An intense wildfire that erupted Wednesday afternoon is quickly growing in size an hour from Sacramento while another that's been raging for days appears to have caused major damage in a small Plumas County town.
The River Fire started at 3:32 p.m. off Milk Ranch Rd. and Bear River Campground Rd. near the county line that separates Placer County from Nevada County, CAL FIRE reported.
Between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., the fire doubled from 500 acres to 1,000 with 0% containment, prompting evacuations in both counties.
There are three evacuation shelters for residents who have been forced to leave their homes because of the River Fire: Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall at 100 East St. in Auburn which is accepting pets, Gold County Fairgrounds and Event Center at 209 Fairgate Rd. – which is not accepting pets – and Bear River High School at 11130 Magnolia Rd. in Grass Valley.
At approximately 6:16, CA Fire Scanner reported via Twitter that "the River Fire was approaching Mt. Olive Rd. but 'had slowed down' as it was hitting sparser fuels in the Chicago Park area."
As of 7:30 p.m., CAL FIRE said the River Fire is at 1,400 acres.
In Plumas and Butte counties, the Dixie Fire continues to grow in size, scope and destruction. CAL FIRE officials said the blaze measured 278,227 acres and was 35% contained late Wednesday.
It's now the eighth-largest fire in California history.
The U.S. Forest Service is assisting in the effort.
"Firefighters are fighting for the town of Greenville," a spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service told the San Francisco Chronicle. No other information on the extent of the fire's damage in Greenville was immediately available.
Posts to social media late Wednesday indicated major damage to the town, which had a population just under 900 as of 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The fire also roared through Gold Rush-era ghost town Rich Bar, the paper reported. More than 12,000 structures remain threatened. "It is moving closer to homes," CAL FIRE Spokesperson Mitch Matlow told KCBS Radio. "We are working hard to do structure defense in those areas."
The fast-moving fire, burning across two counties, has prompted evacuation orders for several thousand people. No injuries have been reported.
"We are actively monitoring the River Fire and Dixie Fire while working closely with local officials to support the communities being threatened," Gov Gavin Newsom's office tweeted on Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service had issued a Red Flag Warning through Thursday because of hot, bone-dry conditions with winds up to 40 mph. That could drive flames through timber, brush and grass, especially along the northern and northeastern sides of the vast wildfire.
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