Loyalton Fire burns more than 36,000 acres, 5 percent contained
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 08/17/2020 - 8:44am
The Loyalton Fire north of the California, Nevada state line has burned 36,295 acres and is 5 percent contained as of Monday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire, which is believed to have started by lightning, has destroyed 5 homes and six outbuildings.
Among the resources are 42 engines, including Carson City Fire Brush Engine 51, 12 hand crews, 10 aircraft, 8 water tenders, and 18 bulldozers or masticators.
According to a fire summary released Monday morning, no new evacuations were issued overnight. The summary states the following:
The fire burned actively overnight, showing considerable spread on the west and south sides.
Crews made good progress, however, especially around the long finger that moved southeast yesterday west of Highway 395 and threatened the areas around Bordertown and Cold Springs, according to a Forest Service news release.
There is now fire line around that area, and forward progress has been stopped as of now. All evacuation orders remain in effect Monday.
Day shift crews will continue the work from overnight, tying the line constructed around the finger back into the main body of the fire. They will use indirect (away from the fire’s main edge) and direct (against the fire’s edge) tactics to continue suppression.
Ten helicopters are currently assigned to the fire, with most flying out of the Truckee Airport. Fixed-wing aircraft is available to the fire on an as-needed basis. Fire activity has picked up considerably in California (and the country) over the last few days, and with many new starts around the state, resources are being shared and use to their best effectiveness.
Temperatures Monday are expected to be similar to yesterday. Winds Monday are predicted to be lighter, with only a small chance of thunderstorms in the forecast. A fire weather watch does remain in effect over the area.
A downloadable version of this update and maps are available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6975.
Evacuations:
— Mandatory Evacuation Orders remains in effect for Balls Canyon Road, Long Valley Road, Bordertown and Copperfield.
— The Mandatory Evacuation has been changed to an Advisory Evacuation Order for the residents of Cold Springs.
— Mandatory evacuation from Red Rock Road south to Highway 70 has been changed to advisory.
The Mandatory Evacuation Order in effect for residents from the intersection of Hwy 49 and 70 east to Hwy 70 and Hwy 395 has been changed to advisory.
— An evacuation advisory has been issued for the area of Highway 70 and Highway 49 south to Loyalton, and to the east side of Highway 49.
The Mandatory Evacuation Order on Scott Road has been changed to advisory.
Road Closures
— Highway 70 is now open and under homes along it are under an advisory evacuation.
Forest Closures
A Forest Closure for the Dog Valley area was issued on the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest due to the fire’s southern spread.
Closures: Highway 70 is now open but under advisory as fire activity could warrant another closure. Hwy 395 is reopened. Be advised to consider alternative travel routes. Please drive slowly with headlights on and yield to emergency personnel.
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