Rural fire explodes north of Truckee
Parched forest fuels and high winds caused the Beckwourth Complex fire to explode in size on Thursday, with the Plumas National Forest blaze now primed to overtake the Lava Fire as California’s largest in 2021.
The complex, a fusion of the Sugar and Dotta fires on the eastern edge of the forest about 60 miles north of Truckee, grew from 12,469 to 24,525 acres by Friday morning and was just 11% contained.
The Lava Fire, a lightningsparked blaze in the ShastaTrinity National Forest, held mostly steady at 25,159 acres and 70% containment as of Friday morning.
The Beckwourth Complex’s massive 24hour spread came mostly from the Sugar Fire, which was caused by a lightning strike on July 2. After scorching 11,799 acres by Thursday, the flames pushed east towards Adams Peak and more than doubled in size to 23,855 acres on Friday morning.
The growth also caused fire crews to lose significant ground, with containment levels dropping from 20% on Thursday to 11% Friday.
The smaller Dotta Fire, which began June 30 and was also caused by lightning, held steady overnight at 670 acres and 76% containment.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents on the north end of Constantia Road where it intersects with Highway 395 South to Red Rock Road on the west side of Highway 395. An evacuation warning remains in effect for residents west of Highway 395 from County Road A26 south to Constantia Road and from Red Rock Road south to the line dividing Sierra and Lassen counties.
Meanwhile the Lava Fire, burning near Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, grew only slightly from 25,003 acres on Thursday. It is expected to be fully contained on Monday.