OROVILLE — Driven by strong overnight winds, the Bear Fire exploded and moved into Butte County on Wednesday morning, destroying most of Berry Creek and leading to three known deaths.
Everything on both sides of Bald Rock Road from Olive Highway to Rockefeller Road was either burned or on fire when the Enterprise-Record was there early Wednesday morning.
In a briefing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Public Information Officer Steve Kaufmann said there are 4,200 structures in the fire parameter with about 200 damaged or destroyed. A total of 23,356 structures are threatened in Butte County, while in Quincy 3,125 structures are threatened.
A total of 97,164 acres had burned in the Bear Fire in the past 24 hours. Sheriff Kory Honea confirmed three deaths are currently known to have occurred due to the fire.
Over 100 people were rescued Tuesday night, and as of Wednesday, there are about 90 families in hotels throughout the county, but 140 families are still waiting for hotels. No traditional congregate shelters will be offered due to COVID-19, and at times people may be directed outside of the county for sheltering.
Cal Fire’s focus is trying to stop any south or east progression and protecting the Kelly Ridge community.
Butte County Fire Chief John Messina said the fire has been “extremely destructive” alongside “extremely high” statewide fire activity — meaning mutual aid resources are very low.
As of 10 a.m. the Bear Fire was 60,000 acres and 0% contained in Butte County, according to Cal Fire. Overnight wind conditions allowed many fires to grow significantly with extreme fire behavior, including the Bear Fire.
Surrounding Oroville
On the southern edge of the Bear Fire, flames were seen near Stringtown and Hurleton roads in Oroville around 2:30 p.m.
Once units hit the ground around 8 a.m. updates on the fire’s progression and containment were slow as all involved agencies worked to prevent the fire reaching the city of Oroville.
At 2:15 p.m., Cal Fire-Butte County Public Information Officer Rick Carhart said exactly how many structures have been destroyed by the fire may not be known until evaluations can begin.
“This fire is extremely different from anything I’ve ever dealt with,” Carhart said.
At the time, there were approximately 83 engines, 43 hand crews, 20 bulldozers and 13 water tenders deployed.
Around 5 p.m. Cal Fire Deputy Operations Chief Monty Smith said crews are currently engaged with flames that jumped Lake Oroville, “working very aggressively to contain that as quickly as possible,” as well as with Feather Falls and Berry Creek areas for structure defense and perimeter control.
Smith confirmed “Fire activity has increased throughout the afternoon.”
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has created a map using Google Maps to show all current evacuated areas live.
Residents continued to be asked to be prepared for possible evacuation by gathering personal belongings, to make arrangements for pets and animals and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
EVACUATION WARNING
9.9.20 7:40amThe Butte County Sheriff’s Office is issuing an EVACUATION WARNING for the North side of Hwy 70 in the area of LOWER CONCOW. #ButteSheriff #BearFire #NorthComplexFire pic.twitter.com/oIMPo9KXnl
— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) September 9, 2020
9.9.20 2:12am: The Temporary Evacuation Point has been relocated to the Gridley Fairgrounds. #NorthComplexFire #BearFire pic.twitter.com/zsVJEJxWuf
— Butte County, CA (@CountyofButte) September 9, 2020
Evacuation orders, warnings
The town of Paradise issued an evacuation warning at 8:30 a.m. for an area east of Pentz Road. The evacuation warning affects a portion Zone 14, east of Pentz Road. Residents are reminded that Paradise is still under a PG&E public safety power shut-off, and that traffic lights at intersections are not working.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office also issued immediate evacuation orders for several areas around Oroville including:
- Cherokee Road at Highway 70;
- South to Thompson Flat Cemetery Road and all areas east to Lake Oroville;
- The communities of Kelly Ridge and Copley Acres;
- The area east of Miners Ranch Road at Highway 162 and Oro-Bangor Highway;
- Bangor and part of the Mount Ida area.
An evacuation warning was issued at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday for the north side of Highway 70 in the area of lower Concow. Jim Broshears of Paradise Fire Safe Council said around 10 a.m. that due to the current location of the fire, for those in Paradise, “I’d either be evacuating out of precaution, or certainly prepared to evacuate.”
Also under evacuation warning are Oroville, South Oroville, Palermo, and Honcut. Also under evacuation warnings are Highway 70 from Garden Drive, south to Lower Honcut Road, Lower Honcut Road east to Bangor, and everything east to the borders of the current evacuation orders.
The current evacuation zones can be found at https://sartopo.com/m/bd55.
