Wildfire updates: Investigators looking for leads for cause of Mountain Fire; Mill Fire holds

Tuesday’s update: Mill Fire slows, Mountain Fire grows and wildfire in Riverside County kills two

A third fire erupted near the Northern California city of Weed Monday, forcing authorities to order evacuations near the Weed Golf Club.

Cal Fire officials said a 2-acre blaze called the Edgewood Fire was burning near Edgewood Road near the golf course and ordered residents of zones SIS-5212-A and SIS-5212-B to evacuate.

The fire was burning in timber and brush and its forward progress had been stopped, Cal Fire said, but it was the latest challenge for the Siskiyou County community where two people died Friday in the Mill Fire.

The two victims killed in that blaze were both women — ages 66 and 73 — and were found inside the Weed city limits, authorities said early Monday.

The women, whose names were not released pending notification of relatives, were found on Friday by first responders after the blaze broke out, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

No other residents have been reported as missing, sheriff’s officials said. At an operational briefing early Monday, Cal Fire unit chief Phillip Anzo led firefighting crews in a moment of silence for the two victims.

City officials have said the Mill Fire is believed to have started at a shed in an unused portion of the Roseburg Forest Products mill in Weed, although Cal Fire has not confirmed where or how the blaze began.

Within hours of the Mill Fire beginning at about 12:49 p.m. Friday, a second blaze — the Mountain Fire — erupted several miles to the west.

Cal Fire said Monday evening that officials “are actively investigating the cause of the Mountain Fire” and are asking for help from the public to determine how it began. Anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at 530-842-1022.

Both were still burning Monday and officials estimate at least 100 homes were destroyed in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Weed and in nearby Lake Shastina.

The Mill Fire had burned 4,263 acres by Monday evening, holding steady from the morning update. More than 500 people remained evacuated from it, Cal Fire said. But containment of that blaze had increased to 55%, up from 40% in the morning, as firefighters increased containment lines around the blaze and were continuing to protect structures in the area.

Cal Fire says 88 homes have been destroyed along with 18 outbuildings. But that number is expected to rise as teams continue to assess properties in Lincoln Heights, a historically Black neighborhood of Weed, as well as Lake Shastina.

The Mountain Fire charred nearly 3,000 acres in 24 hours and had burned 11,464 acres by Monday evening. The fire has forced the evacuation of 332 residents after a new round of evacuations were issued Sunday. Crews said the fire’s containment increased to 20%.

“The fire is burning in steep, broken terrain in different types of vegetation,” Cal Fire said. “All fuels are at or approaching critical levels for dryness.

“Personnel are engaging in structure defense and strengthening control lines. More resources are continuing to arrive.”

In an operational briefing for firefighting crews early Monday, officials said the Mountain Fire has been largely contained on its eastern flank but was continuing to spread to the west.

“The problematic issue ... is that western side of the mountain,” said Justin Macomb, an operations chief with Cal Fire. “We’ve got a lot of activity out there on the mountain.”

He said the fire was threatening to cross Moffett Creek in a rugged, heavily wooded area of Siskiyou. “We’ve got to hold Moffett Creek if we can,” he said.

Nearly 2,500 firefighters and other personnel were deployed to battle the blazes and were contending with scorching heat and dry conditions, with temperatures near Weed expected to hit 98 degrees Monday and 104 Tuesday. Forecasts, however, have indicated that wind will not be a factor until at least Wednesday

Six people have been killed in wildfires this summer in California, all of them in Siskiyou County. Four died in July’s McKinney Fire.

This story was originally published September 5, 2022 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Wildfire updates: Investigators looking for leads for cause of Mountain Fire; Mill Fire holds."