BLAZING TRAIL

Urgent Evacuations Ordered as Fast-Moving Wildfire Ignites

An uncontained wildfire is sweeping through California, damaging property and grounding emergency aircraft.

A fast-moving wildfire tore through California’s Mono County, charring more than 3,000 acres, damaging 15 structures, and prompting highway closures and evacuations in the picturesque region near the Nevada state border, NBC News reports. The Pack Fire, burning about 140 miles southeast of Sacramento, grew to cover around 5.3 square miles on Thursday night, with no containment. The fire’s rapid growth was fueled by powerful wind gusts reaching up to 50 mph, which temporarily grounded emergency air support units. Part of Highway 395 was closed, and a nearby trailer park was “impacted” by the blaze, but it is not immediately known if any homes were destroyed. A brief reprieve came in the evening as precipitation dampened the spread of the fire, allowing firefighters to continue working throughout the night to contain the blaze. Additional firefighting resources are expected to arrive Friday, Cal Fire reported, with evacuation shelters established at a local middle school and the Tri-County Fairgrounds. The cause of the fire, which is threatening the area’s renowned mountain landscapes and pine forests, is under investigation.