Applegate Fire Update: Containment At 80 Percent; Evacuation And Closure Orders Lifted

APPLEGATE FIRE UPDATES:

YubaNet

Cal Fire

Placer County Sheriff's Office

11:30 P.M. SUNDAY, 10/12

Fire officials expect full containment of the Applegate Fire on Monday. The blaze, which consumed 459 acres, stood at 80 percent containment as of late Sunday. There are still 1,024 personnel assigned to the incident.

All closures and evacuation orders were lifted Sunday.

10:30 P.M. SATURDAY, 10/11

Containment of the Applegate Fire has reached 67 percent and the fire did not grow Saturday. Acreage burned stands at 459, thanks to the firefighting efforts from ground and air crews.

Fire officials expect full containment of the fire on Monday.

Unburned islands well within the fire's perimeter continue to burn, and crews continue improving existing lines. Mop-up work within the fire perimeter will continue over the next several days.

Returning residents are asked to  drive with caution as crews continue to work in the area.

A forecast of higher winds and lower humidity has prompted a Red Flag Warning for the North State with the potential of lasting through Monday.

A firefighter works the Applegate Fire on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014.   Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

10:50 P.M. FRIDAY, 10/10 - The Applegate Fire grew slightly Friday, to 459 acres, while fire crews made significant progress. Containment stood at 55 percent late Friday.

Some residents in the area were permitted to return to their homes Friday, although several areas are still under evacuation warning orders, including:

• All areas and roads East of I-80 to the American River and North of the intersection of Swanson Lane and Ponderosa Way to John Muir Road.
• All areas and roads East of I-80 to the American River, South of Hidden Meadow Way, and North of Pepper Ranch Road.

The following area remains under a mandatory evacuation order: All areas and roads East of Applegate Road at Cody Lane to the American River, South of Swanson Lane and Ponderosa Way and North of Hidden Meadow Way.

The following road closure points remain in effect:

• Dead end of Paoli (South end of the Railroad, South of Campora)
• Ponderosa Way, South of Swanson Ln.
• Eagle Ridge Rd., at Forest Hill Rd.
• Applegate Rd., at Hidden Meadow Way.
• Applegate Rd., at Rigby Ln.

#ApplegateFire [update] along I-80 near Applegate (Placer Co) is now 459 acres & 55% contained. http://t.co/7Sfh8C8e7V

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) October 11, 2014

7:35 A.M. Firefighters  made some progress overnight on the Applegate Fire burning near Weimar, northeast of Auburn along the east side of Interstate 80.

Cal Fire says the blaze is now 30 percent contained -- up from 25 percent last night.

The fire has burned 420 acres. It's destroyed six homes and is threatening a thousand more.

Crews are hoping to block the blaze from reaching the American River Canyon, where the steep terrain would make it more difficult to fight.

Wide-ranging evacuations are in effect. Evacuation centers are open in Auburn and Colfax, with a pet shelter open at the Gold Country fairgrounds.

-Ben Adler / Capital Public Radio

7 A.M. Firefighters continue to battle the Applegate Fire northeast of Auburn that's destroyed six homes and threatens a thousand more. It's more than 400 acres and 25 percent contained.

Cal Fire says the drought has made conditions in the area ripe for a destructive fire.

Winds have been pushing the blaze towards the American River Canyon. That's something firefighters are working very hard to avoid, because the canyon's terrain would make suppression much more difficult.

CalFire's Lynne Tolmachoff says there's a lot to worry about with this blaze.

"The fuels definitely are dry," says Tolmachoff. "Even though we had rain a couple of weeks ago, it really didn't touch these fuels. We're talking three years of a severe drought. There trees and vegetation out there are struggling and they're burning very easily. The conditions are very ripe for a destructive fire."

She says firefighters are doing everything they can to keep the blaze from reaching the American River Canyon, where steep terrain would make combating the fire much more dangerous.

All lanes of Interstate 80 are open again, in both directions. Evacuation centers are open in Auburn and Colfax -- with a pet shelter at the Gold Country fairgrounds.

Meanwhile, the King Fire in El Dorado County is now 100 percent contained.

Mandatory Evacuations are in effect for:

Pinecone Peak
Hummingbird Hill
Panorama
High View Ln
Margaret Ann
Montana
Arrora Nova
Easy Ln
Sunny Hill Dr
Sun Valley
Ponderosa to Poppy lane
Swanson Lane
Ponderosa Way to State Parks Line
Bridge Trail Way
Brushy Ridge
Hidden Ridge
Cross Road
East Ridge
Weaver Hill Lane
Weaver Hill Rd
Sundance Place
Dundee Ct
Douglas Drive
Dunvegan Dr
Heather Glen Drive
Hotchkiss Dr
Sinclair Ct

Current evacuation shelters:

Auburn Veteran’s Memorial Hall 100 East St., Auburn

Sierra Vista Community Center 55 School St., Colfax

Animal evacuations can go to the Gold Country Fairgrounds, 1273 High St., Auburn