STONYFORD — Fire crews battling the Mill Fire in the Colusa County portion of the Mendocino National Forest gained further control during the weekend.
The fire is now 75-percent contained. It burned 29,552 acres since July 7 and is expected to be fully contained on Friday, according to Northern California Incident Management Team 2 (NorCal Team 2). Hours for the fire information line changed Monday; new hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Three injuries were reported, though not specified. The fire has an estimated cost of $11.4 million and destroyed five outbuildings. CAL FIRE entered into Unified Command Wednesday with NorCal Team 2.
A total of 1,495 personnel from 21 Type 1 crews and 15 Type 2 crews are fighting the fire utilizing 77 fire engines, 17 bulldozers, 13 water tenders and nine helicopters. Fire repair efforts began along the west, north and east flanks of the fire.
Goat Mountain Road was closed Saturday for at least two days for firing operations and remains closed. Fire crews are working on this narrow road and falling debris may make travel dangerous. Residents will be notified when the operations are complete and the road reopened.
Crews Monday attempted to complete operations between the road and the fire”s edge. The crews continue to secure containment lines around the fire perimeter and extinguish hot spots from the fire”s edge up to 300 feet inside the lines.
A sudden downdraft of winds Sunday evening caused the fire to jump the line near Little Stony Creek campground, resulting in two spot fires that totaled approximately 4 acres. Crews worked quickly and the spots were contained around 10 p.m., according to NorCal Team 2.
A low-pressure weather system was expected to drop into northern California Monday, resulting in cooler temperatures and higher humidity. The system was not expected to bring rainfall to the fire area. North winds are expected to send smoke south into the Sacramento Valley.
Although local air districts lifted air quality alerts, residents should still be aware of smoke impacts. Smoke from the Mill Fire will be visible as burnout operations continued Monday for at least one more day.
Archery season for deer hunting opened Saturday. A closure order remains in effect for the fire area. Hunters who traditionally visit the recreation area outside Stonyford on the south central portion of the Grindstone Ranger District will be affected by this closure.
A closure order remains in effect for all roads and trails in the recreation area. The closure order can be viewed on the Mendocino National Forest”s website at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices. More information about archery season and other recreational activities can be found on the website.
The Bureau of Reclamation closed East Park Reservoir in Colusa County to recreational activities because of safety concerns, which include air quality and emergency vehicles operating in the area.
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 a voluntary evacuation area. An advisory was issued to residents west of Stonyford-Lodoga Road between Stonyford and Goat Mountain Road, including Century Ranch, to be prepared for possible evacuation.
Fouts Springs Road (M10 Road) is closed at Stonyford. Goat Mountain Road is closed at Stonyford-Lodoga Road.
