Cal Fire says 66 homes destroyed by River Fire as crews work to contain blaze
Cal Fire crews have managed to increase containment on the destructive River Fire, which has displaced hundreds of evacuees as it burns in Placer and Nevada counties.
In a Saturday morning update, Cal Fire officials with the agency’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit said that the fire, burning west of Colfax, is now 48% contained, up from zero on Thursday. Firefighters expect to fully contain the 2,600-acre blaze by Friday next week.
Damage assessment teams are still evaluating the sum of the fire’s destruction.
As of Saturday, 66 homes are confirmed to have been destroyed, along with two commercial buildings and 20 other structures. An additional 20 structures have been damaged.
About 3,400 structures still remain threatened by the River Fire.
As crews grapple with the blaze, evacuations have been scaled back. Less than 800 residents are still under evacuation orders, according to Cal Fire, and all evacuation warnings have been lifted. Several orders were lifted for Placer County on Saturday, including for the areas of Milk Ranch Road to Spring Valley Dam Lane, Pine View Drive from Ben Taylor Road to the fire zone and White Oak Drive from Highway 174 to the fire zone.
Placer County residents in the area of the Bear River and Campbell Creek, plus those in the area of the river and Bear View Drive are still under evacuation orders. Nevada County orders remained unchanged, leaving communities along the Bear River in the area of the fire still under evacuation orders, including the areas around Dog Bar Road, Mount Olive and Sierra Knoll Estates.
Placer County residents have been told to head to the evacuation center at the Regional Park Gymnasium, 3770 Richardson Drive in Auburn. Nevada County’s evacuation center is at Bear River High School, 11130 Magnolia Road in Grass Valley.
The River Fire started on Wednesday near the Bear River Campground and quickly spread toward Colfax, prompting evacuations for the Northern California town. The Chicago Park neighborhood west of Colfax was devastated by the fire, with several homes and vehicles destroyed.
Two civilians and one firefighter have been injured by the fire. A total of 744 fire personnel are assigned to the River Fire, according to Cal Fire officials.
This story was originally published August 7, 2021 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Cal Fire says 66 homes destroyed by River Fire as crews work to contain blaze."
