. The Lake and Mendocino County Air Quality Management Districts issued Air Quality Alerts for the region. The U.S. Forest Service and the California Air Resources Board set up smoke monitors in affected communities, including Stonyford, Fire Camp and Covelo.
Road closures remain in effect for the MNF for all roads and trails in the recreation area outside Stonyford on the south central portion of the Grindstone Ranger District. The closure notice can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices.
Fouts Springs Road (M10 Road) is closed at Stonyford. Goat Mountain Road is closed at Stonyford-Lodoga Road.
Evacuations are in effect for the areas of Fouts Springs, Bonnie View and Board Camp Springs, as well as campgrounds within the Upper Letts Lake area. Portions of Stonyford are under voluntary evacuation. Lake View Loop Road to Goat Mountain Road is also under voluntary evacuation.
An advisory was issued to residents west of Stonyford-Lodoga Road between Stonyford and Goat Mountain Road to be prepared for possible evacuation.
A public meeting was planned for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Stonyford Grange Hall. Members of NorCal Team 2, CAL FIRE and the MNF planned to provide operational updates.
