Evacuations still in place for Rices Fire in Nevada County; 5 firefighters suffer heat-related injuries

By JONATHAN AYESTAS

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    NEVADA COUNTY, California (KCRA) — The Rices Fire that has prompted evacuations in Nevada County has charred about 904 acres and burned at least one structure, Cal Fire officials said Thursday morning in an incident update.

The blaze is 12% contained with an expectation of full containment to happen by Sunday, Cal Fire said. Containment is not a measure of how much of the fire is extinguished but rather how much of a perimeter around the fire is established to prevent it from spreading.

Cal Fire said that one structure and three outhouses were destroyed in the blaze.

The Rices Fire started around 2 p.m. Tuesday near Rice’s Crossing Road just north of the south fork of the Yuba River Drainage.

“A young lady came by and said, ‘Hey, it’s time to move. You’ve got to get out,'” said Stephen Burton, whose family has lived in the area for twenty years and is now evacuated due to the fire.

He said Wednesday he didn’t know what state his home would be in once he was allowed to return with his family and their animals.

“I just try not to think about it. It’s best not to,” he said, preparing to spend a second night at a temporary evacuation site in Nevada City.

Hundreds of personnel are working on both the ground and air to halt the spread of the fire, said Brian Estes, a spokesperson for Cal Fire. Five firefighters have suffered heat-related injuries, officials said.

There was concern that the fire could get to the north part of the Yuba River Drainage, which then poses the threat of going into Yuba County.

Cal Fire said on Wednesday the fire did progress to the bottom of the Yuba River Drainage but has not yet crossed the river.

“Right now the fire is 100% holding in Nevada County,” a spokesperson for Cal Fire said.

This started as a fully involved structure that extended into vegetation. Fire crews are investigating what caused the structure fire.

Cal Fire said they know there are more structures destroyed, but that it’s unclear how many at this point. Inspection teams will go out on Thursday morning to investigate how many structures have been destroyed.

LiveCopter 3 spotted a home fully engulfed around 5:13 p.m. Tuesday.

While earlier fires so far this season have burned in grassy vegetation, this one has been setting trees on fire, which the Northern California region has not seen so far this year. That typically does not happen until later in the summer, according to Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan.

Around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, a tree fell in a burnt area of Nevada County near KCRA 3’s Orko Manna while he was in the middle of a live hit.

The community of Bridgeport is about 14 miles away from Nevada City.

About 250 homes are still under evacuation on Wednesday evening.

These areas continue to be under evacuation orders as of 7 p.m. on Wednesday: Birchville, Sweetland, French Corral, Bridgeport, Rice’s Crossing and the Buttermilk area.

With evacuation orders, there is an immediate threat to life and you are required to leave immediately.

Evacuation warnings were issued Tuesday for these areas, and remain in place: Sebastopol, North San Juan, New School, the Robinson area, Greater Tyler Foote, northern Purdon Road, Millhouse, Montezuma and Central Purdon.

On Wednesday, the Lake Francis area and steep canyon terrain leading to the base of Bullards were also placed under evacuation warnings.

With evacuation warnings, you are not required to leave but are recommended to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice in case of dangerous fire behavior.

In Yuba County, evacuation advisories were also issued in the area south of the New Bullards Bar Reservoir and south of Lake Francis, county officials tweeted at 4:41 p.m. An advisory means that residents should be on alert in case fire conditions become threatening.

The Nevada County Office of Emergency Services opened a temporary evacuation point at the Madelyn Helling Library on 980 Helling Way in Nevada City. Yuba County does not have a current evacuation center open. Authorities ask anyone seeking shelter to call 530-749-7520.

There are road closures in place on Pleasant Valley at Birchville and Pleasant Valley at Bridgeport.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds is open to receive animals if you have been displaced by the fire, according to the sheriff’s office. Volunteers with the Nevada County Veterinary Disaster Response Team were caring for more than 100 animals — horses, pigs, dogs and others — Wednesday displaced by the fire.

“We house the animals. We need them. We have medical attention for them,” said Pat Ehlers, the group’s coordinator. “I see these animals getting to go home.”

As fire season continued, Ehlers encouraged families to have go-bags ready for themselves and their animals.

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