STONYFORD — The Mill Fire in the Colusa County portion of the Mendocino National Forest neared full containment Wednesday.
The fire is now 95-percent contained and burned 29,502 acres at a cost of $13.9 million since July 7, according to the Northern California Incident Management Team 2 (NorCal Team 2). Four injuries were reported, though not specified. Five outbuildings were destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
CAL FIRE entered into Unified Command with NorCal Team 2 July 11. A plan is being discussed to return management of the fire and fire suppression repair to Mendocino National Forest officials.
A total of 651 personnel are still assigned to the fire to continue patrolling and rehabilitating control lines along the edge of the blaze. Resource management employees continue to work on repairing and assessing long-term needs for the health of the forest.
A public meeting was set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stonyford Grange Hall in which the next steps in managing the fire will be discussed.
Archery season for deer hunting is open. 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 the closure. All roads and trails in the recreation area remain closed until further notice.
More information about archery season and the closures can be found at the Mendocino National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino/.
The forest areas of Fouts Springs, Bonnie View and Board Camp Springs as well as campgrounds within the Upper Letts Lake area remain closed. The Bureau of Reclamation closed East Park Reservoir in Colusa County to recreational activities because of safety concerns involving emergency vehicles operating in the area. The reservoir is expected to re-open Friday.
Fouts Spring Road (M10 Road) and Goat Mountain Road are now open to residents.
