In the latest sign that fire crews are gaining an upper hand on many areas of the Park Fire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Wednesday afternoon that several evacuation warnings have been lifted and a few evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings — including part of the Cohasset area.
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Evacuation orders in zones 312A, 317B and 253 — from “Cohasset Road west to Vilas Road,” Honea said — have been reduced to evacuation warnings, Honea said at Cal Fire’s 3 p.m. media briefing.
Honea urged residents to be cautious upon returning to their homes, and said non-residents still need to stay out of the area.
Evacuation warnings have also been lifted in zones 312B, 317A, 273 and 318 in north Chico.
With damage inspection teams having completed 75% of their assessments, Cal Fire said 361 structures have been destroyed and 36 damaged by the week-old fire, which stands at 389,791 acres — the fifth-largest in the history of the state. Fire incident commander Billy See said 68% of the structures inspected in the fire zone within Butte County have survived without damage. There have been no fatalities or injuries reported from the fire, which remains at 18% containment.
Operation section chief Mark Brunton said the past 24 hours have generally been “a very positive thing” as firefighters limited the spread to around 5,000 acres, most of it in the northeast corner of the Tehama County fire zone.
Brunton said the west side of the line in Butte County remains solid and the Highway 32 heel is “looking really good.” Steep, rugged terrain has made for time-consuming work near Highway 36 but Brunton said firefighters are “doing a lot of very good work in that area.” Addition contingency lines are being put in place to protect the community of Mineral, he added.
One trouble spot remains the Mill Creek drainage area. Brunton said layered smoke has greatly hampered visibility and “it’s not efficient or safe to fly aircraft” in the area.
Temperatures are expected to continue to get warmer this week and there is a chance of thunderstorms in the foothills and mountains. Brunton said there remained a “potential increase with fire behavior” in the days ahead but said contingency plans are in place, including additional resources if needed.
As of Wednesday morning, 5,779 personnel were working on the fire, along with 40 helicopters, 519 engines, 180 bulldozers, 115 water tenders and 112 crews.
