UPDATE: Lava Fire in Siskiyou County Grows to Over 17,500 Acres, Forces New Evacuation Orders
WEED, Calif. (AP/CBS SF) — The Lava Fire that has put thousands of people under evacuation orders in Siskiyou County grew substantially overnight, but firefighters had some success against the flames, authorities said Wednesday.
The fire expanded to 17,591 acres or more than 27 square miles with 19% containment, but crews "made good progress on the western edge of the fire, cutting off progression into the communities," Shasta-Trinity National Forest said in a statement.
Current evacuation orders in effect for the Lava Fire include:
- Mount Shasta Vista Subdivision
- Carrick Addition
- County Road A-12 north and south
- Harry Cash Road
- 4 Corners to Hart Road, north side of Hoy Road
- North along Highway 97 to County Road A-12
- Communities of Lake Shastina and Juniper Valley off Big Springs Road from Highway 97 to McDonald Lane on both east and west sides of Big Springs Road
Highway 97 is closed between Weed and the city of Dorris.
All evacuation orders issued by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office remained in effect for communities north of the city of Weed, about 250 miles north of San Francisco. Residents of other areas were warned to be prepared to evacuate.
A second fire known as the Tennant Fire is burning to the northwest of the Lava Fire and has grown to over 8,000 acres.
The raging, wind-whipped wildfire on Monday night triggered a frightening "firenado" -- sending a column of flames soaring hundreds of feet in the air.
A fireando is created when smoke, fire and dirt are whipped together, creating a rotation vortex of flames above the blaze.
ALSO READ>What Is A Firenado
Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to the fire area Tuesday. On Wednesday he and other governors from the drought- and heat-plagued West had a virtual meeting with President Joe Biden.
Biden said his administration is hiring more federal firefighters and immediately raising their pay. Recalling scenes from wildfires in California and elsewhere last year, Biden said, "Orange skies look like end-of-days smoke and ash.″
Burning in the shadow of the towering Mount Shasta volcano, the Lava Fire was ignited by lightning last week.
An apologetic fire official told a town hall Tuesday that firefighters responded to the initial small fire and left after concluding it was out. It rekindled amid winds and blistering heat because of a scorching high-pressure system over the Pacific Northwest.
While still hot, weather in the region was improving. A small area remained under an excessive heat warning, and in other areas the warning was reduced to an advisory.
The rest of California was free of weather warnings. The San Francisco Bay Area weather office wrote that "the monstrosity of a high pressure system" had weakened and was moving eastward.
The extent of damage from the Lava Fire was not known, but it did burn through marijuana grows that have proliferated in the region in the last few years, exacerbating a local conflict. Law enforcement has been trying to shut down the grows for operating illegally, and the operators, who are mostly of Hmong and Chinese descent, have claimed racial discrimination.
A man trying enter a grow area during wildfire evacuation Monday pointed a gun at officers and was shot to death, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said, adding that the man may have also fired shots.
The Sacramento Bee reported that cannabis farmers claimed local authorities and fire agencies allowed the fire to burn through their properties on Monday.
Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told the Bee that firefighters stayed out of the area because the growers were hostile.
"In the last few days, we've had water trucks the growers had that have been blocking roadways, that have prevented Cal Fire from getting in there to fight the fire," the sheriff said. "Rocks were being thrown at fire personnel."
© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
