Foothills wildfire at 900 acres; evacuations lifted

Fire crews have begun to corral the wildfire below Bullards Bar Dam and have reached 20 percent containment of the 900-acre blaze, officials said today.

Nearly all evacuation orders issued for the Bullards Fire have been lifted, according to Timothy Evans, spokesman for the Tahoe National Forest Service. The one remaining closure is for Moonshine Road, which remains closed to non-residents.

Though the blaze was burning in several directions, and had caused evacuations along several foothills roads in eastern Yuba County, it had yet to consume any buildings, according to a spokeswoman for Tahoe National Forest.

“So far there have still been no homes damaged,” said Ann Westling, spokeswoman for the Tahoe and Plumas national forests. “We are keeping our fingers crossed.”

The National Weather Service has forecast westerly winds this afternoon in the foothills with a high of 75 degrees. Temperatures are expected to rise into the low 80s Monday and the high 80s by Tuesday, with winds gradually shifting to the northeast.

Westling said the increased fire acreage from the 600 reported Friday night was primarily the result of remapping the fire area.

The fire is being jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday declared issued a state of emergency in Yuba County. The proclamation came after Yuba County officials declared a local state of emergency. It will allow agencies to receive some reimbursement of the costs associated with fighting the fire.

Westling said there is still no cause for the Bullards Fire, which about 4 p.m. Friday in the canyon for the North Yuba River southwest of the dam. The fire is burning south of Bullards Bar Reservoir on both sides of the North Yuba River in the Tahoe and Plumas national forests.

Emergency crews evacuated about 30 homes in the sparsely populated fire area. Evacuations were announced for  Bullards Bar campgrounds, Moonshine Road, Oregon Hill Road to Summit Road, Kelly Road, County Road 169 and the Sioux Trail areas.

Along with some 400 firefighters, 20 hand crews, 20 engines, 10 bulldozers, four helicopters and five air tankers are being used to fight the blaze.

The fire is straddling the border of Nevada and Yuba counties. Incident commanders established a command center at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.

Fire crews also used an aerial attack Friday before night fell.

The Bullard Fire is burning a few miles northeast of the site of the Yuba Fire, which burned nearly 3,900 acres near Dobbins in August 2009.