MIDDLETOWN >> A large fire sparked by a trailer on Ridgewood Grade between Willits and Ukiah northwest of Redwood Valley was at 900 acres before 10 p.m. on Sunday and 25 percent contained by early Monday, Cal Fire reported.
On Sunday Lake County Central Dispatch received a flood of phones calls regarding smoke in Lake County. Authorities responded by sending a countywide notice, explaining there was no active fire in the county.
On Monday afternoon, however, activity in Lake County increased sharply. Crews were reported battling grass fires along Highway 29 near the intersection with Hofacker Lane. At press time the Murphy Fire was estimated at 30 to 40 acres, with the fire spreading to the south unchecked. Multiple structures were reported threatened and northbound traffic on Highway 29 had been stopped and the lane closed as crews sought access to the blaze.
The Murphy began as small spot fires along the highway. Air tankers were called, but the blaze quickly grew to 5 acres and then 40 in a matter of two hours.
An equally troubling fire had erupted on the Mendocino County side of Cow Mountain that grew to 20 acres in the early afternoon.
The Grade fire remains the region’s largest, at least at press time. Evacuations had been called for in the Baker Creek subdivision in Redwood Valley Sunday evening, with an evacuation advisory for those above the valley, north of Redwood Valley.
According to Cal Fire Public Information Officer Patricia Austin, evacuations have been lifted.
The advisory for those in the area of West Road from Tomki to State Street had been lifted as of 11:40 p.m., according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office,
“Due to some good weather conditions we were able to gain some containment,” Austin said.
Austin said a firefighter with a medical condition during the incident was transported to a hospital, evaluated and released immediately. He is back on full duty today.
Cal Fire had reported controlled traffic on Highway 101 earlier in the day. Flames were visible from the highway as early as 4 p.m., and smoke was spotted in Calpella and Potter Valley and beyond.
Precautions were evident in Redwood Valley early on. Pacific Gas and Electric Company had announced close to 10 p.m. on Sunday it was going to deactivate power lines near the fire as needed, causing periodic power outages, according to the MCSO. The Ukiah Animal Shelter offered to accept pets at that time for evacuees, at 298 Plant Rd. It had also posted a number for hotel room vouchers: (866) 272-2237.
The trailer fire was initially found by the California Highway Patrol at 2:47 p.m., reporting “lots of smoke.” By 4 p.m., one lane of Highway 101 north had been closed and traffic was slowed to a crawl at West Road, while firefighters responded. The flames grew quickly by nightfall, reaching 900 acres around 10 p.m. A Cal Fire helicopter dumped a load of water around 7 p.m., but the fire continued to grow. Reinforcements were called in from other areas, including a tanker from McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento County, which dropped 5,000 gallons of retardant at 10 p.m., according to the MCSO.
California’s firefighting mutual aid system was already strained, but working, before the Grade Fire. Cal Fire sent firefighters and resources from across the state to join the battle at 12 major wildfires threatening dozens of communities at both ends of the state.
As of Saturday, there were more than 400 engines, four dozen aircraft and over 7,000 personnel working on wildfires that have already burned as much as 159,000 acres statewide.
“Our tried-and-true mutual aid system is working just as designed. We’re strategically deploying a lot of resources to these wildfires regardless of where they’re burning,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “Our number one priority is to protect lives and property using the most effective combination of local, state and federal resources through a unified effort.”.
For evacuation information, call (707) 463-4086.
The Willits News and Ukiah Daily Journal contributed to this report
