The Green Fire spread rapidly north of Lake Shasta, pushed by hot and dry gusty winds and very dry vegetation — prompting the county to warn of health risks from heavy smoke and to issue an evacuation order and warnings for zones in and around the blaze.
The wildfire grew to 8,395 acres early Saturday, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s inter-agency report — up from 5,914 acres Friday morning. Aircraft flying over the area later on Saturday, mapped the fire’s size at 9,005 acres. It burned northeast of Lake Shasta and east of the lake’s Pit River arm, and over parts of Brook Mountain Lookout Road, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s fire map.
There’s no containment on the Green Fire, the forest service reported on Friday night.
The National Weather Service reported the heat wave hitting the Redding area and North State will continue through Monday, further drying air and vegetation and challenging firefighters.
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The Green Fire’s rapid spread through dry brush is pushing heavy smoke and pollution into the air. Shasta County issued a smoke advisory, in effect through Sunday.
Which Green Fire zone is under an evacuation order and which zones are under a warning
Shasta County Sheriff’s office issued an evacuation order Friday night for zone LKH-1448-A, north of Kennedy Memorial Road and south of Wheeler Nursery Road, according to Genasys.com zone maps.
Zone LKH-1448-B to the north of the Green Fire area remains under an evacuation warning, the Sheriff’s office reported. That area is north of Wheeler Nursery Road.
The county also issued evacuation warnings for two zones to the west of the Green Fire’s zone “due to a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now,” the Sheriff’s office announced at around 9:30 p.m. Friday. Those zones are:
To find your zone, type your address into the search window 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.
The forest service also closed trails and campgrounds near the fire, including the Hirz Recreation Complex, Chirpchatter Campground and picnic area, Potem Falls Trail and Madrone Campground and picnic area.
The fire started on July 1 north of the Pit River arm of Lake Shasta, and south of the Chirpchatter Campground, according to the forest service. That area is about 8 miles west of Round Mountain, according to Cal Fire maps.
(This story was updated with new information.)
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This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Green Fire spreads to over 8,000 acres, prompts evacuations in Shasta-Trinity forest
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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