Firefighters make progress on Oak Fire near Willits; Highway 101 now open – Ukiah Daily Journal

Unexpectedly favorable weather conditions overnight Tuesday helped firefighters make good progress in containing the Oak Fire near Willits, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Wednesday morning.

(Tuesday) night went really well, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Tricia Austin. We didnt see the high winds (that were expected), and the temperatures were lower than expected.

However, Austin said the fire was in very rugged terrain with lots of ravines that are hard to access, and the poor air quality and low visibility meant that no aircraft could be used to help suppress the fire as of mid-morning Wednesday.

The latest update from Cal Fire that morning had the fire at 863 acres with 10-percent containment. Two structures had been destroyed and 800 homes were still threatened.

The fire was reported around 12:15 p.m. Sept. 7, and the cause is still under investigation. As of Wednesday, the areas of Third Gate Road, Spring Creek, Schow Road, Ryan Creek Road, and Sleepy Hollow were under evacuation orders. The areas of Irmulco Road, Sherwood Rancheria, Shimmins Ridge Road, Hearst Willits Road, String Creek and the Willits Valley north of Highway 20 were under evacuation warnings. To see a map of these areas go to: https://tinyurl.com/MendoEvac

On Wednesday morning, a section of Highway 101 remained closed in both directions at Highway 162 to the north of the fire, and at the Willits bypass to the south of the fire. Around 11:30 a.m. Sept. 9, the California Highway Patrol reported that the latest estimate was that the highway would be closed for at least another 24 hours minimum, and that currently only certain vehicles were being escorted though the closure.

However, by 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the roadway was reopened to traffic in both directions.

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Firefighters make progress on Oak Fire near Willits; Highway 101 now open - Ukiah Daily Journal