As crews continue to work to increase containment on the Rancho Fire in Cottonwood, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday morning that all evacuation warnings have been lifted.
The fire burned 157 acres and is now 40% contained, Cal Fire said Friday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“Crews remain actively engaged in strengthening control lines and conducting mop-up operations to ensure hotspots are fully extinguished,” Cal Fire posted on its Facebook page.
Forward progress on the fire was stopped Thursday afternoon.
The Rancho Fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of Rancho Estates Road north of Gas Point Road in Cottonwood. It had quickly grown to nearly 50 acres around 2 p.m. as it was burning in grass and oak woodlands, according to Cal Fire.
But by 3 p.m., Cal Fire had estimated the blaze had burned 157 acres with zero containment. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Rancho Estates Road at Gas Point is closed to northbound traffic; Rhonda Road at Lynhart and Rhonda Road at Gas Point were closed, but Rhonda Road was reopened to traffic just after 3:30 p.m., according to dispatch reports.
Winds helped fuel the fire as they were gusting up to 20 mph on Thursday afternoon with the temperature hovering in the mid-90s, the National Weather Service.
The forecast for Friday and the weekend calls for cooler temperatures, but wind will continue to gust between 20 and 30 mph in Shasta County.
The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch for the North State on Saturday.
The high Friday will be 79 degrees. Saturday’s high is expected to be 81 degrees.
California wildfire map
What is a red flag warning?
A red flag warning alerts people that there is an increased risk of fire danger brought on by warm temperatures, low humidities and stronger winds, according to a NWS office in Michigan. A new fire can grow rapidly under a red flag warning, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
People can help prevent fires from starting by removing dead shrubbery around their homes and avoiding using power equipment that creates sparks, NPR reported. Other tips from the IAFC include not driving your vehicle on dry grass as the heat from the underside of your vehicle can start a fire and never throwing cigarettes or matches out of a car.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: UPDATE: Sheriff lifts all evacuation warnings for Rancho Fire as containment is at 40%
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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