Lucas Fire surpasses 1,000 acres at Mendocino-Lake county line as evacuations remain
By Richard Ramos
A wildfire burning in the Potter Valley area of California’s Mendocino County has prompted an evacuation order Thursday as the Lucas Fire continues to grow.
The Lucas Fire started around 9:18 a.m. Thursday in the Potter Valley area, right near the border where Mendocino and Lake counties meet.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (Cal Fire) Mendocino Unit said the fire has since grown to burn roughly 1,099 acres with 5% containment.
Fire officials said the fire was burning at a moderate rate of spread with long-range spotting and that additional ground and air resources had been ordered to the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Late Thursday afternoon, California’s Office of Emergency Services said it is aware of the fire and is coordinating with local partners.
Evacuation orders
The majority of the evacuation orders affect Lake County. Cal Fire said residents within one mile south and one mile east of the fire are under an evacuation order and have been told to leave immediately.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said mandatory evacuations are in place for zones MNF-E016, MNF-E018, MNF-E019, UPP-E023, UPP-E025, UPP-E026, UPP-E027, UPP-E030.
Evacuation warnings were issued for UMNF-E017, MNF-E021, UPP-E028, UPP-E031, UPP-E032, UPP-E035, and UPP-E038.
A live evacuation map can be viewed here.
In Mendocino County, officials have issued evacuation warnings for zones MEN-2POT08 and MEN-2UKV28. The county has a live map that residents can use to monitor official evacuation information.
