Siskiyou Wildfires: 10,000 Residents Evacuated as Lava and Tenant Fires Rage On
The two Siskiyou County fires continue to grow fast and put residents on edge as they burn heavily on Tuesday evening, with both combining to cover more than 20,000 acres. With the wildfires raging near rural communities, approximately 10,000 residents remain evacuated near the danger zones.
The Lava and Tenant Fires continue to consume the minds of Siskiyou County residents as dry fuels and erratic winds push large flames and a massive pyrocumulus cloud over the region. Here are updates from both the fires.
Lava Fire
The size of the Lava Fire remains at 13,330 acres officially, although fire officials plan to conduct a mapping flight overnight which will likely grow its size significantly. Containment on the fire has dropped to 19 percent and the following areas remain under evacuation:
- All homes north side of Hoy Road
- North along Highway 97 to County Road A-12
- Communities of Lake Shastina and Juniper Valley off Big Springs Road from Highway 97 to McDonald Lane
- Big Springs Road on both east and west sides
- Mount Shasta Vista Subdivision
- County Road A-12 north and south
- Harry Cash Road
- 4 Corners to Hart Road
- Highway 97 Closure:
- Highway 97 is closed between the City of Weed and the Juniper Lodge on Highway 97. This closed is approximately 30 miles.
Evacuation efforts were hindered on Monday as pot farmer in the evacuated area brandished a gun and shot at officers. The officers fired back, killing the man. The event was a delay in an already dangerous situation.
“It prevented fire(fighters) from going in there, because the firefighters didn’t feel very safe due to some of the comments that were made,†Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeramiah LaRue told the Sacramento Bee. “So it’s kind of a mess.â€
Meanwhile, a massive pyrocumulus cloud has risen over Mount Shasta, consuming the air north of the fire.
Tenant Fire
The Tenant Fire, which sits just north of the Lava Fire, has quickly grown to 6,000 acres and forced evacuations in Far Northern California, with photos of destroyed structures in Macdoel, California circulating online:
Abandoned Juniper "Bates" Motel goes up in flames along with other large structures in Macdoel, CA during the now 6000 Acre #TenantFire. pic.twitter.com/btGmJgwtsZ
— RMG News (@RMGNews) June 30, 2021
There is currently no reported containment. Current evacuations in the region include Bray, south of MacDoel including East and West Ball Mountain Road, Old State Highway, Juanita Lake.
We will continue to update the situation as more information is made available.