Mendocino County Sheriff orders evacuations in wildfire near Point Arena
POINT ARENA -- The Mendocino County Sheriff has ordered some mandatory evacuations Friday after a wildfire broke out in the area south of Point Arena, shutting down Highway 1.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Twitter account first posted about the fire shortly after 4 p.m. Friday in the area of Bill Owens Road and South Highway 1 near Schooner Gulch Beach on the coast, closing the highway.
According to initial reports, the fire was approximately 12 acres. Ground crews and air support were responding.
Fire South of Point Arena in the area of Bill Owens Road and S Highway 1. S Highway 1 shut down. Please avoid area. Fire Crews are on scene.
— Mendocino Sheriff (@MendoSheriff) May 20, 2022
Evacuations were ordered for the area of Bill Owens Road to Schooner Gulch Road and Schooner Gulch Road to South Highway 1. The sheriff's tweet said the best evacuation route is east to Ten Mile Cutoff Road.
Highway 1 is closed at Bill Owens Road and Schooner Gulch Road.
MANDATORY EVACUATION: Bill Owens Rd to Schooner Gulch Rd and Schooner Gulch Rd to S Highway 1. Best evacuation route is EAST to Ten Mile Cutoff Rd. Updates to Follow.
— Mendocino Sheriff (@MendoSheriff) May 20, 2022
At 6:45 p.m., Cal Fire tweeted that the incident, now called the Owens Fire, had grown to 30 acres and was 5% contained.
#RT @CAL_FIRE: New Incident: #OwensFire off Hwy 1 and Bill Owens Rd, Point Arena in Mendocino County is 30 acres and 5% contained. @CALFIRE_MEU https://t.co/hoH6LL7s0n pic.twitter.com/oWJIVMboU5
— CAL FIRE PIO (@CALFIRE_PIO) May 21, 2022