The Wall Fire in Butte County has destroyed 41 homes, according to Cal-Fire, with 3 other homes damaged and 55 other structures damaged or destroyed. The North State’s worst fire of the year so far started Friday afternoon in Butte County off Chinese Wall Road north of Bangor. The fast moving blaze burned through a couple of thousand acres in just a few hours Friday. It’s now more than 5800 acres and 45% contained. Cal-Fire says fire activity has reduced significantly. 4 people have been injured in the fire zone. About 4000 people remain evacuated from their homes.Almost 1700 people from various agencies are working the fire. The cause is not yet known. Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Butte County. There’s a public information hotline at 538-7826.
There was a new fire Monday in Butte County. The Honcut Fire started in the afternoon off Palermo Honcut Highway with a rapid rate of spread. That fire is 100% contained after burning 166 acres. The Benson Fire off Benson Road in the Bowman area 11 miles northwest of Red Bluff is fully contained. That fire started Saturday and burned 29 acres.
Evacuation warnings have been lifted for residents of an area south of Etna in Siskiyou County. The Fay fire started Wednesday morning off Highway 3 and Fay Lane. The fire is at 469 acres with 95% containment.
The Forest Service is still monitoring a fire in the Marble Mountains Wilderness. The Island Fire was sparked by lightning and was first spotted on Monday June 26th. It’s burning in old growth mixed conifer forest about 14 miles west of Etna in an area with no large recorded fire history, but it’s surrounded on three sides by previous burns. The Island Fire is about 962 acres with no containment. It’s expected to exceed a thousand acres in the next day or so.