Pawnee Fire Containment At 30 Percent As Crews Gain Ground
SPRING VALLEY (CBS SF) -- Aided by improving weather conditions, firefighters battling the destructive Pawnee Fire in Lake County increased containment to 30 percent by early Wednesday evening, Cal Fire officials said.
As of around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, the fire had burned a total of 13,700 acres and destroyed 22 buildings while causing damage to an additional six buildings.
#PawneeFire [update] off Pawnee Rd & New Long Valley Rd, northeast of Clearlake Oaks (Lake County) is now 13,700 acres and 30% contained. Unified command: CAL FIRE, Lake County Sheriffs Office, US Forest Service, & Northshore Fire Protection District https://t.co/LoCjg6kBA8 pic.twitter.com/ZLoYj8JiFL
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) June 28, 2018
The toll of the fire grew to 12 homes destroyed and three others damage in Clearlake Oaks, mostly along Wolf Creek Road. Twelve other structures had also been either destroyed or damaged. No injuries have been reported among residents or firefighters.
Mandatory evacuation orders were set to be lifted for the residents of Spring Valley and the surrounding area at 4 p.m. Wednesday. An evacuation order for Colusa County residents was lifted mid-morning and they were allowed to return home. The order had covered areas east of Walker Ridge, north of Highway 20 accessed by Bear Valley Road, Bear Valley and Brim Road, and Leesville and Bear Valley Road.
UPDATE: Evacuation orders also lifted off New and Old Long Valley Roads impacted by the #PawneeFire
— Katie Nielsen (@KatieKPIX) June 27, 2018
Residents will be able to return home at 4:00pm. @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/9ckHts4zi6
The fire had increased by just 500 acres to 13,500 acres overnight and containment grew from 17 percent to 25 percent.
The blaze was burning through dry brush, grass and timber and has charred 21 square miles since it started on Saturday.
State fire officials said high temperatures in the 80s, low humidity and erratic winds helped the blaze expand on Tuesday and that the same weather was expected on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, evacuees were preparing for another morning at a makeshift center at the local Moose Lodge where the parking lot is crowded with campers and RVs.
"We a lot of times don't get counted as an official evacuation center," lodge official Jane King told KPIX. "We do it anyway. We do it because we love the community."
For many of the evacuees, the threat of a devastating wildfire has become a way of life over the last decade.
"I'm just getting tired of it," Spring Valley resident and evacuee Wayne Petratuona said. "I just wish they knew a way to stop it."
Firefighters worked all day Tuesday to strengthen a fire break at the top of a ridge that parallels Walker Ridge Road.
"We're absolutely trying to put in as much line as possible," said Cal Fire PIO Brice Bennett. "We know weather is not in our favor in the upcoming days."