McFarland, Monument Fires In Trinity County Grow To More Than 21,000 Acres
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Two lightning-caused wildfires in Trinity County in upper Northern California jumped in size over the past 24 hours to more than 21,000 acres combined.
The McFarland Fire was burning in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest south of Highway 36 about and about 45 miles southwest of Redding. The National Forest Service said as of 6:00 a.m. Tuesday the fire had burned 15,925 acres with 5% containment.
Shortly after 4 p.m., the Trinity County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation order for the areas of Cedar Flat and an evacuation warning for the area of Burnt Ranch due to the Monument Fire. Evacuation centers will be set up at the First Baptist Church in Weaverville and the Willow Creek VFW Hall located at 20 Kimtu Road in Willow Creek.
Earlier, the community of Wildwood was under an evacuation order with evacuation warnings were in place for the Post Mountain and Trinity Pines communities. The wildfire also has forced the closure of Highway 36 from White Rock Road to the junction with Highway 3. Wildwood Road is also closed from Highway 36 to Highway 3.
- Latest Wildfire Information: Maps, Evacuations, Road Closures - McFarland Fire | Monument Fire
- Trinity County Website
- Trinity County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page
About 25 miles north of the fire, the Monument Fire also grew and had burned more than 6,000 acres as of Tuesday morning with zero containment. The fire is also in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest just south of Del Loma and a half-mile east of Big Bar. The Trinity County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders Monday night for both communities.
Highway 299 in the area has been intermittently closed and subject to controlled traffic because of the wildfire, the forest service said.
Forecasters predict the weather in Trinity County would continue to be hot and dry through Wednesday with cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity expected by Thursday and Friday.
The two fires were among several other fires in the Trinity Alps area of the Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests are urged travelers to be aware of the current wildfire conditions and road closures.
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