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Ridge Fire: All evacuation orders lifted and roads reopen, Colusa sheriff says

Ridge Fire: All evacuation orders lifted and roads reopen, Colusa sheriff says
IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. LET’S GET TO OUR WILDFIRE COVERAGE RIGHT NOW. A FAST BURNING FIRE NEAR LAKE AND COLUSA COUNTIES HAS PROMPTED EVACUATIONS AND IS THREATENING STRUCTURES. THE RIDGE FIRE BROKE OUT SATURDAY AFTERNOON ABOUT 430 NEAR WALKER RIDGE ROAD AND HIGHWAY 20. SO FAR, MORE THAN 2600 ACRES HAVE BURNED. TODAY, THE FIRE IS 25% CONTAINED. CAL FIRE SAYS ABOUT 30 STRUCTURES IN LAKE COUNTY ARE BEING THREATENED, WITH ANOTHER 20 IN COLUSA COUNTY, OFFICIALS SAY THE RIDGE FIRE IS A WIND DRIVEN FIRE THAT SPREAD QUICKLY. IT’S BURNING IN AN AREA THAT’S EXPERIENCED FIRES BEFORE, SO THERE’S NOT A LOT OF ESTABLISHED FOREST BURNING, MOSTLY BRUSH AND GRASS. ABOUT 300 PERSONNEL ARE THERE, WITH MORE THAN A DOZEN HELICOPTERS AND AIRCRAFT LENDING A HAND TO THE CREWS ON THE GROUND. ON THAT NORTH SIDE IN PARTICULAR, IT’S SOME STEEP AND RUGGED TERRAIN, SO GETTING THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED IN THERE IN THE RIGHT PLACES, WE HAVE A LOT OF BULLDOZERS THAT ARE DOING THAT. THE HELICOPTERS ARE HELPING OUT, DOING A LOT OF WATER DROPS IN THAT AREA, AND THEN OUR HAND CREWS. CAL FIRE SAYS SO FAR THERE ARE
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Ridge Fire: All evacuation orders lifted and roads reopen, Colusa sheriff says
All evacuation orders have been lifted for the Ridge Fire and roads are back open, the Colusa County Sheriff's Office said on Friday. Previous coverage below: Crews have made progress against the fast-burning brush fire near the border of Lake and Colusa counties that prompted nearby evacuations and threatened nearby structures, officials said.The fire is burning near Walker Ridge Road and Highway 20 near the Lake-Colusa county border. As of Monday at 6:10 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire had burned 2,756 acres, a slight increase from 2,600 acres reported earlier in the day. Containment had grown to 30%, up from 25% on Monday. Containment is measured in percentages to describe a break or line where combustible material around the fire has been achieved, helping prevent the fire from spreading further.Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Public Information Officer Jason Clay said it was a wind-driven fire that initially spread quickly when it started at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. He described the challenges."On that North side in particular is some steep and rugged terrain, so getting the resources that we need right in there," he said. "We have a lot of bulldozers doing that and we have a lot of helicopters helping out with a lot of water drops and then our hand crews."Clay said they need a combination of all resources to keep the fire in a boxed area. He said it's an area that's burned in the past, so there is not a lot of established forest and a lot of brush and grass are burning.He also said it's a remote area with ranches and cabins. Cal Fire said about 30 structures in Lake County are threatened by the fire. Twenty in Colusa County are also threatened.Some of the threatened structures are at the Wilbur Hot Springs resort. Crews were able to create a fire line up the ridge behind the resort to keep the flames from spreading to the buildings on the property. No structures have been reported damaged. The Colusa County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders for parts of Colusa and Lake counties. In Colusa County, only Wilbur Springs and Wilbur Springs Road remain under evacuation orders and road closures. You are lawfully required to leave immediately when evacuation orders are issued because of the threat to safety.There were also evacuation warnings in place in Lake County but they were lifted Thursday. You are not required to evacuate under warnings but are recommended to do so in case conditions become dangerous. Highway 20, east of Clearlake Oaks at Route 53, has fully reopened after being shut down due to the fire.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said winds helped drive the fire, with gusts as high as 29 mph recorded. You can check the air quality here.About 300 personnel are attacking the fire. Here is where to find the latest information on the fire: Ridge Fire | CAL FIREFacebook – Caltrans District 1Facebook – Cal Fire LNU FBCAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) / X – Cal Fire LNU X| MORE | A 2024 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Track fire conditions across Northern California regions with our Fire Threat Index Here are key websites that are important for all Californians during wildfire season.Cal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up to receive text messages for Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your ZIP code here.Wildfires on federal land: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when returning from one here. Here is how to report track and report PG&E power outages.Keeping informed when you've lost power and cellphone service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Be prepared for road closures: Download Caltrans' QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here.San Joaquin County emergency informationSan Joaquin County Office of Emergency ServicesSign up for the SJReady community notification systemSan Joaquin County neighborhood evacuation mapsFire departments in San Joaquin CountySee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

All evacuation orders have been lifted for the Ridge Fire and roads are back open, the Colusa County Sheriff's Office said on Friday.

Previous coverage below:

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Crews have made progress against the fast-burning brush fire near the border of Lake and Colusa counties that prompted nearby evacuations and threatened nearby structures, officials said.

The fire is burning near Walker Ridge Road and Highway 20 near the Lake-Colusa county border. As of Monday at 6:10 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire had burned 2,756 acres, a slight increase from 2,600 acres reported earlier in the day.

Containment had grown to 30%, up from 25% on Monday.

Containment is measured in percentages to describe a break or line where combustible material around the fire has been achieved, helping prevent the fire from spreading further.

Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Public Information Officer Jason Clay said it was a wind-driven fire that initially spread quickly when it started at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. He described the challenges.

"On that North side in particular is some steep and rugged terrain, so getting the resources that we need right in there," he said. "We have a lot of bulldozers doing that and we have a lot of helicopters helping out with a lot of water drops and then our hand crews."

Clay said they need a combination of all resources to keep the fire in a boxed area. He said it's an area that's burned in the past, so there is not a lot of established forest and a lot of brush and grass are burning.

He also said it's a remote area with ranches and cabins.

Cal Fire said about 30 structures in Lake County are threatened by the fire. Twenty in Colusa County are also threatened.

Some of the threatened structures are at the Wilbur Hot Springs resort. Crews were able to create a fire line up the ridge behind the resort to keep the flames from spreading to the buildings on the property. No structures have been reported damaged.

The Colusa County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders for parts of Colusa and Lake counties. In Colusa County, only Wilbur Springs and Wilbur Springs Road remain under evacuation orders and road closures.

You are lawfully required to leave immediately when evacuation orders are issued because of the threat to safety.

There were also evacuation warnings in place in Lake County but they were lifted Thursday. You are not required to evacuate under warnings but are recommended to do so in case conditions become dangerous.

Highway 20, east of Clearlake Oaks at Route 53, has fully reopened after being shut down due to the fire.

Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn said winds helped drive the fire, with gusts as high as 29 mph recorded. You can check the air quality here.

About 300 personnel are attacking the fire.

Here is where to find the latest information on the fire:

CAL FIRE LNU (@CALFIRELNU) / X – Cal Fire LNU X

| MORE | A 2024 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Track fire conditions across Northern California regions with our Fire Threat Index

Here are key websites that are important for all Californians during wildfire season.

San Joaquin County emergency information

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.