COVELO — The North Pass Fire continues to hold steadily at 41,983 acres and remains 97 percent contained, federal officials announced Friday.
Ignited by lightning on Aug. 18 northeast of Covelo near Williams Valley, the incident destroyed 26 structures and damaged four others, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Eleven injuries were reported to date.
Officials estimate full containment will occur Sunday evening. A total of 250 fire personnel were on scene Friday.
Portions of the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness once in the fire closure area are now open, as is Mendocino Pass Road (Forest Highway 7).
The fire area remains closed because of unsafe hazards such as burning stump holes and falling trees. This closure may remain in effect for an extended period of time until all hazards can be mitigated.
The current forest order can be found on the Mendocino National Forest webpage (http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino) under “Alerts and Warnings.”
For updates during the weekend, visit www.inciweb.org/incident/3201.
