Lightning-caused Loyalton Fire now at 36,295 acres and 5% containment

LOYALTON, Calif. - Fire officials with the Tahoe National Forest say the Loyalton Fire has now burned 36,295 acres and is at five percent containment as of 8:30 a.m. Monday.

They have determined the fire is lightning caused. It started Friday afternoon east of the town of Loyalton. It spread quickly resulting in the closures of US395 and SR70, both of which have reopened.

A forest closure was issued by the Humboldt-Toyabe National Forest for the Dog Valley area due to the fire's southern spread.

The fire burned actively overnight, showing considerable spread on the west and south sides. Crews made good progress, however, especially around the long finger that moved southeast yesterday west of Highway 395 and threatened the areas around Bordertown and Cold Springs. There is now fire line around that area, and forward progress has been stopped as of now. All evacuation orders remain in effect today.

Day shift crews will continue the work from overnight, tying the line constructed around the finger back into the main body of the fire. They will use indirect (away from the fire’s main edge) and direct (against the fire’s edge) tactics to continue suppression.

Ten helicopters are currently assigned to the fire, with most flying out of the Truckee Airport. Fixed-wing aircraft is available to the fire on an as-needed basis. Fire activity has picked up considerably in California (and the country) over the last few days, and with many new starts around the state, resources are being shared and use to their best effectiveness.