EVACUATION ORDER
9.9.20 12:25 a.m.BCSO is issuing an IMMEDIATE EVACUATION ORDER for Cherokee Road at Highway 70, south to Thompson Flat Cemetery Road, and all areas east to Lake Oroville. https://t.co/bafAnZIXyc #ButteSheriff #BearFire #NorthComplexFire pic.twitter.com/qQV5PVob0Q
— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) September 9, 2020
Town of Paradise evacuation warning for Zone 14 – East of Pentz Road. Link to post in Facebook:https://t.co/EZ2GtBv0Wz https://t.co/tIiduDrTXT pic.twitter.com/39ggry1wMg
— Butte County, CA (@CountyofButte) September 9, 2020
An evacuation advisory has been issued by the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office for Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon, from the Plumas/Butte County Line east to Belden, and includes Belden.
Shelter
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Butte County Fairgrounds, 199 East Hazel St. in Gridley. Other centers are open in Yuba County at Dobbins Alcouffee Center on 9185 Marysville Road in Oregon House and at the Yuba Sutter Fairgrounds at 442 Franklin Ave. in Yuba City.
Durham Community Park is also now open for evacuees, with bathrooms and a horse arena for large animals. People are asked to tie animals to the gate. The park was open overnight.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, those who are evacuating must remain in their vehicle and a representative of Butte County and the American Red Cross will assist with sheltering needs.
A small-animal shelter has been set up at the Old County Hospital, 2279 Del Oro St. at Mono Street in Oroville, which is currently full at 250 animals as of 6 p.m. Wednesday.
A large-animal center is open at Camelot Equestrian Park, 1985 Clark Road, Paradise, near Butte College. Do not leave large animals in barns, but out in pastures. North Valley Animal Disaster Group has also been activated to respond to requests for evacuation at 895-0000.
Those seeking lodging in hotels, motels or other temporary housing options in Chico can rely on a current ordinance prohibiting price gouging during and following a declared emergency. The ordinance prohibits charging a price that exceeds by more than ten percent the price of rental units, goods or services as such existed before the declaration of an emergency event. This applies to hotels, motels or other short-term or long-term rentals, as well as rental housing and sales of goods and services.
To report any suspected price gouging, people can contact the Butte County District Attorney at 1-866-DA-FRAUD (1-866-323-7283).
Weather, air
According to Cal Fire, Red Flag Warnings were in effect Wednesday across much of the state.
Wind gusts are possible up to 55 mph in mountain and foothill areas. Humidity will measure mainly in the single digits and teens through Wednesday and will likely increase Thursday.
However, wind conditions are expected to improve Thursday and seasonal temperatures with high temperatures in the low 90s, with dry conditions, will persist into the weekend.
Butte County Public Health Department’s Public Information Officer Lisa Almaguer said the public is urged to stay indoors to prevent inhalation of wildfire smoke. More information on precautions to take can be found on the department’s website.
If people have to go outside, they should wear an N95 mask as typical face coverings for COVID-19 do not filter out larger particulate matter. Breathing in ash can irritate the eyes nose and throat and can make breathing difficult for some people. Almaguer added people with children need to find the right mask size for their child.
For those who stay inside, doors and windows need to be closed with any air conditioning system set to recirculate air, and people should avoid burning candles, fires or gas or smoking indoors.
At 11:42 a.m. Glenn County Air Pollution Control District and the Glenn County Public Health Department issued an Air Pollution Advisory to notify the public of potential poor air quality conditions in Glenn County due to smoke from multiple fires in Glenn and surrounding counties. Regional air quality is forecast to potentially reach unhealthy levels and smoke impacts could vary for several days depending on wind direction and the intensity of the fire activity.
The major air pollutant of concern is fine particulate matter also known as PM2.5. While all may experience varying degrees of symptoms, more sensitive populations, such as the young, the elderly, pregnant women, smokers and those with respiratory conditions, are of greatest risk to experience more aggravated symptoms which may include coughing, watery and itchy eyes and difficulty in breathing.
People experiencing questionable or severe symptoms should seek professional medical advice and treatment. The following actions are recommended as needed in areas impacted by smoke during poor air pollution periods:
- Limit outdoor exertion by children, students and adults;
- Reduction in travel including unnecessary driving;
- Check or replace air conditioner filters.
The evacuation orders are due to the Bear Fire which the U.S. Forest Service has been fighting south of Bucks Lake since mid-August. The fire merged with the Claremont Fire burning south of Quincy and is now being called the North Complex fire.
For Butte County residents, fire information is available at 538-7826.
Current Evacuation Areas for Yuba County #willowfire and #bearfire #NorthComplexFire pic.twitter.com/8Qb7UdJlpl
— Yuba County Sheriff (@YubaSheriff) September 9, 2020
