A lightning sparked wildfire in Mendicino County lead to new evacuation orders Tuesday.
Cal Fire said the fire, which Cal Fire has named the Pass Fire, is only 10-percent contained as of Tuesday afternoon and has spread to some 6,500 acres. They say 732 men and women are working on the fire line.
The fire was sparked early Saturday morning by lightning in the Williams Valley 10 miles northeast of Covelo.
Cal Fire said it is actively burning in heavy timber and moving northeast into the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness.
That is a sparsely populated area, but there were some homes in the area.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office issued a Mandatory Evacuation Order for any and all residents of the following areas:
- Indian Dick Road (USFS Road M1), east of the Town of Covelo, all residents on Indian Dick Road from the intersection of Mendocino Pass Road (USFS Road FH7), north, to the Trinity County Line and East to the Tehama County Line. This order includes all residences and USFS campsites at Howard Lake Campground, Little Doe Campground, and Hammerhorn Lake Campground.
- Blands Cove Road, east of the Town of Covelo, from the start of the Traveler's Home Wilderness Trail Head, north to the Trinity County Line.
- Road Closures, Blands Cove Road and Indian Dick Road (USFS Road M1) will be closed to all non-emergency traffic in the areas noted above. These road closures remain in effect until the mandatory evacuation order is rescinded.
Anyone displaced by this evacuation order can contact the American Red Cross for housing assistance at (707)463-0112 or (855)891-7325. Anyone having questions regarding this order can contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at (707)463-6536.
