The Brook Fire, sparked Saturday afternoon, in the Bella Vista area, just south of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest had consumed 366 acres by nighttime.
The vegetation fire broke out under scorching weather on July 18 and rapidly spread, threatening homes and prompting Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson to order people whose homes were in the path of the fire to evacuate.
The fire spread north and neared Backbone Ridge, roughly a mile from the Pit River arm of Lake Shasta, according to scanner traffic. That’s after the main fire merged with a large spot fire to its north. Fire maps showed that larger spot fire burned north of Aloha Road as the main fire burned over the road from the south-southeast.
Crews worked in heavy smoke and used bulldozers to try to clear a path at key spots around the fire to stop its progress but didn’t report any containment as of 9 p.m. Saturday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
The fast-moving fire was reported at 4:11 p.m. in the area of Holbrook Drive and Aloha Road, growing from 20 acres, then 40 acres in a matter of minutes.
Outdoor cameras showed smoke rising in the air. Arriving crews started fighting the fire from the ground and air before 4:30 p.m., according to Watch Duty, an app that tracks fires and emergency response,
The blaze spread through rugged terrain northeast of Redding and north of Highway 299. Light 5-7 mph winds pushed it north through very dry brush and steep terrain, firefighters reported, and in 99-degree heat, according to the National Weather Service.
By early evening, the fire ignited several spot fires north of the main fire, Watch Duty reported, burning both sides of Aloha Road and Bacon Creek.
Multiple firefighters were flown off the fire line with burns and injuries, firefighters said on the scanner.
The cause of the Brook Fire is under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know.
Road closed at Highway 299 and north of highway due to Brook Fire
The sheriff’s office announced Saturday evening it closed these roads.
Evacuation center opened at Redding church
The sheriff announced the county opened an evacuation center for people displaced by the Brook Fire at Pilgrim Congregational Church at 2850 Foothill Blvd. in Redding.
A temporary evacuation center at Shasta College’s main campus closed, sheriff’s dispatch said but the campus still operated as a rallying point where evacuees could stop.
Bella Vista residents in these zones are under evacuation orders, warnings
The sheriff’s office called for Bella Vista area residents to evacuate from zones between Highway 299 south of the fire to the Pit River at its north.
These zones are under mandatory evacuation orders:
The sheriff announced on Saturday these evacuation warnings for these zones to the east of the fire:
Know your evacuation zone
Evacuation orders and warnings are called by zone. To find out your zone, type your address at protect.genasys.com/search. If you’re away from home and not sure of your address, users can find their location on the site’s map.
Check back on this story for updates.
California wildfire map
California severe weather watches and warnings
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal, Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding’s Future. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: UPDATE: Brook Fire grows to 366 acres as blaze spreads east of Redding
Reporting by Jenny Espino and Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jenny Espino and Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
