Cal-Fire has confirmed the loss of 3 homes and 4 outbuildings in a fire that started near Jones Valley and spread toward Bella Vista. That number is likely to go up as Cal-Fire completes damage assessments. The Mountain Fire, as it’s called, started to the south of Bear Mountain Road and west of Dry Creek Road just after 11AM Thursday morning and moved to the southwest, eventually burning more than 600 acres. As of Friday morning the fire is 40% contained. Firefighters are getting a lot of relief today with much weaker winds. Gusty winds were a major factor in the initial fire growth, according to to Cal-Fire Public Information Officer Cheryl Bullivac. All the damage is south of Bear Mountain Road and west of Dry Creek Road. Highway 299 was closed to all traffic between Old Oregon Trail and Deschutes Road but it has since reopened. Dry Creek Road is also open, but Bear Mountain Road is still closed from Christian Way to Dry Creek Road. For updates on evacuations and road closures, residents can call 211 and follow Cal-Fire and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office on Twitter.