Pair of wildfires grow in Mendocino County outside of Ukiah; residents ordered to evacuate

Two wildfires erupted in Mendocino County amid triple-digit heat Friday afternoon, triggering an evacuation order affecting a wide swath of the county east of Hopland and warnings for those in the vicinity of Potter Valley and Blue Lakes.

Both fires were burning uncontrolled into Friday night, fueled by gusts nearing 30 mph, with firefighting resources stretched thin amid a siege of wildfires statewide.

Smoke from the fires blanketed much of the North Bay late Friday, and authorities in Sonoma and Napa counties issued advisories noting that no fires were threatening residents in their jurisdictions.

The larger of the two Mendocino County blazes, the River fire, had burned 4,000 acres by 8 p.m. and prompted a mandatory evacuation for Hopland-area residents stretching from the 8000 block of Old River Road south to Highway 175 and all the way east to the Lake County line.

“In multiple locations, the fire has burned all the way down to River Road,” said Lt. Shannon Barney of the sheriff’s office.

A separate evacuation warning covered homes in an area bounded by Highway 175 to the north, Highway 101 to the west and the Old Toll Road to the east.

A mobile home as well as some outbuildings and a handful of vehicles had been destroyed, according to Barney. The River fire started just before 1:30 p.m. between Ukiah and the town of Hopland on Old River Road south of Talmage near mile marker 7.9. Its cause was unknown Friday.

The smaller blaze, called the Ranch fire, had grown to 1,000 acres Friday evening and was burning off Highway 20 near Potter Valley and northwest of Blue Lakes. It started at Buffalo Ranch after noon and had prompted authorities to warn residents in the area to be ready to evacuate.

Few residences were threatened so far by the Ranch fire, Barney said by text message. No structures had been damaged. Its cause was also unknown.

Cal Fire cited high temperatures, rugged terrain and aggressive fire behavior as the challenges for firefighters seeking to contain the blazes. One firefighter was injured in the effort, but additional information was not immediately available.

State and local firefighters from Mendocino and Sonoma counties were responding to the fires. Aerial crews made drops on both fires, but their efforts were limited to two planes, according to Tricia Austin, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.

Much of the state’s aerial fleet is assigned to larger fires, including one burning in Shasta County and threatening Redding, and another that has closed Yosemite National Park.

Austin said fire commanders had ordered additional resources to help with the attack late Friday.

Air quality officials issued an advisory Friday for Mendocino County, noting heavy concentrations of smoke from both the Carr fire in Shasta County and the two local blazes. People sensitive to smoke, including the young, elderly and infirm, were urged to remain indoors.