Evacuations still in place for Highway Fire in Nevada County
6 a.m. update from Nevada County Sheriff's Office
There was minimal growth overnight. The fire has burned around 30.9 acres. Containment remains at 5%. There are approximately 300+ fire staff assigned to the incident with relief. Additional resources are arriving Thursday.
Fire operations today will focus on reinforcing perimeter control and building contingency lines. Evacuation orders and warnings currently remain in place. Nevada County Sheriff will evaluate as the day progresses. Fire info line: 530-264-8309
9 p.m. update from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office:
Evacuation orders remain in effect for several zones near Washington:
NCO-E315: Washington Overlook, Alpha Diggins, Phelps Hill -
South of the Yuba River @ Washington Rd, East of Jefferson Creek Rd, West of Omega Rd.
NCO-E316: Town of Washington - South of Gaston Rd, East of Relief Hill Rd, West of Maybert and Alpha Loop.
NCO-E030: Omega and Diggins area - North of Hwy 20, South of the Yuba River and Maybert Rd, and West of Last Chance Mine and Diamond Creek Rd.
Evacuation Warnings are in effect for:
NCO-E318: Gaston, The Bear Trap, God's Country, and Celine Ridge areas
NCO-E015: Maybert Rd and Golden Quartz Picnic area
6 p.m. update from the U.S. National Forest:
NEVADA COUNTY - A fire in Nevada County is threatening homes and has prompted evacuations, officials say.
As of 4:45 p.m., the Highway Fire has burned 50 acres. As of 8 p.m., the fire was 5% contained.
Here is the latest information from Nevada County via its Facebook page:
𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬:
- NCO-E315 and NCO-316
- NCO-E318 & NCO-E015
So far, there are 186 residents under evacuation orders and an additional 28 under an evacuation warning.
If you are in this zone with a potential threat to life and/or property, evacuate now, authorities say.
- The County of Nevada, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated in response to this emergency.
Evacuation locations
- People: A temporary evacuation point will be set up at the Madelyn Helling Library located at 980 Helling Way
- Animals: Large and small animals can be housed in the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Go to Gate 8, at 11228 McCourtney Rd, Grass Valley
Check the Nevada County Dashboard, here.
Details about the Highway Fire can be found, here.
The fire started in the 2 p.m. hour and forest service officials tell CBS13 the fire is threatening homes in the community of Washington.
According to a Nevada County Sheriff's Office statement, the fire first started in the area of Washington Road and Highway 20, northeast of Nevada City.
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed, however, officials suspect it was started by a lightning strike. Multiple fire agencies are responding to the fire. A smaller fire began nearby a few days ago, which was caused by lighting. That one had been put out.
This is a developing story.
