STONYFORD — Operations are winding down at the Mill Fire in the Colusa County portion of the Mendocino National Forest.
The fire was fully contained Wednesday after burning 29,502 acres since July 7, according to Northern California Incident Management Team 2 (NorCal Team 2). An estimated 26,273 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, 1,572 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands and 1,657 acres of private land burned. Fire crews kept the fire from growing in acreage since Sunday.
Four injuries were reported, though not specified. Five outbuildings were destroyed. The cost of the fire was estimated at $15.4 million.
A total of 536 fire personnel are still assigned to the fire area, which was determined to have low potential for further growth. The reduced number of firefighters will continue to patrol and rehabilitate the line. Resource management employees continue to work on repair and assessing long-term needs for forest health.
NorCal Team 2 entered into Unified Command July 11 with CAL FIRE. On Thursday at 7 a.m., command of the incident was transferred to a Mendocino National Forest Type 3 team.
A closure order was still in effect as of Wednesday for all roads and trails within the recreation area outside of Stonyford on the south central portion of the Grindstone Ranger District.
Archery season for deer hunting is open. A closure order was still in effect Wednesday for the fire area. Hunters who traditionally visit the recreation area outside Stonyford will be affected by the closure.
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 in the area. The reservoir is expected to re-open Friday.
Voluntary evacuations and advisories were lifted Wednesday for Century Ranch, Lakeview Loop and the westside of Stonyford-Lodoga Road between Goat Mountain Road and Stonyford.
Fouts Spring Road (M10 Road) and Goat Mountain Road opened to residents Wednesday.
